Super groovy video from Aspen Snowmass promoting use of the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) bus system to access the mountain:

“Have you heard? Ski season is the season of the bus. Tired of the man slowing you down? Boogie your way to the hill in style and be one less whip on the road by hopping on the bus with RFTA Roaring Fork Transportation Authority this winter. The bus is a vibe, enjoy the ride.”

Big fans of using public transportation to get the mountain when available for a variety of reasons including reduced emissions, not having to park and letting some else handle the driving. If it makes sense for you, we highly recommend checking out the Four Mountain Connector bus system HERE:

FOUR MOUNTAIN CONNECTOR

SKI ASPEN/SNOWMASS BUS SCHEDULE

Getting to the four mountains in the Winter is easy, fast and free! The Four Mountain Connector is a Winter Season only service that connects you to the four Aspen Snowmass mountains. These are high frequency routes and are ALWAYS FREE. The bus only lanes make the entrance and exit to Aspen faster with no parking and no hassles. All services are 7 days per week except where noted.

One of the bucket list items for any skier and rider is shredding the Highland Bowl at Aspen Highlands. Accessed by hiking from the Loge Peak chairlift, it’s either an 800-foot boot pack from the Main Gate or a ride on a snowcat.

Yesterday, Aspen Snowmass released a video detailing their tips for taking on some of Colorado’s toughest terrain. They advise shedding layers during the hike, bringing straps or a backpack for your skis/extra gear, carrying sunglasses, and staying hydrated.

For more advice on taking on the Highland Bowl, the video from Aspen Snowmass below, or check out their full written guide here.

Image/Video Credits: Aspen Snowmass

Should ski resort workers be paid for commuting on the lift to your working location? According to one individual who works for Aspen Skiing Co., that should be the case.

The Aspen Daily News reports that Craig Stout is suing Aspen SkiCo. over alleged false promises over their wage policies and perks. Craig worked at several on-mountain restaurants across Aspen Snowmass’ four mountains. They are arguing that Aspen Skico. violated the Colorado Wage Claim Act, Colorado Minimum Wage Act, and the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. In addition, he is accusing them of breach of contract and civil theft.

One of the key issues that the lawsuit brings up is that time commuted up and down the chairlift, snowmobile, or snowcat doesn’t count as work, even though they had to bring items like trash cans and trash with them:

“(Stout) and those similarly situated do not clock in for work until they reach these on-mountain facilities and are required to clock-out before leaving these on-mountain facilities. (Stout) and those similarly situated are therefore not compensated for time traveling to on-mountain facilities from the base areas and from these on-mountain facilities to the base areas.” 

The lawsuit also claims that workers didn’t get to use the ten-minute break time every four hours, which is what the state of Colorado requires employers to do:

“(SkiCo) had no legal justification for its failure to comply and, by failing to properly pay for the missed break time, shorted employees for their time worked, including unpaid minimum wage, unpaid straight time, and unpaid overtime.”

In terms of the perks, the lawsuit alleges that Aspen Skico’s website lists free & discount lift tickets for family and close friends as a worker benefit. The plaintiff found out that this is only for employees who have worked there for two or more years.

The lawsuit will need a judge’s certificate of approval before it can become a class action lawsuit. A public notice would follow, which is when other employees at Aspen Skico. could join.

Aspen Skico. has yet to comment on the lawsuit, as they do not discuss matters regarding active litigation.

Image Credits: Vlado Sestan (Featured Image), Joshua Sukoff (Header Image), Jamie Fenn

When Mike Kaplan announced he would retire from his position of as CEO of the Aspen Ski Company after 30 years at the job he had a personal hand in selecting his successor and the new head honcho seems up for the gig. Geoff Buchheister has a soul patch and a ton of industry experience having worked for Park City Mountain Resort, various Vail Resorts’ Midwest properties, and Keystone, before becoming COO of Whistler Blackcomb back in 2019.

Buchheister is a qualified executive and also a badass skier with real deal athletic bonafides (All-American racer on the ski team). Aspen Snowmass’s new CEO is stoked to get reacquainted with the mountains he skied as a kid but with new eyes as he isn’t in racer mode mindset of his youth.

Buchheister won’t just be ruling from the corner office upon high and plans a skiing a bunch so you might just find yourself riding a chairlift with him. Good luck keeping up on the way down though, dude is a certified ripper.

“Turn your lights down and your volume up, ski bums beware.”

Halloween may have passed but its The Day of the Dead and this spooky video produced by the folks at Aspen Snowmass still applies. Check out their version of the smash hit horror movie series “The Ring” with their own version of the cursed video tape that summons a long haired antagonist in a one-piece and ski goggles. Don’t know what’s scarier, the demon who emerges from the tv or the price of cheeseburger at the lodge:

RELATED: Aspen Snowmass Nails Spooky Ode To “The Shining”

We all saw that Hublot snow stake timelapse footage of Aspen’s snow accumulation but how many actually got out there and slayed it? The answer more than zero. Dude’s snowboard might have been scraping over rocks and grass below the surface and his stance a bit crouched to sell it but there was most definitely powder blasting over his head. Nice! Cheers to meteorologist Luke Stone for posting this quick video of early season powder riding from the slopes of Aspen. Way to get after it bruv!

Over the weekend, Colorado saw a lot of snow. It helped one ski area, Arapahoe Basin, open for the season. This was especially true at Aspen Snowmass, which saw nearly two feet of snow across all four of its mountains. Over at Snowmass, the estimated total was around 32″. It’s a startling snow accumulation for Aspen Snowmass, as they don’t typically see snowstorms like this.

A few people even got some quality turns in. Yesterday, Luke Stone earned his turns and got to shred at Snowmass. With over 30″ of snowfall, face shots were abundant. The video below shows some deep powder and mountain crews beginning to prepare the mountain.

If you do go up to one of Ajax, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, or Snowmass to get some turns in, keep in mind that pre-season conditions exist. There’s also the potential to be around snowmobiles, groomers, and other machinery, so being cautious is important.

Image/Video Credits: Aspen Snowmass, Luke Stone

Colorado Parks and Wildlife report a security guard was attacked by a black bear that wondered into the St. Regis Aspen Resort Monday night. The bear was identified, captured and euthanized after it was determined it deemed dangerous.

Security footage from the St. Regis shows the bear walking through the kitchen area of the hotel and disappearing behind a corner as a security enters the frame investigating reports of a bear on the property. The bear reemerges around the corner where it runs into the security guard and stands up on its hind legs in a brief physical altercation with the security guard that left him on the floor in the prone position.

The guard did sustain injuries after getting swiped by the bear. He was hospitalized overnight and released the following morning.

CPW INITIAL STATEMENT:

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers responded to a bear attack at the St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen late Monday night. The victim, a male security guard, was transported to an area hospital by ambulance with injuries to his back.

Around 11 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 23, Colorado Parks and Wildlife was notified by Aspen Police Department (APD) of a bear attack inside the kitchen of the hotel.

After receiving reports of a bear inside the hotel, the on-duty security guard went to investigate. While in the kitchen, the security guard surprised the bear as he was going around a corner into another area of the kitchen. The bear attacked the guard, swiping at him and knocking him down to the ground. He was able to get away from the bear and call 911. The victim was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he received care for scratches to his back, and was later released from the hospital early Tuesday morning. 

Wildlife officers arrived on scene just after midnight, Tuesday, Oct. 24 to investigate and search for the bear. During the investigation wildlife officers learned the bear had entered the hotel through a series of doors near the courtyard. Wildlife officers were also able to get a description of the bear, including specific identification markers to assist in locating and properly identifying the bear. 

CPW wildlife officers remained in the area to search for the bear responsible for the attack. As of early Tuesday morning, wildlife officers were able to locate the bear in an area near the hotel; however, due to public safety they were unable to safely tranquilize and capture the bear. Wildlife officers will return to the area and continue search efforts Tuesday evening.

This incident serves as an unfortunate reminder that bears are still active as they prepare for hibernation. While it is common for people to see bears and other wildlife inside Aspen town limits, it is everyone’s responsibility to give wildlife space and remember the importance of being “bear aware” at all times.

We would like to thank our partners at the Aspen Police Department for their response and assistance during this incident.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife followup statement that they located the bear and it was euthanized:

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers were able to capture the bear responsible for the attack in Aspen in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 25.

CPW wildlife officers in partnership with Aspen Police Department and Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office resumed the search for the bear just after 10 p.m. Tuesday night. Wildlife officers spotted the bear near Conner Park, off E. Hopkins Ave. Wildlife officers watched the bear, looking for identifiable markings, and eventually hazed the bear into a tree at the park around 2 a.m. Using a tranquilizer gun, wildlife officers were able to chemically immobilize the bear.  

Using information gathered during the investigation and security footage provided by the hotel, wildlife officers were able to positively identify the bear once it was safely removed from the tree using an Aspen Fire ladder truck. 

“During our initial investigation we gathered witness statements along with photos and videos from hotel security cameras,” said Matt Yamashita, Area Wildlife Manager. “All played an important part in our investigation. Using the footage provided by the hotel, we were able to confirm the aggressive behavior of the bear and identify unique physical characteristics of the bear that assisted in the proper identification of the offending bear.”

In the video, wildlife officers were able to see a distinctive white patch located on the bear’s chest. While it is common to see bears in Aspen, this spot on the bear’s chest helped wildlife officers distinguish it from other bears in the area and confirm it was the bear responsible for the attack. Officers did note, while searching for this bear, eight other bears were seen moving around downtown Aspen.

The bear, determined to be a boar, was taken away from the area and humanely euthanized per CPW policy. The bear was sent to the CPW Wildlife Health Lab in Fort Collins where a full necropsy will be performed. 

We would like to thank our partners at the Aspen Police Department, Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, and Aspen Fire for their assistance during this incident. 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife would also like to thank the St. Regis Hotel for their cooperation after the attack and during the investigation process. While most human bear conflict is the result of not taking proper precautionary measures, CPW staff noted the lack of food related attractants and cleanliness of the kitchen. 

Wildlife managers estimate that Colorado has between 17,000 – 20,000 bears and the population is stable and growing. CPW has clear guidelines on how to handle black bear incidents and predator attacks. Bears in Colorado are euthanized for one of three reasons: dangerous bears, depredating bears, and nuisance bears that receive two strikes. Nuisance bears are bears which pose an immediate threat to or damage property, but do not threaten public safety. Depredating bears are bears which have injured or killed livestock as defined by statute, or pose a threat to agricultural products or resources as defined by statute. Dangerous bears are bears which pose an immediate threat to human safety. CPW takes no action on the vast majority of bears deemed nuisance bears, but must occasionally relocate them. 

RELATED: Colorado Man Clawed By Black Bear Inside Aspen Hom

“For the 2023-2024 winter season, we’re opening 150+ acres of new expert terrain, named Hero’s, to skiers and riders on Aspen Mountain. To bring this new terrain to life, we worked with the uniquely talented illustrator, Rad Smith, to create an all-new, hand painted trail map.”

We’ve long been admirers of famed ski resort trail map illustrator James Niehues but with James retiring back in 2021 there’s a new painter in town that is taking up the mantle and producing these incredible pieces of functional art. Rad Smith was commissioned to paint the a new map for Aspen Mountain and this look behind his process is fascinating. Rad is one of the few people in the world with the combined skill, patience, ski industry knowledge and mastery with the brush the maps we rely on to navigate the mountain.

RELATED: James Niehues Passes The Trail Map Brush To Rad Smith

ABOUT RAD SMITH:

specializes in ski map products, cartographic illustration, and interpretive graphic design

Rad Smith is an illustrator, cartographer and graphic designer providing mapping solutions to the outdoor industry, as well in support of the interpretation of environmental resources. Rad’s work combines a range of traditional drawing and painting skills with technical mapping and illustration techniques. By this he provides accurate, but unique, visual solutions to a wide variety of end users.

Currently, Rad is focusing much of his time on the traditional methods of painting panoramic terrain maps. With this he hopes to achieve a more natural look and feel in an attempt to carry on a long tradition of hand-rendered panoramic artwork. With guidance from James Niehues and by referencing a variety of panoramic painters for inspiration, Rad continues to expand his mapping services to his growing list of clients.

“I’m talking about a place where the beer flows like wine, where the women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I’m talking about Aspen.” –Lloyd Christmas

Follow along on this fitting tribute to the classic 1994 film “Dumb and Dumber” where a pair of friends recreate the mini-bike used as a replace from the Mutt Cutts Van and head on up to a little place called Aspen. Harry  and Lloyd would be proud. 

If you’re interested in making your own mini-bike homage to Dumb and Dumber, check out this video for inspiration: 

RELATED: Ice Climbing Buddies Inspired By Dumb & Dumber Attempt 50cc Scooter Trip To Aspen