Aspen/Snowmass Launches Pandora’s Lift & Terrain Expansion on Aspen Mountain, the MOLLIE Aspen Boutique Hotel to open, and the 75th Anniversary of the Aspen Music Festival 

ASPEN, Colo. – Aspen’s winter season kicks off on Nov. 23, and runs until Apr. 21, 2024.  During the winter season, Aspen becomes a winter wonderland and the ultimate destination for connecting with the outdoors in a vibrant town atmosphere that includes skiing and snowboarding, dining, shopping, and a thriving arts and culture calendar. Travelers will benefit from Aspen’s stunning landscapes, endless slopes, and Nordic/walking trails easily accessible from downtown. For information or reservations, visit www.aspenchamber.org or call (970) 925-1940. For media updates, visit https://aspenchamber.org/media. 

BIG NEWS FOR 2024

• Pandora’s on Aspen Mountain, debuts for the 2023/24 ski season on opening day (pending conditions). The new high-speed quad lift and terrain will add 153 acres of skiing and riding (22% more skiable terrain) to the upper, eastern aspect of Aspen Mountain. Pandora’s will be Aspen Mountain’s first significant lift and terrain addition since the opening of the Silver Queen Gondola in December of 1985. Pandora will add 1,220 vertical feet of high-altitude groomed trails and glades ranging from intermediate to advanced terrain (plus an extension of favorite expert runs such as Walsh’s, Kristi’s, and Hyrup’s). 

• 75th Anniversary of the venerable Aspen Music Festival – Founded in 1949, the Aspen Music Festival and School is regarded as one of the top classical music festivals in the United States, noted both for its concert programming and its 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.

WINTER EVENTS

• Wintersköl (Jan. 11 – 14, 2024) – Aspen’s annual “toast to winter” returns for the 73rd year.  The four-day celebration features on-mountain activities, snow sculptures, a torchlight descent down Aspen Mountain, and fireworks.
• 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 events on-and-off the Aspen Snowmass mountains.
• X-Games Aspen (Jan. 26 – 28, 2024) Returning for its 23rd year, Winter X Games will take place on Buttermilk, with the 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. The top men in the world will compete in Slalom and Giant Slalom on Aspen Mountain, an iconic World Cup venue with decades of racing history.

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. The name pays homage to Aspen’s past as the Mollie Gibson mine was a significant part of Aspen’s storied history.  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 and a laid-back all-day café. See renderings here. New images will be available in late fall 2023. (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 deep legacy of Herbert Bayer.

CULTURAL NEWS 

• A new exhibit 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. Guests can take advantage of free, guided tours; https://thebayercenter.org/. 

DINING NEWS

• New Le Bateau, a restaurant by Gravity Haus, opened in June and is serving French-inspired cuisine with a focus on coastal ingredients while incorporating modern influences. (315 E. Hyman Ave.)
• New Sant Ambroeus, an Italian Café, gelateria, and restaurant with New York locations opened a stylish cafe in late July, offering refined Italian classics for breakfast through dinner. (520 E. Hyman 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  The Crepe Shack, a breakfast and lunch café by Mawa McQueen, recently opened a new Aspen location on the walking mall. (401 E. Cooper Ave.)

• Coming Soon Stranahan’s will open a tasting room this winter at a location on the Walking Mall. (307 S. Mill St.)
• Coming Soon Wild Fig, which vacated its location of 19 years at 315 E. Hyman Ave. will be opening in a new location on Mill Street. (305 S. Mill St.)
• Coming Soon– BUC (Bar Under Cooper) – Located downstairs on East Cooper, BUC is anticipated to open in September 2023 as an affordable local bar and eatery.
• Opening Fall 2023 – sway ModernThai will open in November 2023 on Aspen’s Restaurant Row. (308 E. Hopkins Ave.)
• Coming Spring 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 next winter in the restaurant space in the Golden Horn building on the corner of the Mill and Cooper. The restaurant/lounge which also 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 Bundles Gift Co. 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 owners support small, sustainable businesses throughout the country with their 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  Banana Republic will return to Aspen this Winter after a 20-year hiatus with a location open on Hyman Avenue Mall.

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 east 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, or to book an Aspen vacation, visit www.aspenchamber.org, or call 1.888.290.1324 or 970.925.1940.