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Leaf Peeping In Aspen

Fall in Aspen is kind of like a romantic fling: its startling beauty leaves you awe-inspired and wanting for more, all the while knowing the moment can’t last. Unlike the heartier oak and spruce trees that turn colors in locales to the east, the Aspen tree’s foliage cycle is brilliant but painfully short. The entire cycle lasts only a few weeks, turning first at the higher elevations and then gradually making its way down the valley, where yellow leaves can still be found on the trees in late October.

Here’s your local’s guide to the best leaf peeping by car, bike, and foot. Enjoy it while it lasts, and love it before it “leafs” you!

ASPEN FALL FOLIAGE BY CAR: INDEPENDENCE PASS TO TWIN LAKES

Even when the leaves aren’t turning, Independence Pass has to be one of the most scenic mountain passes in Colorado. But when the yellow leaves are firing, this road is magical. Begin in downtown Aspen and head up Highway 82 East. Make your way through several Aspen groves that canopy the road between Weller Lake and Lincoln Creek. Save the best for last when, just before the summit, a panoramic view of the entire valley affords patchwork-quilt like bursts of color. Drop on over the other side for more jaw-dropping beauty as the road descends via steep, heart-stopping switchbacks before landing in the lush valley. Grab lunch at the Twin Lakes Inn where views of the colors reflecting in the lake are postcard perfect.

Get the full scoop on driving Independence Pass in the fall.

ASPEN FALL FOLIAGE BY BIKE: THE TWO VALLEYS AKA “THE SISTERS”

Road cyclists from all over the world come to Aspen to test their legs and their lungs on this classic ride that affords some of the most awe-inspiring scenery in the Roaring Fork Valley. Affectionately known as “the sisters” because of the two valley’s resemblance as striking beauties that require some serious effort, Maroon Creek Road and Castle Creek Road are the crown jewel of Aspen’s repertoire of world-class road rides. Both offer unparalleled scenery and very few cars—the hallmark of a perfect ride.

These routes can be ridden separately but to tackle them both at once is the standard for anyone who takes their time in the saddle seriously. The spectacular scenery meter goes up a few notches during fall foliage, especially if you’re lucky enough to catch the colors just after a dusting of snow on the high peaks. Just when you think the Maroon Bells can’t get any more spectacular, they do. And the Castle Creek Valley offers similar rewards for the 14-mile climb (and on the flip side, epic 14-mile downhill), especially in the last two miles when the high peaks of the Elk Range reveal themselves at the top of the valley.

ASPEN FALL FOLIAGE BY FOOT: CATHEDRAL LAKE

This local’s favorite offers a lot of reward for the effort from the trailhead to the top with awesome scenery pretty much the whole way up. This is especially true during the fall season, when the first mile of the trail meanders through deep Aspen groves that feel especially magical when littered with a ground cover of soft, gold medallions and a canopy of brilliant yellow against a majestic blue sky. Within the first hour, you pop out of the trees and get your first glimpse of the high alpine valley with its open meadows and the cascading waterfalls of Castle Creek. From there it’s a steep climb up a series of switchbacks to the final traverse above tree line across open tundra to this especially scenic high alpine lake at 11,888 feet with its cathedral-like towers of rock and a lake of deep turquoise blue. Another great thing about this hike is the distance: at 5.6 miles round trip, it’s an easy hike to accomplish in less than four hours, so it doesn’t require an early start or an all-day commitment.

WHY VISIT ASPEN IN THE FALL

Fall really is the best time to visit Aspen. Need more reasons to visit Aspen for the changing leaves and all things fall? Here are our five reasons to visit Aspen in the off season.

View our available luxury rentals and start planning your next Aspen getaway today!

Expanded Aspen Flight Options for 2017-18 Ski Season

Starting to plan your Aspen ski vacation, but not sure where to fly into? Traveling to our mountain oasis just got a lot more convenient for the 2017-18 ski season. Three airline carriers, American, Delta, and United, recently released new, expanded schedules for flights to Aspen from Dec 2017 to Apr 2018.

In total, the three airlines will now be offering 269 flights per week over the holiday season from 10 different cities. This is up from 220 flights last year.

AMERICAN AIRLINES

Over the holidays and on peak winter weekends, there will be up to eight flights daily from Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago O’Hare, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. This is up from a maximum of five daily last winter:

• DFW – Up to 4 flights daily throughout most of the winter.
• ORD – 2 flights daily over the holidays with an additional Sat/Sun flight added Jan – Mar.
• LAX – 1 flight daily Dec 15 – Apr 2.
• PHX – Daily nonstop service (except Tue/Wed in January) beginning Dec 15.

DELTA AIR LINES

Over the holidays, Delta will fly six daily flights with an extra flight on Saturdays from Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. For the remainder of the winter, there will be 4 daily flights, with 3 on Tuesdays and 5 on Saturdays.

• SLC – 3 flights daily over the holidays, 2 flights daily Jan 7 – Apr 2.
• ATL – Starting Dec 21, 1 daily flight through Apr 2.
• LAX – An additional Saturday flight over the holidays with 1 daily nonstop flight Dec 21 through Jan 6. There will be 6 flights per week (except Tuesdays) through Apr 2.
• MSP – Daily nonstop flights Dec 21 – Jan 6, with daily nonstop flights on Saturdays Jan 13 – Mar 31.

UNITED AIRLINES

With 20 to 25 daily flights from five airport hubs, United Airlines is the heavy-hitter for the upcoming winter season. Hubs include Denver, Chicago O’Hare, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Beginning Dec 21, the following frequencies are now scheduled to be offered by United, with peak season defined as Dec 21 – Jan 7 and Feb 15 – Apr 2.

• DEN – Up to 9 daily peak season flights and 7 daily flights with 8 on Saturdays Jan 8 – Feb 14.
• ORD – Up to 5 daily peak season flights with 4 daily flights Jan 8 – Feb 14.
• IAH – 4 daily peak season flights and 3 daily flights with 4 on Saturdays Jan 8 – Feb 14.
• LAX – 4 daily flights through Apr 2 and one new daily flight scheduled to continue year-round.
• SFO – 2 daily all winter with 3 flights on Saturdays and Sundays during peak season.

OTHER FLIGHT OPTIONS

Of course, if it fits your schedule better, there are other options for traveling to Aspen during the winter. Denver International Airport is 220 miles west via I-70 and CO-82, Eagle County Airport is 70 miles west via I-70 and CO-82, and Grand Junction Regional Airport is 125 miles east via I-70 and CO-82.

Learn more about the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport or start planning your Aspen ski vacation today!

It’s that time of year again.

Even though it’s not even Labor Day, Aspen locals are getting their first taste of winter because 2016-17 Season Passes go on sale now, and if you buy before September 9, 2016, you get the best price. The Aspen Skiing Company just announced the opening dates for Aspen Mountain and Snowmass are November 24, 2016 and Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands are scheduled to open for the season on December 10. 2016. Tentative closing dates are April 16, 2017 for Aspen and Snowmass and April 9, 2017 for Aspen Highlands and April 2 for Buttermilk. But as we’ve see in years past, the Aspen Skiing Company is very generous about extending the season, snowpack permitting.

So you might be in the midst of enjoying a champagne cocktail on a warm summer afternoon or cycling through your sundress wardrobe for one last fundraiser soiree or maybe you’re getting your kids ready to go back to school and winter is the farthest thing from your mind. But this is when the winds of winter whisper in your ear, when the mere idea of skiing passes through your mind.

It’s a time to go into your storage closet and to try on your favorite ski outfit to make sure it still fits; to peruse your favorite ski and snowboard magazines for this season’s new gear, and to throw on those ski boots and skis in your living room because you want to remember how it feels (goggles and all). Who cares if your family thinks you’re crazy? That’s what life in the mountains is all about.

Better yet, it’s time to buy that 2016-17 season pass. For a full list of season pass prices, click here.

Every home has a story, but few are as storied as the home of Sharon and John Hoffman. Built in 1888, the six-bedroom West End Victorian is one the first five original homes built after the silver boom and was first owned by the founder of The Aspen Times. It’s best known as “The Observatory House” for the rooftop observatory Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, a former owner, had installed for her teenage son in the early 70s. Not only is the house a historical Aspen landmark, its legacy continues in the hands of the current owners, Sharon and John Hoffman.

In addition to bringing the Victorian’s exterior back to its original glory when the Hoffmans purchased the home in 2001, the couple also completed an extensive remodel with Aspen architect Heidi Hoffmann the on the interior in order to modernize the space and open up the space to make it more suitable for family (Hoffmann won the Colorado Award for Remodeling Excellence in 2002 for the project).

The Kansas City based couple also wanted to make the home a showcase for their collection of contemporary art. That will certainly be the case on Friday August 5, when the Hoffmans open their home for a tour of their contemporary art collection as a VIP event for Art Aspen, a weekend-long modern and contemporary art exhibition hosting galleries from around the world at the Aspen Ice Garden August 4-7, 2016. The Sharon and John Hoffman art collection includes paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture and ceramics from artists like Frankenthaler, Christo, Starns, Plensa, Enrique Martinez Celaya, Leonardo Drew and Richard Mosse. Ceramic artists include Voulkos, Autio, Ferguson and Gustin.

Learn more about the “The Observatory” or book your stay there today!

Come on and take a free ride – on Aspen’s new, eco-friendly, free ride service.

It almost sounds too good to be true.

It’s free, it’s eco-friendly, and it’s providing a desperately needed service to downtown Aspen. The Downtowner debuts its free rides this summer in Aspen with a fleet of five 6-passenger electric vehicles. The City of Aspen is footing the bill for the service, which will run from June 15 – September 15 at a cost of about $1,000 a day.

The City of Aspen jumped on board, so to speak, in an effort to combat the congestion of car traffic in downtown Aspen. The service operates from the downtown core to Seventh Street in the West End (note the service area does not include Red Mountain, The Music Tent or Aspen Institute/Aspen Meadows campus). Even better, dogs are allowed so plan to use this service when bee-bopping around town with your furry friend. The city also raised parking fees by 50% in an effort to dissuade drivers from coming into downtown, so The Downtowner is a much better option than sky-high meter fees or (sometimes it happens no matter how hard you try) expensive parking tickets.

Aspen is one of only four cities where the service is available, including Newport Beach and Manhattan Beach in California and Del Ray Beach, Florida. The service works a lot like Uber: download the app, request a ride, and track your driver’s location. The service is totally free, so it’s always nice to tip your driver. According to The Downtowner’s web site, one of the Aspen drivers is a Peruvian Niko. His call sign is “Neeks,” and he apparently knows how to tear up the dance floor.

Now that’s what we call taking a free ride.

For more information, go to www.ridedowntowner.com

Living the high life just outside the roundabout.

Like the shy, talented kid of four siblings, Aspen Highlands is probably the most misunderstood of Aspen’s Four Mountain repertoire. Everyone knows Snowmass is for families; Buttermilk is for beginners and park rats; Aspen is for people who want to ski and be seen. But what about Aspen Highlands?

Most people think Aspen Highlands is for expert skiers, best known for the infamous Highlands Bowl and it’s hike-to expert only skiing.

But there is so much more to it than that. Let us count the ways:

#1) So close, but yet so far.
Even though it’s conveniently located less than 2 miles from downtown Aspen and on the free bus route, Highlands feels like a small village nestled deep in the mountains, more like something you’d expect to see in the Swiss Alps than in Colorado. Surrounded by steep wooded hillsides and snow capped peaks, it’s more of a true alpine feel than other parts of the valley. If you want to feel like you’ve escaped to a true mountain retreat without needing a four-wheel drive vehicle to get there, Highlands is the place for you.

This 4-bedroom, 4.5 bath luxury townhome is Aspen Highlands slopeside living at its finest.

#2) Where the deer and the antelope—and the kids—play.
Even though Snowmass has a reputation for being the family-friendly mountain, Aspen Highlands is also ideal for families. With its absence of busy streets, lack of crowds, and small base village, it is a super safe place where parents can relax and not have to worry as much about constant supervision of their kids. With its close proximity to the Aspen Recreation Center (accessible via a paved bike path) you’ve got all the kid’s favorite amenities (swimming, skating, rock climbing, and more) a short walk or bike ride away.

If you want to know what it’s like to live on the slopes at Aspen Highlands, check out this amazing Thundebowl Home.

#3) Escape the crowds, but not the fun.
During the summer months, when Aspen is at full capacity and it’s crazy in town, you can still enjoy the peace and serenity of a mountain getaway without having to worry about where to park (the bus into town is free and super convenient). But there’s still a lot of fun to be had right outside your back door, too. Summer is the time for outdoor movies, lawn bowling, a live music series, outdoor markets and street fairs.

#4) Quality over quantity.
The base village at Highlands might be small, but what it has to offer is top notch. The Highlands Alehouse has one of the most comprehensive beer lists in town with a regular rotation of microbrew suds on tap. And even though pizza is their specialty, there is also a great selection of fresh, healthy fare from kale salads and baked salmon to handmade sandwiches. If you want something a little more upscale, just head on over to Willow Creek Bistro at the Ritz Carlton for a little five-star service and delectable fare. There’s even a little coffee shop in the hotel to get caffeinated for wherever your adventure will lead you that day. Shop Four Mountain Sports for the latest in mountain fashion or check out Strafe, for outwear from a locally owned and operated company.

Two master suites makes this Thunderbowl Townhome and excellent choice for multiple families to come experience Highlands.

#5) Not for experts only.
Come winter, Highlands has some of the most exquisite slopeside homes in the valley. And the notion that this is a resort for experts only is a myth. Highlands has some of the best groomed slopes around, especially off the Cloud 9 lift, mostly because all the experts are on the upper mountain or skiing the Bowl. That means the corduroy is left mostly untouched for the people who really appreciate it. And you’ll almost never see a liftline here, even during the busy season. Now that’s what we call living on Cloud 9.

Let us guess: the words “ground transportation” don’t conjure up great feelings. If you’re traveling to Aspen it usually means your flight was canceled or diverted and now you’re stuck driving a car you’re not familiar with white knuckles through weather conditions that make for great skiing and terrifying driving. Or you’re going to have to take some shuttle that costs as much as your airplane ticket but takes 100 times as long.

Not any more.

With Luxury Mountain Transportation you can hire your own private one-of-a-kind Mercedes Sprinter luxury vans, equipped with wall-to-wall technology and top-notch personal service that take riding in style to new highs. We also have an entire fleet of luxury automobiles, including sedans, Chevy Suburbans and Cadillac Escalades.

Here are the top five reasons to get on board:

1. Keep your wheels on the ground.
Unlike the airlines, you can count on Mile Hi Transportation to get you to or from the mountains in any weather conditions. As long as the road is open, we’re on it. With a new location coming soon to Basalt, we’ll be in close range to Grand Junction and Rifle airports, where flights into Aspen often get diverted in inclement weather. Or just let us pick you up at DIA and don’t worry about flight delays and lost luggage. The inspiration for our van design was to make it feel like a private plane—none of the luxuries or amenities were overlooked, from deluxe leather seats to catering and bottle service.

2. Ride out the storm with us.
If for some reason the passes are closed or there’s a detour or delay, our vans are as comfortable as your living room. Pass the time with a movie on Apple TV with our 40” flat screen TV or catch up on work with our onboard wireless or enjoy a hot meal; we have electrical outlets on board for heating elements that can keep cooked foods fresh and warm.

3. Get the party rolling.
Our luxury vans are the perfect way to get your guests to your wedding, bachelor party or bridal shower in style. We can play a slideshow of your photos for that personal touch and offer champagne and bottle service, not to mention a top of the line sound system to get things rolling while we’re rolling. We also have a privacy screen to separate the riders from the driver which might be just the thing on the way to the honeymoon suite.

4. Stay connected.
Use our onboard wireless and 40” flat screen TV for presentations and business meetings on corporate retreats and other business related events. Or simply catch up on work on your ride to the mountains.

5. Get high with Mile Hi.
It’s okay, we can talk about it openly now: Marijuana is legal in the state of Colorado so we have equipped our vans with ionizers, which will divert the smell of smoke if necessary on board. We are also happy to stop at dispensaries on the way to Aspen or to be of assistance in any way we can with your Rocky Mountain High.

For more information or to book a reservation, visit the Mile-Hi Transportation web site, www.luxurytransportation.co

The 25th annual Aspen Shorts Fest opened last night with “I, Destini” a 14-minute animated film about the tale of a prison’s toll on a North Carolina family. The film was produced by Destini Riley; a filmmaker who is only 16 years old.

What you might not know about Aspen Shorts Fest is that it is one of the only festivals entirely dedicated to the short film, which is any film under 40 minutes long. It is also an official qualifying competition for the Academy Awards, but in a smaller, more intimate setting than some of the bigger, more celebrity-studded festivals. In Aspen’s cozy, small mountain town setting, (especially in the off season when things are particularly quiet) the public has access to the filmmakers through Q&A sessions, panel discussions, and post-show drinks at the Hotel Jerome’s J-Bar.

It’s also a breeding ground for new talent and a place for industry people to mingle with filmmakers during the juried competition. And it’s highly competitive: of the 3,200 films auditioned for this year’s event, only 56 made the cut. Many films from past festivals have gone on to win Academy Awards, including “Bear Story” which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and “We Can’t Live Without the Cosmos” and “Shok,” which were Oscar nominees.

Don’t know much about short films? Aren’t sure where to begin when it comes to attending a whole festival dedicated to shorts? Here are a few tips from some seasoned Aspen locals and shorts film aficionados.

#1) Arrive at the film on time—not 10 minutes late (which is sort of considered “on time by Aspen standards, so in other words, come early). The introductions are really good and provide a lot of context that will help you to appreciate and understand the film you are about to see.

#2) Be sure to attend the Friday and Saturday evening programs: they’re a lot racier and more fun.

#3) Stay late: Not just for the credit roll but because the Q&A sessions afterwards with the filmmakers are really informative, interesting and fun. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in the audience of a future Oscar winner!

#4) The “après screenings” at the J Bar are really fun and very intimate. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to the filmmakers. They love to talk about their work and they could be famous soon, like Jason Reitman (a director best known for award-winning films like “Juno,” “Thank You For Not Smoking” “Up In the Air” and “Youg Adult”) who was discovered in Aspen at Shorts Fest.

#5) Why shorts? Many subjects benefit from the short subject format. And it’s also a great calling card for future directors and producers to showcase their style and talent. Many shorts creators go on to make feature length films and have successful careers in Hollywood.