Photo Credit: C2 Photography
If you haven’t made your annual trip to Aspen, now is the time! Aspen Highlands closes on April 10, while Aspen Mountain and Snowmass are open until April 17 and Buttermilk until April 3. There’s much that’s new here this winter, which also marks Aspen Snowmass’ 75th anniversary, so get ready to do some exploring during your après and venture out beyond the quintessential Aspen go-tos (our ride-or-dies, if you will) including Matsuhisa, Cloud 9 Bistro, 7908 Aspen, Nakazawa, Ajax Tavern, and Bosq. Happy après-ing!
STAY
Photo Credit: W Aspen
Check in to the ski-in, ski-out W Aspen, which has a prime location at the base of Aspen Mountain, tucked in at the end of Durant Street in Aspen’s one-time Red Light District, and is a three-minute walk from everything in town. As expected of a W, this Nemaworkshiop/Rowland + Broughton-designed property (which actually pays respectful homage to Aspen’s past as a mining town through design details like the giant interpretation of a silver nugget in its lobby) is a hot spot for post-ski-partying. At its second floor restaurant, The Living Room (which showcases a grid-pattern display on the bar — also a nod to the past of traditional millwork structures used to create mine tunnels in Aspen during the silver boom) expect to find a suspended DJ booth that takes its cue from the largest silver nugget discovered in Aspen at the turn of the century; an outdoor fire pit that acts as a beacon at the base of the mountain, signaling to the skiers above it is time to après; and traditional ski chalet decor with cozy rusticated woods and patterns indigenous to a rustic mountain lifestyle as well as brass and polished rods surrounding velvety, plush seating areas, synonymous with ‘70s bohemian counterculture. Its outdoor WET Deck, Aspen’s only year-round, all-weather public chill area, complete with a heated pool, hot tubs, fire pits, cabanas, full bar, and adjacent dance floor and DJ booth is a great place to part, as is 39°, an underground cocktail bar and grotto that plays up Aspen’s Red Light District past through signature W pillows inspired by iconic works by Thomas W. Benton and an Gabriel Alcala mural interpreting the Aspen landscape through the lens of the Bohemia era of excess behind the bar.
Photo Credit: W Aspen
New this year at the fun-loving property is a partnership with Select Aperitivo, creator of the original Venetian spritz, with the inception of Select Slopeside, an Italian après experience. The exclusive pop-up will run through April 11th, and brings the best of Aspen and Venice to guests through live music, vintage decor and Select Aperitivo cocktails served at the base of Aspen Mountain. Select Slopeside’s vintage aesthetic is an ode to the longstanding history of après in Aspen, as well as Select Aperitivo’s Italian roots. Select collaborated with designer Tara Shakti to create branded vintage-inspired ski suits, handcrafted in Kathmandu, Nepal. At the pop-up, guests can sip post-slope cocktails in front of an oversized après-inspired ski backdrop designed with Select’s signature red and navy color palette and cozy up to a roaring fire while sipping on a post-slopes cocktail.
Photo Credit: W Aspen
Also new at this 88 guestroom hotel (which also features four WOW suites and one Extreme WOW suite, W’s version of a penthouse with two bedrooms, modern industrial touches, rich ski-wear fabrics, a central fire pit surrounded by curved pit seating, a hot tub open to the living area, a crystal and glass barrier embracing a circular bed on a pivoting platform, and a DJ booth with a mini LP vinyl player and curated music library) is a pop-up experience with Cynthia Rowley that showcases the designer’s signature RTW, ski wear, surf and swim, accessories, and home decor. The retail experience runs through April 30.
Photo Credit: W Aspen
In other hotel news, the Limelight Aspen has undergone an eight-month renovation courtesy of Stonehill Taylor, enhancing all of the hotel’s public spaces, including the Limelight Lounge, lobby, and bar, as well as the 126 guest rooms and suites while the Aspen Street Lodge — a a small but mighty property with nine lodge rooms and a two-bedroom penthouse suite with a warm, refined contemporary mountain décor RH Hotel will soon open a boutique hotel on the site of the former Crystal Palace.
WHAT’S NEW IN DINING
Photo Credit: Catchrestaurants.com
The hottest new game in Mountain Town is Catch Hospitality Group’s Catch Steak, a 10,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor Aspen Mountain iteration of its Meatpacking District eatery venue with heated patio seating open year-round. You better believe meat is the focus of the menu here, including a serious selection of Japanese wagyu (including renowned Snow Beef from Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture).
Photo Credit: The Little Nell
The Little Nell opened its chic, Prohibition-style speakeasy The Board Room last March, and it’s a hidden gem in the hotel, discretely set behind a bookshelf with a password required to enter. The contemporary den-like space, which is available for buyouts, is equipped with an 88″ flat screen TV, a bar area, and pool table. Service is provided by a personal sommelier.
Photo Credit: Reagan Petrehn, courtesy of Felix Roasting Co.
Felix Roasting Co., by Matt Moinian and interior designer Ken Fulk, is no doubt the chicest new opening in Aspen. It’s their first collaboration outside of NYC, in the stately Hotel Jerome; a light-filled space at the corner of Main & Mill Streets with custom décor, plush velvet seating, and floral wallpaper-coated walls — the perfect foil for small bites and custom-made drinks.
Photo Credit: 50 Eggs HospitalityChica, from renowned chef Lorena Garcia, with locations in Miami and Las Vegas, has opened, as of Dec. 5, at the Residences at the Little Nell, adjacent to the Silver Queen Gondola at the base of Aspen Mountain. This “celebration of Latin Flavors” offers a plethora of fabulous Latin American cuisine combined with a dynamic wine and mixology program and Instagram-worthy desserts.
Photo Credit: Snow Lodge AspenThe Snow Lodge Supper Club, the sister property of The Surf Lodge in Montauk, is open inside the St. Regis Aspen Resort, designed with a lush setting of deep velvets and local art sourced from Aspen galleries and through its artist-in-residence program. The residency kicked off for the season with artist and musician Brandon Boyd and photographer Brian Bowen Smith, followed by visual artist Heart Evangelista and others including Richard Phillips, Zoe Buckman, Tonia Calderon, Anthony James, and Brandon Ralph. Chef Mark Connell, formerly of Casa D’Angelo, is spearheading the menu which includes both shareable and large plates featuring contemporary and classic Italian preparations.
New for the. winter season, Duemani has launched a luxury yurt – which seats up to 10 people, featuring decor inspired by Aspen ski culture, history, and design… and is perfect for social distancing.
WHAT’S NEW IN CULTURE
Photo Credit: Courtesy the Aspen Art Museum. © Michael Moran/OTTO
Currently, the Aspen Art Museum is the sole U.S. venue for a major international retrospective on the work of Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol: Lifetimes which opened on Dec. 3, breaks new ground by casting a queer eye on the artist as an outsider and disruptor. Additionally, coming soon (this spring, likely) the museum will unveil My Dear Mountains, a new large-scale, site-specific project by Gaetano Pesce (b. Italy, 1939. The project will cover the museum’s entire façade with a monumental inflatable structure with an image of the sun setting over a mountain landscape. This ambitious outdoor project is the artist’s first façade intervention and will be accompanied by a display of Pesce’s furniture and sculptures within the museum’s ground-floor gallery. Make sure to check out the museum’s new Rooftop Café, which opened its doors in December. The Slippery Slope, a functioning sculpture by LA-based artist Adam Stamp is poised to be the spot for Aspen après-ski from 3 – 6 pm featuring specialty cocktails generously provided by local spirits from Woody Creek Distillers.
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