Aspen Readies for 33rd Annual Gay Ski Week

The Colorado Rockies rise from the edge of the plains. Minutes after takeoff from Denver International Airport en route to Aspen, the landscape gives way to foothills, then to craggy high peaks. Half-hour into the 45-minute flight you find yourself staring out the window in wonder. Snow covered, clustered with spruce trees, home to valleys and rivers, these peaks have lured adventurers and prospectors for decades by their sheer magnetism.

Downhill and Nordic skiers and snowboarding aficionados of all abilities come to the Colorado Rockies to test their mettle on the numerous wintry slopes. And there's plenty to do when you take your skis off, too.

Aspen - and nearby Snowmass Village - lie nestled between these mountains. Home to ski bums, gonzo journalists, glitterati, pioneering environmentalists, and outdoor enthusiasts of every persuasion, Aspen/Snowmass has launched another exciting ski season.

Several snowstorms have blanketed the area in powder. Resort staff - friendly, enthusiastic workers who hail from every corner of the globe and who somehow remain chipper even while working double shifts - greet you everywhere you go. At night, the holiday lights of gold, red, green and blue cast a welcoming glow on the bustling snow-lined streets that end in darkness where the towering mountains begin.

This winter, there are new shops, older hotels that have been gussied up, newer hotels that sparkle with sophisticated hip interiors, and restaurants that feature tasty and imaginative fare.

Here's a preview of the upcoming 33rd annual Aspen Gay Ski Week, set for Jan. 17-24, 2010.

Aspen/Snowmass: Four Mountains

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The area consists of four mountains: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass. All four are connected by an efficient - and free - public transportation system that runs throughout the day and night.

On the first day of my visit, I acclimated myself to Aspen's high elevation by skiing the gentle rolling terrain at the Aspen Cross Country Center.

The day I visited, only a portion of more than 90 km. of free groomed trails were open and tracked due to poor snow conditions. That didn't hamper me though- I managed to ski a total of 8 km, later connecting to another 6 km. trail near Aspen High School for a vigorous workout.

My hotel, the Viceroy Snowmass (pictured), had opened only two weeks before I checked in. The staff was scurrying about making sure all those new hotel kinks were being corrected. There's a spa, an outdoor swimming pool overlooking Assay Hill, a restaurant and meeting rooms. My one-bedroom suite was spacious, and included a terrace where I watched the gondola that let's guests ski in and ski back right from the hotel's doorstep.

Unfortunately, A popular night spot, Liquid Sky, has been shuttered, leaving a void; Snowmass Village is quiet at night.

Jeff David, general manager at the Viceroy, is aware of Snowmass' 'Sleepy Hollow' characteristic, and predicts the hotel will not only fill the gap, but exceed expectations as it emerges as a sought after destination and gathering place.

"Snowmass has had a reputation as a great skiing location, but many of the older hotel properties here have not been kept up," David said. "I've worked to develop other hotels in Santa Monica, Miami and Antiguilla, and those properties revitalized those locales. The Viceroy Snowmass will do the same for Snowmass Village."

Before dinner I retreated to the spa, designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, for an invigorating and heavenly massage. The atmosphere inside the Viceroy spa is like none other I've experienced. Inspired by Ute Indian, Nordic and Asian rituals, the rooms are bastions of tranquility and understated sensuality. The spa staff is attentive, professional and highly skilled at making those aches and pains incurred on the ski slope the stuff of history.

Dinner that night was in the hotel's Eight K restaurant, where an 87-foot-glass-topped bar, underlit by blue LED lights, is the centerpiece. The structure is supported by tree trunks sliced into thin cross sections, making for a transformational experience.

Gas-jet flames line another wall as guests returning from the sky slopes sip cocktails. Imagine function plus design plus funky all conspiring to create a an accessible yet sophisticated atmosphere, and you have the Viceroy.

I was joined at dinner by outdoor enthusiast and publicist Campbell Levy.

"This hotel has attracted a fascinating mix of people," said Levy, who has lived in Colorado off and on since his teens and never tires of the eclectic mix of people drawn to live and play in Aspen. "The bar is a great place to hang out. And there's something about the length of the bar that encourages guests to feel they have space yet also want to rub shoulders with other guests over drinks."

The dinner menu is moderately priced, and includes small bites, perfect for apr�s-ski. Sitting at the bar and watching the open kitchen with all its frenzied activity is to experience a bee-hive at a distance. Each dish on the menu was scrumptious, complimented by the wine steward's choices that lived up to his engaging and passionate descriptions.

Next page :: More on the Aspen Gay Ski Week

Buttermilk Mountain, Hotel Jerome, Sky Hotel and Gay Ski Week

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The next day I rented skis at Buttermilk Mountain, a ten minute bus ride from the Viceroy.

I took a lesson from Bruce Stolberg, better known as Doc Limbo, a lanky libertarian and gnarled mountain man who makes his living ski instructing during the winter and leading fly fishing expeditions during the warmer months. "I'm living my dream life here," he told me.

I can easily see why. Buttermilk's beginner slope takes you up to a perch at around 9,000 feet where you get a breathtaking bird's eye view of the surrounding mountains and Aspen airport. It's a landscape that gives the eye - and the mind - room to wander, to wonder, to dream. Doc Limbo exercised extreme patience with me, and by the time afternoon rolled around (after several spills on my part), he had succeeded in helping me feel confident enough to downhill ski (without falling) on my own. (Readers: if I can do it, so can you.)

I checked into the Hotel Jerome in the heart of downtown Aspen that night. Built during the height of Colorado's silver boom, the Jerome has been revitalized without losing its original charm.

Located in the heart of Aspen, the atmosphere is at once laid back and vibrant. All the rooms are spacious, quaint, and cozy, there are two restaurants, a popular J-Bar (once frequented by gonzo writer Dr. Hunter S. Thompson), and a friendly staff.

Brendan Carlin, the Jerome's general manager, joined me in to the Library, the bar/restaurant just down the hall from the lobby. Carlin is a man of vision and boundless energy, who accesses a room's parameters and sees potential that no one else notices, like the Library we are seated in, for example, that had gone previously unused.

"Now the Library has been transformed into a popular meeting spot," Carlin said, "where guests can have drinks, order from an apr�s-ski menu, or host other gatherings. And by the time Gay Ski Week kicks into high gear, the Jerome's new Ice Bar, which in the winter was unused as a back deck, will be serving drinks, directly adjacent to our outoor hot tub area."

The Jerome is hosting the Gay Ski Week opening night gala party on January 17, a "friendship dinner" on January 20 featuring the cuisine of Chef Evan Francois, and offering attractively priced packages to stay in rooms that reflect the history and restored elegance of the 120-year old property.

Across town at the Sky Hotel (pictured), manager Alan Cardenas greets me in the 39 Degrees Lounge, just beyond the hotel's lobby that looks like it was created by Salvador Dali (fur lined chairs that reach up to the sky, curves and nooks everywhere, and fabulous lighting). Like the Hotel Jerome, the Sky is hosting events during Gay Ski Week, but a bit more on the boisterous side. Expect a lively party that will last into the wee hours, Cardenas tells me, where guests spill onto the outdoor deck and splash the night away in the hot tub. The menu at the Sky also caters to apr�s-ski: dishes that can be served up quickly that are tasty, moderately priced, and imaginative.

"In years past," Cardenas said, "the Sky was the hub of Gay Ski Week. That has shifted to other properties in Aspen, and this year is returning to the Sky. This is the first year that Gay Ski Week has a board of directors. In previous years, the events were put together catch-as-catch can. Now that the event is more organized, those attending will have many more options to choose from, and lots of parties - not to mention skiing adventures - that await them."

A short walk from Sky Hotel is the Ajax Tavern, located at the Aspen Mountain Gondola Plaza, attached to the Little Nell Hotel, and a marvelous new addition to the Aspen restaurant scene Il Mulino. I meet Meredith McKee, a vivacious publicist for Aspen Snowmass Skiing Company, at the Ajax.

"Gay Ski Week falls between two other large scale events in Aspen," McKee said. "It seems that once the December holidays pass, it's one continuous party here. There's a lot going on, a lot to choose from, whether you like kicking back with a hot toddy here at the Ajax with friends, or mingling at the Sky Hotel, grabbing a quick bite or enjoying a leisurely dinner at Il Mulino. It's all here."

A short walk across the plaza, Il Mulino features the most extensive Northern Italian menu I have seen, dishes that are long time favorites as well as specials that are tantalizing and imaginative. I dined on shrimp as a main course, but the servers kept bringing fresh cheese, garlic bread, and nibbles that tantalized my palette.

Reservations are recommended. The dining room is crowded, noisy, with big windows overlooking Aspen Mountain. The night I attended, the snow was falling, adding to the magical atmosphere.

I wound up my Aspen/Snowmass experience with a ride up the gondola where the town that was built around the mountain faded and the landscape opened up, revealing mountain ranges beyond the ones that I had previously flown over on my way into Aspen airport. On the backside of Aspen Mountain I stared, wide-eyed, at the Elk Mountains and the snowy valleys. This is not a dream, I told myself, but a place to visit and re-visit, to explore, and to experience, again and again.

Getting There

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Aspen is served by direct flights from Denver International Airport several times a day, but be advised that, in the winter, flights are frequently canceled due to high winds or snow. Alternative transportation is provided by bus service several times a day from Denver. Do your planning beforehand at the Colorado tourism website, and at the Aspen/Snowmass site.