A Political Pub Crawl with Aspen Democracy Initiative

The Aspen Democracy Initiative (ADI) which was formed last year seeks to empower younger citizens to effect positive change in the community through engagement in civic issues and the political process.

Click 4 pix:  ADI PUB CRAWL

The first ever ADI Political Pub Crawl made four stops at local watering holes in Aspen to discuss 4 important topics. The ADI is attempting to give younger voters (age 20-40) a more meaningful powerful voice in the future of Aspen.  If you saw more than 50 people following Vanilla Ice in a business suit and carrying a portable amplifier, strolling the streets... don't worry, that was simply the ADI Political Pub Crawl.

The pub crawl provided a low key and social setting to discuss issues that effect Aspen's younger professionals.  First stop, The J-Bar where crawlers drank the famous Aspen Crud and heard about "Water in our Future" in a discussion led by Christopher Treese of the Colorado River District.  Justice Snow's hosted stop 2 where the discussion was about "Sustainable & Responsible Development" led by Aspen Ski Co's VP of Marketing , Christian Knapp.   At The Red Onion, Knapp moderated an open forum about "Economic Vitality in Aspen".   By the fourth stop at The Sky Hotel many were actually crawling (just kidding) to hear Tom McCabe discuss Aspen's Affordable Housing Program.

Jill Teehan, Riley Tippet and Skippy Mesirow of the Aspen Democracy Initiative deserve kudos for creating a fun and relevant way to instigate an open discussion.  Almost all the candidates for Aspen's May 7th election for Mayor and City Council were in attendance and listened to the concerns of the younger voters.  ADI will provide an additional venue for the candidates during the ADI Election Forum on April 9 at 7.30 PM at the St. Regis. 

ADI Pub Crawl at The Red Onion.Aspen is a funny place.  Not ha ha funny...but unusual funny.  There are layers upon subtle layers within the social, professional and political hierarchy here in Aspen. It takes considerable time to understand how things work around here.  A person's length of time in town can often over shadow his or her actual credibility.  Many residents want things to go back to the 70's, others want zero change no matter what the issue and some want to see progress...they just can't seem to agree how to get it done.  There is a huge transitory population in Aspen and there is a natural clash between the full-time locals and the tourists (and 2nd homeowners).  It's a funny place, and it's a resort town...first and foremost.

Aspen has about 6000 residents, only about 50% whom vote, but we do get to hear 100,000 opinions.  Last night's ADI pub crawl was a great first step in giving a voice to the younger generation. All kinds of stuff got thrown out on the table...in front of the politicians to hear.  It was great to listen to some of the fresh voices in town speaking up.   I'm not sure who I'm voting for yet...but I think we are at an inflection point in Aspen politics.  People in Aspen seem tired and frustrated by the same old political scene.  It's time for some new voices...and ADI is doing their part to engage the community.  It was a fun and meaningful night

Please don't forget to vote early and often on May 7.

Click 4 pix:  ADI PUB CRAWL

The ADI Brain Trust. Riley Tippet, Jill Teehan and Skippy Mesirow.A Police Line-Up? No just a few of the candidates in the upcoming Aspen election.

Light It Up Blue: Aspen

Click to learn more about Autism.Light It Up Blue lit up the snowy sky in Aspen tonight. 

Light It Up Blue (LIUB) is a worldwide campaign for autism awareness commemorating the United Nations-designated World Autism Awareness Day and the kick off to Autism Awareness Month. LIUB entails the blue lighting of more than 7000 landmarks across the globe.  Some of my favorite spots will be LIUB'd including Sydney's Opera House, Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue, The Great Pyramids in Egypt and even the Empire State Building in NYC.

 Click the Pix: LIGHT IT UP BLUE: ASPEN

It is estimated that 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys are affected by Autism. LIUB shines a blue light on Autism, which is a complex set of developmental brain disorders that is a growing health problem globally.

Aspen, given it's iconic status in the ski world has gathered together to support LIUB.  AspenSpin attended the posh gala at The Little Nell and skied a few laps on Aspen Mountain in support of LIUB: Aspen's Vertical Blue program.  Vertical Blue pledged to ski 1 million vertical feet in a fun raising exercise at all four mountains in Aspen.

LIUB Aspen's Gala honored Ed Brown, CEO of Paton, actor Max Burkholder who plays Max Braverman on NBC's  Parenthood and celebrity chef Franklin Becker. The beneficiaries of the funds raised by LIUB Aspen are Autism Speaks and Extreme Sports Camp which provides athletic experience for autism.

The gala was super-sweet and attended by a glittering crowd of blue-clad supporters.  Aspen Mountain shined in blue...although the display was somewhat distorted by the POW POW that we received tonight. 

Please share the love on-line and off with LIUB. 

Click 4 pix:  LIGHT IT UP BLUE: ASPEN

Light It Up Blue: Aspen A campaign for Autism Awareness. Click 4 pix.The room was bathed in Blue. Light It Up Blue: Aspen Click 4 pix.Patron CEO , Ed Brown and his wife. Chief supporters of Light It Up Blue : Aspen. Click 4 pix.It was a BIG night in Aspen for Light It Up Blue. Click 4 pix.

Spring Breakers invade Aspen

Guitar Hero with Steve Stevens. Click 4 pix.The last 48 hours are still a blur.  Yes, skiing and partying are my milieu but things spun out of control in Aspen this past weekend.  The Spring Breakers are here and dat sh*t got turned up to 11. The Spring Breakers were out in force this week as Easter and Passover coincided in a perfect-storm in Aspen.  Bluebird days and late, late rowdy nights have finally caught up with A.Party.  I'm taking today off.

Click for pix:  SPRING BREAKERS

     and   SPRING BREAKERS (part 2)

Let me say it out loud.  I love "corn snow".   For the uninitiated...corn snow is the soft, partially melted snow we get on the mountain when Spring gets sprung and temps rise above 40 during the day, but fall below freezing at night.  If your timing is right...and you guage your aspects properly, and you know where to go... the corn can be almost as much fun as the POW. On Friday, The Dumps "went off" around 1 o'clock and we got some great Spring skiing.

The music was off the charts this weekend.  Aspen / Snowmass and Bud Light threw their annual Spring Jam Core Party, so we got two free concerts in the center of town...and free kettle corn.  On Friday night the super-entertaining March Fourth Marching Band (M4) took over the core of Aspen.  While M4 has played in Aspen several times previously (see our  first take here) they shared their "kalidescope of musical and visual energy" with a whole new crowd. The all-ages show was spectacular. The streets of Aspen were packed with thousands of white affluent people jamming to sounds of M4's 7 piece brass section and 5 piece percussion corps guided by a funky electric guitar and bass.  The visual spectacular includes fire jugglers and stilt walkers.  The show was extremely well receiveds and may have been the best Core Party show ever.  A-Spin after-partied at the famous "Rabbit Lodge" into the early morning.

Keg stands w/ the Easter Bunny. Click 4 pix.Saturday required a second wind.  We enjoyed another beautiful Spring day on Ajax skiing with the spring breakers. We had 2 celebrity encounters at the Sun Deck, actor Luke Wilson and Congressman Paul Ryan (R, Wisc) were spotted (not together).  A not-to-miss event is the on-mountain party's on Bonnie's Deck.... the 13th year in a row.  We capped that off with a super-rowdy apres session at Ajax Tavern and Sky. 

Saturday's  Core Party music kicked in again around 8.45.  A last minute cancellation caused the Ski Co. to bring in an emergency replacement act from L. A.   The Magnificent 7...a hard rock super group conglomeration featuring guys from Jane's Addiction, Billy Idol and Skid Row.  Lead singer SEBASTIAN BACH has aged well and the set list was filled with classic 80's and 90's hard driving rock and roll.   After all the EDM and hip hop around here...it was good to hear some solid guitar based rock songs...all covers. The highlight for me was when CHAD SMITH, drummer from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers sat in for an awesome version of Led Zeppelin's  Whole Lotta Love.  It was great to hear Bach's honesty when he explained to the rowdy crowd, "we were contracted for a certain amount of time....but *bleep that*...we're here to play this *motherbleeper*...consider this a bonus track".  The Magnificent 7 kicked out a stellar version of G n R's rock anthem Paradise City to the delighted crowd in front of Paradise Bakery.

Chad Smith was in Aspen to ski and to play a gig with his side band at Belly Up, Aspen.  Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats is a funky rock fusion instrumental group that blew the roof off Belly Up.  Chad's distinctive style on the skins got him inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the Peppers and won him a Grammy.  Smith is from my neighborhood back in suburban Detroit and is well known for being one of the coolest guys in rock.  In addition to being a great guy he bears a striking resemblance to Will Ferrell.  According to Will, "Chad is a very handsome guy".

Furrys at Apres. Click 4 pix.A late night bon voyage party for 7 year local, Erin Robinson capped it all off. 

So forgive me. I couldn't keep up with the Spring Breakers.  I took Easter Sunday off. Andy Party does get tired. After I walked my dog,  I got back in bed, I read the NY Times, I ate chips, I watched hoops & the season premier of Game of Thrones. Gotta rest up.  Gotta be ready to shred on Monday.

Click for pix:  SPRING BREAKERS

 and SPRING BREAKERS (part 2)

March Fourth Marching Band. Killer show in the streets of Aspen. Click 4 pix.Sebastian Bach and the hard rocking Magnificent Seven were a last minute addtion to the street party. Click 4 pix.Chad Smith sat in on Whole Lotta Love and led his own band The Bombastic Meatbats. They rocked Aspen. Click 4 pix.

13th Annual Party at Bonnie's. click 4 pix. Spring Skiing with On Mountain VIPs. Click SPRING BREAKERS for more photos.

Time: The Ultimate Asset

When I matriculated at Wharton in 1983 I was taught a very important concept. It's a simple one too..."the time value of money".  This basic principal was driven home hard at Wharton... over and over again.  The notion of the time value of money is the central precept in classic financial theory and it was hammered into my brain by a variety of Wharton professors, assignments, papers, group projects and caculations on my HP 12C. Adhereing to the time value of money and the related fundamentals of net present value, future value of a sum, future value of an annuity etc etc. eventually helped me to forge a successful career on Wall Street.

Face to Face texting.I found a career that was a perfect match for my skill set.  I worked in the "high net worth" group at Morgan Stanley in New York (before the Dean Witter deal). Basically, I was selling stocks and bonds to billionaires...and I was good at it.  The 90's Bull Market was flying high and I was in the right place at the right time.

My career progressed quickly and I adapted instinctively to the Wall Street model. I encountered important issues that I had not read about in my school books or on the spread sheets. Stress, time management, office politics, nepotism, staffing issues, taxes...complicated stuff like that.  For me, the stress related to managing money for people and especially managing the expectations of my clients was much harder than picking a fundamentally sound investment.  As the first internet bubble began to froth in 2000 and stocks were being valued on multiples of projected sales (rather than profits) I began to feel uneasy.  The euphoria and lack of fundamental valuations in the stock market did not allow me to sleep well at night. The stress was killing me.  A bad day in the S & P meant a sleepless night for me.  As the market began to plummet my health began to deteriorate.  

I needed to make a change.  In 2002 I did. 

Why ski Aspen, when u can work.For the past 10 years I've been a ski bum / blogger in Aspen, Colorado. Now I ski every day and party every night as the founder/ editor of AspenSpin.com.  I'm much happier & healthier. Blogging and ski bumming is not very lucrative (I often get paid in chapstick and t-shirts).

I now have a very different perspective than most Wharton grads about business and life in general.  My priorities have changed.  I'm not chasing dollars, I'm chasing experiences. 

Living in Aspen, I'm still exposed to BIG business.  In addition to skiing moguls...I get to interact with moguls when they visit Aspen.  About 50 members of the Forbes 400 have strong ties to Aspen.  Riding the Silver Queen Gondola on Aspen Mountain I get to meet and interact with America's business leaders.  

Just eyeballin' it,  I've noticed one thing about American capitalists, they don't know how to relax.  Even when they're on holiday, there is no down time. It has become a reflex action for business people to pull out their phones on the gondola to "get some work done" on the 17 minute ride to the top of the Aspen Mountain.   

You're on Vacay...let it go.I get it.  Business is tough.  Margins are slim. Competition is rabid. Business people need to stay on top of their work load or else it turns into a never ending to-do list.  I understand, people have responsibilities, families to support, mouths to feed, meetings to attend, conference calls to make, deals to do, companies to take over, profits to earn.  From the outside looking in it appears that there is no such thing as down time anymore?  How can business leaders think clearly when they never shut it down, they never log off...even when they're on vacation.

So what's my point.

It's all about asset allocation and diversification.  I have learned that TIME is one of the most undervalued assets in today's globalized, 24/7 ,hyper-connected, over-stimulated society. I call it the time value of time (formula available upon request).  Free time, relaxation, leisure...is crucial for any well rounded person, including CEO's.  Time is a precious commodity and no one knows how much of it they have left in their bank.  Time is often the most over looked asset when creating the portfolio of life. People buy gold to hedge the stock market...or go short against the box to diversify their assets. But do they ever take the time to decompress?

2 phones better than 1.I'm not suggesting that people shouldn't work hard.  I'm not intimating that being serious about your career and your business is a bad thing.  I'm just saying that everyone should take time to smell the roses.  Find a hobby or a passion that is outside the business world.  Read a book for cripe's sake.  Try leaving your phone in the locker room for an hour or two, you might be better off for it.  You might even do bigger & better things at work.

Time is the ultimate asset.  So spend your time wisely, don't waste it.  Live each day to its fullest.   It's OK to work hard...just give it a rest once in a while. Take a step back...and play hard too.

Take it from me...I'm a ski bum/ blogger...I know what I'm talking about.

*this article was written as a guest post on the Wharton Blog Network.

Another bluebird day at the offices of AspenSpin in Aspen, Colorado.

Fallen Friends Memorial (& BIG Air)

Crocodile Dundees 3 peated at Fallen Friends. click 4 pix:The 5th Annual Fallen Friends Memorial was held at Aspen Highlands on Saturday.  Fallen Friends is a tribute to those skiers and riders who are no longer with us.  It's a celebration of the mountain lifestyle and a remembrance of those who have lost their lives in the mountains. Fallen Friends is an athletic competition, a party and a fund raiser for AVSC scholarships, but most of all its a reminder of the fragility of life. 

18 teams in full costume ripped laps down the modified slope-style course on Scarlett's run, just above The Merry Go Round restaurant.  Guys, gals, kids, adults...everybody threw tricks off the kickers and rails and natural features on Scarlett's.

Click for pix:  FALLEN FRIENDS (& BIG Air).

Every year, those of us that live in Aspen are exposed to death in the mountains and within the community.  Every ski season lives are lost in a variety of ways in the Rocky Mountains.  Fallen Friends memorializes the brothers (and sisters) who have paid the ultimate price and did so pursuing the life they loved in the Rocky Mountains.   Every Spring the Fallen Friends event brings the skiers and snowboarders together to throw down...to remember the good times...and to honor the lives of our Fallen Friends.

On the same night on Aspen Mountain the KickAspen BIG Air contest was held.  An 80 foot kicker was built at the base of Ajax on the Little Nell run. Athletes from near and far were sending their biggest tricks in front of a packed house.  Skiers and Snowboarders alike were hucking their meat under the lights for cash and prizes.  Everybody was whipping out the 720 corks and 1080's from their trick bags.  The best BIG Air specialists around were going for broke on the BIG Stage in Aspen.

Click for pix:  FALLEN FRIENDS (& BIG Air)

They gripped and they ripped at Fallen Friends 2013. Click for pix.The Ghost Riders at Fallen Friends 2013. Aspen Highlands. Click 4 pix.White Trash at Fallen Friends. Click 4 pix.Berkel & Tae went HUGE over the 80 foot kicker at KickAspen. Click 4 pix.The kicker was enormous on Aspen Mountain. Photo: Aspen/Snowmass Clcik for more pix.