ACES Announces Potbelly Perspectives Lineup for 2024

ACES partners with ACRA for intimate storytelling and tales of adventure (with a twist!) at Hallam Lake

Aspen, Colorado (December 5, 2023) — Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is proud to present their 2024 lineup of Potbelly Perspectives, a series which features Aspen locals and visitors who share their exciting accounts of travel and adventure through images and stories.

New this year, Aspen Chamber Resort Association and Aspen Center for Environmental Studies are pleased to announce a partnership, as part of the ACRA Destination Management Plan. ACRA has focused on ensuring visitors to Aspen enjoy our community in a responsible and respectful manner, preserving small town character and building community, which aligns closely with the objectives of the Potbelly Perspectives speaker series.

Below is the schedule for this winter:

Wednesday, January 3rd

6:00PM | Stories from the Wild: From the Okavango to Mount Mabu, a series of incredible true tales of African adventure with Jeffrey Barbee.

ABOUT: this is a rollicking series of short stories from the depths of the green Okavango Delta to the newly discovered mountaintop rain forests of Mozambique, outlining some of Jeff’s reporting on assignment for The Guardian, National Geographic and other publications. The talk places some of the most exciting new science and nature solutions to our climate crisis inside a storyline that draws deeply on Barbee’s first-person storytelling, unveiling the sometimes tragic but often zany background of journalism projects. These are the real backstories you did not read in your favorite newspaper.

Wednesday, January 17th 

6:00PM | Surviving Shivling: A bold ascent and nearly fatal descent in the Himalayas with Chris Warner

ABOUT: Chris Warner was the second American to summit the world’s 8000-meter peaks (Everest, K2, Annapurna, and more). It was his first expedition to the Himalayas, to a peak called Shivling, that gave him the skill and courage he would rely on during his 34-year Himalayan career. Chris and his two friends (including Austin Weiss of Aspen) were climbing in pure alpine style when a series of storms hit the mountain. What followed was an epic battle for survival. This talk will focus on the crazy climb of Shivling and show how it inspired his future climbing. 

Wednesday, January 31st 

6:00PM | Preserving the Dark of Night: Chasing the Midnight Rainbow with Ann Driggers and Martha Ferguson

ABOUT: Join Ann Driggers, outdoor adventurer/photographer, and Martha Ferguson of WildSky Old Snowmass for their side-by-side presentation exploring Old Snowmass’ journey to become the first designated International Dark Sky Community in the Roaring Fork Valley. The presentation will be punctuated visually with Ann’s inspiring and spectacular photos taken in the darkest corners of our local night sky. Come away with knowledge and an understanding about the multidimensional importance of protecting the darkness of night.

Wednesday, February 14th

6:00PM | Loving Aspen with Sandy and Mary Lynn Munro

ABOUT: On a few months’ notice, a young couple with a three-year-old boy and white German Shepherd loaded up their 16-foot travel trailer and headed sight unseen to Aspen in December of 1969. Within a year they lost their life’s savings, and now owned a broken-down cinder block wall on the side of a hill above the road up to Snowmass Village. Fifty-three years later, they still live in the house they built by hand. In addition, they were teachers, business owners, musicians, and artists while nurturing their family of four. Along the way, they bonded with a unique group of like-minded, adventurous friends whose exploits are still legendary in this iconic mountain town. Join longtime locals Sandy and Mary Lynn Munro for the inside story of some of Aspen’s most notable locals. Listen to their stories, see the photos, and be a part of those dynamic and action-packed times, while learning about the importance of adventuring in your very own backyard.

Wednesday, February 28th

6:00PM | Trekking, Schools, and Serendipity in Nepal with Shereen Sarick

ABOUT: a story that weaves together the people in the Roaring Fork Valley and villagers of the Langtang Valley. Learn about the lives, schools, and villages that crumbled in the 2015 earthquakes, and the rebuilding of them all.

“The community members that participate in the Potbelly Perspective speaker series are seasoned travelers, visiting unique destinations and coming back home to share their stories. The synergy between Potbelly Perspectives and ACRA’s Destination Management initiatives is really exciting and we are very pleased to partner with ACES to bring this series to life this winter,” said Eliza Voss, Vice President Destination Marketing.

“This year’s Potbelly Perspectives lecture topics span the globe from short stories on the Okavango Delta to near death experiences in the high Himalaya. We’re so excited to present to our community some nostalgic adventures from longtime and renowned valley residents, Sandy and Mary Lynn Munro, as well as a local group pioneering the protection of our night skies,” said Chris Lane, CEO of ACES.

Click here for more information.