Summit for Life

The Chris Klug Foundation invites you to join us for the 2026 Summit for Life and help us celebrate the 21st 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 103,000 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 long-sleeved shirt. There will also be incentives to go above and beyond! (We are here to support your efforts--please contact us for ideas, strategies, tips, tricks, and tools or access the Fundraising Guide!)

SUMMIT FOR LIFE:

Participants will meet in Gondola Plaza at the base of the mountain at 5 pm MT, and begin racing at 5:30 pm!  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. View course map HERE.

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 2026 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 2026 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 5th: In-Person Summit for Life

• 5:30 pm race start

Please note that all racers who have not reached the fundraising minimum by 5 pm on November 30th will be charged the remaining amount, and anyone who signs up from December 1st on will be required to pay the registration and minimum fundraising. If you wish to go above and beyond the minimum fundraising requirement, donations will be accepted through the end of the year. 

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 5th: Ride for Life

• 5:30pm start
• Children 8 years old and younger race & ride for free (THEY MUST STILL REGISTER)

Unable to race or ride?  Want to do more? Consider volunteering with us!  

***NEW THIS YEAR! Please consider bringing canned food donations for our local LIFT-UP. Help support and feed your community this December! CKF will collect donated items at packet pickup and donate them to the LIFT-UP pantry post-event.***

Join fellow runners on November 26, 2020 for the Summit for Life. It's a fantastic Virtual Aspen Mountain - 3267' Vertical Challenge, 4.2K, Virtual Buttermilk Mountain - 1683' Vertical Challenge, 2.3K, Ultra featuring a flat and fast course in Aspen.