Other life

Levitz’s favorite ski destination is Beaver Creek, Colorado

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999

Miles between Chicago and Beaver Creek, Colorado

2,470

Vertical drop (in feet) of Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey run

1.71

Total length (in miles) of Birds of Prey

MOUNTAIN TIME

Chicago-based insurance executive David Levitz got hooked on skiing after experiencing Colorado’s slopes

DAVID LEVITZ started skiing in high school, but growing up in the plains of Illinois meant he had to venture to a hill in Wisconsin to learn the ropes. But when he moved to Colorado to attend the University of Denver, a whole new world opened up.

“I never understood when people would say, ‘Once you ski out West, you will never ski again at home,’ but that all changed once I went to Denver,” says Levitz, who’s now a managing partner at GCG Financial. “I spent as many days as I could on the slopes in college and haven’t looked back since.”

While he’s based in the Chicago area, Levin still frequents Colorado’s Beaver Creek for his ski fix. It was there that he had one of his most challenging experiences on the Birds of Prey run, which was built for the 1999 World Championships.

“That’s where they will hold the World Cup this December,” he says. “While I know they generally hose down the ski run for the Olympics, I was barely able to stay on the run on snow! I can’t imagine how racers can tackle a hill like that skiing on pure ice.”