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Aspen Colorado
By JenLara
From Aspen, Colorado: Fantastic Skiing and Much More
Who was it that once said, "Beware all endeavors requiring the purchase of new clothing?" It was this voice that I heard when planning a trip to Aspen this past December, as visions of Armani-clad skiers, platinum blondes in leather, and full-length fur coats on cowboy hat-wearing men danced in my head. I was seriously intimidated by the idea of visiting this legendary skier's mecca. The word "Aspen" conjured up all sorts of scary images of conspicuous wealth and terminal trendiness with which I could never keep up.
My friend John and I reached Aspen in our dirty, snow-spattered pickup truck, driving past the perfectly maintained streets, beautiful homes, and Madison Avenue brand stores. I felt more than a bit of apprehension at having arrived at the playground of the rich and famous but my fears began to dissipate upon arrival at our hotel, the Aspen Club Lodge. It's located at the base of Ajax Mountain and only steps from the gondola to the 12,000- foot peak. As we pulled into our parking spot, a gallant young employee of the hotel rushed up to take our bags and we were escorted to the front desk. There we were allowed to choose a room for ourselves on the top floor, which had the best mountain views. The warmth and friendliness of the hotel staff only got better from there: Jill in the hotel ski rental shop who took obvious pleasure in recommending her favorite runs on the mountain, Ted, the assistant manager who shared a great meal and bottle of wine with us on our last night, and the drivers of the courtesy shuttles who were full of stories and useful tips.
The hotel itself was a highlight of this trip. Aside from the helpful staff, the amenities and accommodations were great. The two-story lobby opens up to a panorama of massive Ajax Mountain looming overhead. Huge, overstuffed white chairs with fur-covered tables are clustered throughout. Our room was equally inviting, the shades of cream and beige nicely complimenting the fresh snowfall outside our window. Our small terrace looked out over snowy pine trees and towards the ski trails.
The skiing is of course the real centerpiece of a winter trip to Aspen. John snowboards and I've skied since I was little, but amazingly I've only skied in the Northeast. Skiing in Colorado was like being on another planet. I think I instantly advanced one level of expertise, since there were none of the upstate New York traps to avoid like, ice, grass, dirt, or ten thousand other skiers all packed onto the same trail. Ajax Mountain, the first of the two we skied at Aspen (there are four altogether) was amazing. The high-speed gondola takes you to the top of Peak 10 in less than fifteen minutes, and from there you don't have to go back down to the base until the last run of the day. The wide trails are beautifully groomed and endlessly varied. The Sundeck Lodge at the peak is top-notch, with a huge blazing fireplace and probably the best food I've ever had at a ski lodge. The longest we ever waited on a lift line was 30 seconds, and the views over the Colorado Rockies were indescribably beautiful.
We also skied Snowmass Mountain, which I liked even better - it's about four times bigger than Ajax so we barely scratched the surface of all the trails, but its variety and sheer natural beauty were amazing. Plus we'd gotten five inches of fresh powder the night before, so we couldn't have been luckier.
After the last run of each day, we headed back to the hotel. Our first stop was the bar, where we stretched out on worn leather couches by the stone fireplace and savored our Irish coffees and pints of local brew. It seemed that the bar of the Aspen Club Lodge was a favorite of Aspen locals, which is always a good sign. The locals we met, many of whom were long-timers if not natives, were unfailingly cool to talk to. One night we even ended up sitting across the fireplace from our waitress from the sushi joint the night before, and chatting with her! Wine tasting from five to six, then a dip in the outdoor heated pool and hot tub under the stars. Then we were ready to hit the town.
Aspen Village is definitely high-end and has its fair share of overpriced restaurants with questionable value.
But the overwhelming feeling I was left with was how happy, good- natured, and just plain cool almost all the people we met were. And why shouldn't they be? They're surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, visitors from across the globe all doing what they love, and of course phenomenal skiing! And hey, I think I could get used to the lifestyle: a little diamond-studded, designer ski-wear never hurt anyone, did it?
