LET'S START MAKING PLANS AND HEAD TOWARD A NEW YEAR...2014!!

Celebrating New Year's Eve in Aspen is like no where else...
 
Fireworks on Aspen Mountain - shows at 8:00pm and midnight
Bonfire in Wagner Park until midnight
DJ in Wagner Park until midnight

Building up to New Year's Eve, Belly Up, voted Rolling Stone magazine's 2013 Best New Year's Eve Concert venues has quite a line up:
 
Friday, December 27th, Weezer
Sunday, December 29th, Rufus Wainwright (early show) and Moby (late show)
Monday, December 30th, The Flaming Lips
Tuesday, December 31st, New Year's Eve, The Flaming Lips

Two other events you might not want to miss on Monday, December 30th:
 
9:30 AM - Antonio Banderas is hosting the annual Audi Ajax Cup...a team dual slalom race  competition held on Little Nell on Ajax
 
2:00PM - Aspen Skating Club will give a free ice skating performance at the Silver Circle Ice Rink in town

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides lots of delicious dining, outrageous skiing and snowboarding, snowmobiling, dog-sledding, sleigh rides, winter fishing, and just an all-around amazing wonderful week,

there is so much to do in Aspen and at all FOUR of the local mountains you should plan to

COME JOIN US!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE...

from the

Staff at The Innsbruck Aspen!

 

 

According to the following article The Innsbruck Aspen was rated #1 by Travelers:

2013 Best Ski Hotels in the U.S.: Travelers

December 16, 2013 7:28am

 

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According to Online Travel Reviews, Best U.S. ski hotels include family-run condominiums in Aspen, CO, a small historic hotel in Telluride, CO, economy accommodations in Lake Placid, NY, and more
December 16, 2013-Dallas, TX-If there's any one thing to say about the 2013 Best Ski Hotels in the U.S., it's that they are as varied as the sport itself: cross country, downhill, slalom, leisurely cocktail skiing, hardcore black diamond skiing. When it comes to the best ski vacations in the U.S., the only real consistency is that Colorado hotels seem to be doing something right with 7 of the top spots, including the #1 ranking for The Innsbruck, an Aspen hotel, as well as the #2 for Tivoli Lodge in Vail. But with four hotels on the list, Telluride takes the cake for best ski destination based on hotel reviews.

"There are a lot of surprises on the list of best ski hotels: surprisingly few luxury brand hotels and, instead, several very small and/or family-run properties in high-end ski destinations," says Alan Young, TrustYou's Senior Vice President of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships. The Innsbruck (#1) is a 17-room family-owned condominium hotel; the luxury ski hotel Lumière Telluride has just 11 rooms; The New Sheridan is a 26-room historic hotel; and the Hampton Inn & Suites Lake Placid is an economy hotel. "It's interesting to see such variety in the top 10 list when we're talking about a luxury sport," notes Young.
The Best Ski Hotels in the U.S. for 2013 was compiled through an individual review of over 60 ski hotels taken from readers polls and media favorites' lists. Each hotel's TrustScore is based on data aggregated from across all available online travel review sites showing overall traveler satisfaction with the hotel. The 2013 Best U.S. Ski Hotels list considered TrustScore ratings from December 2012-November 2013 to ensure the whole of the previous ski season was included. All of the top ski hotels in the U.S. have "excellent" ratings according to online hotel reviews, aggregated from across review sites by TrustYou.*

AS PROMISED....we are going to keep you advised each week of some of the exciting activities that take place in town and on our FOUR amazing mountains during this winter season.  There's so much to enjoy for friends and family, even if your interests don't lie in the skiing/snowboarding activities.

December 14:  EXCITING DAY...Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands open!






December 14-15: Aspen Santa Fe Ballet presents The Nutcracker, start a new tradition with your family and add this to your annual holiday traditions.  (matinee and evening shows)

December 20-31: During the 12 Days of Aspen, the town is transformed into a magical Winter Wonderland.  Downtown Aspen comes alive with everything from free ice skating at the Silver Circle Rink, and carriage rides to concerts and carolers. Free "Santa Day" on Saturday, December 21 (5-7pm) at the ARC (Aspen Rec Center), along with a professional photographer, and on the 22nd (3-5pm)Santa will joing the Aspen Firefighters at the station for complimentary hot chocolate and cookies.

December 21-22: USPA World Snow Polo Championships (11am-Wagner Park) The sport of snow polo was first introduced in 1985 at the resort town of St. Moritz, Switzerland. In the U.S. snow polo is competed exclusively in Aspen, Colorado, and it's a modified verision of polo and the polo ponies are shod with cleated shoes to provide better traction. World Class Polo players will be competing for the title at the 11th Annual USPA World Snow Polo Championship. Celebrities and Spectators gather under heated tents to enjoy the action on the field.

December 21: American singer-songwriter Burt Bacharach, a great friend to Aspen, will be performinig at the Wheeler Opera House (8pm).  Some of his most famous hits have been for artists such a Dionne Warwick, The Carpenters, Chicago, and so many more in the past 6 decades.

December 23-January 2: Film Academy Screening (AMPAS & BAFTA) of major motion pictures begin at the Wheeler Oper House

December 26: FREE, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - ACES: Holiday Open House (3:30-6:30pm)
At Hallam Lake in the heart of Aspen you can enjoy ACES (Aspen Center for Environmental Studies) open house including guided snowshoe tours around the preserve, hot chocolate, mulled cider, wine, snacks and more! Don't miss the early evening "air show" of waterfowl coming to spend the night at Hallam Lake, explore the center, learn about ACES and enjoy the warmth of a small bonfire, the pleasure of good company and the beautiful setting of Hallam Lake!

December 30: Aspen Skating Club will be putting on a free performance (2:00pm) at the Silver Circle Rink in Aspen (next to CP Burger).

December 30: Audi Ajax Cup (9:30am) hosted by Antonio Banderas, consists of 14 teams competing head to head in a dual slalom on  Little Nell run on Ajax. One team will win the coveted Ajax Cup Trophy and bragging rights for a year. Following the race is the best apres ski party of the year, celebrating the winners of the 3rd Annual Ajax Cup Ski Race! 

December 31: NEW YEAR'S EVE...Free DJ & Bonfire in Wagner Park (8pm-12am), free music and a roaring bonfire.  Santa joins in the celebration, as do his reindeer Comet & Vixen!  It wouldn't be New Year's Eve in Aspen without the fireworks (8pm and 12am) extravaganza on Aspen Mountain to ring in the new year!

Want to party and dance on NEW YEAR'S EVE...Aspen's newest tradition you can head to the Wheeler Opera House and enjoy Louisiana swamp boogie rock & roll! Watch one of the nation's hottest new rock bands, but also your party favors, noisemakers, champagne toast, and open bar for this end-of-year celebration.

The party will pause and toast just as the ball drops in New York, and then again when the fireworks extravaganza begins on Aspen Mountain.

NOW.... we've gotten you through December....NEXT START THINKING ABOUT JANUARY 2014, X-Games, and of course coming up on

January 9-12: Winterskol!  Aspen's free annual "toast to winter," dates back to a quiet January in 1951 when local Aspenites decided to celebrate Aspen's unique Nordic lifestyle with an eclectic weekend of festivities. Today the four day celebration features on-mountain activities, live music, a canine fashion show, WinterFest, fireworks and much more.

MASSIVE DUMP OF POW POW!

 

Starting last night and continuing still, we got some serious snow here in Aspen town and on all FOUR of our incredible mountains! Aspen Mountain and Snowmass are open and running full boar, Highlands and Buttermilk are gearing up because the snow on all FOUR mountains is amazing!

 

 This pic taken by awesome photographer Jeremy Swanson TODAY, shows one of our locals coming off Ajax Express down Silver Bell and onto Blazing Star. Now if you want to ride a lift and see a spectacular show, this is the one, everyone likes to show their "stuff" on this run-under this lift, you are likely to see flips, 360s and massive air! 

 

COME JOIN US...Snow is more than fine!

AND SO IT BEGINS....2013/2014 Season opening at Aspen and Snowmass in full swing!  What a weekend this has been...many of the locals have commented on the fact this has been "one of the best opening weekends in years!"  (All the pics on this Blog today, except XGames, are from this opening weekend here at Aspen and Snowmass by local photographers Jeremy Swanson and David Dieter!)

 

Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands follow shortly opening on December 14....but with all the snow we are getting, and by the way it's snowing again right now...stacking and rollin' in...be sure to watch our Facebook and Blog because they could possibly open sooner! 

There are so many activities this season, we have listed just a few gearing up the next couple of weeks, and we will continue to list them on our Blog...so stay tuned!  











Winter showcases outdoor concerts, ski races, big air competitions and signature events like the  ESPN X Games and Bud Light Concert Series...just to name a few! 

"ThanksJibbing" is next Friday, November 29th! This invite-only rail jam will take place at 2pm at Snowmass Base Village. Thanksjibbing consists of a 45-minute jam session with both skiers and snowboarders, followed by a 20-minute final. Base Village will be jamming with Turkey Bowling and the Leftover Challenge. Local restaurants set out their best Thanksgiving-themed treats. To participate in the turkey bowling bring a nonperishable food item or donation for Lift Up.

Summit For Life Uphill Race

Saturday, December 7, 2013 on Aspen Mountain; Recreational Start: 5pm // Competitive Start: 6pm

This is the 8th Annual Aspen Summit for Life! Summit for Life is a weekend celebration of organ-donor awareness activities centered around a nighttime uphill race on Aspen Mountain. The event benefits the Chris Klug Foundation (CKF), a foundation dedicated to promoting lifesaving donation and improving the quality of life for donors, donor families, organ transplant candidates and recipients. 

Participants who hike up Aspen Mountain (3,267 vertical feet over 2.5 miles).
Learn more about the weekend's activities and register at www.summitforlife.org
All proceeds go directly to CKF so they may continue educating teenagers and young adults about the importance of organ and tissue donation nation-wide.

2013 X GAMES...
Amazing, it might seem like you have lots of time to plan to head up for this exciting event...but we are entering December in a week and January will be right around the corner...so COME JOIN US...make plans now!  Oh...that's right....THE X-Games are completely FREE TO THE PUBLIC!

When: Thursday, January 23 through Sunday, January 26, 2014
Where: Base of Buttermilk Mountain

Don't miss your chance to witness legends and Olympians including Shaun White, Gretchen Bleiler, Bobby Brown, Mark McMorris and others live at Buttermilk.

 

Friday night, January 24th will be a FREE Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert starting at 5:30pm at the base of Aspen Mountain!

 

 

You might want to begin making your travel plans very soon as everything is beginning to fill up quickly.

 

COME JOIN US here at The Innsbruck Aspen,

and don't forget that Delta Airlines has added new flights into Aspen that make it so much more convenient for everyone to get here from all over the country...all over the world..and enjoy the amazing Winter experience in our beautiful valley. 

 

DAY 2...of OPENING WEEKEND AT ASPEN MOUNTAIN.  Pretty amazing, it looks like mid-season but it's only the 2nd day of opening weekend.  That's what 17" of new snow in 24 hours will do for our beautiful Aspen/Snowmass area.  It is truly shaping up to be an epic season!

Local photographer and snowboarding instructor David Dieter took these pics today up top, and from their exhuberance you can see exactly how they feel about this sunny day, 17"  of new snow, and the excitement of the new 2013-2014 season. 

Even local "powder hounds" are excited about all the new snow as this one wades through a mountain of fresh powder! 

This photo taken today by local photographer Jeremy Swanson again makes you think we are well into the season rather than just Day 2 of the first weekend!

COMES JOIN US!

OPENING DAY 2013...ASPEN! "Believe it or not....this is Aspen today!" That's what local photographer Jeremy Swanson said today when he took this pic on Aspen mountain! 7-8" so far, another 10-15" inches tonight. It hasn't stopped snowing all day, and that's how we like it in Aspen! 

 

Dumpin on the Queen....the Silver Queen Gondola that is!

 

Another big one....rollin' in!

Aspen and Snowmass will both be open, full tilt, on the 23rd. If things keep going the way they are expected to, keep your ears open concerning Highlands, it may open sooner than you think. 

 

COME JOIN US ..the Pow Pow is fine!

 

 ASPEN MOUNTAIN OPEN THIS SATURDAY & SUNDAY,

NOVEMBER 16TH AND 17TH...and on the 23rd both Aspen and Snowmass open for regular season!

JUST A "STARTER" SCHEDULE OF THE

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES FOR WINTER 2013-2014

Thanksjibbing. November 29, 2013, Snowmass Village. This Invite-Only rail jam will take place at 2 PM in Base Village. Come watch skiers and snowboarders throw down for their piece of the cash purse and check out the post-Thanksgiving action at Base Village with kids activities, a bouncy castle, Turkey Bowling, a restaurant leftover challenge, a live DJ andmuch, much more!

2013/2014 Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series Line-Up, This FREE concert series is certainly a highlight of our Winter events calendar, Aspen/Snowmass if filled with music during the winter season, and this year is no exception.

November 30 – Elephant Revival, Aspen Gondola Plaza
January 24 – Savoy, Aspen Gondola Plaza
February 15 – Snowmass Base Village
March 14 – Aspen Gondola Plaza

Summit for Life, December 7, 2013, Summit for Life is a weekend celebration of organ donor awareness activities. Participants who hike up Aspen Mountain (3,267 vertical feet over 2.5 miles) are required to raise a minimum amount in pledges, and they do an amazing job.

Ajax Cup, December 30, 2013, Aspen Mountain. Join the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club for the Winter’s most exciting Celebrity Ski Race on the Little Nell Run on Ajax.

BE SURE TO CONTINUE TO WATCH OUR BLOG FOR ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES SCHEDULED THIS 2013-2014 SEASON....MUCH MORE COMING FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT!

NEWS FLASH...ASPEN MOUNTAIN OPENING EARLY..

word just came in from Skico....Aspen Mountain will be open the weekend of November 16/17 due to all the new snow, and on November 23rd both Aspen and Snowmass will open for regular operations! Don't have to wait until Thanksgiving...head up...

 COME JOIN US!

THE WORK HAS BEGUN...will SkiCo wait and open the mountain on November 28th, Thanksgiving Day, or....sooner?  As you can see from these great pics taken this past week by some our of locals, the snowcat crews are out in full force, new runs opening in the trees at Temerity in Aspen Highlands, the Ski Patrolers and locals have been boot packing for the past 2 weeks, snow guns are blowing full blast, and it's shaping up to be an epic winter season. 

 

We've had over 50" of champagne powder up top, and 30" at around 10,000 feet in the past few weeks, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet! 

 

You should probably get those boards tuned, travel plans made, room reservations booked....and be ready!! 

COME JOIN US!

 

MORE SNOW...and it just keeps coming down...right now we are in a sunny spot, but the past 2 days we have had amazing dumps. They are snowmaking on all 4 mountains today. Pretty jealous today at Aspen Highlands watching ski patrollers taking runs, and other hearty souls walking up top and skiing down. The Power of Four will be definitely be ready for an amazing season opening on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th!!

Here's a nice shot up top at Gwyn's yesterday taken by an employee...beautiful! 












A few more shots that will excite all of you that love these mountains, winter sports, or just enjoying the beauty of winter in the Rockies! 

NEW SNOW...we got 6.3" of new snow last night (Tuesday, October 29th) here in Aspen/Snowmass...the ski area has received over 30" of new snow just in October...29 days to OPENING DAY!! 

It's now Wednesday, 5:17pm, and it's still snowing on the hill...it's going to be a great season! 

COME JOIN US!

Here's a gorgeous pic taken this morning by local photographer David Dieter...everyone woke up to white magic this morning!

PLANS FOR 2013-2014 WINTER IN ASPEN/SNOWMASS....skiing and snowboarding, well those are a given...but have you started planning the rest of your winter activities in Aspen/Snowmass?    Call our Concierge at The Innsbruck Aspen, and as our guests it is our pleasure to help you plan winter recreational activities for you and your family during your stay with us. 



Here are just a few to think about:

Dog sledding
Snowmobiling at Maroon Bells
Snowcat dinner rides
Ski the backside of Aspen Mountain on a powder tour in a snowcat






 Sleigh rides
Winter fishing in our gold medal rivers
Snowshoeing
cross-country ski tours up to Pine Creek....

and don't forget.......

January 24th through the 27th...Winter X-Games at Buttermilk!

COME JOIN US..

and let us help you with itinerary and reservations,

it's going to be a great Winter here in the Rockies and it will be here before you know it. 

 

NEWS FLASH!! JUST A SHORT INFO BLOG...Forest Service is back at work TODAY....they just tweeted that they moved the barricades at Maroon Bells, time to head back up and enjoy the changing of the leaves, the beauty of the lake! 


Also, the colors at Hunter Creek Valley are beckoning!  Come to Aspen and peep the leaves before the POW POW covers it in the magic white of winter...and it's coming soon!

2014 WINTER X GAMES drop in at Aspen's Buttermilk Mountain

January 24-27, 2014 

Don't miss 200 of the  WORLD'S BEST ski, snowboard and snowmobile athletes throwing down the biggest tricks of the year for the most coveted medals in action sports during four action-packed days of competition - including the much awaited return of snocross to X Games.

Live music is always part of the XGames, this year is no different, featuring Calvin Harris and Major Lazer, film showcases, style presentations and more. ALL events at Buttermilk Mountain are FREE to the public so plan your trip now! We'll keep you updated on our Blog as more information, events and activities are revealed, so check us out every week.

Buttermilk has already started getting ready, so if you haven't made your travel plans and reservations at The Innsbruck Aspen for this exciting event, you might want to give us a call since reservations are  filling up quickly. We have been getting great early snow, so it is going to be an amazing season!

PS: Don't forget about the increased flights with Delta Airlines to Aspen this year.

COME JOIN US at The Innsbruck Aspen for the 2014 Winter XGames.