The Chris Klug Foundation invites you to join us for the 2023 Summit for Life and help us celebrate the 18th Annual "Kickoff to Winter" in Aspen, CO!
Summit for Life is a nighttime uphill race up Aspen Mountain, and one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Chris Klug Foundation (CKF). Our mission is to raise awareness of the lifesaving gift of organ, eye, and tissue donation. By participating in Summit for Life (S4L), you are helping us spread this message, and make a difference for the 104,000 people awaiting a transplant in the United States today.
Racers will climb the 3,267 vertical feet to the summit to raise awareness for the gift of life. Each year, over 400 riders and racers take on the challenge and join CKF as we celebrate at the top! Every racer is required to fundraise a minimum of $100 and will receive a racer bag full of goodies for their hard work. Remember, $100 is only four $25 donations; you will reach it in no time! (Don't feel limited by the fundraising minimum; we encourage racers to go above and beyond for the chance to win some wonderful prizes! We are here to support your efforts--please contact us for ideas, strategies, tips, tricks, and tools!)
SUMMIT FOR LIFE:
Participants will meet in Gondola Plaza at the base of the mountain at 5pm MT, and begin racing at 5:30! Hike, skin, or snowshoe your way up the 3,267 vertical feet to the top of Aspen Mountain, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, in beautiful Aspen, Colorado.
The post-race party is held at the Sundeck Restaurant! Once you've made it to the summit, join us inside and enjoy dinner provided by The Little Nell, live music, and an awards ceremony where we will announce our 2023 Michael Wells Inspirational Award. We'll also be presenting our top fundraisers and top race finishers with their (much-deserved!) awards.
You can also register with your buddies as a team! If you belong to a gym, work for a company, volunteer with an organization...you name it. Get a group of your friends, family, co-workers, volunteer buddies, gym partners, etc, together, pick a team name, and start training for the climb to raise awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation! There is also a prize for the best dressed team so please have some fun with your race costumes!
All registered participants will receive a commemorative 2023 Summit for Life item for registering.
RIDE FOR LIFE:
Skip the uphill hike and ride the Silver Queen Gondola straight to the top of Aspen Mountain! Greet your friends, cheer on the racers, and join us for the post-race party at the Sundeck.
SUMMIT FOR LIFE EVENT SCHEDULE:
Saturday, December 2nd: In-Person Summit for Life
In this exciting event, participants race from the base of Aspen Mountain all the way to the top! Racers will climb the 2.5 miles—at night! All participants will receive a racer bag and top racers and fundraisers will be awarded for their efforts with amazing prizes! Dinner will be provided at the Sundeck Restaurant by The Little Nell, with a live-streamed awards show post-race, presented by liver transplant recipient and Olympic medalist Chris Klug.
Saturday, December 2nd: Ride for Life
SUMMIT FOR LIFE:
Registration for the Summit for Life uphill event is $50. Price of registration increases to $75 starting November 18th. Each participant has a minimum fundraising commitment of $100. Participants that go above and beyond have the chance to win prizes for being the top fundraiser! Your registration fee also gets refunded when you fundraise more than $1,000.
Registered participants who do not reach the $100 fundraising minimum by Monday, December 11th, will be charged the remaining funds. This also applies to those who register for the uphill and do not participate. Since this is a fundraising race, we do not allow refunds or transfers for any reason.
All 2023 Summit for Life fundraising goes toward the Chris Klug Foundation. We are extremely grateful for all the efforts you put into fundraising for our organization. We may be small, but we are mighty, and your support gives us that strength. To learn more about where your donations go, please visit https://chrisklugfoundation.org/financials.
As a nonprofit, we get it: asking for money is hard! This is why we have created our very own Summit for Life Fundraising guide with all of the tips and tricks to raise the most as well as the facts about organ, eye, and tissue donation.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SUMMIT FOR LIFE FUNDRAISING GUIDE.
The most important thing to remember is that fundraising is all about helping others connect an existing passion of theirs directly to your cause.
For the fundraisers who go above and beyond for CKF and our cause! Prizes will be awarded to the three individuals who fundraise the most for CKF:
And, of course, teamwork makes the dream work! We'd be remiss if we didn't recognize the power of working together as a team, so a group prize will be awarded to the team that fundraises the most:
There will be several other prizes awarded to individuals who go above and beyond with their fundraising efforts.
For the Summit for Life race, prizes will be awarded to the fastest three participants in the following categories:
A group prize will be awarded to the fastest team:
We will have several fun extra awards for those there for a good time:
Something came up and I cannot race. Can I transfer my race registration and fundraising?
No. Since Summit for Life is a FUNDRAISING event for CKF, we do not permit race transfers for either registrations or fundraising. If you are unable to race, you agree that CKF will keep your registration and fundraising, and you will be held responsible for reaching the minimum.
Can I register the day of the event?
Race day registration for either Summit for Life or Ride for Life is available if we have not reached our maximum of 400 participants. We are bound by a Forest Service permit, and cannot allow additional registrations past 400 total for both options.
I have a season pass with Aspen Snowmass. Can I use this to ride the gondola?
No. This is a registration-based event and the gondola is closed to the public. The only people permitted to ride the gondola are those who have purchased a Ride for Life registration.
I just want to cheer for my racer and not stay for the after party. Do I still have to pay?
Yes. The only people permitted to ride the gondola are those who have purchased a Ride for Life registration.
I want to ski down after the race. Am I allowed to?
No. Since this event is in partnership with Aspen Snowmass, you MUST ride the gondola down after the event. No on is permitted to ski, snowboard, or hike back down the mountain.
If you have any additional questions, please contact info@chrisklugfoundation.org.
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
100% of fundraising, donations, and net proceeds will go to benefit the Chris Klug Foundation!
The Chris Klug Foundation (CKF) aims to educate individuals to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors, and inspire those in the transplant community. Our vision is to eliminate the wait for transplantation.
CKF is a national 501(c)(3) national nonprofit founded in October 2003 by Olympic Bronze Medalist and liver transplant recipient, Chris Klug. He started CKF to promote lifesaving organ, eye, and tissue donation and work to improve the quality of life for those touched by transplantation. CKF uses the stories of organ donors, transplant candidates, and transplant recipients to inspire, alongside events, school courses, and webinars to educate. All with the end goal of encouraging individuals to give the gift of life and register as organ donors. We have our work cut out for us as over 104,000 children and adults are currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant, and while 95% of Americans say that want to help, only 54% take the steps to register as an organ donor. Unfortunately, 17 of the 104,000 individuals on the transplant waitlist will die today waiting for their lifesaving transplant. But by heading up the hill, you can help make a difference and save lives. Summit for Life helps CKF reach over half a million individuals with the message of organ, eye, and tissue donation.
Additional race information can be found at http://www.summitforlife.com.
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