New & Notable for Winter 2023/24 

Exciting New Hero’s Lift & Terrain Expansion on Aspen Mountain, the new MOLLIE Aspen, new MICHELIN restaurants, and the 75th Anniversary of the Aspen Music Festival

ASPEN, Colo. (Nov. 16, 2023) – During the ski season, which runs from Nov. 23 – Apr. 21, 2024, Aspen becomes a winter wonderland and the ultimate destination for connecting with the outdoors, skiing and snowboarding as well as enjoying a vibrant town with world-class dining, shopping, and a thriving arts and culture calendar. Travelers can take in Aspen’s stunning landscapes, slopes, and Nordic/walking trails easily accessible from downtown Aspen. 
For information or reservations, visit aspenchamber.org or call (970) 925-1940. For media updates, visit aspenchamber.org/media.

ON-MOUNTAIN NEWS

• Hero’s on Aspen Mountain debuts for the 2023/24 ski season. Named in honor of Jim Crown and all those who played an instrumental role in the exploration and opening of Aspen Mountain’s new terrain expansion, the new high-speed quad lift and terrain will add 153 acres of skiing and riding to the upper, eastern aspect of Aspen Mountain, Aspen Mountain’s first significant lift and terrain addition since the opening of the Silver Queen Gondola in December, 1985. Hero’s will increase Aspen’s skiable acreage by more than 20 percent, with 1,220 vertical feet of new chutes, glades, and trails ranging from intermediate to advanced terrain. Not only does the addition diversify Aspen Mountain’s terrain mix and offer more skiing on the upper portion of the mountain, but it also acts as a functional hedge against future climate-challenged ski seasons: with its north-facing, high-elevation terrain (all above 10,000 ft.), this area is ideal for holding snow in seasons when natural snowfall is less plentiful. The terrain and lift will open this winter when conditions allow. For trail names, click here. 

ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL 75TH ANNIVERSARY

• 75th Anniversary of the venerable Aspen Music Festival - Founded in 1949, the Aspen Music Festival and School is regarded as one of the premier classical music festivals in the country, notable for its concert programming and the musical training of nearly 500 young adult music students. The typical eight-week summer season includes more than 300 classical music events—including concerts by five orchestras, solo and chamber music performances, fully staged opera productions, master classes, lectures, and children’s programming. 

SUSTAINABILITY 

• New Catto Center at Toklat - The Catto Center at Toklat, a 70-year-old wilderness center, provides a unique “window into wilderness” for visitors to experience the extraordinary beauty and to understand the rich ecological diversity of the upper Castle Creek Valley. The goal is to challenge the visitor to explore the scientific, historical, and spiritual roots of our relationship with the natural world. The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) will finalize the renovation of Toklat, which includes new in-residence cabins for artists/scientists, a new all-electric kitchen, a solar PV Generation Array, a new micro-hydro system, and more, all designed to be energy efficient and sustainable. One of the favorite sayings about Toklat is that “the latchstring is out and the kettle is on.” Toklat provides an inviting, comfortable, inspiring, and stimulating learning environment from which place-based education has proven effective, regardless of its format. 
• Aspen won a place among the 2023 Green Destinations Top 100 Stories. Aspen was recognized for the sustainability efforts made by local arts and culture organizations to incorporate green initiatives into their programming through zero-waste events, critical dialogue on climate change, scholarship opportunities, and more. 
• Mandatory Composting -  The City of Aspen launched an ordinance enforcing mandatory composting for Aspen restaurants. Restaurants are the largest generator of organic waste in Aspen, making them the first part of a multi-year sustainability effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Aspen Pledge - Aspen is the only destination to put money behind its pledge. For any signers to the Aspen Pledge, ACRA will make a donation of $18.80 to one of two non-profits protecting Aspen’s wild places. 

WINTER EVENTS

• Wintersköl™(Jan. 11 – 14, 2024) - Aspen’s annual “toast to winter” returns for the 73rd year, with a theme of “Uniting Ski Bums and Bunnies, since 1951”. The four-day celebration will include on-mountain activities, snow sculptures, a torchlight descent down Aspen Mountain, Soupsköl™ soup competition, a new beer festival, a bonfire, fireworks, and a drag queen bingo brunch. 
• Aspen Gay Ski Week (Jan. 14 – 21, 2024) Returning for the 47th year, Aspen Gay Ski Week is the premier LGBTQ+ winter event with a full schedule of on-mountain and in-town events for skiers/snowboards and non-skiers.
• X Games Aspen (Jan. 26 – 28, 2024) Returning for its 23rd year, the Winter X Games will take place on Buttermilk Mountain featuring top contenders in extreme snow sports.
• FIS Alpine Ski World Cup (March 1 – 3, 2024) Aspen Snowmass welcomes the best international ski racers for the Men’s World Cup, competing in Slalom and Giant Slalom on Aspen Mountain, an iconic World Cup venue with decades of racing history.
• Palm Tree Music Festival (Feb. 23 – 24, 2024) Produced by Belly Up Aspen and returning for its second iteration, the two-day event at Rio Grande Park in the heart of Aspen will feature performances from The Chainsmokers, David Guetta, Kygo, Labrinth, Drama, and Harry Hudson.

HOTEL NEWS

• New Hotel, Restaurant & Bar (Opening December 2023) MOLLIE Aspen will be a 68-room boutique hotel with a rooftop pool and terrace, located across from Paepcke Park in the heart of Aspen. Designed by award-winning studio Post Company, MOLLIE's interiors are a blend of understated luxury and residential comfort, utilizing native materials from Aspen and the region, accentuated with natural woods, earthen ceramics, and hand-dyed textiles. The hotel's food and beverage programs are spearheaded by Gin & Luck, the group behind the Death & Co. brand, and consists of a lobby bar and restaurant with year-round outdoor seating, a laid-back all-day café, and a rooftop spa and terrace transforms into an intimate lounge by night, with unobstructed views of Aspen Mountain. Room images here. (111 S. Garmisch St.)
• Aspen Meadows Resort - Complementing a new Bauhaus-inspired room and suite renovation finalized in May 2023, Aspen Meadows will debut a redesign of the resort's arrival area and front desk, bar, and Plato’s restaurant, designed by Bentel & Bentel to reimagine the space while honoring the legacy of Herbert Bayer.
• The Spa at The Little Nell will debut in December of 2023, with designs by Luis Bustamante Interior Design. The Spa at The Little Nell will feature three treatment suites, a menu of integrated rituals, bodywork, and skincare solutions in partnership with Dr. Barbara Sturm. 

CULTURAL NEWS 

• A new exhibit will be shown all winter at the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies (Bayer Center), which is located on the grounds of the Aspen Institute and is free to the public. Concept of a Visualist: Herbert Bayer’s World Geo-Graphic Atlas examines Bayer’s World Geo-Graphic Atlas, a landmark work of visual education and modernist design. 
• John Chamberlain: THE TIGHTER THEY ARE WOUND, THE HARDER THEY UNRAVEL will be shown at the Aspen Art Museum for the winter season (Dec. 14 – April 15). The exhibit, curated by artist Urs Fischer and developed in collaboration with the Dia Art Foundation, is the first institutional survey in more than a decade devoted to John Chamberlain.
• 20th Aspen Ideas Festival (June​​ 23 – 29, 2024) will be curated by award-winning journalist, editor, and author Tina Brown. As the Festival’s first external curator, she will be involved in developing all aspects of the event’s agenda, including helping identify the critical challenges impacting our world today and the compelling speakers who are shedding light on and addressing them.

DINING NEWS

• MICHELIN - The inaugural MICHELIN Guide to Colorado was launched in September 2023. Bosq Aspen was recognized with a Michelin star and Element 47, Mawa's Kitchen, and Prospect, are recommended restaurants in the guide.
• Coming soon - BUCK (Bar Under Cooper Kitchen) - Located downstairs on East Cooper St., BUCK is anticipated to open in December 2023 as a local bar and eatery with affordably priced food and beers. With memorabilia from The Red Onion and former employees at the helm, BUCK seeks to continue the legacy of “The Onion” as the local’s après-ski spot of choice. (508 E. Cooper Ave.)
• Opening December 2023 - sway ModernThai will open in January 2024 on Aspen’s Restaurant Row. Sway will offer modern Thai food at an approachable price with an emphasis on sourcing from local vendors and farmers. Offerings include classic dishes like Salt + Pepper Tofu and Pad Thai Jay, and a full beverage program. (308 E. Hopkins Ave.)
• New - Sant Ambroeus, opened a stylish coffee bar in late July, offering refined Italian classics for breakfast through cocktails. Inspired by Aspen, the coffee bar has an Alpine modern design designed by Giampiero Tagliaferri Studio. There are several vintage Italian pieces, including Le Bambole sofas by Mario Bellini and 1950s Caro Ratti chairs. (520 E. Hyman Ave.)
  • Sant Ambroeus will open a restaurant on Main Street in Aspen at a to-be-announced date, on the location of Aspen’s iconic Main Street Bakery.
• New - The Crepe Shack, a breakfast and lunch café by Mawa McQueen, opened a new Aspen location on the walking mall. (401 E. Cooper Ave.)
• New - Alpina, an Alpine-inspired restaurant led by Colton Black, formerly of The Little Nell, serves lunch through happy hour inside and on a sunny patio. (614 E. Cooper Ave.)
• New - Jimoto Aspen, will open Dec. 2023 serving ramen and soup dumplings only a few blocks from Aspen Mountain. (616 E. Hyman Ave.)
• New - The Boat Tow will open Dec. 9 as a reimagined concept by Gravity Haus. The restaurant pays homage to Aspen's ski culture with an affordable lunch and dinner menu as well as a lively Aprés-ski scene. (315 E. Hyman Ave.)

• Coming Soon - Stranahan’s will open a tasting room this winter, serving the distillery’s spirits along with alpine-inspired bites from late afternoon through dinner. With a focus on affordability and serving the Aspen community, this opening marks a homecoming for the Woody Creek-founded distillery. (307 S. Mill St.)
• Coming Soon - Wild Fig will be opening in a new location on Mill Street. (305 S. Mill St.)
• Coming June 2024 - Hai Si, a Chinese concept by Infinite Restaurant Group will open in a downstairs space on Restaurant Row. (308 E. Hopkins Ave.)
• Coming Soon - Nice Guy will open in the Golden Horn building on the corner of the Mill and Cooper. The restaurant/lounge, which has locations in Los Angeles and Dubai, pays homage to the era of classic Italian restaurants with an old-school Italian menu and nightly live music.

RETAIL NEWS

• New - The Bayer Center Store, located in The Bayer Center on the Aspen Institute campus, opened in early summer 2023 and features a rotating display of original, framed Herbert Bayer prints and curated retail items focused on modernist design influenced by the Bauhaus and Bayer. Merchandise includes custom apparel and books, jewelry, Bauhaus product re-editions, functional items for the home, personal accessories, games, and textiles. Every purchase made supports the Bayer Center’s initiatives and programming. For images, click here. 
• New - The Gift Box is a new shop opened by native Aspenite Wesley Jacobs who saw the need for home goods, Aspen gifts, and custom-designed chic logo wear and clothing. The owner supports small, sustainable businesses throughout the country with her curated selection of gifts, including a large selection of Colorado-made gifts.
• New - LD Ceramix, a ceramics studio and gallery by artist Lori Dresner opened across from the Aspen Art Museum. (630 E. Hyman Ave., unit 104)
• Coming Soon - After a 20-year hiatus, Banana Republic will return to Aspen on the Hyman Avenue Mall.
• Coming Soon Bottega Veneta will open a storefront on Hyman Avenue. (428 E.Hyman Ave.)
• Coming Soon Tiffany & Co. will open a storefront in downtown Aspen.

Aspen, Colorado is an authentic, historic mountain town that is renowned for its year-round outdoor lifestyle, robust cultural calendar, and bustling downtown ambiance.  With an endless array of arts, culture, dining, and nightlife, Aspen is defined by an urbane feel that belies its small-town charm. An Aspen vacation is an experience that energizes the mind, body, and spirit, whether soaking in mountain beauty and 300 days of annual sunshine, learning a new skill, feeding a fascination, or simply absorbing the mountain spirit. Located 18 miles west of Independence Pass, Aspen is nestled in the heart of the White River National Forest at the confluence of the Roaring Fork River, Hunter Creek, Maroon Creek, and Castle Creek, and encircled by the peaks of the Elk Mountain Range in the central Rocky Mountains. Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) is conveniently located only three miles from downtown Aspen. For visitor information, a complete calendar of events,  to book an Aspen vacation, or to learn “How to Aspen,”  visit www.aspenchamber.org, or call 1.888.290.1324 or 970.925.1940.