Not just A Mountain

In 1924, an ordinary mountain became “A Mountain” when Colorado State University students painted the infamous A on it. In 1946, the Aggies adopted the ram as their new mascot, but the A is still repainted every year (This year’s fresh coat will happen Sept. 10.) out of university tradition and because it serves as a reference point for airplanes.

I suppose people started referring to it as Stadium Hill sometime after the football stadium, now named Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium, was built at its base in 1968.

The number of times I’ve ridden my bike up to the top of this “hill” is easily over 100, but the treks up themselves – not so easy. And that, after all, is the point. Its extreme grades make it the go-to training destination for anyone looking to nuke their legs and bust a lung or two.

Scariest moment on the hill: A torrential downpour made my brakes ineffective on the descent. I had to use a combination of white-knuckle braking and Flintstone-stopping to stop and walk the rest of the way down.

But under dry conditions, 40+ mph descents? Yabba dabba doo!

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