Bluebird Days in Aspen, Colorado

Truth be told... AspenSpin loves it when it snows.  We love the BIG, fat, fluffy snow flakes that make it hard to see and hard to drive and hard to fly. We love the phat flakes that make the skiing and riding siiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.   If we can't have a blizzard...it might as well be...

a BLUEBIRD Day in Aspen, Colorado.

Aspen Highlands Bowl as seen from Aspen Mountain. 2/12/13 9.15 a.m. minus 5 degrees.Lift 6 on Aspen Mountain. The best 591 verts in skiing.From the top of Henry's Run on 1a. Yeah...I crushed it.Ladies of the Lifts. Expression session at Lift 1a. Aspen, Colorado.

Foodies Delight @ Chefs Club by Food & Wine at St Regis, Aspen

Click 4 info and to reserveThe most unique dining experience in Aspen is situated right in the center of town.  Chefs Club by Food & Wine at the St. Regis Aspen Resort offers a signature, world class culinary event with every meal. The ever-evolving menu is created by an eclectic, sophisticated mix of award winning, super star chefs.   Food & Wine Magazine selected Aspen and the St Regis to collaborate on their first foray into fine dining.  Chefs Club opened last June with huge fanfare as the two iconic brands, Food & Wine and St. Regis joined forces to create a one-of-a-kind culinary venue.

Foodies Delight @ Chefs Club (click 4 pix).

Each season brings a new team of Chefs from around the World who combine forces to craft a sumptuous menu of culinary delights. Foodies all over the planet go wild for Chefs Club. The Winter 2012/13 season combines the talents and imaginations of 4 award winning Chefs.  Jonathon Sawyer from Cleveland, Jenn Lewis of Portland, Kevin Willmann of St. Louis and Matt Lightner of NYC.  All four chefs have been recently awarded with Food & Wine's prestigious "Best New Chef" designation.

Yellow Fin Tuna...delish. Click 4 pixRecently a friend and I were treated to a first class feast at the Chef's Table at Chefs Club. Casual elegance describes the atmosphere, as the resplendent dining room is highlighted by a large open kitchen.  We were thrilled to witness as the various meals were prepared to perfection before our eyes.  The splendid selection of appetizers made it difficult to choose a first course.  We started with a beautiful portion of Yellow Fin Tuna with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, topped with a pear vanilla puree served with lavash.  It was an awesome way to begin our meal and is highly recommended.  We also shared Chef Club's famous Black Truffle and Artichoke en Papier which was fantastic.  As if that were not enough to get our taste buds stimulated the executive chef insisted that we try the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with a Jalapeno Doughnut.  It was rich and delightful and the Jalapeno Doughnut is to die for.

Properly Butchered Rib Steak. It melts in your mouth.The selection of creative entrees was magnificent.  Taking a cue from our very attentive server, Clement,  we chose to share the "most popular item" the Properly Butchered Rib Steak with Pommes frites.  The 28 day Prime dry-aged beef was prepared masterfully and it melted in our mouths.  We also split a huge portion of Gulf Red Grouper with Hen-of-the-Woods Mushrooms, Tatsoi and Savory Creme Anglaise.  We supplemented our meal with a fine Chianti as suggested by Sommelier Philip Golden.  The wine list at Chefs Club can rival any in the country...or maybe the world.  

After such a fine repast we were fully prepared to take a pass on desert, but General Manager Paul Duce insisted that we try at least one of the luscious offerings.  We selected the Parsley Root Split...a modern version of the classic banana split.  The lavish home-made banana ice cream with lemon chiffon and marshmallow was unbelievable...my new favorite sweet of all-time.

Inside the kitchen at Chefs Club Aspen. Click 4 pixOnly one word is needed to describe our experience at Chef Club by Food & Wine....WOW!!  It was a meal fit for a king. It's no wonder that foodies from around the world have been flocking to Chefs Club.   If you haven't tried Chefs Club yet..or even if you have...be aware that Chefs Club is offering a special Valentine's Feast on Thursday, February 14.  Along with the regular a'la carte menu, Chefs Club has created a special "Land & Sea" entree to honor the romantic tradition of Valentine's Day. Additionally, extra-special decadent deserts will  be created specifically for the occasion.

Click or call CHEFS CLUB by FOOD & WINE to learn more and to reserve for Valentine's Day.

Chefs Club is perfect for Foodies.  Try it for a romantic meal, a special occasion or simply to enjoy the finest, most creative cuisine in Aspen.  The fabulous food, the top notch service and the elegant atmosphere are second to none.  Take it from AspenSpin....Chefs Club by Food & Wine is phenomenal.

The Service Team at Chefs Club by Food & Wine was first class. Click 4 pix.A world class dining experience at Chefs Club by Food & Wine at St. Regis Aspen. Click 4 pix.Chefs Club by Food & Wine at St. Regis Aspen. Gm Paul Duce shared the story. Click 4 pix.

Ski for the Cure Day on Aspen Mountain

Today was SKI for the CURE DAY on Aspen Mountain.   Luckily Aspen received about 6 inches of siiiiiiick POW POW to quench the thirst of all the skiers and riders. It was a fantastic day to raise money and awareness for breast cancer and one of the best ski days of the year.   The Aspen chapter of the Susan B. Komen Foundation hosted their annual Ski for the Cure event...which is part scavenger hunt, part race and 100% fun.   Skiers and riders were sporting  pink all over Ajax to support breast cancer awareness.

Click 4 Pix.   SKI for the CURE

STOKED 4 SNOW: SIA 2013

Tony and Barbara at the Kjus Booth.Trade shows are like mullets.  Business up front...all party in the back.The annual SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show in Denver is always 3 days of chaos. 10 hours on your feet, unlimited swag, lunch at the candy jar, booth models, endless meetings, plenty of bro-heiming and many beers starting precisely at 5 pm. 

Click 4 Pix:

STOKED 4 SNOW and   FRESHIES

If you've ever been to a major trade show..like MAGIC, ICSC, or CES you can picture what SIA is like.  One important difference with SIA is that skiing and riding on snow is... in reality... the business of fun.  The entire industry shows up in Dever for SIA; Athletes, gear brands, fashion brands, retailers, wholesalers, media, boutique brands, emerging brands, new products, old products, ski areas, non-profits....everybody.   Almost 20,000 people and 106 exhibitors attend SIA.  There are over 1,500 Alpine ski models on the market and more than 1,000 snowboard varietals.  There are 30 million participants in skiing and snowboarding in the U.S.  Skiing and snowboarding equipment, apparel and accessories achieved more than $3.3 billion in sales last year.   It's a big biz, and SIA is the most important event of the year.

Full Disclosure:  AspenSpin has promotional relationships with several brands. Over the years, A-Spin has become associated with some of the greatest gear and apparel brands available World Wide.  The following brands have been extremely loyal to us...and hopefully we return the favor. Our ski kit is as follows: Outerwear (Kjus) Mid-Layer (Neve) Under-layer & socks (Ice-breaker, Ibex and Smarwool), Skis (Kastle), Optics (Oakley), Extreme Weather Gear (The North Face), Footwear (Nike), Apres Ski (Haute Hippie), Beanies (Free Time Goods). Boots, poles, helmet (sponsorships available).  

Aspen homies were all over the floor.  It's always great to see Aspen representing.  Spotted dominating at SIA were local Aspen brands; High Society, Strafe, Obermeyer, Free Time Goods, Poc, Vintage Ski World  Hometown retailers Gorsuch, Hamilton Sports, Pomeroy and Performance were checking out next year's models.  Media collegues like Aspen Peak, Aspen 82, Snow Mag, Backbone Media made the scene.

It's BEER o'clock at SIA.The convention floor at SIA has several distinct zones.  The traditional alpine brands are in the NE quadrant.  As expected, the bigger the brand...the bigger the booth.  Rossignol, K2, Volkl, yada, yada, yada.  New energy is being provided in the alpine arena by boutique brands...like Armada (really a mid-major), Icelantic, Ski Logik, DPS, RMU and more. 

The fashionista brands huddle in the SE corner.  $1.4 billion was spent last year on Ski and Snowboard apparel.  Brands from all over the world show their wares at SIA.  In addtiton to our favorites, Kjus and Neve we were impressed by the fashion offerings from SOS, Picture, Alp n Rock, Coldsmoke and for the sparkly types...Snow Sugar.

The SW section is Street, Lifestyle and accessories which crosses over to the SE square which is home to  Snowboarding.   The booths in the back are loud and fun and filled with SWAG.  Volcom, Lib Tech, Vans, Skullcandy and Go Pro have huge and interactive booths and lots of hottie booth models (male and female).  Volcom hosted an extremely loud metal band, Diarreha Planet and free beer at exactly 5 o'clock.  Actually almost evey booth has free beer at exactly 5 o'clock.  Emerging brands like INI Cooperative, Spacecraft and Wrong Gear brought their fresh new looks to the show.

SIA is crazy and fun and you get to see what's hot for next year.  Bright colors are still important in both hard goods and softgoods.  Innovative ski shapes continue to evolve with some of the smaller, more agile brands now leading the way with design development both technologically and graphically.  Back country and side country gear is still the fastesat growing segment for skiing.  While snowboarding has experienced a mild plateau in growth...the youth oriented apparel and lifestyle gear seems to be thriving.  Actually the skiers and riders are morphing together....everybody is STOKED 4 SNOW.

Click 4 pix:    STOKED 4 SNOW  &  FRESHIES

The Kastle Skis booth was like an oasis on the SIA Convention Floor. Click for Pix.Neve Designs from Boulder Colorado makes the greatest sweaters for men and women. Click for pix.Ski industry legend Klaus Obermeyer going strong at SIA 2013 . Click for Pix.Rory Bushfield and friends celebrated the life of Sarah Burke at a photo exhibit in her honor. Click 4 pix.

X Games After Midnight: Full Contact Partying

After Midnight at X Games in Aspen it's all about the wrist bands.  In addition to the actual X Games competition there is an enormous party scene. It's kind of like a mullet...all business up front...all party in the back.  High School and college students drive to Aspen from all over the Rocky Mountain region.  The VIP and Sponsor's events are littered with corporate executives, agents, managers as well as the friends and family of the Athletes.  If you have the right "hook ups" there's never a dull moment at X Games and it's always open bar and heavy apps.

After 7 years of snapping and rapping, AspenSpin has developed some good connections at X Games.   This year especially we need to throw out some SPECIAL THANKs.   To everyone who hooked me up...thank you, thank you, especially ESPN, RED BULL, MARLEY's MELLOW MOOD, FREESKIER and REPREVE.  Repreve is the official recycling partner of X Games and hooked me up with a satchel full of GREEN BEANIES made from re-cycled plastic bottles. We distributed the Green Beanies to those people who proved that they are recycling and protecting the environment.  If you scroll down to our previous posts from X Games you'll see some of the sick events we attended...Red Bull Media events & parties, the raucous Freeskier party, ESPN's Film / Style / Music programs etc etc.  But Saturday and Sunday nights got fully out of control.  It was full contact partying. 

Click 4 Pix   Marley Safe House       Red Bull Closing Night

Unquestionably at  X Games Aspen 2013 the place to be late night was the MARLEY SAFE HOUSE. Live  music, entertainment, a young hot crowd who was ready to party and an open bar all housed at the former Crystal Palace.  Lines of 500 or more were turned away as the safe house filled to capacity around 11 PM.

On Saturday night the reggae superstar MATISYAHU free-styled in front of a packed house.  The Jewish reggae was flowing.  At around 3 am the VIP room opened.  It was mostly athletes and hot chicks plus 1 blogger. A. Party finally hit the rack at about 6 a.m.  On Sunday night KY-MANI MARLEY (son of Bob) and his band unleashed a reggae fire storm at The Marley Safe House.  He was joined by his son K.J. and others.  It was out of control.

Also Sunday RED BULL threw their X Games closing party with music from BUN B and DIPLO.  Yeah it was a HUGE deal.  The Ballroom at the Hotel Jerome was filled with Gold Medalists, team managers and friends of Red Bull...mostly hot chicks. 

So you get the picture. Party to Party...all night long.  Lets just say our wrist band quotient was high.

Click 4 pix.    MARLEY SAFE HOUSE    

                  RED BULL CLOSING NIGHT

Matiyahu backstage at the Marley Safe House in Aspen. Click 4 pix.Mellowing out in the VIP at The Marley Safe House in Aspen for X Games. click 4 pix.Ky Mani Marley brought the house down at Marley Safe House in Aspen. Click 4 pix.Diplo played Red Bull's closing night bash at X Games. Click 4 pix.Red Bull knows how to party. Closing night at X Games. Click 4 pix.Bun B brought the old school rap to Red Bull's cloing night bash at X Games. Click for pix.Late Night with the Japanese Snowboard Team at Marley Safe House. click 4 pix.