What about Ted?
by Tim Mutrie, 6/08

Ted brings a lot to the table. He does this most nights actually. This leaves days free for tackling absurd distances and peaks on foot and skis. Hurry up, then wait. It’s a lot of that. And it’s not the sort of arrangement that tends to produce accomplished mountain athletes (particularly in vampire-rich habitats like Aspen). But Ted Mahon—the mountaineer, skier, ultra-runner, photographer, ski instructor and full-time waiter—has quietly managed to do it (the athlete part, not the vamp thing).

In April 2008, Ted, along with local architect Al Beyer, completed a new ski/climb route on the little-known west face of Capitol Peak. Except for the fact that Ted didn’t have to work that night, the 19-hour epic served as a fitting bookend to Ted’s Ski the 14ers project. Nine years, 54 peaks, one avalanche, zero missed shifts. But really it has marked the end of nothing. “I’m not putting my ski boots on again… this week,” Ted said after Capitol.

After said rest, Ted collected classic ski descents on the nine other tallest peaks in the Aspen area: Pyramid (for a 2nd time), Thunder Pyramid (1st descent), Castle’s east face (2nd time), North Maroon (3rd time) and South Maroon (2nd time), Snowmass (3rd time), Hagerman Peak (1st descent) and Grizzly (5th time).

By then Ted was running late, literally. The first race of the season, a 50-mile ultra run in Lake City was right around the corner, followed by another in Leadville, which is/was also something of a training of sorts: Ted has two more 100-mile ultras on the calendar followed by a climbing expedtion to the Everest region with fiance, longtime partner and teammate, Christy. Granted, it’s a hectic pace, this calendar. But it’s actually pretty normal… for Ted.

Some vitals:

Born: Lenox Hill Hospital, Upper East Side, Manhattan, N.Y., August 9, 1972
Rearin’: Rockville Centre/ Westhampton Beach(summer), Long Island, N.Y.
Schooling: South Side Middle & High Schools, Rockville Centre
First Job: CEO, Teddy’s Cookies, Westhampton Beach, 1982,(“my business career peaked at age 10")
First Ski Day: Okemo, 1977 (“I’ll never ski again![crying]” told to dad.)
Outside Stuff(youth): soccer, Little League Baseball(Gem Cleaners ‘82-‘83, Murray’s Floor Wax ‘84-87), skateboarding, lacrosse, track, golf(2x Westhampton Country Club Junior Golf Chipping Champion '81, '82), boy scouts("at least until it wasn't 'cool' anymore")
Skiing Foundation: Family trips to VT(Okemo, Stratton & Sugarbush), Europe and CO, weekends upstate at Windham Mountain with the cousins "Chinese Downhilling" most runs
College: Lehigh University, B.A. Neuroscience, May 1994
Outside Stuff(college): football tailgates, Greek Week competitions and night snowboarding(yes, snowboarding) at Camelback Mountain, PA
Arrival in Aspen: October 1994(“just for a season, see what it’s all about.”)
Years in Aspen: 14
Total Ski Days: 1750(+/-150)
First Job(s): Planet Hollywood, Bonnies(dishwasher)
First seen in Ski School Uniform: Buttermilk, December, 1997
First lineup for an Aspen race: Americas’ Uphill, March 1996
Shortest Race: 100 meters, SSMS, 1985
Longest Race: various 100 milers
DNF's: none

First Notable Peak: Mount Sopris, ski descent, March, 1997 (“Winter camping at Thomas Lakes, Alpine Trekkers… It was a disaster”)
Most Notable Peak: Mount Everest, NE ridge, May 2003
First 14er skied: Quandary Peak, March 23, 1999 (“With my cousin Matt from Long Island.”)
Colorado Ski 14ers completed: Capitol, April 20, 2008(“with Al who couldn’t put his skis on the right feet!”)
Last 14er skied: TBD