Summit for Life

The Chris Klug Foundation invites you to join us for the 2026 Summit for Life and help us celebrate the 21th Annual “Kickoff to Winter” in Aspen, CO! Unfortunately, the wind thwarted our celebration on December 6th, but we will be back on December 13th to celebrate, and we hope you will be there with us. If you were previously registered and picked up your race bib, you will be able to use that bib to head up the hill. If you were not previously registered but would like to race with us, we have reopened registration, so sign up today! We will release the packet pick-up details soon for the reschedule, so please stay tuned. If you are unable to make the reschedule and would like to defer your registration to next year, please reach out to the team at info@chrisklugfoundation.org.

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 sleeve 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 5pm MT, and begin racing at 5:30pm! 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 2025 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 2025 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.