41st-annual American Airlines Celebrity Ski returns to Beaver Creek to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Libby Pelican Seamans’ earliest American Airlines Celebrity Ski memory is more of a feeling.

“And it’s a feeling I still get every time I go,” the 41-year-old said. “Which is just a feeling of being so held and supported.”

Now in its 41st year, the American Airlines Celebrity Ski — which has been held at Crested Butte, Squaw Valley, Breckenridge and Vail before finding a home at Beaver Creek in 2017 — has raised more than $47 million for the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation. The four-day event officially began on Thursday but hits a high point with dual slalom races, concerts and a live auction on Saturday.

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“This is such a great event, we make so much money for cystic fibrosis and we have celebrities and great musical acts — people should know about it,” said Tom Gross, the race announcer at the annual fundraiser since 1988. Gross’s humorous calls have ushered former Cy Young Award winners, politicians and movie stars to past finish lines. The event has drawn everyone from the late Gale Sayers to Barry Manilow, Urban Meyer, Buzz Aldrin, Alexi Lalas and Bobby Farrelly. Even though Gross’ celebrity tales could fill a few books on tape, the brushes with fame aren’t what make the event special.

“What stands out most — you know it’s not the celebrities, it’s not the money, it’s not the fun. It’s Sam, Libby and Piper — the three girls who came the first year I came,” he said. “And they were 5 years old. And the life expectancy was 12. And now they’re in their 40s, they have families, kids, they’re married, they have professional careers.” 

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Piper Beatty Welsh was six weeks old when she was diagnosed with CF. Right away, her action-oriented parents pleaded with doctors for a plan to fight the rare genetic disorder that affects the lungs, pancreas and other organs of roughly 40,000 American children and adults.

“The doctor said, ‘take her home and love her for as long as you have her,'” Walsh said.

The Pelicans lived across the street from Welsh’s family in Colorado Springs. When Sam was diagnosed with CF at 18 months — and Libby at birth a year and a half later — the families’ shared mission became making a name for the disease.

“We had this little cohort of strength and safety in each other in this neighborhood with something that is very rare,” Seamans said.

The CF Foundation contacted Libby and Sam’s parents and invited them to be the poster children for the third-annual Celebrity Ski in 1988. The trio’s been back every year since.

“Out of everything that’s happened,” Gross said. “It is the success of the science with these three girls that has made the biggest impact on me, without a doubt.”

The Statue of Liberty, Kenny G, Michael Bolton and big crashes

The first American Airlines Celebrity Ski took place in 1986 in Crested Butte. The brainchild of Bernie Willett, Mike Buckman and Bob Wisse, the VH1-sponsored ski raised money for the rejuvenation of the Statue of Liberty. Stephen Stills entertained and John Denver was sent home after refusing to ride up the ski lift with guests, Gross recalled.

Buckman began searching for another cause after the inaugural event. Willett had lost four sisters to Cystic Fibrosis, so the CF Foundation was a natural fit for the second-annual ski. Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine performed in 1987. The following year, Kenny G hit the stage, Canadian ski legend Wayne Wong held his first race clinic and Gross appeared as the announcer.

Gross cut his teeth announcing youth ski school races in Waterville Valley in the early 80s. Instead of simply stating names and times, he felt inclined to “spruce things up.” His style caught the attention of Willett, who heard the animated announcer working the Governor’s Ski Invitational in Waterville Valley in the early-80s. Willett invited him to come to Crested Butte for the Celebrity Ski.

“My commentary is quite theatrical,” Gross admitted before launching into an example bit: 

“He’s in search of an audience. Ruthless, elusive — his style is the style of decadence and it’s impossible to watch this guy without imagining champagne and tuxedos …. He seems to be skiing on a river athleticism.“

“It’s endlessly entertaining,” Seamans said. “I think there’s some people who intentionally take longer down the runs just to hear the things Tommy will say about them.” 

Seamans said Gross has held the Celebrity Ski together, sharing stories and making the necessary personal connections vital to its success.

“He really is the heart and the voice of the event in so many ways,” she said. 

Gross has also had a front row seat for some of the wilder characters and their exploits on the slopes.

“When we started at Crested Butte, I think it was ‘Oh Be Joyful,’ and that was a very difficult run,” Gross recalled. “Some of these people, they’ve never raced before. … There were people flying all over the place.”

The Eagle County courses are a bit tamer, Gross said. But one year in Vail, former White House Chief of Staff John Sununu veered off course.

“He was having one of the fastest times of his life and he caught an edge and went off into the woods and broke like eight ribs,” Gross said. “So, it was a very flamboyant crash and without a doubt one of the most memorable crashes we ever had.”

On Buzz Aldrin, Gross remarked: “He was the second man that walked on the moon and he always finished second when he raced.”

“Pensacola: Wings of Gold” star Sandra Hess was “the best female racer of all-time” Gross stated. Another natural talent was former Carolina Panthers wideout Steve Smith. His Panther teammate, Jordan Gross is also a fine skier, though Gross recalled a nice yard sale a couple years ago. Another gridiron god, the late Gale Sayers, was an “elegant” skier, according to Gross.

“You know he had his bad knee. He didn’t race fast but he was a very pretty skier,” Gross said of Sayers before adding, “That guy can do anything he wants.”

John Havlicek, who was always willing to sacrifice his body on the hardwood, brought his hall of fame competitiveness to the slopes, too.

“He loved racing,” Gross said of the former NBA icon. “A lot of these superstars, no matter what they do, they’re going all out and they want to win.”

After the race clinic and qualifier on Friday morning, several 12-13 person teams are organized for Saturday’s dual slalom. Only the top-3 get medals with their celebrity captains, but no one escapes Gross’ commentary.

“I treat everyone like they’re Mikaela Shiffrin,” he said. Except maybe comedian Lenny Clark.

“I used to say, ‘Like the aggravating babble of a used-car salesman or the feeling of cheap polyester against your skin — there’s something vaguely disturbing about the way Lenny Clark is skiing this course today,” Gross said. 

The generosity of the celebrities is notable as well. Jim Palmer once auctioned off his Cy Young Award. The trophy fetched six-figures — and then the buyer handed it back to Palmer. He did the same thing after spending a similar amount on Dee Wallace Stone’s signed script from the 1982 blockbuster, “ET,” Gross said.

“That was unbelievable,” he added.

Seamans still remembers getting serenaded on stage by Michael Bolton. Welsh enjoyed listening to Hootie and the Blowfish and meeting the cast of “90210,” but her favorite memory was wearing Matt Bahr’s two Super Bowl rings as a 15-year-old.

“Not only are they there to support the cure, but they’ve just become incredible friends,” she said of the numerous big names in attendance. “It just becomes this family.”

In 1992, the event outgrew its original venue and relocated to Squaw Valley. Three years later, it came to Breckenridge, where it stayed until 1998. That year began a two decade run in Vail. Billy Kidd joined Wong for the race clinic in 2001. The pair taught lessons through 2016. When American Airlines took the Celebrity Ski to Beaver Creek the following winter, Phil and Steve Mahre became the resident ski professionals.

“They’re both very funny and very good,” Walsh said of the twins, who went 1-2 in the 1984 Olympic slalom. Once before a race, Welsh asked one of the brothers “how to go fast and win.”

“He said to me, ‘stay upright, have fun and keep moving forward,'” Welsh recalled. “And I said, ‘are you talking about skiing or life?’ And he said, ‘both.'”

Skiing towards scientific advancement

CF is a life-threatening genetic disease where mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene cause the CFTR protein to not function properly. Mucus clogs airways, prevents healthy digestion and impacts immune strength. While children in the 1950s rarely lived even to elementary school, Seamans has watched CF “transform from being a disease you died from to being a disease you live with.”

“Both metaphorically and very realistically, the celebrity ski event is a huge part of our ability to grasp that difference and enjoy that difference,” she said. “Because the dollars raised there are what is responsible for the science that has changed that story so much.”

Walsh said her friendship with the Pelicans prevented her from feeling isolated as a kid and made her feel like “CF was normal.” They all took the same pills, went to the same clinics and shared the same struggles.

“And in that way, they were my first support system,” she said. “That this was OK and I could still be a normal kid.”

The trio encouraged each other through adulthood as well.

“We’re a little stubborn and we kind of wanted to prove people wrong,” Welsh said. “It wasn’t just prove people wrong by surviving — that’s one goal — but we really wanted to prove people wrong by living. By doing things folks thought were impossible.”

Welsh went to law school at Columbia. During that time, CF ravaged her lungs to the point where, without a transplant, she was given less than a year to live. Finally, after nine months of waiting, a donor arrived in June of 2010.

“It totally gave me a new lease on life,” said Welsh, who gave up law and now works as the director of national outreach and engagement for the CF Foundation.

“My dad’s a lawyer,” Welsh continued. “I like to joke that lawyer was my second genetic disease and I cured myself from that.”

Sam Pelican Monson became a clinical psychologist and gave birth to twins who are now 13. Seamans, 41, lives in Denver with her husband and two adopted children. A speech therapist by training, she runs a pop-up artisan market now and enjoys an “active, full life.” A younger sister — who doesn’t have CF and also is not a carrier — also attends the celebrity ski, where she has won the title of fastest female skier on several occasions.

Growing up, Seamans remembers her parents instilling courage and hope for miracles and advancements in treatment.

“I don’t have strong memories of really being always so afraid, because I think I was protected by hope and the possibility research could bring,” she said.

When her parents would speak on the last night of the celebrity ski, joined by doctors giving the “state of science” address to donors, Rosie O’Donnell — a loyal attendee for many years — took it upon herself to take the young girls out of the room.

“She would come and get us and take us to do something fun, so we didn’t have to hear them talking about the harsh reality of our disease,” said Seamans, who has stayed in touch with O’Donnell throughout her life. These days, thanks to significant advancements in CF treatments, the reality isn’t quite as harsh. Seamans and her sister are on a genetic modifier medication that’s only been out for about six years. She said it’s “drastically changed” the meaning of living with CF.

“Our lung function’s increased back to a near normal level (and) the amount of hours doing daily treatments has decreased,” Seamans said.

The reality of her present state — juxtaposed with where she started — form a core essence of that ‘feeling’ Seaman attaches to her favorite celebrity ski memories.

“It really is just that same thread that goes through every single story I could tell,” she said. “It’s this overwhelming sense of gratitude and awe for the people who come to the event and dedicate themselves in all kinds of ways. It’s people who have such huge hearts.”

For more information on the American Airlines Celebrity Ski and for a full schedule of events, visit events.cff.org/celebrityski/. To donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, visit events.cff.org/celebrityski/Donate