WHAT’S NEW IN… Aspen

NEW MUSEUMS, BEACH CLUBS, RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS ARE WAITING FOR TRAVELERS TO THIS TONY SKI TOWN.

By LARRY OLMSTED

Skiing and snowboarding have exploded in popularity since the pandemic, and cool winter vacations are hotter than ever. No U.S. ski town is better known for its style, design, dining and all-around glamour than Aspen, which more than ever is the “It” place to be this winter. But as travel ramps back up, there are a lot of exciting changes going on, and whether you go every year or are visiting for the first time, the scene this winter is a little different – and a little better.

Arts: For more than 70 years, the non-profit Aspen Institute has been a national leader in humanistic studies, and new to its campus this winter is the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies. The inaugural exhibit is Herbert Bayer: an Introduction, which will be on view through May 2023. Bayer was an influential modern artist and designer who studied at the Bauhaus before relocating to Colorado in 1946, where he helped lead the postwar revitalization of Aspen and shaped the artistic and programmatic vision of the Aspen Institute.

Day Club: The beach club/day club model inspired by legendary hotspots like Miami’s Nikki Beach has long been a fixture at European ski resorts, such as Val d’Isere’s famed La Folie Douce, but the concept is largely absent in the United States. That changes this winter with the first full season of the AspenX Beach Club, from creative director and famed photographer Gray Malin. Swap snow for sand and suddenly the beach chairs, cabanas, DJs and free flowing champagne all make sense. The Club will be open on a plateau atop Aspen Mountain for 12 weekends this winter.

New Menus: With more than 60 restaurants, Aspen has long been one of the best dining ski towns, but as the pandemic impact fades away, this is an unusually big winter for new openings. Las Montañas, a Tex-Mex concept with Austin, Texas roots, just opened in the former Jimmy’s space (205 S. Mill St.) serving fajitas, ceviche, margaritas, and other Tex-Mex classics. Parc Aspen opened in December in the former L’Hostaria space (620 E. Hyman Ave) as a locally sourced, modern farmto-table concept, doing double duty with an affordably priced local’s bar menu and contemporary fine dining room. Sant Ambreous, an Italian eatery with several locations in and around New York, City, Palm Beach and Milan, will open this winter (520 E. Hyman Ave) offering refined Italian classics. Madame Ushi, a Japanese steakhouse, bar, and nightclub plans a midwinter opening in the former 7908 space (415 E. Hyman Ave.).

Over in Snowmass Village, the largest of the four ski mountains comprising the Aspen Snowmass resort, James Beard Awards “Best Chef” semifinalist Mawa McQueen is opening Mawita, a Mexicaninspired kitchen in The Collective building. It will be focused on Latin inspired flavors and cuisine, and the popular local chef is the owner of Mawa’s Kitchen, The Crepe Shack, GrainFreeNola, and McQueen Hospitality.

New Digs: One of the longest running lodgings properties in town, the Aspen Meadows Resort has been reborn, and is now under the management of Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Hotels & Resorts. Co-founder of television network BET, Johnson was the first African-American female billionaire, and is known for her very hands-on approach to the design and management of her resorts. After a multi-million-dollar propertywide improvement, all 98 suites (each with living, working, and sleeping areas) will be completely overhauled by early 2023, with the first renovated accommodations debuting just in time for ski season. The resort has historic ties to designer Herbert Bayer and to keep this aesthetic alive, they turned to Michael Suomi of Suomi Design Works, whose approach was to “reimagine what the interiors would have looked like if designed by the Bauhaus with contemporary Scandinavian warmth.”

New Retail: Forget the typical T-shirt shops and ersatz cowboy flair, Aspen is famed for its glitzy, boutique-driven take on ski town shopping and postpandemic, new retailers are rushing to open. Recent additions include Hermès (521 E. Hyman Ave.), Rue Stiic, a women’s apparel and accessories boutique with locations in Sydney, Bali, and Los Angeles (630 E. Hyman Ave.), ALO Yoga (601 E. Hyman Ave.), and Fusalp, a luxury French ski wear brand, just added a boutique in Miller Sport (408 S. Hunter Street). Also opening this winter is Canada Goose (516 E. Hyman Ave.)

AspenX is a new experiential collaboration company created by the Crown Family, owners of the Aspen Snowmass ski resort, and the brand includes activities, the Aspen X Beach Club and a new retail store in the main gondola terminal at Aspen Mountain, next to the Little Nell Hotel. It houses a full-time café and bar, as well as limited edition partnership collections. For this winter the highlights are AspenX x Aether, a high-end outdoor fashion and skiwear brand, and AspenX x Prada.

On Mountain: Aspen-Snowmass ski resort is comprised of four individual mountain resorts and this season, the biggest changes come at family and beginner friendly Buttermilk, where the entire base area has been redone with the opening of a new 9,000-plus square foot lodge with new dining, drinking and skier services. Under construction at flagship Aspen (Ajax) Mountain is the biggest terrain expansion in more than 35 years, a 20% increase with the Pandora’s area, full of glades and trails served by a new high-speed quad chairlift. Pandora’s will open for the 2023-2024 ski season.