The POW, the PIX, the PEOPLE.
Go BIG, or Go Home.
November 18, 2012 It's almost time to ski and ride in Aspen. Anticipation for ski season 2012/13 is high. The Aspen Powder Hounds are chomping at the bit. Aspen Mountain is a very intimate ski hill with only 673 acres (inbounds). The gondola ride to the top is about 17 minutes. Non stop skiing top-to-bottom, 3,267 verts takes about 6 minutes (depending on who you are). Here's a zoom study, 11/17/12.
April 9, 2012 ;)
Aspen Mountain melting fast. 4/9/12 Click to Enlarge.I'm worried about the snow.
Maybe the POW season in Aspen was just an aberration...like '76-'77, but I'm concerned about the future. Climate change seems to be happening a lot faster than Al Gore said it would. It's been 60 in Aspen almost every day for a month...very unusual. The 2nd dryest March on record in Colorado. I've spent 9 full ski seasons in Aspen and this one was by far the worst. The skiing was adequate and I commend the Aspen Skiing company and their mountain operations crew for keeping up the conditions on Aspen Mountain so skiable. For the amount of snow we received...it was pretty good.
I've been holding this in all Winter. Sure I got in 102 ski days (and counting). Sure its still fun, but the POW is my passion. Hard-packed icy bumps...not really my thang. By my count we only had 6 legit POW days all season. Compare that to '07-'08 and '08-'09 when there were at least 40 POW days per seaz. The lack of BIG storms, the freaky wind events, the mist and fog that used to fall as snow...it all scares me.
I've always been a worrier and a planner. College, then awesome work experience ( if you can call being a CPA awesome), top MBA school, eventually finding the right place at the right time on Wall Street. All that worrying and planning eventually paid off for me. I sweated the small stuff. Since I moved to Aspen, I let go of some of the worries. I started planning my life one-day-at-a-time. No schedule, no obligations. Life was sweet...skiing every day, partying every night. Nothing to worry about...i'm living the dream.
But now I'm worried. Climate change is real.
I googled climate change and the top 3 entries came up as follows. Read for yourslf.
Environmental Protection Agency
I'm scared. So I stopped drinking bottled water. I now tote my groceries in a cloth bag. I hardly ever drive my car. I recycle. I've tried to embrace a more simple life-style. Less consumption, and more awareness of the environment in every step I take.
These are baby-steps. Can one person make a difference? I don't think so...but everyone has to pitch in starting NOW. We all need to work together ASAP. There are huge governmental agencies and thousands of non-profits devoted to climate change...but are they finding a solution?
This is not just an American issue...it's a global problem. So wherever you are, I urge you to take baby steps STARTING NOW. Do the little things to cut your consumption back. Don't let your private jet fly home empty. Don't use your air-conditioning when its cool and breezy outside. Don't water your lawn in the heat of the day. Whatever, sweat the little stuff...do it for the love of SNOW.
March 18, 2012 Ski every day...Party every night. It's difficult to keep up. Click for some miscellaneous Aspen bullsh*t.
St. Patrick's Day in Aspen. Party until the 25th hour. click 4 pix.
Sunshine, Slush and Snirt. Bluebird days on Aspen Mountain.
St. Party's Day...Out of Control. Click 4 pix.
March 17, 2012 Recreation in Aspen is a little different than most places. America's Uphill, a 3,267 vertical ft hike up Aspen Mountain at 7 a.m. serves as a walk in the park. Sponsored by Aspen's Parks and Recreation Department and the Ute Mountaineer...the annual uphill saw more than 300 hearty competitors hittin' it hard before the sun came up. They all looked happy and healthy.
Click 4 pix: America's Uphill
March 7, 2012 
The Soul of Ajax panel discussion 3/6/11 Click 4 pixNobody is sure how Aspen Mountain picked up the nickname Ajax...but the purists in Aspen don't use that moniker anyway. They prefer to call their beloved "back yard" by it's given name...Aspen Mountain.
The Aspen Historical Society presented the Soul of Aspen Mountain as part of their successful historical series, Time Travel Tuesdays. Each of Aspen's Power of Four will get their due...next Tuesday's session will explore the Soul of Buttermilk.
Aspen Mountain's panel of experts shared their insights and love for Aspen Mountain before a standing room crowd at The Limelight. Panelists included Aspen vets, Gaard Moses, Val Edgington, Brigitte Birkfelder, Jim Hancock, Eric Peltonen and Tony Vagneur.
The Soul of Aspen Mountain (click 4 pix)
Everyone in the room agreed that Aspen Mountain is a very special place. Tales were swapped by the panelists and the audience. It was a unanimous decision that THE PEOPLE, THE COMMUNITY and THE Camaraderie and the fact that Aspen Mountain is situated as part of the town itself give Aspen Mountain a unique and extraordinary place in their hearts.
A lot of love for Ajax. Click 4 pix.Gaard shared stories of sperlunking and exploring the inner beauty of Aspen Mountain and nabbing mining claims and living on Little Nell. He admitted to now living downvalley in "the Middle Kingdom".
Val has been a liftie since 1978. She came to Aspen immediately after college and her loyalty to the Ski Co. was evident.
Brigitte actually grew up living in The Sundeck. As a young lady...she was best friends with the ski patrol...even though they used to stuff her in the trash bins (they were playing with her) but she would come back for more. She used to ski down to school...and this was the days before grooming. On powder days, her Mom would ski down first to cut the trails so Brigitte could get to school on time. She now owns and operates Bonnie's...a historic eatery that serves the best food in Aspen.
Jim admitted to being an "Ajax-Aholic". He finished his last AA run just an hour or two before the event. He is now in charge of the race crew and sets the course for the World Cup Races every November. He offered the theory that Aspen skis much larger than it's 675 acres. "It's fall line skiing...top to bottom"
The stories were flowing. Click 4 pix.Before moving to Aspen in 1966, Eric heard that it "only snowed at night" and that the medians on Main Street had Pot growing in them. He shared a story about the infamous Ski Patrol strike over "the cleaning of our ski pants". He admitted he loved Aspen...and "I can't afford to leave".
Tony V has been shredding Aspen Mountain for 62 years. Referring to Aspen Mountain he is "still seduced by her beauty". He told boyhood tales of sneaking onto the T-Bar and bouncing the chairs so vigorously that the cable popped off the rollers. He refused to identify his "secret stashes" but told the crowd that he skies POW POW every run...if he wants it.
The room was overflowing with like-minded Ajax (oops, sorry) lovers. When the time was up...people did not want to leave. They wanted to share their own epic stories about Aspen Mountain. When asked to compare races held at Aspen Mountain to those at Snowmass, one Aspen Mountain vet said, It's a downhill race, not cross country".
There was a lot of Love in that Room. To learn more about the Soul of Ajax and the other 3 local mountains in Aspen...visit the Aspen Historical Society.
Photo: Courtesy of Aspen Historical Society.