Corduroy Empire

Wut Up? Skiing is on in Aspen. Click 4 pix.Happy Thanksgiving.  Yaaaaay, the ski season is under way in Aspen.  As always,  the lifts in Aspen started spinning on Thanksgiving Day.  There are plenty of things to be thankful for in Aspen, but awesome ski conditions is not one of them.   Aspen Mountain & Snowmass had very limited terrain open for skiing and riding.  Kudos go out to the snow-makers and groomers who got one run open on Aspen Mountain.  It was an "old school" opening day requiring a ride on the little used Little Nell & Bell Mountain lifts to get to the ski able terrain.   Spar Gulch to Little Nell were the only runs open on Ajax. 

Luckily Aspen Spin got out there early, before the crowds and got some super-tasty man-made corduroy.  Spar to the Bar was the run of choice for many.

This weekend should be fun packed with the Women's World Cup racers in town.  Music, events and parties are on the docket...we'll try to keep up.   We're are breaking out the SNOW DANCE every night, lets hope we get dumped on soon.   In the meantime... 

Click 4 Pix.  CORDUROY EMPIRE

First Tracks on the Corduroy Empire. Aspen Mountain Opening Day. Click 4 Pix.The Bell Mountain Chair lift doesn't get much use anymore, but it was spinning for opening day in Aspen. Click 4 pix.

 When home town hero Chris Davenport talks about going BIG. He means it. In-Store at Aspen Sports. Click 4 pix.

The Coach. Bob Beattie and Mountain Man Mike Marolt at Aspen Business Luncheon. Click 4 pix.

Aspen Sports & Chris Davenport : Ring of Fire (in store 11/21)

Chris Davenport ,Photo: SpyderAt AspenSpin we may be a little old for hero worship...but Aspen's own hometown hero Chris Davenport has truly earned and deserves all the accolades he receives in the skiing world.

If you know Chris Davenport you know he's a great guy, a family man, friendly to everybody, nice, polite, patient with the fans and a true ambassador to skiing. Not to mention... he's a ripping skier.   Dav comes from a skiing family and was a ski racer in college at The University of Colorado.  Later, after moving to Aspen he won the World Extreme Skiing Championships, an X Games medal, the 24 Hours of Aspen and competed in many other contests and World Class competitions.  Today, he is one of the most accomplished BIG MOUNTAIN Skiers in the World.

In 2006 when Dav hiked and skied all 54 of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks in less than one year he became a ski mountaineering legend.  Since then he's bagged numerous highly technical first descents, hiked and skied peaks all over the world, including Antarctica.  Chris has been in more than 30 ski movies and appears in all the ski mags.  He's also a highly regarded TV commentator and an author.  Perhaps his greatest work is with POW (Protect Our Winters) a non-profit organization that has mobilized the winter sports community to take action against climate change.

 Davenport's athletic ability and skill along with his complete attention to detail and safety has allowed him to carve out a spectacular career as a professional skier.  He creates his own adventures now.   Last spring, Chris and a bunch of his friends tooled around the Great Northwest hiking and skiing all the Volcano's they could find. 

It became known as:

The RING of FIRE Tour.

WEDNESDAY November 21 at 6 pm at ASPEN SPORTS (Cooper Street Mall location), Davenport will be giving a brief talk about The RING of FIRE Tour.   You'll have a chance to meet & greet Chris Davenport and hear about all his BIG MOUNTAIN exploits. We'll assume there will be posters, autographs and plenty of swag from Spyder.

See all the details by clicking:

ASPEN SPORTS and CHRIS DAVENPORT / RING of FIRE (in store).

Chris Davenport doing his thing. Courtesy Photo: Photo by Christian Pondella.

*AspenSpin recieved promotional considerations for this post.

Fallen Friends and Protect Our Winters

If you've been to Aspen, Colorado than you know our Valley is one of the most beautiful places in the world.  The majestic Rocky Mountains, the roaring rivers and the high alpine forests provide us with the beautiful natural amphitheater in which we live and play.

Whether you are a local or a tourist it's easy to understand the attractions of Aspen.

 Saturday AspenSpin attended fund-raisers for two extremely important issues, Fallen Friends and Protect Our Winters.  They are issues that affect us locally but have global implications.  At A-Spin we tend to focus on the good times... but these two subjects are becoming increasingly crucial in mountain communities across the globe.

Clic 4 Pix:  Fallen Friends & Protect Our Winters

FALLEN FRIENDs is a memorial event at Aspen Highlands to honor those skiers and riders who have paid the ultimate price. Many of our friends have lost their lives...sure, it's doing what they love, but it's not worth it.  Fallen Friends is a blow out party "for the brothers who aren't here", but it's small compensation for the pain and sorrow of losing a loved one.  Aspen and other ski towns have lost waaaaaaaaaay to many young people to the mountains. Skiing and riding have always been inherently risky endeavors...the syndrome of "pushing the envelope" has created an increasing number of fatalities in the mountain and action sports communities.  We get it...going BIG is fun.  An adrenaline rush is a great feeling.  Sending a previously un-skied line or hucking an un-huckable cliff might get you sponsored or get you a starring role in a ski flick.   AspenSpin will say it loud and clear.  IT'S NOT WORTH IT.   Think before you go.  If it seems to sketchy...it probably is.  RESPECT MOTHER NATURE because she can take you any time she wants to.  Nuff said. 

PROTECT OUR WINTERS.   AspenSpin is not a climate change expert and we cannot solve this immense  worldwide problem with our little blog. But we can help raise money and awareness to fight climate change.  All of us on earth have a COMMON GOAL to find a solution to PROTECT OUR WINTERS (POW).  Chris Davenport and Jeff Halverty along with The Regal Nightclub gave back by throwing an informational fund-raiser.  Click the POW link to find out how you can help.  Act locally... start doing the little things at home. Recycle and re-use.  If we all work together we can Protect Our Winters and keep shredding.

Enough preachin'.  Click my SICK PIX....thaz wut i do.

FALLEN FRIENDS               PROTECT OUR WINTERS

HBO's Jon Frankel and POW Host Chris Davenport at the Protect Our Winters Event

The Ajax Cup: Aspen's Ski Race

The 2nd Annual AJAX CUP Weekend to benefit AVSC is underway.

12 highly competitive teams are ready to compete for The Ajax Cup.  The celebrities, the Olympians, the pro racers, the adaptive racers, the amateurs and the AVSC kids have all been handicapped for time and the lineups are set. The ski racing kicks off today at 10 a.m. on the Little Nell run at the base of Ajax. You can watch the pro skiers rip super fast laps on the GS course.  

AspenSpin will be snapping and posting pix from The Ajax Cup pre-party, at the race and of course at the #1 après ski event in all of skiing.

The Ajax Cup festivities began with a Welcome Party at Caribou Club where the smack talk between racers was pretty thick.  Everybody wants to get their name engraved on The Ajax Cup and take home the prestigious Ajax Cup belt buckle. Each 8 skier team is comprised of a Head Coach (a decorated racer with National Team pedigree, the Captain (organizer), 4 competitors and 2 AVSC student-athletes. Pro athletes include Chris Davenport, Chris Klug, Casey Puckett, Jake Zamansky, David Chodounsky, Wendy Fisher, Kim Reichhelm, David Stapleton, Kristina Koznick, Katie Monahan, Chris Anthony and Gella Sutro.

The Sponsor lineup is stacked too.  Aspen/Snowmass, Kjus, Gosuch, Bombardier, Fiduciary Trust Intenational, Caribou Club and Rowland + Broughton.  The Ajax Cup is a new tradition in Aspen, but it has quickly become a de rigueur event on the social scene.

AVSC will reach 2,100 children this Winter. Skiing and snowboarding helps build self-confidence and shows kids that they can overcome challenges on and off the hill.   AVSC kids  learn core values of COMMITMENT, TEAMWORK and INTEGRITY.  Click for more info: AVSC.

Click for Photo albums:

THE AJAX CUP WELCOME PARTY

THE AJAX CUP RACE  (Race Day in Aspen)

The AJAX CUP APRES SKI PARTY   (Party of the Year).

Jeff Gorsuch proudly displays The Ajax Cup, An Aspen Tradition.The Ajax Cup pro racers are ready to grab bragging rights in 2011.AVSC racers from team Casa Tua. Click for pix.The pre party for The Ajax Cup on Aspen Mountain to benefit AVSC.

 Team Go Fast with Stapes, CDY, The Bucksbaums and Coffey. Click 4 more pix.Team Caribou finished Top 10 at the 2011 Ajax Cup Race on Aspen, Mountaain to benefit AVSC Everybody was a winner at Ajax Cup. But Team Ganzi will have bragging rights for 2012.

Aspen: It's a Ski Town, Bro!

Aspen, Colorado is a small and very beautiful town.  A high alpine village at 8000 ft. at the end of the road.  Once the snow hit's the mountains there's only one way in...and...one way out.   Aspen means a lot of different thing to different people.  The restaurants, the shopping, the art galleries, the Aspen Institute , the night life,  the music and culture, the development opportunities, the snow polo.  Everyone has their own individual reasons for loving Aspen and their own definition of the Aspen Idea... Body, Mind and Spirit.

AspenSpin has an announcement to make.  Aspen:  It's a SKI TOWN, Bro!!!

Aspen has a reputation of being a playground for the rich and famous, of being over-the-top expensive,  the glitz and the glamour ...the see and be seen mentality.  Sure--some of that is true, but this past weekend Aspen reaffirmed it's position as THE CAPITOL of SKIING (and snowboarding). 

The Nordic Track. Click 4 Pix.Nordic Skiing is not the first Olympic sport that rolls off your lips, yet Aspen has produced 2 world class NORDIC Skiers; NOAH HOFFMAN and SIMI HAMILTON.  Both are members of the U.S. Ski Team, World Cup competitors and Olympic hopefuls for 2014 in Sochi.   Funding is always tight in the nordic world and this year the U.S. Ski Team has reduced their level of support.  The Aspen Community came together last weekend at The Limelight Lodge to throw a fundraising event for our local boys, Noah and Simi.   The Limelight was packed with well wishers and philanthropic minded locals. Approximately $40,000 was raised to help support the Olympic dreams of Noah and Simi.  Aspen Local and 1980 U.S. Olympic Nordic team Captain Craig Ward emceed the event and said " it takes a community to make an Olympian".  The generosity and support of the Aspen Community was out in full force.  U.S. Ski Team mates Sylvan Ellefson (Vail) and Tad Elliot (Durango) attended the festivities as a sign of solidarity.  Parents, teachers, coaches, neighbors and friends celebrated having 4 of the top 8 U.S. Nordic skiers in the U.S. in the house. Contact and support the guys directly at www.hoff.colorado@gmail.com  and www.simihamilton.com The money raised will allow Noah and Simi to compete at full throttle all winter.

Click 4 PIX     THE NORDIC TRACK

Like There's No Tomorrow. It's a Ski Town. Click 4 Pix.Warren Miller's 62nd annual ski film... LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW had 3 screenings at the historic Wheeler Opera House is Aspen.   Like There's No Tomorrow did not disappoint the rowdy crowds at the Wheeler.  Two of Aspen's local heros, brothers Chris Davenport and Ted Davenport lit up the screen starring in the film's best segments.  Chris was featured in 2 scenes, first he conquered New Hampshire's historic Tuckerman Ravine. Tuckerman's, a large glacial cirque on Mt. Washinton is known to have some of the worst weather in the world and has long been a proving ground for the East Coast's top skiers.  As always, Dav made it look easy ripping on all snow conditions (including ice) with his ever present quiver of Kastle Skis.   Chris was featured in a second segment skiing huge peaks in the Andes near Portillo, Chille with Julia Mancuso (AspenSpin's favorite skier). 

Little Bro, Ted Davenport sent some sick lines in the Southern Alps on New Zealand's South Island.  Ted,  a two-time World Heli Challenge Champion showed some of the skills that put him on top of the podium. Face shots, cliff hucks and pillow drops are all every day occurrences in Ted World.  Currently recovering from a horrific crash in last year's competition, Ted the Shred should be back on skis (and B.A.S.E. jumping) soon.

Click 4 Pix:  LIKE THERE's NO TOMMOROW

Spyder VIP's at Aspen Sports. click 4 pix.Colorado based SPYDER brought their A-Team to Aspen for the weekend in the larger than life Spyder Antidote Winabago.    TOMMY MOE (Olympic Downhill Gold Medalist),  JULIAN CARR (big mountain ripper and founder of Discrete), JAKE ZAMANSKY (Aspen local and Olympian) along with The DAV's hosted a VIP autograph session at ASPEN SPORTS on the Cooper Street Mall.   The Aspen Sport's Spyder Concept shop pulled out all the stops for an intimate, family friendly meet-n-greet.

Click 4 Pix:  ASPEN SPORTS / SPYDER   VIP Event.

AspenSpin experienced a milestone for which we are extremely proud.  We received a brief cameo appearance in Warren Miller's LIKE THERE's NO TOMORROW.  AspenSpin can't get on Plum TV, but we made the Warren Miller Movie...and they can never tke that away.  You'll have to pay attention to see our "segment", but heads up, it's in the first 2 minutes of the film.  A-Spin's  2 1/2 seconds of fame was captured by Colby James West's POV shoulder cam at the 2011 Powder Video Awards and made the big screen thanks to Warren Miller Enterprises.  What a rush for A. Party; to be in the audience and to unexpectedly see yourself on the HUGE screen....yeeeeeeeah.  We love this place.

It's not even Halloween yet and AJAX is covered with snow. This weekend Aspen hosted Olympic Champions, World Champions and Olympic hopefuls and the greatest Warren Miller Movie ever (we're a little biased).

Yeah...it might be a lot of different things to a lot of differnt people---but ASPEN is a SKI TOWN, BRO...and don't forget it.

Click 4 Pix   THE NORDIC TRACK     and    ASPEN:  It's a SKI TOWN, BRO!!

These guys are ready to RIP. Tim, Schultz, Pearl and Chris at Warrewn Miller. click 4 pix.Olympic Gold medalists, World Champs, First to scale the 14ers. It's a SKI Town. click 4 pixThe Spyder / Aspen Sports VIP Events brought out all the rippers. Click 4 pix.