Giving Thanks with Aspen T.R.E.E.

About 1000 free meals were serves at Aspen High School.For the 6th consecutive year Aspen T.R.E.E. provided a free Thanksgiving dinner to the entire Aspen Community.  It's estimated that 1000 dinners were served last night at the Aspen High School commons. Roaring Fork Valley residents from every demographic category enjoyed a tasty feast prepared with almost 100% locally grown and sustainable foods.  It's a farm to table experience for everyone.  It's a great way to share in the abundance of our community.

Click 4 Pix: GIVING THANKS

Aspen T.R.E.E.  stands for Together Regenerating the Environment through Education.  Eden Vardy the executive director of Aspen T.R.E.E. has been beating the drum of sustainability in Aspen for years.  His farming activities and educational programs have helped to create awareness in one of the most aware places in the world.

The Community Meal is one of my favorite events of the social season in Aspen.  First of all its a celebration of Thanksgiving...one of my favorite holidays.  Those of us that live in Aspen and the neighboring areas have plenty to be thankful for.   Secondly it indicates that the start of a new ski season is upon us.  

The Aspen Community Meal brings everybody together.  Billionaires (well maybe just millionaires) dine with homeless people.   It bridges generations of Aspen locals...from babies to seniors...the room is filled with smiling faces.  It's apparent that everyone loves to be served a free Thanksgiving repast and sit amongst their neighbors and peers.  This year A.Party enjoyed it from a different angle.  I was a volunteer waiter serving section 3 under the supervision of our Captain, Jill Dorken Schultze.  JDS and I, along with Debbie from Aspen Powder Tours got into a  rhythm of efficiancy...we slayed it.  We  served about 100 meals in 1 1/2 hours.  While I probably don't have the correct  temperament for a permanent position in the food service industry...waiting & bussing tables at the Aspen Community Meal was a fabulous experience. Getting payed with smiles and glowing holiday faces made me feel like a billionaire.   

So thanks to ASPEN T.R.E.E. for all you do.  Thanks to my fellow volunteers for pitching in, and thanks for the Roaring Fork Valley  community for reminding me what a beautiful life we lead.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from ASPEN SPIN.

Click 4 Pix: GIVING THANKS

The kitchen staff...all volunteers made the evening flow. Click 4 pix.Some of the many volunteers at the Aspen Community meal by Aspen T.R.E.E. click 4 pix.A group of 8 bro-brahs invaded section 3. No problemo...everyone chowed. Click 4 pix.Aspen T.R.E.E. Exec. Dir Eden Vardy stands proudly with his dad Itzik . Click 4 pix.

The Way of the Shred.

Aspen is a small town with a BIG heart.  Last weekend's early opening was fantastic.  This Saturday's official kick off to the season was the real deal.  The snow base on Aspen Mountain is equivalent to mid-February last year.  The Aspen Mountain ski patrol got busy and opened plenty of new terrain including Bell Mountain and The Glades.  Bro-brahs were straight-lining the Ridge of Bell without fear.  Coverage was good.  The best part...no one was around.  Apparently the opening at  Snowmass drew big crowds.  But Ajax had the goods...and those goods got got.

Click 4 pix: THE WAY of the SHRED

AspenSpin...known for skiing everyday and partying every night managed to squeeze in a couple social events too.  

Muralist, Kate Howe unveiled her latest mixed media creation at Aspen Highlands.  Her beautiful work entitled Almost Time to Ski now permanently adorns the wall of Aspen Highlands locker room.  She's already working on her next piece at Cloud 9 Restaurant on the mountain at Aspen Highlands.  Kate's art along with her expert ski pro-ing, massage and yoga keeps her plenty busy.  Commission her now.

Aspen's native son and U.S. Ski Team member and Olympic hopeful ski racer, Wiley Maple threw himself a fundraiser at Belly Up. Family, freinds, plenty of silent auction items and a screening of Winter, the newest ski porn from The Ski Channel were on the docket.  Unfortunately, Wiley got a bit of bad news yesterday about his troublesome knee.  The Orthopedic Doc's have shut him down for the season.  Heel up soon Wiley.

So it was a great weekend in Aspen.  A super kick-off to hopefully a POW filled season.  We'll see you out on the mountain.

Click for pix.  THE WAY of the SHRED.

1000 days of Kjus

Since becoming a full-time ski bum in 2003 AspenSpin has come a long way.  Sometime in early December I will achieve my 1000th ski day since escaping the real world.  For the past 10 years I have toiled diligently on the slopes of Aspen/Snowmass.  I've never been the most talented skier on the mountain, or the most athletic, or the most stylish but I have always chased the stoke 100%. Blogging came later. 

A.Part.y sporting Blue KJUS in 13/14As I continued to hone my skills on the slopes and on the keyboard, I set out to allign myself with products, services and brands that I truly believed in.  

KJUS ski wear has been supportive of AspenSpin almost from the start. Kjus has been a loyal and generous partner over the years.   KJUS is a Swiss company that is named after Norwegian ski racer Lasse Kjus.  Lasse Kjus is one of the most decorated skiers of all-time, winning Olympic Gold, 2 World Championships and 2 overall World Cups.  I first connected with KJUS during the early days of twitter. The first tweet was something like this;  "hey @kjus I dig your gear. but not sure I have a euro-body"   The response came back;  "thanks @aspenspin everybody looks good in Kjus."   Kjus has been outfitting Aspen Spin ever since.   

KJUS strives to produce the best ski wear in the world.  Uncompromising performance is their credo. Today Kjus stands for extraordinary design, outstanding quality and maximum performance.  The gear is highly technical, super light weight and aesthetically innovative.   Whether it's a beautiful Colorado bluebird day or the siiiickest, windiest, deepest POW day...my Kjus garb keeps me protected from the elements and looking very stylie.  Besides standing out stylistically, my Kjus gear considers all the details.  It starts with the leading edge weather proof fabrics and the fashion forward silhouettes,  but for me it's the little things that make Kjus the best and make a HUGE difference.  The freedom of movement is better than any other ski wear I've ever tried. The materials are awesome.  The pockets are functional and in the right places, the zippers are easy to use...and never get stuck or jammed, the hood easily fits over my helmet and can be adjusted with one hand.  I can feel the quality and attention to detail every time I suit up in KJUS.

Lasse Kjus and Bode Miller with their World Championship Globes. Kjus: Uncompromising performance.So as ski season 2013/14 kicks off and I approach my 1000th day as a ski bum, I give HUGE thanks to KJUS for keeping me warm, dry and looking like a billion dollars.   Didi Serena, CEO of KJUS is doing it right.  Their pro team includes 3 of the greatest ski racers of all-time; Lasse Kjus, Bode Miller and Didier Cuche.   I strive to be as loyal to them as they have been to me.   

I still don't have a euro-body....but I do look good in KJUS.  Special thanks go out to my contact at Kjus North America...Brooke Mackenzie...she's the best.   Kjus is available at the finest ski stores worldwide.   In Aspen, Kjus can be found at Gorsuch, Hamilton Sports and Aspen Sports.

Take it from me...the ski bum / blogger with almost 1000 ski days under his belt..  KJUS is the best.

Click here to learn more about KJUS ski wear, golf wear and outdoor wear.

Aspen Vert. Laboratory

Ski season 2013/14 got off to a tasty and early start on Aspen Mountain today.  Ajax was originally slated to open on Thanksgiving, but thanks to Mother Nature we all got to go out and get some almost 2 weeks early.   It's the best early season snow we've had in Aspen in recent memory.  Today was a full 10 fold improvement over opening day last year.  

Click 4 pix:  Aspen Vert. Laboratory

4 inches of sweet,sweet, POW greeted us this morning. The Stoke was high at the Gondola, as the line started forming at about 7.30 a.m. The crowd built into a pack of howling Aspen Powder Hounds. The lifts began spinning early at about 8.45.  Kudo's must be given to the Aspen Skiing Company and the mountain operations staff for getting Aspen Mountain ready for action...and then actually opening it 12 days before the scheduled opening.

AspenSpin is going on record:  "it was the best 4" day of all time".   And guess what?  It's dumping like a MO-FO right now.  So despite some tight hammy's and worked quads...we'll all be back out there tomorrow. Ripping top to bottom laps, getting the ski legs back, flossing the new gear.  3,267 vertical feet......

Click 4 Pix:  ASPEN VERT. LABORATORY

First Tracks with the U.S. Ski Team

All the pre-season snow in Colorado has me fired up.  Copper Mountain and Loveland have been open for weeks.   Friday was FIRST TRACKS with the U.S. Ski Team, a pep rally and the official announcement of the Men's and Women's U.S. Alpine Ski Teams for 2013/14.   The skiers are gearing up for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi Russia.    Every year Copper hosts the U.S. Ski Team at their Speed Center.   It's the best full distance (downhill) training facility in the World at this time of year.  Copper pulls out all the stops and devotes the entire Eastern side of the resort, the Super Bee area, to the USSA racers.   In an Olympic year, things get a little bit more serious.  

            Click for pix:  FIRST TRACKS

First Tracks w/ the U.S. Ski TeamMake some turns, shoot some pix, interview Olympians...hellz yeah.  120 miles door-to-door from Aspen to Copper. So I loaded up the cruising vessel, threw the dog in the back and rolled over to Copper.  Boots; check, poles; check, gloves; check, goggles; check, rogain; check.    In addition to hosting the U.S. Ski teams, Copper is probably the epicenter in the U.S. for early season amateur race training.   1000's of kids from all over the U.S.A., Canada, Japan and other places converge on Copper in November. It's probably the largest collection of speed suits in the free world.  Some of the kids skip 2 full weeks of school to hone their ski racing skills.World Champ Mikaela Shiffrin is ready for Sochi 2014

Once the sun came up, a beautiful Colorado bluebird day greeted us.  Walking over to the lift I was surprised to see some familiar faces from Aspen.  Racers, coaches and crew who were at Copper for training.  It felt great to be back on the Mountain.

Booting up for the first day of the season is never pretty.  My feet don't really enjoy the super-tight fit of a ski boot...do yours?   Soon enough I was in the lift line...what a lift line?  It went pretty quick...but lift lines in Aspen are almost unheard of.  First turns...yeeeeeah,  back on snow, albeit man made and wind blown....wooooooooooooooot. The white ribbon of fear was moderately crowded...but it could've been much worse.  A couple of quick top to bottoms...and ski season 2013/14 was underway.

I decided to forgo the advice USSA media contact who said  "you should probably take the bus to the East Village, you're not supposed to ski over there from the top".   Not supposed to ski over there???  I came to shred girl?? Not to ride the shuttle.   So, at the top,  I ducked under the rope and pointed 'em downhill towards the Speed Center at Super Bee. Eventually I got to the starting gate where some of the U.S. Ski Team dudes were preparing for training runs. One of the guys milling around at the start happened to be MR. BODE MILLER.  Wut up, Bode?

Ted "Shred" Ligety getting grilled by Uncle E.An offical looking man, a coach type with a walkie talkie asked me sternly "what are you doing up here?"  I answered in my best Spicoli "skiing laps and takin' pix" and I flashed my super-cool media credential.  "You're not supposed to be up here" he said.  Ooops.  For a split second he thought about making me hike back up the hill, but then Bode jumped into the starting gate, pushed off and all eyes were on him.  After Bode ripped out of sight, the coach-type said into his walkie " I got a media guy up here, he's lost...can i send him down?"    The response took a few moments  "O.K. let him ski it...but tell him to keep his head up".  So while I didn't get to ski the gates...I did get to shred the longest training course in the U.S....which I enjoyed immensely.  At the bottom the entire U.S. team was hanging out doing interviews, taking pix and generally chilling.  Uncle E was there taping an episode of Snow Globe...his show about the U.S. Team.  It was casual and fun.   I actually got to rip a few more laps before the ladies took over the speed course.

Later that day the entire U.S. Ski Team, Alpine Division was introduced to a huge crowd at Burning Stones Plaza at the base of Copper.  Everybody was there, Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and more. The U.S. Ski Team has very high hopes for Sochi 2014 after their record setting season last year.  It was the best results of all-time with 5 World Championship medals,  33 World Cup podiums from 10 different athletes and 18 victories.   See the official roster here.  U.S. Alpine Team.  90 days to Sochi and the team looks ready.  U.S.A. ! U.S.A. !

I was a great first day.  Click for Pix:  FIRST TRACKS

Bode Miller is 100% healthy and hungry for more hardware. Click 4 pix.

USA's Golden Girl Lindsey Vonn is gearing up and getting healthy.The Men's and Women's U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Expectations are high. See you guys on the podium.