Aspen Rocky Mountain High
By R. Couri Hay
The original story appeared in the Labor Day issue of Social Life Magazine. Click here to view.
Winter
While best-known as a ski resort, Aspen Skiing Company, founded in 1946, is equally enjoyable in all seasons. Originally a silver mining town, Aspen fell into decline once that industry died out, and during those fallow years, nature gradually took over, the area became pristine again, the rivers pure, the land verdant. Skiing arrived in the 1930s, and by the 1940s, the snowy slopes surrounding the ghost town became a world-class ski resort. aspensnowmass.com
Four Ski Areas
Aspen Mountain, also known as Ajax, is my favorite, and the most popular for its scene. The slopes include steep glades and moguls, as well as a few relatively easy runs.
Snowmass has the most vertical feet in all of the U.S. With 91 trails and 21 chairlifts, there’s something for everyone, and experienced skiers won’t get bored here.
Buttermilk, despite being the home of the Winter X Games and its daredevil pro skiers, this mountain with its gently rolling trails, is perfect for beginners or those desiring a more leisurely skiing experience.
Aspen Highlands is the most laid-back of the four ski areas and is favored by locals and ski-world insiders for its uncrowded slopes. There are expert terrains and also plenty of easier long runs with spectacular views.
Summer
In the summer you can hike, bike, climb, and go rafting all with that beautiful Rocky Mountain backdrop. There are lots of festivals in the summer including the Aspen Music Festival, the Intersect Art Fair, the Food & Wine Classic, and the Aspen Ideas Festival. In town, locals talk about sitting next to Jack Nicholson at the Jerome Bar or seeing Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, and Kurt Russell dancing at the exclusive Caribou Club. The Colorado ski resort has been favored by show-biz insiders since its earliest days. Mixing it up in town during any season are A-list Hollywood stars, artists, musicians, and Davos-level power brokers. Recently, Prince Harry played in a charity polo match at the Aspen Valley Polo Club.
Billionaire Mountain
Many renowned folks have set down roots on Red Mountain, nicknamed “Billionaire Mountain “, where members of the Bezos and Walton (Walmart) families have homes, The writer Hunter S. Thompson moved to Aspen in 1968, buying a home with the proceeds from his Hells Angels book, and lived there until he committed suicide in 2005. Thompson, who personified “gonzo journalism,” famously ran for county sheriff in 1970, and some of his memorabilia can be found at the Fat City Gallery, formerly known as the Gonzo Gallery, in town.
The J-Bar
The J-Bar at the Hotel Jerome served as Thompson’s de facto office, and most days he’d eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner there after stopping at the post office to pick up his mail. A bartender served as a buffer between Thompson and visiting fans; even famous ones like Jimmy Buffet and John Denver had to request a meeting. Thompson once almost killed actor Bill Murray at the Jerome by duct-taping him to a lounge chair and throwing him into the hotel’s pool. Upon his death in 2005, Thompson’s funeral at the Jerome’s Grand Ballroom was attended by Murray, John Cusack, Benicio Del Toro, and Johnny Depp, who footed the $3 million tab for blasting the author’s ashes on Thompson’s Colorado farm, from a cannon behind his Aspen home, as Thompson had requested in his will.
Hotel Jerome
The Hotel Jerome was one of Aspen’s first, built in 1889 by Jerome B. Wheeler, a co-owner of Macy’s, for whom it is named. The Jerome has had ups and downs through the years, fading as Aspen’s silver mining trade dried up, picking up again in the 1930s when ski trails opened, and by the 1950s it was a hangout for the movie stars, writers, and artists who were drawn to the town’s bohemian vibe. Centrally located at the foot of Aspen Mountain, the Jerome is now a completely renovated Auberge property. aubergeresorts.com/hoteljerome
The Little Nell Hotel
My favorite hotel is The Little Nell, a five-star spot at the base of Aspen Mountain with direct gondola access to the slopes. Lively and hip, the Little Nell feels like a modern residence, with contemporary art on the walls and locally quarried stone fireplaces. All the luxurious suites have gas fireplaces, and most have balconies. The ski concierge stores your equipment warms your boots and helps you put them on in the morning. It’s the only way! thelittlenell.com
Aspen Mountain Club
Atop Aspen Mountain sits the Aspen Mountain Club, the resort’s only ski-out private club. The number of members is capped at 350 – and the membership medallion is the town’s ultimate status symbol. Members enjoy perks like ski access to the mountain before it opens in the mornings – essentially having the entire mountain to yourself. Annual fees are $6,000, however, the initiation fee will set you back $220,000.
Caribou Club: Founder Harley Baldwin
The late and sorely missed art dealer and developer Harley Baldwin founded Aspen’s exclusive Caribou Club in 1990 as the city’s first members-only club, bringing to Aspen world-class cuisine. While dining inside the ultra-chic club, diners are seated underneath its charming antlered chandeliers and surrounded by art including a series by Andy Warhol. If members choose, a small party may also be seated in the Wine Room, where the club houses its 5,000 bottles of wine. The club is now owned by Baldwin’s partner, gallerist Richard Edwards who also runs the Baldwin Gallery, the best in town. Maintaining Harley’s high standards are his long-time collaborators and friends Billy Stolz and Louis Velasquez who have been with the club since its inception. caribouclub.com
Festivals
Aspen Food & Wine Classic
The Aspen Food & Wine Classic features cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and panel discussions with renowned chefs and vintners. Some of those appearing this year, September 10-12, 2021, include Matha Stewart, restaurateurs Andrew Zimmern, Bobby Stuckey, Guy Fieri, and Stephanie Izard, and wine experts Mark Oldman and Belinda Chang. classic.foodandwine.com
Aspen Music Festival
The Aspen Music Festival, founded in 1949, brings 400 classical music events to the Rocky Mountains over eight weeks each summer. In 2021 select performances were live-streamed free of charge to a global audience. www.aspenmusicfestival.com
My Aspen: Kenneth Mark
Rocky Mountain Haven
Aspen is full of interesting people who live life to the fullest. Locals love to say, “Our lives are better than your vacation.” An avid skier and longtime Aspen habitue, Dr. Kenneth Mark is an ambassador for Aspen. “One of my favorite things in the world is to think about Aspen, talk about Aspen… and to be in Aspen,” says Dr. Mark, a top dermatologist with offices in the Hamptons, Manhattan, and Aspen. Dr. Mark spends three months per year in the Rocky Mountains haven, and he’s shared his insider’s tips with us. kennethmarkmd.com
The Vibe
Aspen is very much about the people, whether they’re living there or visiting, who are passionate about being there. And part of the magic of Aspen is it’s difficult to get to, so it’s not an overcrowded place. It’s a real town that started as a silver mining hub and evolved into a place with a big-city culture world-class recreation and a small-town feel. It’s tiny, but you probably have more master sommeliers that live there than anywhere else in the world.
Ski Gangs & Shrines to Elvis & Marilyn
There are ski gangs, and groups of people who ski together, and I’m a member of the Bell Mountain Buckaroos, one of the oldest, founded in 1971 by six guys trying out for jobs as ski school instructors. To this day, every Sunday they meet to ski. On Aspen Mountain, there are shrines, including ones for John Denver, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Jerry Garcia. The Buckaroos also have their shrine on Bell Mountain.
Cathedral of Rocks & Snow
My favorite mountain is Aspen Highlands. A lot of people like Aspen Mountain, and it’s great, I like it, but my favorite mountain is Aspen Highlands. The terrain is some of the best in North America. Highlands, as the locals call it, has maintained a rustic feel. It’s very spiritual, you’re up there surrounded by peaks overlooking the Maroon Bells, two 14,000-foot peaks that are bell-shaped. They’re the most photographed peaks in North America. It’s like you’re in this cathedral of rocks and snow and solemnness.
Summer: Hiking & Biking
In summer, it’s all about hiking and biking. I like to hike the Ute, named after the Ute Indians because it’s known for being steep, so it’s a workout. I wouldn’t hike to the top of the mountain the first day in Aspen, because you need to get used to the altitude. One thing I like to do on the first day is rent bicycles from Aspen Bikes and ride along the Rio Grande River. It’s relatively flat, but with enough incline to get a workout, and you’re still at 8,000 feet.
Dining in Aspen
Tip: make your restaurant reservations in advance if you’re visiting Aspen in the high season and during peak times, like holidays.
Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro
In ski areas in Europe, they build a house on the mountain and they stop for lunch. In most American ski areas you might as well be at a cafeteria. Cloud Nine is the closest thing to your Austrian ski-hut-on-the-mountain lunch spot, and it’s only open in the winter. An on-mountain restaurant at an elevation of over 10,000 feet, you ski to get to it. But non-skiers can get there by snowcat, and if you overindulge, you can grab a ride back down the mountain the same way. Started by an Austrian and now run by Tommy Tolleson, a Swede who has lived in Aspen for over 30 years, Cloud Nine has transformed into a full-on champaign-spraying lunch every day of the week. A typical Wednesday is as wild as a holiday weekend. The cuisine is Swiss-inflected, think fondue, raclette, and steak tartare. It’s the hardest-to-get reservation in town, and Tolleson is by far the most popular guy in town. Everybody is always vying to get a table at Cloud 9, and it’s a very small place. aspensnowmass.com
Tolleson’s Rose Entourage
A few years ago, Cloud Nine’s Tolleson launched his own rose’ wine label, Entourage, using grapes sustainably grown in the French Riviera. Born in St. Tropez, and launched in Aspen, Entourage Rose has recently become available at select venues in similar resort areas, including Nantucket and the Hamptons.
The French Alpine Bistro
One of my favorite Aspen restaurants, the French Alpine Bistro was named one of America’s top five romantic restaurants by the Food Network. Owner Karin Derly is Austrian, and you feel like you’re in the Alps. Whether you sit in the outdoor chalet or downstairs, the ambiance there is unique and second to none, and the food is delicious. I love their rack of lamb, and also the scallops. And for lunch, especially in the summertime, try the Moules-Frites. frenchalpinebistro.com
Steakhouse 316
At Steakhouse 316 my favorite is the prime 38-ounce Tomahawk Ribeye. Steakhouse 316 also has an amazing wine list, with a great variety, including some real gems that are reasonably priced. Owners Samantha and Craig Cordts-Pearce also own several other great Aspen restaurants including Wild Fig, Monarch Steakhouse, and CP Burger, and they recently bought the Woody Creek Tavern. steakhouse316.com
Cache Cache
For over 30 years Cache Cache has served up fine French dining under the stewardship of owner Joni Larner. I’ve always liked the osso buco, but these days it’s hard for me to go there and not have their rack of lamb. It’s just that good, and local, Colorado lamb. cachecache.com
Campo
I love Campo, an Italian restaurant that also has a popular bar scene that on some nights morphs into a full-on party. Bartender Dave is the maestro of orchestrating the transition from dining to party. campodefiori.net
Joonas Aspen
This is a new favorite, it just opened over the Fourth of July weekend. They have amazing tapas, and the chocolate mousse is some of the best in town. joonasaspen.com
Shopping: Max Women’s Clothing
My favorite place to shop is Max, it has the most stylish, unique, clothing and accessories for my wife. It’s a guaranteed winner to keep the women in your life happy. maxfashioncolorado.com