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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.

For over three decades, Blooming Birds owner Patti Patterson has been hocking the kind of shoes that Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City was talking about when she said “I like my money where I can see it … hanging in my closet.” Let’s put it this way: Blooming Birds is the only store in Aspen that carries Monolo Blahnik.

This year Blooming Birds celebrates its 35th anniversary. Those are some major bragging rights in a town where retail stores turnover as fast as drink orders at après ski. For Patterson, staying competitive means treating your staff like family (most of her employees have been with her for years, if not decades); offering the kind of personal service that simply doesn’t exist anymore; buying shoes that no one else carries and making sure she’s an exclusive retailer (See: Monolo Blahnik). She has an eye for beautifully made exquisite shoes from designers that are hard to find (Salpy, Freelance, Robert Clergerie, Digidio, Aquazarra and many more) which is only one of the reasons her customers are as loyal as she is. She has no website, no social media accounts and no computers in the store—she still uses the same cash box she did 30 years ago.

Even though corporate retailers have taken over downtown Aspen and it seems like everyone is carrying luxury shoes, her business continues to thrive with a loyal following (including a roster of celebrities Patti refuses to name).

You might say Patti is one rare bird.

Tell me how you got into the business 35 years ago. Why shoes? Was it always luxury designers?
When I first moved here from New York you really couldn’t find any shoes. You could only buy hiking boots or Sorels. One day it just came to me. I went to fashion school and my dream was to own a store, but everyone thought I was crazy. You have to remember, the streets were still dirt in the 80s, and it was way more casual back then. Still, there were lots of people who wanted nice shoes instead of the clunkers they were wearing.

How did you come up with the name?
I was sitting in the movies watching “Electric Horseman” starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. It was that scene where they’re crossing the rocks in Utah and he says, “Of course I would have to get stuck with a woman from Blooming Birds,” but what he meant was Bloomingdales. It just stuck.

What was Aspen like when you first opened and how has the retail climate changed?
It was really different then. The times were different. It was way more laid back. You could put out a sign that said “I’m out powder skiing” or “Out to lunch” but you can’t do that anymore. When the big designers came in, that was truly the end of the mom and pop shops. I have to be a lot more serious about business now than I was then.

So how do you survive?
We treat everybody like friends and we welcome them. We try to make them feel comfortable. We still have a lot of the same clients from the beginning. It’s been great.

It seems like you’ve also kept a lot of the same employees for long periods of time in a town that can be so transient and seasonal. How do you do it?
I have been so lucky. Ellen who is basically retired now has worked for 30 years on and off. Judy was with me for 16 years and just retired. Jeannie has come and gone for 30. Mindy has been there 8 or 9 years. The only new employee I have is Chaz. They key is I’ll never ask them to do something that I won’t do. We’re friends. We go out together. We all like each other.

What’s the key to surviving in Aspen’s ever-changing retail climate?
I wish I had the secret. Just having great customers that are loyal and continue to shop with us. It’s all a matter of providing really good service. We also realized you can’t be only high end if you want local business. I think a lot of locals are afraid to come in, but we try run the gamut from lower price to high price. We carry Sorels and Uggs, for example.

Who is your favorite designer?
That’s really hard to say. I always loved the beauty of Blahnik. I myself wear funky shoes. Now we carry everything from high heel Blahniks to sneakers. We’re always on the lookout for small designers no one else carries like Salpy, Freelance, Robert Clergerie, Digidio, Aquazarra. We have so many. I try to get exclusives with most the lines I carry.

What’s the key to finding the perfect pair of shoes?
Something that makes you happy, and makes you tingle. You want to feel like you can’t wait to wear them.

What’s the most money you’ve ever seen someone spend in one shot?
I think it was about $25,000.

Blooming Birds, 471 E. Hopkins Ave, (970) 925-2241

If you’ve ever met Steve and Mike Marolt, you might have trouble telling them apart—at least until they open their mouths. The identical twins, both ski mountaineers who were born and bred in Aspen, could not be more different in terms of personality. But when it comes to their interest in ski mountaineering, they’re one in the same. The two have spent the better part of the last two decades devoting themselves to skiing the world’s highest peaks.

Best known for their attempt to ski Everest, Mike Marolt’s film “Skiing Everest” documents that and many other expeditions to ski the world’s highest peaks.

Filmed by Mike Marolt over ten years, “Skiing Everest” tells the story of a group of close friends, led by Marolt and his twin brother Steve, who grew up in Aspen and went on to become the first skiers from the Western Hemisphere to ski from above 8,000 meters (26,247 ft.) when they skied from the summit of Shisha Pangma in Tibet in 2000, and then challenged the highest slopes in the world on Mount Everest and Cho Oyu.

The film follows the Marolts and their childhood friends Jim Gile, and John Callahan, who was an Olympic cross-country skier, on skiing expeditions into the death zone above 26,000 ft., without using bottled oxygen. At the top of the world, they lock into their skis and challenge the most dangerous slopes in the world.

This Tuesday a special screening of Skiing Everest at the Wheeler Opera House will be put on the Aspen Historical Society. This American adventure documentary was directed by Les Guthman and Mike Marolt; written by Les Guthman, and featuring high-altitude skiers Mike Marolt, Steve Marolt, John Callaghan, Jim Gile, Hans Kammerlander, Chris Davenport, Laura Bakos and Mark Newcomb. The film also features Fredrik Ericsson, who died skiing on K2 in 2010.

We caught up with Mike Marolt to talk high altitude skiing, the legacy of high altitude skiers from Aspen, and what’s next for the Marolt Brothers, like what it takes to avoid the crowds on the world’s tallest peaks and why in the world anyone would want to ski in -100 degree temperatures.

When was Skiing Everest first released?
This film was released in 2009 and we had a national run at Landmark Theatres and then it aired on Pay Per View, PBS, and CNN among others so we had great success with it. We owe its success is to Less Gussman. He’s a renowned adventure filmmaker and I was lucky enough to connect with him on this project.

Tell us about the movie.
It’s a compilation of a handful of expeditions to South America and Asia that prepared us for taking on Everest. I’m also really proud of the really unknown history that Aspen has had in high peak skiing. You have these Aspen based climbers skiing peaks around here and then they’re going out in Himalaya. I wanted to include them because they’re Aspen guys. In many ways, the film is a historical documentary film on high altitude skiing and how high altitude peaks are the last frontier for skiing.

Everest has become mainstream with the major motion picture Everest and more people than ever are climbing the peak. How has it changed since you were there?
You get these massive crowds on Everest now. It’s a huge industry with those commercial operations. If they’re sending 20 people charging $60-100k per person, the money is huge. The draw of Everest is huge. It’s not conducive to climbing pure style primarily from oxygen point of view. When you’re not using oxygen, you can’t afford to stop at bottlenecks. You have to keep moving or you just wither away. There is huge contrast between the major motion picture Everest and what we were trying to do. We were just a handful of guys that didn’t have the means to hire a guide and we didn’t want guides. Even if we did, we couldn’t afford it. We’re purists and we take pride in that.

Why ski at high altitude? Isn’t it hard enough just to climb?
As I like to say, climbing without skiing is just pain and suffering with lousy food at the end of the day.

What are you up to now? What’s next for the Marolt brothers?
I’m working on a sequel, “Beyond Skiing Everest.” Everest is the highest peak in the world. It was a dream for us but we didn’t ski from the summit. When it became clear it wasn’t possible to go pure style, we started to think about how to find and fix that challenge. How do you get away from the crowd? So we started going to Himalaya in the winter. We spent the last four winters in China and Nepal. It opens up an entirely different sport with temperatures between -30 and -100 degrees.

One hundred degrees below zero sounds insane.
It’s taken a long time for us to figure out footgear and face gear, things you normally wouldn’t think about. You can’t use all the camps on the mountain because you can’t stop because you cant expose yourself to that cold for too long. You have to climb with one camp instead of 2-3 camps. We train to make sure you can go for really long days and really high pushes in single efforts.

Tell us about your approach to training.
Since 2007 we’ve spent a lot of time in South America skiing 6-meter peaks in single pushes. We’re slowly sticking our toe in water of winter Himalaya. I can’t find a record of anyone attempting to ski any of the Himalayas in the winter. That’s replaced Everest for us. We were on Muztagh Ata in China up on the Pakistan boarder, which is a popular peak in season. Fewer people have set foot on the moon than Muztagh Ata in winter. That’s what we’re taking on when we go to those peaks. We were on this peak last winter in Nepal that was over 21,000 feet it was so cold that our crampons slid like ice skates but our skis would barely skid. We couldn’t get screws into the ice it was so solid. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Why do you want to that?
Just because it’s there; It’s the most miserable thing I’ve ever done but far and away the most rewarding, most fun thing I’ve ever done. There are no people. The second half of January is so cold it doesn’t snow. There’s blue sky, no people, no crowds, no posturing, and no BS. It’s just you and the mountain. You have to tigure out the gear so you can survive. None of us have gotten frostbite. It’s like figuring out how to do Everest without oxygen. You just do it step by step. There’s a huge sense of satisfaction in doing that.

I know there’s been some criticism from the local mountaineering community about what you’re doing.
At age 51 who cares?

The old saying “good things come in small packages” is one way to describe Pila Xian, owner of Heaven on Earth Day Spa, located in downtown Aspen above Cache Cache. To say that Xian is petite might convey her delicate frame and ultra-sweet demeanor, but don’t be fooled: beneath the tiny exterior is a powerful woman with an innate ability to nurture and care for her clients in a way that goes beyond her physicality to something much deeper. She’s one of those people seems to know exactly what you need–and therein lies her strength.

Best known for the Intracueticals Oxygen facial made famous by celebrities like Madonna and Eva Longoria who swear by it’s instant results and non-invasive age reversing capabilities, Xian also offers an extensive menu of spa services from Ashiatsu Oriental Bar therapy and custom facial treatments to Chinese Cupping and Cranial Sacral. What separates Heaven On Earth from the bigger hotel-based spas in town is customizable, personalized care as well as total privacy. If you are someone who doesn’t like padding around a locker room in front of other people in a robe and rubber shoes or paying a premium for amenities you might not even use, Heaven on Earth is totally discreet. Here, the focus is on your treatment, and more importantly, on you.

We were lucky enough to try a few of Pila’s signature treatments to give you the lowdown (talk about a tough day at the office). Here’s what we learned:

The Intraceuticals Oxygen Facial
If you’ve ever walked out of a facial looking like you fell asleep under a sun lamp, this treatment will surprise you. Unlike the more invasive facials and peels that require serious downtime (Read: hiding under a wide brim hat or not coming out of your house at all), you’ll be blown away by the instant results you get from this non-invasive and ultimately pleasant facial. This treatment is ideal for our harsh mountain climate as it will hydrate, smooth and nourish the skin. And between you and us, it’s just as good as Botox and/or a great way to prolong the results of your Botox treatments.

What to expect:
The oxygen machine sounds like the one you might hear in a hospital, a pump with air being pushed through it. But when she began to slowly pass the wand across my face with gentle pressure, all I felt was a cool, soothing mist. I could almost hear my pores slurping up the moisture, could almost feel my fine lines softening. She went slowly over my forehead, cheeks, chin and chest.

The Results:
When she was halfway through, she let me look in the mirror to see the profound affects. My skin was glowing, even-toned and dewy. My fine lines had all but disappeared and my eyes looked more lifted. The results really do speak for themselves. This would be an excellent option for a bride or the day before a big event as skin is left dewy, glowing, even-toned and with reduced fine lines with zero downtime. As if that’s not enough, Pila also includes a paraffin wax for your hands and melt-your-troubles away massage for the neck, face and shoulders. This is when Heaven on Earth lives up to it’s name!

60 minutes $175 / 90 minutes $250

Heaven On Earth’s Signature Massage
Talk about having someone walk all over you, the Oriental Bar Therapy Pila features in her Signature Massage is exactly that. Using support bars suspended from the ceiling, Pila will “walk on your back” and apply deep to moderate pressure with combination of Swedish, deep tissue, and Lomi Lomi that uses long, flowing strokes. If the idea of having someone standing on top of you and rubbing you with their feet seems odd, any doubt you have will melt away because this massage feels that good. Using the suspension bars for support, Pila is able to lessen or increase the pressure based on your needs. And if you’re an athlete (read: skier or snowboarder who tends to overdo it on the slopes) there is no better way to get a deep tissue massage that will provide real relief from sore, overtired muscles, aches and pains.

Hint: this is a great service for the guy in your life who might pretend he doesn’t like getting pampered, but we promise you, he’ll love this.

What to expect:
You’ll be lying face down with your face in the cradle, dressed down to your comfort level as you would for a normal massage, covered in scrumptious sheets and comforter. PIla sterilizes her feet before she begins. Other than the initial sound of Pila positioning herself on the support bars and standing on the table, the sensations aren’t any different than a normal massage, except for a much broader variation in pressue. If you like deep tissue work, trust us, you’re going to love this.

The Results:
Massages always feel great, but the lasting effects aren’t always what we hope for, especially if you have a nagging pain. This type of massage is a lot more theraputic in terms of effectively achieving fascial release and blood flow to sore, overused muscles. Not only did I experience relief from chronic pain in my lower backs (from skiing the bumps a little too aggressively, natch) the soreness stayed away over the next several days, almost like it would from a chiropractic adjustment. It’s diffeent for everyone, but the work just felt deeper and more substantial.

60 minutes $155 | 75 minutes $180 | 90 minutes $210

For a full spa menu, hours, location and other information, visit the Heaven on Earth web site.

We’re guessing chances are, your last rental car wasn’t a Bentley.

The term “rental car” often conjures up images of joyless, non-descript cars that smell like carpet cleaner and do little more than get you from Point A to Point B. “Luxury car rental” is, in many ways, a contradiction in terms—at least until Go Rentals came along and changed all that.

Modeled after the kind of luxury service you can expect from five-star hotels, Go Rentals caters to the private aviation market and to clients who expect a higher level of service and luxury when they travel. If it’s a Ferrari you want, it’s a Ferrari you’ll get. Go Rentals offers a wide range of rental car options, from $79 – $1,800 day.

We caught up with Mike Bodrogi, Regional Manager for Colorado to talk Ferrari, Porsche, Range Rover and even the upcoming arrival of a brand new Bentley SUV never before seen on the market.

Tell us about Go Rentals. What do you do that’s different from any other rental car company?
We are a rental car company that caters to private aviation, five star hotels and the luxury home rental market. Our service is predicated on 5-star, VIP service. We provide clean, sanitized low mileage new vehicles and a very high level of service. We offer free deliver and pick up anywhere in Aspen or Snowmass. Go Rentals is owned by two bothers out of Orange County, so it is a family run business. We service 42 locations in six states including California, Arizona, Colorado, Las Vegas, Florida, Utah, and Massachusetts.

What are some of the more exciting vehicles in your fleet?
This summer we introduced the Bentley GT convertible, a $225,000 car. We also offered the Ferrari California convertible for our summer fleet, another car worth over $200,000. We switch it up in from summer to winter because of winter driving conditions here in Colorado require it.

What are some of your most popular cars?
We carry full size Range Rovers, Audi, Mercedes SUV and sedans and Porsche products. We’re big on Cadillac; the Escalade is a very popular car for us.

What makes your cars better than other luxury car rentals?
We always offer the current model year with less than 20,000 miles on the car. Once the car hits 18 months or 20,000 miles, we replace it with a brand new car. We have over 1,000 cars in our inventory company wide—tens of millions of dollars in inventory. What separates us from every other company is our cars are so fresh and in such impeccable condition. Once we’ve educated people that they can actually get a brand new Range Rover for rent, they’re all over it.

What can the customer expect when they get a vehicle from Go Rentals?
The customer can expect to be delivered on time at his plane immediately up on arrival. The car will be warmed up and sanitized, with low mileage. They can expect a personal meet and greet by a Go Rentals representative in uniform who is professional and well trained in guest services. Each guest gets my business card with my cell phone number, so if they need anything they’re going to call and get the manager on the phone. We’re a 7-day a week 24-hour a day operation.

Any special perks?
We always put chilled bottles of Fiji in the car and a handwritten card welcoming the client to Aspen. Like any luxury property, I’m going to try to meet my client’s preferences. If I know someone likes sugar free Red Bulls or prefers sparkling water, I’ll make sure they get it. We are very concierge minded. In fact, we refer to our team members as “CARcierges.”

What’s new and exciting for the 2016 winter season lineup?
We are anticipating the upcoming arrival of a 2016 Bentley SUV. It’s a brand new product for Bentley worth around $250,000. Premium buyers will pay thousands over the retail price to obtain one and they will be initially released in limited supply. Whoever rents that car, you’re driving around Aspen in the only Bentley SUV out there.

For more information on booking a luxury car through Go Rentals visit their web site.

This summer, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association has created the Millennial Pass, a pass that offers discounts for visitors and locals under the age of 29.  The pass provides discounts on tickets or memberships to various arts and cultural events including the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, JAS Aspen Snowmass, Theater Aspen, and the Aspen Music Festival to name a few.  For more on the participating organizations visit: http://bit.ly/1dtvJ8  When enjoying these events, the Aspen Chamber encourages you to use #artsaspen.