Peter Bisset

     Longtime Little Annie Basin resident, Peter Bisset, 75, passed peacefully Nov 18th, at an elder care facility in Glenwood Springs.  Born in Hartford, Connecticut to parents Allan and Helen, he grew up enjoying skiing, hiking and canoeing with his three younger sisters, Sandra, Kathy and Lisa.  During his formative years, at a school in Vermont, Peter excelled in Nordic skiing, qualifying him for Olympic tryouts.

     Though his athletic stamina stayed with him, he turned to a more spiritual way of life when he began following Guru Maharaji in the 1970s, which led him to India and eventually Aspen in the 1980s, taking up residence in an old one room minor's log cabin on the backside of Aspen Mountain at 10,000'.  There he lived a rugged and rustic lifestyle with no running water, an outhouse, a snowmobile and plenty of "standing dead" trees to warm him year around.  In winters he taught Alpine and Nordic skiing and was a housepainter during the summer months, all the while an active proponent for "Rural and Remote", a zoning created to keep the backside undeveloped and wild.  He also summited all of Colorado's 14ers during many of those summer seasons.

     Where the snow and skiing were plentiful, with stunning views of mountains in all directions, Peter lived 40 memorable years doing what he loved- skiing, hiking, reading, writing poetry (and a children's book), making ceramics, meditating, playing his drums, photographing nature, listening and dancing to music, while always reveling in the majesty of his beloved mountains and pushing himself to the edge of experience.

     Peter will be remembered as one of Aspen's hippie era characters- free spirited, fun-loving and creative.  A Celebration of Life will be held near his cabin home early summer 2026.