The 2024-2025 ski season is upon us, and this one holds a special place in our hearts as The Little Nell celebrates its 35th anniversary. It was Thanksgiving weekend 35 years ago when the hotel first opened its doors, led by the original general manager, Eric Calderon, and supported by an incredible opening team. As we commemorate this milestone, we invite you to join us in reflecting on cherished memories from over the decades. In this issue, we share stories and perspectives from Eric and others who played a role in shaping The Little Nell, the Residences at The Little Nell, and the Aspen Mountain Club into the iconic destinations they are today.
Sustainability and environmental conservation have always been core values for us, reflecting our commitment to honoring and preserving our natural surroundings. This issue features insights from Bruce Gordon of Aspen-based non-profit EcoFlight and Pete McBride, an Aspen native and National Geographic photographer. They explore stunning aerial views of the area and share insights into their dedicated efforts to protect wildlands and wildlife habitats, both locally and globally.
With wellness becoming increasingly important in hospitality, our ski-in/ski-out Spa at The Little Nell is here to ensure your body is prepared for and recovers from all your winter activities. From revitalizing facials to soothing massages, our spa offers a range of treatments designed to keep your muscles rejuvenated and your skin hydrated in Aspen’s dry climate. Be sure to read more in the stories “About Face” and “About Sleep.”
Wishing you all a wonderful winter season, and I look forward to seeing you on the slopes, for après-ski, and at our dinners and special events throughout the season.
Cheers,
Henning Rahm General Manager
The
Little Nell
Welcome to Aspen
Table of Contents
The mighty Colorado River. Image by Pete McBride.
Captain of Conservation
EcoFlight’s Bruce Gordon offers a bird’s-eye view of environmental issues around the world.
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Hero’s Second Season
Aspen Skiing Company celebrates the first major addition on Aspen Mountain since the Silver Queen Gondola in 1986.
Containing Multitudes
144
Youth Is Served
Hunter Maytin’s trip around the world in a superpipe.
156
Dreams Go On Forever
Over the past 20 years, Yaron Leshem’s photography has morphed into a body of work that pushes the boundaries.
166
Behind the Scenes
What goes into planning a fullservice mountain wedding?
Wind-Powered Snow kiting offers an alternative experience on powder and ice.
Ajax Tavern Goes Downtown
Get a taste of Aspen at the first-ever Ajax city concept, now open inside the Limelight Denver hotel. 52
Conservation on High
Pete McBride’s aerial lens on the Colorado River is beautiful and sobering.
The Little Nell wine program is led by Wine Director Chris Dunaway with three talented sommeliers rounding out the team. We spent time with Jesse Libby, Rachael LiggettDraper, and Adam Darlington who shared their passion for wine and athletic pursuits.
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Celebrating 35 Years of The Little Nell
Some notable alumni look back at their time at the hotel, and setting the standard it still upholds today.
What’s Old Is New for the Obermeyers
Nearly eight decades after Klaus Obermeyer founded an iconic Aspen ski wear company, the centenarian and his family share a passion rooted in the earliest days of their business.
172 About Face
Dr. Barbara Sturm’s advice for protecting skin from harsh winter weather.
174
Smarter Sleep
A natural prescription for recovery, immunity, cognitive health and emotional wellbeing.
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The Last Word with Carol Lucey
Get to know the general manager of Residences at The Little Nell.
About The Cover: The photography of Aspen native Pete McBride is both beautiful and sobering. Image by Pete McBride.
Containing Multitudes
The sommeliers at The Little Nell balance their passions for wine and the great outdoors. Image by Craig Turpin.
apres.thelittlenell.com
Après TV For more episodes from Volume 6 of Après, tune in to Channel 1 in-room at The Little Nell, and be on the lookout for stories brought to life in video format on Après TV.
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The sport of snow kiting combines snowboarding or skiing and kiting—basically, harnessing the wind with an inflatable kite and powering yourself in any direction across snow using skis or a snowboard. Image by Kersten Vasey.
Snow kiting offers an alternative experience on powder and ice.
When the wind blows, as it often does in the mountains, complaints often follow. Many report feelings (some backed by science) of anxiousness, irritability and restlessness. At a ski resort, high winds can slow or stop gondolas and chairlifts and shut down operations. Cold days feel colder with wind chill. Fresh powder can blow away or become too dense for pleasurable turns. In the backcountry, wind can load slopes, creating dangerous slabs.
But one group of skiers and snowboarders seeks out wind like a stormchasing powderhound. These skiers and snowboarders live for blustery days because they use the wind to transport them across and above the snow.
Blustery days can cut a ski trip short. But snow kiters seek out the wind.
Wind-Powered Text by Tess Weaver Images by Kersten Vasey
“As soon as I feel the wind, I think, ‘We should be out there,’” says Michael Olsen of his winter passion: snowkiting.
The sport combines snowboarding or skiing and kiting—basically, harnessing the wind with an inflatable kite and powering yourself in any direction across snow using skis or a snowboard. Snow kiters control the steering with a bar and lines and the power by pulling the bar in or pushing it out.
Snow kiters slide across frozen lakes, wide-open mountain passes or snowcovered fields. No lift tickets, no lines, no powder frenzy. From snowy plateaus in Norway (where Red Bull once hosted an endurance snowkiting competition) to frozen fields in the Midwest, to Lake Dillon in Summit County, Colorado, snow kiters are taking flight.
Some say it’s easier to learn than kiteboarding on the water, because you can stand on snow, less power is needed to get moving and holding an edge in snow is easier. And while the equipment is specialized and not cheap (inflatable kites alone begin at $1500), all you need for the
sport is wide-open, snow-covered terrain and the right wind.
“You don’t necessarily need strong wind—12 mph can do the trick,” says Olsen. “But it needs to be consistent and steady.”
Growing up in the Chicago area, Olsen was always drawn to wind-powered sports. As a kid, he would make parachutes out of plastic drop cloths and fishing line and get airborne in his little red wagon. As a teenager, he collected free scraps of parachute material from a local shop and started sewing kites. In 2001, using homemade gear and no harness, he zig-zagged across a field on a snowboard under the power of his kite. His exploits drew spectators, and he even scored a few seconds of airtime on the local news station. Eventually, he bought his first kite off eBay. Now, he’s sponsored by PLKB kites and Donek Snowboards.
“Nowadays, the standard is inflatable kites,” says Olsen. “Back then we called them bow kites and sea kites. You had to use your board and edge to depower the kite. Now, you control how
much pull you get from the kite. The equipment has come a long way—it’s a great time to get into the sport.”
Former Coloradans, Olsen and his wife, Florence Linet, recently relocated to Heber City, Utah, surrounded by three large reservoirs, for its easy access to snowkiting and kitesurfing.
“At first, snowkiting doesn’t sound fun—it takes time and a lot of effort,” says Linet, a ski instructor for Beaver Creek Resort. “You begin by crawling in the snow. Then, you’re sitting in the snow and the wind with [27 meters worth of] lines on the ground. But, as soon as the wind picks the kite up and your kite is in the sky, it’s exhilarating. You don’t feel the wind or the cold— when conditions are right, it’s like a perfect powder day on the mountain.”
Olsen and Linet practice back rolls, front rolls and other tricks they discover on YouTube from snow kiters worldwide— including Linet’s family members who run a kitesurfing school in Brazil. “I’m learning to unhook myself from the kite— that allows you to do different things with your body and legs,” says Linet.
Two hours from Aspen, Lake Dillon serves as Colorado’s unofficial snowkiting capital. Retired teacher Rick Thiel has been snowkiting on the lake he lives next to for around 15 years. He snow kites about 70 days in the winter. “If the wind’s blowing, I’m out there,” says Thiel.
Thiel often skis at the resort in the morning and heads to the lake when the winds pick up around 1PM.
“It’s my first love, better than skiing or snowboarding,” he says. “When I’m at the resort, I’m on a chairlift more than I’m skiing. Out here, I’m constantly moving, carving turns, jumping. It’s total freedom. The entire surface of the lake could have six or seven inches of fresh snow, and it’s all mine.
“I’m not sure if it’s the challenge or just getting everything to work right—everything must come together,” Thiel continues. “It’s hard to find steady wind in the mountains. There are only a handful of days each winter with perfect conditions. Out of 70 days, I’d say five are epic.”
Thiel says he can put in 50 miles in a single session, going with or against the wind. He prefers light wind, so he opts for a 19-squaremeter kite, one of the largest sizes in the sport. He’ll size down to a fivemeter kite on days with high winds.
While the Roaring Fork Valley is home to few snow kiters, mid-valley residents Ramiro Zuñiga and Valentina Hübner snow kite on Ruedi Reservoir when it freezes, Crown Mountain Park in El Jebel when it’s covered in fresh snow and Independence Pass when the road opens in spring.
“The way the mountains on Independence Pass line up and the winds come in clean, with no obstructions, make it a great place to glide uphill with the kite,” says Hübner.
Back in Chile, the husband-wife duo were active members of their local kiting community on water, land and snow. Zuniga is certified as an assistant instructor through the International Kiteboarding Organization and the pair helped produce Snow Kite Fest, the biggest snow kite event in Latin America.
“We think there is a lot of potential here, and we feel very passionate about growing a kiting community,” says Hübner.
Get a taste of Aspen at Ajax’s first-ever city concept, now open inside the Limelight Denver hotel.
Ajax Tavern Goes Downtown Text by Katie Shapiro
Ajax Downtown’s executive chef Jared Becker has created an innovative menu of instant favorites.
Following Aspen One’s 2023 opening of Limelight Denver, a sister hotel to The Little Nell, comes a taste of Ajax Tavern.
Anchored steps from the train tracks in Denver’s bustling Union Station neighborhood, the lobby-adjacent restaurant offers a more metropolitan and modern take on the beloved Ajax brand. Dubbed Ajax Downtown, it’s the first-ever Aspen One dining concept outside of Aspen.
“Ajax Downtown is a true American restaurant drawing from influences from around the country, centered around the art of live fire cooking,” says Ajax Downtown’s executive chef Jared Becker. “Most items have touched our live-ember grill—from salads to desserts—and our team prides itself on responsibly sourcing
Rocky Mountain-raised meats and fresh seasonal vegetables from local farms, making every dish in-house.”
While breakfast, brunch, and lunch are offered, dinner service is where Becker’s talent shines. In partnership with Josper, a Catalunya company specializing in woodfired grills and ovens since 1969, its special charcoal preserves moisture while adding aromatics from the smoke.
The result is innovative, instant favorites like oven-baked sourdough with crema di lardo and fire-roasted peppers, coalroasted beet with Humboldt Fog goat cheese and pine nut gremolata, hickorysmoked duck breast, mesquite-grilled chicken, and a dry-aged, 48-ounce tomahawk. On the side, the potato pavè with smoked potato cream and black truffle is a fancy replacement for Ajax Tavern’s famous fries.
Its sizeable U-shaped bar is perfect for Mile High City meetings and post-work happy hours. Matt Gotlin-Sheehan, Ajax Downtown’s lead bartender, shakes up a dynamic cocktail program featuring concoctions from the “Beast of Bourbon,” which incorporates a wash of Woody Creek Distillers’ Ajax Barrel with dryaged ribeye fat, maple, black walnut and oak. There’s also an extensive wine list and local, small-production craft beers on tap, including Aspen Brewing Company’s Ajax Pilsner.
Whether you’re stopping over in Denver before or after your trip to the high country or find yourself near Union Station, escape into Ajax Downtown for respite and delicious fare.
Aerial photography provides a unique lens through which Pete McBride can diagnose environmental issues. Image by Pete McBride.
Pete McBride’s aerial lens on the Colorado River illuminates.
Conservation on High Text by Winston Ross
Images by Pete McBride and courtesy of Rizzoli
Previous page and below: Rivers from above resemble delicate, winding arteries connecting an ecosystem together. Pete McBride’s book is a stunning yet sobering reminder of the Colorado River’s significance, showing what’s at stake if its depletion continues unchecked.
For Pete McBride, capturing the Colorado River’s beauty isn’t just about photography—it’s a mission to document, preserve, and advocate. This river system, stretching 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains to Mexico, serves as a crucial water source for over 40 million people. But the waterway, once one of North America’s grandest natural resources, faces overuse, agricultural demands, and climate change. McBride’s stunning aerial photography sheds light on the Colorado’s story, illustrating both the power and the vulnerabilities of this life-giving river.
McBride’s conservation journey began in the dry reaches of the Colorado River Delta, where water no longer flows. The experience was an awakening. “We dried it up in our lifetime,” he says. He spent days traveling the river by boat and foot, trekking 90 miles to reach the Sea of Cortez, where the Colorado’s journey once concluded. But he quickly realized that documenting the story required a different perspective: the sky.
Through his photography, McBride’s goal isn’t just to document the river but to inspire change.
“These are not just landscapes, they’re lifelines,” says McBride of the vistas captured in his lens.
A Colorado native and son of a local conservationist, McBride had a passion for both photography and the natural world from a young age. His father, an experienced pilot, helped him explore the river from above, revealing views that would be impossible from land or boat. They captured images of erosion, sediment buildup, and lush green riverways—contrasted by stark, dry stretches downstream. Over the years, McBride has grown to rely on aerial views to see the full scope of the river’s health and decline.
Aerial Photography as a Conservation Tool
Aerial photography provides a unique lens through which McBride can diagnose environmental issues. Rivers from above resemble delicate, winding arteries connecting an ecosystem together. When observed at this scale, patterns emerge: unbroken stretches of water giving way to dry beds, forests cut through by development, and wetlands reduced to barren landscapes.
“This is a freshwater system that’s overtapped, overallocated, and stressed,” he explains. The insights gained from above highlight not only the physical beauty of the Colorado but the urgent need for conservation.
The visual journey culminated in The Colorado River: Chasing Water (Rizzoli),
a collection of McBride’s images and experiences that illuminate the river’s story, from its vibrant upper reaches to its parched delta. The book is a stunning yet sobering reminder of the Colorado River’s significance, showing what’s at stake if the river’s depletion continues unchecked. His images call viewers to action, illustrating the delicate balance between human demand and environmental resilience.
Collaborations with EcoFlight
To expand his conservation efforts, McBride often collaborates with EcoFlight, an Aspen-based nonprofit founded by Bruce Gordon. EcoFlight’s mission (read about it on page 68) is to empower conservationists, policy makers, and citizens with a bird’s-eye view of environmental challenges that often go unseen from the ground. The organization provides a platform for environmental advocates to access critical viewpoints previously dominated by corporations and big industries.
Gordon, EcoFlight’s founder, recalls his motivation to provide this aerial view for conservation: “Big industry was using airplanes to push their point of view, and conservationists were left stranded on the ground.” EcoFlight gives them that access, and Gordon commends McBride for combining
McBride’s visual journey culminated in The Colorado River:
Water
a collection of his photos and experiences that illuminate the river’s story, from its vibrant upper reaches to its parched delta.
Chasing
(Rizzoli),
his environmental advocacy with his expertise in aerial photography. “Pete has merged his love of the environment with his love of flying,” he says.
Through EcoFlight, and with Gordon, McBride’s role as both a photographer and advocate allows him to shape public perception of the river, combining artistic visuals with an urgent message of sustainability.
Challenges and Advocacy for Change
Over the past two decades, McBride has captured the impacts of agricultural water use, population growth, and climate shifts that have taxed the Colorado River. This river irrigates 4 million acres of farmland, much of which supplies the U.S. with essential crops. But McBride highlights inefficiencies in water use that contribute to water shortages. By capturing these realities, he hopes to raise awareness and influence policy.
His goal isn’t just to document the river but to inspire change. McBride emphasizes the need for updated water policies and conservation-minded leadership. Programs that allow farmers to donate unused water back to communities could alleviate some strain, as could modernized water management practices. “Agriculture needs to find better efficiencies, and we need to start figuring out what the capacity levels are of the Colorado River,” he says.
Beyond agriculture, McBride’s aerial work highlights the wider environmental ripple of a stressed river system. As the Colorado’s flow slows, so too does the vitality of the ecosystems that depend on it. Fisheries, insect populations, and natural insecticides are all affected, creating a domino effect that endangers biodiversity. “Most people don’t know this,” McBride explains, “but we’ve asked so much of this river in the last 50 years that it no longer reaches the ocean.” His advocacy work seeks to awaken a collective sense of responsibility for protecting this river.
The Power of Visual Storytelling
McBride’s journey with the Colorado River highlights the dual role of artists like him: to create and to conserve. His aerial images and photos in general are a testament to both the beauty of the natural world and the environmental pressures that threaten it. His work transcends art, blending visual storytelling with environmental science and policy advocacy. “These are not just landscapes; they’re lifelines,” he explains.
Through his photography and advocacy, McBride seeks to connect viewers with the importance of the Colorado River beyond its beauty. His work reminds us that rivers like the Colorado are essential to our economy, environment, and heritage.
EcoFlight’s Bruce Gordon offers a birds-eye view of environmental issues around the world.
Aspenite Bruce Gordon has logged thousands of miles flying his Cessna 210 Centurion in more than 10 countries around the world, working with hundreds of conservation groups, while offering clients a bird’s-eye view of the planet. From the aerial perspective, there’s no need for words. The land speaks for itself.
EcoFlight, his Colorado-based non-profit, has been committed to protecting America’s public lands for more than 25 years.
Like many fortuitous moments in life, for Gordon, coming to Aspen was a lucky mistake. After serving in Vietnam, he found himself taking a short-lived stint in finance on Wall Street. With $200 in his pocket, he took off for San Francisco, only to be side-tracked in Aspen, a Shangri-La for hippies and anti-establishment intellectuals and artists. It was a place where taxi drivers had PhDs and silversmiths and leather workers made a living among urban refugees who’d come seeking
For Bruce Gordon, flying isn’t just about the journey—it’s about igniting change. Decades of advocating for America’s public lands have allowed him to see the country’s landscape as a living organism, each flight revealing both its resilience and vulnerabilities
Text by Hilary Stunda
Images by Jordan Curet
a more untethered lifestyle and, most importantly, deep powder.
“Town had a funky air about it,” he reminisces. “It was an exciting time. Aspen was filled with vibrant, brave, intelligent people who were friendly, easy-going and truly cared for this unique place.”
With a jump start from the Veterans Administration, Gordon took flying lessons and became a pilot, meeting and befriending another dreamer and avid pilot along the way: legendary singer/songwriter John Denver.
In 1980, Gordon wanted to share what he could see from his cockpit with policy makers and heavyhitter who could make an impact.
Whether they were county commissioners, mayors, forest service district rangers, or well-known photographers like Pete McBride (read about his beautiful work on page 52), Gordon took flight to show them the big picture of nearly every aspect affecting the environment—air and water quality, gas drilling, wildfire mitigation, urban development.
“We brought people from all walks of life together to have conversations and hopefully inspire them to educate themselves and advocate for what they believe in,” he says.
After Denver’s tragic, life-ending plane crash in 1997, Gordon wanted to honor his memory, and created EcoFlight’s Flight Across America program. Ever since, Gordon has been flying young adults over threatened areas and hosting experts in conservation, encouraging them to spread the word.
“They can get the word out better than anyone,” says Gordon.
College students have joined aerial tours over national parks in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah learning about water sources and air-quality degradation. Gordon helped protect the Labyrinth Canyon outside of Moab and is currently working with the Lava Ridge Wind Project, where he flew conservationists, press, tribal leaders and the director of the Tribal Department of Energy for the ShoshoneBannock Tribes to view and discuss the factors needed to balance the health of the ecosystem with growing energy demands. With the program, Gordon has inspired hundreds of young adults, conservationists, and decision-makers to see these landscapes from a new perspective, empowering them to protect what they now understand from above.
He’s also flying over Crystal River with the Colorado River Water Conservation District (CRWCD), with stakeholders and interested developers to discuss how to protect a 39-mile segment of
the Crystal River from its headwaters to just above Carbondale. The Crystal River is one of the last undammed and undiverted rivers in Colorado, and it is a major tributary of the Roaring Fork River.
“More people understand that the best way to keep it the way it is, which is what they all want, is to put some permanent protections on these places,” says Gordon.
For him, flying isn’t just about the journey—it’s about igniting change. Decades of advocating for America’s public lands have allowed him to see the country’s landscape as a living organism, each flight revealing both its resilience and vulnerabilities.
Reflecting on his journey, Gordon acknowledges the scope and impact of his efforts: “From protecting the Yellowstone grizzly to reestablishing Bears Ears National Monument and preserving Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front, each project is a testament to what can be achieved when people truly see what’s at stake.” Every flight reinforces the same message: conservation begins with awareness.
As EcoFlight’s mission continues, Gordon’s aerial view offers us more than a scenic route—it provides a vision for preserving the land, water, and wildlife that define the American West.
Hero’s Second Season
Aspen Skiing Company celebrates the first major addition on Aspen Mountain since the Silver Queen Gondola in 1986.
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Last winter welcomed a new era for Aspen Mountain with the opening of Hero’s—a high-speed quad and 150 additional acres of chutes, glades and trails.
Formerly an out-of-bounds area referred to as Pandora’s, it was named Hero’s to honor all the people involved in the multi-year project, but most significantly for former Aspen Skiing Company managing partner Jim Crown, whose vision and leadership helped bring the ambitious vision to life.
Soon after his passing on June 25, 2023, Geoff Buchheister, Aspen Skiing Company CEO, announced, “Jim’s legacy and broad impact in Aspen stretched over 35 years, alongside many others we are also choosing to honor. We felt it was meaningful and appropriate to recognize all the heroes tied to this terrain.”
Hero’s has increased skiable acreage by more than 20 percent on Aspen Mountain, which offers 906 total skiable acres.
Text by Katie Shapiro Images by Craig Turpin
Staying true to historical runs like
Powerline and Harris’s Wall, heroes of Aspen who had significant ties to this terrain are also celebrated. Trails are dedicated to the first female ski instructor, Elli Iselin, 10th Mountain Division soldier Percy Rideout and pivotal ski patrol members like Eric Kinsman and Cory Brettmann.
Hero’s—the first significant addition on Ajax since the opening of the Silver Queen Gondola in 1985—has increased skiable acreage by more than 20 percent on Aspen Mountain, which offers 906 total skiable acres.
Aspen Skiing Company works closely with the United States Forest Service (USFS) with conservation top of mind, and Hero’s kept as many trees as possible to create glade-heavy slopes. Their expert execution also created a functional hedge against future climatechallenged ski seasons, including a north-facing orientation and highelevation access—ideal for holding snow when natural moisture is less plentiful.
Staying true to historical runs like Powerline and Harris’s Wall, heroes of Aspen who had significant ties to this terrain are also celebrated. Trails are dedicated to the first female ski instructor, Elli Iselin, 10th Mountain Division soldier Percy Rideout and pivotal ski patrol members like Eric Kinsman and Cory Brettmann. The Crown family chose trail names based on Jim’s loves and amusements and has since added a beautiful memorial. The mirrored art sculpture is inscribed: “This awe-inspiring viewpoint is reflective of our hero, his expansive and noble nature, exemplary strength and dedication to others. In loving memory of James S. Crown.”
As Hero’s heads into its second season of operation, we asked a few Aspen Skiing Company team members who have worked tirelessly to make this tall order of fresh terrain a dream to ski to reflect on what they’ve built.
“Hero’s has been an inspirational addition to Aspen Mountain. It’s the perfect balance of calm and beauty combined with the challenge of steep chutes and glades. Every day spent in Hero’s is an opportunity to explore and be inspired by beautiful vistas and new lines.”
Geoff Buchheister, CEO, Aspen Skiing Company
“The terrain will see the final phase complete for this winter with a ton of excitement for snow to start flying. With the last parts of the glading done in the upper sections, it will be a whole new experience of discovery. The teams worked very hard this summer to deliver a high-end product with forest management at the forefront of their minds. We are excited to share this with our guests this upcoming winter.”
Travis Benson, Aspen Mountain Manager
“We’re immensely proud of the whole team that helped realize this vision of Jim Crown with Hero’s. Our community and partners at USFS challenged us to create world-class skiing that
Formerly an out-of-bounds area referred to as Pandora’s, the terrain was named Hero’s to honor all the people involved in the multi-year project.
The Crown family chose trail names based on Jim’s loves and has since added an inscribed mirrored art sculpture in his memory.
respected the land and wildlife, and I’m pleased to say we not only met but exceeded these goals. The skiing is exceptional and truly transforms the mountain experience, all while prioritizing environmental stewardship. I hope this project demonstrates to others in the industry that it’s entirely possible to develop outstanding gladed skiing areas while maintaining a healthy, vibrant forest ecosystem. Our approach proves that environmental responsibility and exceptional skiing experiences can go hand in hand.”
Mak Keeling, Vice President, Mountain Planning
“The addition of the Hero’s terrain has changed the way our guests experience Aspen Mountain and offered new perspectives of our surrounding environment and landscapes. I hope that this new area of Ajax will continue to open up new possibilities and fun challenges for our skiing and riding guests.”
Tessa Dawson, Ski Patrol Director, Aspen Mountain
“I feel grateful that we got the opportunity to add on to what many feel is a great ski area that a lot of people feel very passionate about. The project was a long time coming and I’m very pleased to be part of it. I want to acknowledge all the work that goes into a project like this and I know folks will be enjoying the area for years to come.”
Scott Scharin, Aspen Mountain Snow Safety for Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol
Intersect Aspen Art and Design Fair returns to the Ice Garden this summer, offering opportunities for dialogue, engagement, and inspiration through its cultural partnerships, programming, and curatorial vision.
Containing Multitudes
The Little Nell wine program is led by Wine Director Chris Dunaway with three talented sommeliers rounding out the team. We spent time with Jesse Libby, Rachael Liggett-Draper, and Adam Darlington who shared their passion for wine and athletic pursuits.
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Aspen attracts a unique blend of high achievers—a type-A crowd drawn to its combination of outdoor adventure and uncompromising luxury. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rigorous path to working in the storied wine program at The Little Nell, where Aspen’s wine connoisseurs meet the drive of dedicated sommeliers.
Under the leadership of wine director Chris Dunaway, the team at The Little Nell manages an iconic cellar of over 24,000 bottles at a time from 1,500 global producers. This collection, filled with rare vintages like Romanée-Conti and 1971 Dom Pérignon, is not merely for display; it’s a deep well of knowledge for sommeliers who are as serious about their craft as they are about Aspen’s rugged lifestyle.
Text by Hilary Stunda
Images by Nick Johnson and Craig Turpin
Sommelier Jesse Libby, seen here on East Aspen Trail, sometimes runs from Aspen to Crested Butte and back. Image by Nick Johnson.
Dunaway, recently awarded Colorado’s MICHELIN Sommelier Award, views his role as both a guide and collaborator. His team of sommeliers is not only skilled in the meticulous study of wine but grounded by their athletic pursuits that keep them sharp. Here, discipline, dedication, and an open-minded approach to tasting converge, creating a team that’s as refined as the wines they serve.
“It’s definitely a ‘Whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ situation here at The Nell,” says Dunaway of his talented team.
Aspen’s discerning clientele challenge them further, bringing insights from global travels and winery visits that keep Dunaway and his sommeliers engaged and ever-learning—a true Aspen blend of luxury, rigor, and passion.
Beyond the cellar, Dunaway’s crew is also dedicated to their own outdoor pursuits. Adam Darlington is an avid skier. Jesse Libby is an ultra-distance runner. Rachael Liggett-Draper is a mountain bike racer. Their off-hours athletic adventures keep them centered and humble, which is vital when living in a mountain town and learning from some of Aspen’s most serious wine collectors.
Dunaway thinks this also plays into the character traits necessary on the journey to becoming a good sommelier: humility, patience, rigor of study, emotional IQ, the ability to remain calm under pressure. And last but not least, tasting skills, which translate to being open to new experiences.
Here, we journey into the wine cellar and up on the mountains of Aspen to introduce you to The Little Nell’s stellar sommeliers.
Sommelier Rachael Liggett-Draper in The Little Nell’s iconic wine cellar. Image by Craig Turpin.
Jesse Libby
Arriving in Aspen 10 years ago, he came from Florida to see snow, and the mountains captured him unexpectedly.
How long have you been an ultra-distance runner?
I ran my first race over 10k back in September 2020. COVID forced me to leave gyms for the great outdoors, and I couldn’t be happier. At Highlands, on opening day in December 2020, I broke my back in a freak snowboarding accident. I had to wear a brace for the next four months. I won a lottery bib entry into the Leadville 100 during that time. I began to mentally plan how I could possibly go from having my back brace off in April to running 100 miles four months later. I quickly signed up for several races in the summer of 2021 to prepare myself. But there was no way to prepare for such a feat in such a short time. I knew I would have to endure long periods of discomfort to get it done. And now I’m a Leadville finisher. From that point forward, I understood what I was capable of. The perspective you gain from struggling through something like that is quite eye-opening.
What’s your most challenging route? And your favorite running trails?
I love running up and down Summer Road on Ajax Mountain. The route is approximately nine miles with 3,300 feet of vertical gain. It’s incredible training and an excellent gauge of where I am physically.
Nell sommelier Jesse Libby at work and training for his next ultra. Libby completed the daunting Leadville 100 shortly after breaking his back, a feat that him no task was too great. Images by Nick Johnson.
Rachael Liggett-Draper
Having moved from Vail to Aspen in 2021, she finds the prospect of constant improvement in the cellar and on the bike thrilling.
How did you discover your love of wine?
I fell into wine through my love of learning. I had deferred from graduate school and started my first-ever restaurant job in Vail that year. The wine program needed some guidance, and I saw an opportunity to jump into a career path that opened doors to travel, hospitality and teaching. I took the introductory exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers and became hooked on this new world that offered limitless knowledge and had no ceilings to how far you could go. I never showed up to graduate school.
When you’re not in the cellar, you race mountain bikes. How did this begin?
I committed to mountain biking during COVID. I signed up for my first road biking time trial and started traveling for enduro races around Colorado. Racing has always been casual for me, but it is addicting as a way to spend more time on my bike and challenge myself physically.
What has been your most memorable ride?
My craziest rides have all been out in the desert. I have gotten to know the trails in Moab like the back of my hand. The desert humbles many talented riders and tests their mental ability. Something always goes wrong, like a mechanical issue or a big crash, and it tests a rider’s mental fortitude to overcome these challenges and finish the ride.
Nell sommelier
Rachael LiggettDraper is considered the resident French wine expert at The Little Nell by her teammates. On off hours she competes in mountain bike races across Colorado. Images by Craig Turpin.
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Image by Name Name
Adam Darlington
Working in restaurants since he was 16, he joined The Little Nell in 2023 for the program’s famed pedigree.
Why wine?
I’m a giant nerd who loves studying and learning about things. Wine is the perfect way to not just learn about why something tastes the way it does but about history, anthropology, geology, and geography.
Do you have a favorite region?
I go through phases, but my heart will always belong to White Burgundy, though for the last year, I’ve been in the Savoie region of France in the French Alps. I’m an avid skier and when I get to do après ski these wines are exactly what I want, especially from great producers. They are crisp and refreshing, with a good minerality. It’s kind of a ‘What grows together goes together’ kind of thing.
What is your favorite wine, and why? Is there a sommelier you look up to from another part of the world?
Well, I named my dog after Marcel Lapierre, the Beaujolais producer, so I feel inclined to say Lapierre Morgon. That’s the wine that made me fall in love with wine. But a wine that is always in my fridge begging me to open it is Agrapart 7 Crus. Two people who have influenced me, whom I have never met, are Banjo Harris Plane from Australia and Pascaline Lepeltier. But I worked for about four years at Frasca, which is owned by Master Sommelier (and alumnus of The Little Nell) Bobby Stuckey. He is the type of person one learns from just being in the same room.
The Little Nell sommelier team member and avid skiier Adam Darlington, in The Nell’s famous wine cellar and heading up the mountain. Images by Nick Johnson and courtesy of Adam Darlington.
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Celebrating 35 Years of The Little Nell
Some notable alumni look back at their time at the hotel, setting the standard it still upholds today.
During Thanksgiving of 1989, The Little Nell opened its doors in Aspen, Colorado, forever changing the landscape—both literally and figuratively—of this iconic mountain town. Over the past 35 years, it has grown from a high-end hotel into a cultural institution, embodying Aspen’s unique blend of luxury, adventure and hospitality.
“When I arrived, the hotel was midway through planning stages for a glorified Holiday Inn,” says Eric Calderon, vice president and general manager of the hotel upon its opening. “When the Crown family became involved, we decided to operate independently and significantly raise the bar.”
A gondola car of the Silver Queen Gondola, circa 1990. The Little Nell Hotel is in the background along with Shlomo’s patio restaurant, now Ajax Tavern. Image courtesy of Aspen Historical Society, Aspen Skiing Co. Collection.
Text by Brian McManus
A b/w film negative of the Little Nell Cafe located on Durant Ave in 1953, now the site of The Little Nell. Image courtesy of Aspen Historical Society, Mary Eshbaugh Hayes Collection.
Jerry Blann (ASC President) and Bob Braudis (Pitkin County Sheriff) at the groundbreaking for The Little Nell, 1986. Image courtesy of Aspen Historical Society, Aspen Skiing Co. Collection.
“Having studied hospitality and worked in Europe, and in my youth obsessing over PBS’s Upstairs/Downstairs series, my vision for the hotel was to offer European style service with more casual American style friendliness,” says Calderon. “Fortunately, in the late ‘80s there was an abundance of unemployed college graduates/temporary ski bums that would do anything for a ski pass, and we ended up with the most caring and friendly staff imaginable.”
That staff, with Calderon’s leadership and the Crown’s support, helped earn The Nell its Mobil Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond awards in lightning speed, instrumental in shaping its image.
“Achieving those ratings within two years was a high for a day or two,” Calderon says today, modestly, looking back.
“[Calderon] had the vision, and we all had the heart,” says Coni Thornburg, a food and beverage director in the early days of The Nell who has gone on to become managing director of Ojai Valley Inn, a sister resort of The Nell.
Those early years fostered a culture of excellence and teamwork that fueled The Little Nell’s rise as a world-renowned establishment, one it still enjoys today.
“I’ve thought a lot over the years about the overlap or the similarity between high-
level hospitality and high-level sporting competition,” says Dylan Bowman, a front desk manager at The Nell from 2009 to 2013, and now a champion ultrarunner and popular podcaster. “Both are high performance environments with high expectations. You’re expected to live up to a standard that has been in existence for decades. At The Nell, and as a pro athlete, you feel that obligation to the team. Working there you feel the same way you would if you played for the New York Yankees or something.”
That sentiment is perhaps most evident in The Nell’s storied food and wine programs, which are recognized the world over as the gold standard.
Overseeing the hotel’s culinary operations, including its dining rooms and mountaintop restaurants, presented surprising challenges and opportunities. “The food and beverage team would jump in the snowcat at 4 am to get food to the top of the mountain and start cooking for evening events,” says Thornburg.
“Every day at The Nell brought a new surprise and a new challenge,” says Ryan Hardy, the renowned chef and sustainable food pioneer who led The Nell’s kitchen to many awards in the early 2000s. “We cooked middle of the night meals for royalty and pulled off last minute wine dinners for the greatest collectors in the country.
A color slide of The Little Nell in February of 1990, just a few short months after it opened. Image courtesy of Aspen Historical Society, Hodges Collection.
Photograph for the Aspen Times “Year In Review” article in 1991, for the month of January. Aspen Times caption reads, “Holiday crowds injected Aspen with a needed influx of capital. It’s estimated more than 25,000 vacationers spent time in Aspen over Christmas and New Year’s.” Image courtesy of Aspen Historical Society, Aspen Times Collection.
A summer concert on Little Nell ski run on Aspen Mountain, 1997. Image courtesy of Aspen Historical Society.
“We cooked frog legs with oysters at the Aspen Mountain Club, then guzzled champagne and skied alongside Chef Daniel Boulud in his yellow one-piece ski suit,” he continues, trying to explain the uniqueness of it all. “We pulled off a five-course dinner in a single gondola car for a couple who was about to get engaged. We convinced our diners that chicken liver was a must on every table and pasta was something to share.”
When Hardy started working at The Nell in 2005, his reputation preceded him. Now, as head of Delicious Hospitality Group, his many restaurants have garnered much media praise and accolades. He’s not shy about crediting The Nell. “I can’t possibly reflect on my career without recognizing the importance The Little Nell played in shaping me as a young chef,” he says. “There were so many amazing moments that stand out to me where our team took huge risks and pulled off amazing memories for our guests.”
Thornburg knows the feeling. Unlike the unemployed college kids Calderon jokes made up early staff, she left a prestigious post at the Four Seasons in Seattle to join the burgeoning team at The Nell just after it opened, and fell in instant love with Aspen and her new role. “The next decade my life was full of passion and experiences that are, without question, some of the best memories of my life,” she says.
Dena Marino, a chef at Ajax Tavern in the late 90s and now the private personal chef of basketball superstar LeBron James, says her time in Aspen still reveals itself in the way she cooks today. Her tenure at Ajax stressed to her the importance of seasonality and only using the freshest ingredients. It’s what guests came to expect, and has become the linchpin of her storied career.
Beyond the food, one of The Little Nell’s most remarkable achievements has been the development of its wine program, which has produced more than its fair share of Master Sommeliers— currently numbering 13—including Dustin Wilson, Sabato Sagaria, Carlton McCoy, Bobby Stuckey, and many more.
It was Stuckey who, in the mid-90s, became instrumental in elevating the hotel’s offerings. His expertise helped establish The Little Nell’s wine program as one of the best on the planet, producing 13 Master Sommeliers, more than any other establishment in North America. “Bobby Stuckey is certainly one of the best hires of my career,” says Thornburg.
“He wanted to invest in a large cellar,” says Calderon of Stuckey. “He promised me he would turn the inventory four times a year. And he did.”
Today, The Little Nell’s wine program is recognized globally as a Must Experience
Top: The Living Room of The Little Nell, modern day. Image by Nick Johnson. Below: Jacques Pepin, Pam Blanton and others at the Food and Wine Classic held outside at The Little Nell, June 1995. Image courtesy of Aspen Historical Society, Mary Eshbaugh Hayes Collection.
Montagna private dining and main dining rooms at The Little Nell before it became Element 47. Images courtesy of The Little Nell.
The bar at The Little Nell today. Image by Nick Johnson.
for oenophiles, with that iconic cellar offering over 24,000 bottles, including exceedingly rare and vintage selections.
“We had carte blanche to order whatever was needed to be successful,” says Hardy. “My first winter we topped bowls of buttered noodles with over 10kg of white truffles during the two weeks of the holidays. Even by The Little Nell standards, that was next level.”
That foundational ethos and the reputation that followed, naturally saw the hotel draw in high-profile guests and host events that only the most exclusive of destinations could accommodate.
This array of guests—from politicians to Hollywood icons and billionaires to ski enthusiasts—meant The Little Nell, from the beginning, became known as a place people could come together to enjoy the beauty and exclusivity of Aspen.
“Back then, you’d never know who you’d see in the dining room,” says Marino, “It could be Michael Jordan or Mariah Carey or Usher. Antonio Banderas, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell were all staples.”
One especially cold winter night, Calderon recalls, the pipes above box office star Sylvester Stallone’s suite froze, and water was gushing everywhere. At 2 am the entire lobby was full of guests in their PJs and furs. “Except for Sylvester,” says Calderon. “He paraded around in his underwear with his kid videoing him.”
In addition to being a symbol of luxury, The Little Nell has deeply influenced Aspen’s culture and community. Its premier location at the base of Aspen Mountain and proximity to the gondola have cemented it as the town’s heartbeat, where guests can transition seamlessly from skiing to fine dining, shopping, or simply unwinding in elegant comfort. By redefining luxury in Aspen, The Little Nell encouraged other high-end hotels and restaurants to open, gradually shifting the town from a casual ski village to a high-profile destination.
Aspen’s transformation had a literal impact on its landscape as well. The Little Nell’s construction marked a significant development at the foot of Aspen Mountain, which was once a modest ski slope with limited infrastructure. As the town attracted more affluent visitors, more luxury properties began to emerge, contributing to Aspen’s modern identity. The hotel not only reshaped the town’s physical landscape but also set the tone for an elevated Aspen experience.
“We became the most famous hotel in ski world not just due to our location but also because we knew and appreciated our repeat guests,” says Calderon. “We knew their names, their kids’ names, their pets’ names and everyone received a personalized welcome and thank you. At one point almost 70% of our occupancy was repeat guests. The waiting list was long and recognizable, but the regulars always received priority.”
Tenth Mountain Division veteran Dick Over, in his white mountain uniform, standing in front of The Little Nell at the base of Aspen Mountain during the Aspen Skiing Company’s 50th Anniversary, January 1997. Image courtesy of Aspen Historical Society, Aspen Skiing Co. Collection.
Establishing The Standard
Alumni of The Little Nell’s early years look back at their favorite memories building an icon.
Coni Thornburg, former food and beverage director, on The Little Nell’s staff being able to quickly pivot.
“One day there was a very loud crash in the hotel lobby, a car’s emergency brake released and the car rolled through the double glass paned doors right in the middle of the lobby. It was quite a shocking moment, but being the food and beverage professionals we were, we quickly decided to lighten the mood and mock up a ‘TLN Drive-In Menu’ of burgers and fries—our very own Colorado version of In-N-Out. We all had a good laugh and will always remember that morning!”
Dylan Bowman, former front desk manager, on the closeness of staff at The Nell.
“Management at The Nell was always really supportive of me chasing my athletic goals. They would always ensure I was able to take appropriate time off to travel to races. I did Leadville for the first time in 2010 and a couple of Little Nell employees were on my support crew—guys who worked at the hotel ran stretches of this 100-mile race with me. That represents kind of the family vibe of The Nell’s staff.”
Dena Marino, former chef at Ajax Tavern, on cooking for A-list celebrities.
“I never had time to get starstruck, in a way. We were always so busy cooking for such A-list clientele that it was very natural. It never made me nervous because it just was what it was, which has served me in my career. After Aspen I moved to Miami, and so many of my clients from Aspen either live there or visit. I would look in the dining room in Miami and half of Aspen would be there.”
Eric Calderon, former VP and GM, on early employees of The Nell going on to great success in different fields.
“The most endearing and lasting memory of my Aspen Chapter is simply the pride and joy I continue to experience when alumni reach out and express gratitude for their success based on their experience at The Little Nell.”
Richard Betts, former wine director and master sommelier, on how The Nell shaped him
“My time at The Little Nell was amongst the most magical of my life as well as the most important and formative professional experience. From 2000 to 2008 I had the literal best wine job on planet earth. Through the mentorship of general manager Eric Calderon, I developed a keen sense of hospitality that informs every element of my life today. Working alongside chef Ryan Hardy was pure joy as he embodies such
People around The Little Nell pool in June of 1990. Image courtesy of Aspen Historical Society, Mary Eshbaugh Hayes Collection.
Daniel Boulud working as a guest chef at The Little Nell alongside Ryan Hardy, former executive chef. Image courtesy of The Little Nell.
Eric Calderon, vice president and general manager of The Little Nell upon its opening, on the front drive of the hotel. Image courtesy of The Little Nell.
a deep love of food and service; he always inspired curiosity, and I learned so much from him. The support of team at the hotel as well as that of the Crown family saw us build one of the truly spectacular wine programs in the world. Working alongside Jonathan Pullis to share all that wine with the guests was an honor and a true pleasure. Then, of course, there’s the most important part: the guests themselves. To have everything we poured our hearts into so thoroughly and enthusiastically enjoyed is one of the most rewarding feelings in life. In sum, I can say that my time at The Nell was very important in making me who I today and for this I am eternally grateful.”
Ryan Hardy, former chef at The Nell, on the overall experience of working at the hotel.
“Perhaps my favorite memory was working alongside my great friend and the man with the golden touch, Wine Director Richard Betts. Richard was a master of pushing and pulling. One of my first nights, Richard offered to cook for me as the new chef and together we made a steaming pot of pasta l’amatriciana for the managers and sous chefs. Sitting down to a perfect bite with an insane bottle of wine brought a team together. We gelled that night and would go on to pull off some of the craziest experiences for our guests over the next five years. None of it would have been possible if it wasn’t for the leadership of Eric Calderon and the Crown Family who gave us the tools and the confidence to make magic everyday.”
Richard Betts, former wine director and master sommelier at The Little Nell, in the cellar.
Image courtesy of The Little Nell.
Klaus Sr. catching some serious air in his Obermeyer gear.
Image courtesy of the Obermeyer Family.
Nearly eight decades after Klaus Obermeyer founded an iconic Aspen ski wear company, the centenarian and his family share a passion rooted in the earliest days of their business.
Joy comes easy these days for Klaus Obermeyer Sr. He admits that when he turned 100 in 2019, the milestone felt a little strange. But now, as of this writing, at 104 (he turns 105 on December 2nd), he spends little time thinking about age. “The years, they keep coming,” he says. “And as long as they come, I smile at them.”
He’s had plenty to smile at in the many decades since he escaped Nazi Germany. By 1947, he’d made his way to Aspen, where he found work as a ski instructor alongside his friend and Aspen Ski Corporation co-founder, Friedl Pfeifer. Soon after, he used his technical background to form Sport Obermeyer, an equipment and apparel company that addressed shortcomings in outdoor recreation. His earliest innovations—like double-lens goggles, high-altitude sunscreen, steel ski poles and dual-layer ski boots
Obermeyer’s Jr. and Sr. together. Sport Obermeyer has been a foundational, independently-owned apparel company for eight decades, and remains an industry standard for quality.
Text by Jay Bouchard
Images by Craig Turpin and courtesy of the Obermeyer Family and Sport Obermeyer
Sr. serves as model for Sport Obermeyer in an early promotional picture. Image by Richard Avedon.
Sr. today. All smiles at 104. (He turns 105 on December 2, 2024.)
are still outdoor apparel standards today. “There were many things to make better,” Obermeyer says. “We wanted to make skiing safer and more fun.”
That mission hasn’t changed over the course of nearly 80 years. Nor has Sport Obermeyer’s standing as an independently held family operation. Nome Obermeyer, who married Klaus in 1965 and became the company’s lead designer, is still integral to the operation. Klaus Obermeyer Jr., age 55, returned to Aspen two years ago to help his parents steer the business into the future.
We spoke with the Obermeyers to hear about the company’s storied history and learn what the future holds for one of the ski industry’s most recognizable brands. (This interview was conducted just before Sr.’s 105th birthday.)
Klaus Jr., you’re back in Aspen to help lead Sport Obermeyer. What has it been like working alongside your dad?
Klaus Jr: It’s a real gift to have someone who, at 104, is so lucid and has such a great sense of humor. Someone in which you can tap into the wisdom of that kind of timespan on the planet and into a high-fidelity mind that can convey the wisdom of all of these years. People talk about being AI-enhanced. Well, I’m Klaus Sr.-enhanced because I can
tap into this amazing reservoir of life experience. Dad is still signing all the checks. He knows exactly what’s going on in the business and is invested. He still comes to the office occasionally. I have taken on the role of co-CEO, copresident and chairman of the board.
Klaus Sr., are you still skiing in the winter?
Klaus Sr: No, but I swim almost every day. I’m lucky to have a big, heated pool at the house, and in the morning, in the shower I do a lot of aikido extension and breath work. I try to use every muscle. I have someone coming twice a week who works with me on all kinds of stretches. It’s terrific.
Can you talk about how skiing shaped your early life?
Klaus Sr.: I grew up racing in Germany. The first race I was in, I was five years old. I walked through the finish line carrying my skis, crying because the binding did not hold. I placed last. In the next race, I had a binding that held, and I placed first. Then, during the war, the Nazis made us give all of our skis to the army, and they sent them to Russia for German troops. They used them to burn wood on the Russian front. I went to a place where I thought I could get across the border from Germany to Austria on top of the mountains, but German border
Sport Obermeyer over the years.
police—three of them—came out from behind a rock formation. I made a little jump and went straight down on the Austrian side. They shot at me. The bullet hit my rucksack, and I went off a big cornice and broke my femur. I ended up in Austria and waited for a doctor there as the war was winding down. Eventually, I made it to New York and helped teach American soldiers how to ski. Those connections helped me get to Aspen.
How did Sport Obermeyer come into existence?
Klaus Sr.: At the ski school in Aspen, Friedl Pfeifer told me, “Klaus, you are a technician. When you are not teaching, figure out the things that make skiing more fun.” I had brought some jackets with me from Germany, so we figured out how to make a good parka. Then I figured out how to make a really good ski pole out of steel instead of bamboo, and then we created sun tan lotion, the only one in the world at that time that worked at the high elevation of Aspen.
Klaus Jr.: When I was eight, I was bottling that high-altitude sunblock. I was able to watch this amazing time of hotdogging and the delight of skiing in the ‘60s and ‘70s. But one
of the things that never really gets mentioned is our secret weapon on the fashion side of business. Nome Obermeyer, my mom, was really the ingredient that added to dad’s engineering mind. She was foundational to the roots of the businesses.
Nome: People needed apparel. They wanted it. Fashion gets a bad rap because you don’t think of it as having practical applications. But fur and down were warm and helped make life better outdoors.
Nome, did you expect you’d still be doing this all these years later with Klaus Sr.?
Nome: I don’t know that I ever looked that far forward, I just knew that whatever the day was it required all that we had. You don’t make something just to have something to sell. You make something because you want to offer a product to the people doing everything they can to get up on that mountain— the people who want to do something with their lives other than hunker down in front of the central heating.
Klaus Sr.: Most of it was just always fun to do. It was a great challenge,
The Obermeyers throughout the years: Sr., Jr. and Nome.
getting people to enjoy being outside their houses, to get them skiing, and to get them outdoors in the summer. Aspen has as many people coming in the summer as they do in the winter now. It’s really changed in a way.
As the company looks to the future, what are you focused on?
Klaus Jr.: We’re in year 77 now, and although it’s a new time, it really is back to the roots in terms of the reason for being. Obermeyer was created to share the magic of winter and skiing, to enhance connectivity, and to facilitate self-expression. So, those principles are constant and they’re guiding whatever evolution happens with the brand. We’re using them to drive innovations that bring joy, that are functional, that are responsibly sourced and take into consideration sustainability. For instance, we work with high-tech fabrics and use the newest and latest technology to build things that last not just seasons, but generations. Our history is a huge asset as long as we stay dynamic. We try to embrace everything that is new, reconceptualize habits, and analyze whether our processes are intelligent. We’re willing to learn new things: Embracing AI, new tools, new fabrics, and ways of
communicating our story and having a relationship with the consumer.
What does that look like?
Klaus Jr.: We’re making a documentary about my dad’s life. Obermeyer has been a very storied brand, and we have been kind of private and quiet. Having the chance to share stories about our family enables people to understand the company, which can be positive for the business. It’s not just to have a story of his life, but to share those nuggets of philosophy and learnings and to enrich other people’s lives through understanding that journey.
What do you see as the future of skiing?
Klaus Jr.: It continues to cross-pollinate all these different interpretations of sports. I was early in snowboarding on the Burton team, and that changed the ski business. That influenced fat skis and all these permeations. So, skiing will always be dynamic and we will go to exciting new places as technology advances.
Klaus Sr.: Skiing will keep growing. It’s going to get better and better. And I think it’s going to reach higher-elevation areas, too.
LOCATION
Hunter
Maytin’s trip around the world in the pipe.
Standing atop the podium last April in Copper Mountain at the USASA Snowboard and Freeski Association National Championships, then 15-year-old Hunter Maytin had the distinct look of a champion.
With a Monster Army logo on a hat atop his head, a Giro helmet perched on his Head skis, and a first-place prize check held in hand, it was clear Maytin could get very comfortable winning gold medals. Representing the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (AVSC), the precocious athlete had just captured his first national win in the FIS Open division of the freeski halfpipe competition, bagging a 92.75 score on his final run for the victory. He was amongst the youngest performers in the competition.
freeski marries the intense excitement of freestyle skiing with high-in-the-air, above-thepipe theatrics and tricks. Image by Sam Ferguson.
Halfpipe
Youth Is Served
Text by Kelly J. Hayes
Images by Sam Ferguson, Tamara Šuša, Presto Media, and courtesy of the Maytin Family
Above: Maytin says one of the best things about his blossoming career is the community. Image by Sam Ferguson. Right: Prepared to take a competition by storm. Image courtesy of the Maytin Family. Next spread: Hunter Maytin in a familiar position aka airborne. Image by Presto Media.
Halfpipe freeski marries the intense excitement of freestyle skiing with high-in-the-air, above-the-pipe theatrics and tricks. There are three freeski disciplines—halfpipe, slopestyle and big air—contested in the Winter Olympic Games. The sport first made its Olympic appearance in the Games in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, and has been growing in popularity ever since.
Maytin, who turned 16 this year, is an Aspen High School junior, and though he is barely old enough to have a driver’s license, he is already accumulating the stamps of a world traveler on his passport. This past September, he was a competitor in New Zealand at Cardrona in the first World Cup event of the 2024-25 season. That followed a January trip to Gangwon, South Korea, where he captured a fifth-place finish at the Winter Youth Olympics, an invitationonly event put on by the International Olympic Committee. China and Europe are already beckoning for the current ski season. “Traveling can
take its toll, especially with school,” he says. “But it’s crazy. You get to see new places and ski while you do it.”
While just beginning to travel the globe with his sport, it would seem Maytin has been destined for this journey since he was born in Aspen on April Fools’ Day in 2008. No joke. “When he was a baby, my wife Lauren and I would take Hunter up to the Sundeck, and we would alternate taking laps and baby-sitting him,” Jay Maytin, a longtime local and Hunter’s father, says with a laugh. By age three, Hunter was clocking 60 or so ski days a season on Aspen Mountain (and occasionally napping in the gondola between runs). At four, he won the NASTAR National Championships. In second grade, he chose a path to become a competitive freeskier, and, at age 11, he was forerunner for the Winter X Games at Buttermilk. Precocious indeed.
Fortunately, Maytin lives in a community that hosts one of the great youth ski programs, AVSC, and he
Clockwise from top: A three-gold-medal weekend at the USASA Aspen/Snowmass Series; first pair of park skis donated by AVSC; Hunter with Coach Knutzen Hoff wearing his three bronze USASA National medals; Mom (Lauren), Dad (Jay), and sister (Hilde) with Hunter in South Korea for the 2024 Youth Olympic; Winter Games water ramp training at the Utah Olympic Park. Images courtesy of the Maytin Family. Previous spread: Image by Tamara Šuša.
has had the opportunity to work with world-class coaches, including Knutzen Hoff, Sam Ferguson, Greg Ruppel, and his current mentor, Dave Zweig. “The best coaches [tell it like it is],” he says in earnest. “If I do a trick and it’s not great, I need to know what was wrong. It gives me more motivation.”
Maytin’s sport is not for the faint of heart. “At the top of the run, before you start, you are getting hopped up, but you are also a little scared. It’s a dangerous sport,” he says. “But once you drop in, you are so focused, and you just go. I listen to music before and during the run, but when I’m in the pipe I’m so in the zone that I can’t even hear it. I’m so comfortable in the air I’m just thinking about what comes next.”
Depending upon the size and length of the pipe, a run will consist of four or five separate tricks and Maytin maintains and practices a repertoire of around 10 tricks at any given time. “It’s a lot like writing left-handed for a right
hander,” he notes. “You are spinning in different directions, and you have to be able to do [the tricks] both ways.”
And when a run goes just right, the satisfaction is immense. “At the U.S. Revolution Tour in Aspen, I hit my best run. There is so much adrenaline and such relief when you know that you just landed a great run,” he says.
In addition to the thrill of the pipe, Maytin loves the lifestyle his sport offers. “There is such a great community,” he says. “We all grew up skiing in different places, but we all connect on the same level. And the older guys come and root and support the younger guys.” He counts freeski legends like three-time U.S. Olympian Aaron Blunck and Aspen’s own Alex Ferreira, who’s won a pair of Olympic halfpipe medals, as mentors.
“I would love to go to the Olympics one day,” he says with an eye towards the future. “But I am trying to take it just one season at a time.”
Over the past 20 years, Yaron Leshem’s photography has morphed into a body of work that pushes the boundaries.
The first time Israeli photographer Yaron Leshem saw the historic structure that’s now home to the fine art photography studio he shares with his wife Jenny, he was hooked. “As a child, I was obsessed with birds,” he recalls. “As soon as I got out of the car and started down to the house, two bald eagles were sitting on a tree. For me, it was the deal closer.”
Tucked between Aspen’s Highway 82 and the Roaring Fork River, the light-filled space is beguiling, to say the least. Dubbed Leshem Loft as a nod to the New York City loft where the couple initially lived and worked, it is part of a historic enclave that, over decades past, housed several local artists and was also the home of longtime Anderson Ranch Arts Center Executive Director and studio artist Brad Miller.
To visit is to experience what, over the last four years, has morphed into both a gallery and digital darkroom, where Yaron, also a master printer, works on projects from concept to creative, lighting, composition, photography and high-end digital printing. “It’s a fancy way to say I’m using digital prints to do my work,” he notes with a grin. Printing is done on very high-quality paper imported from Germany. “It’s as important as taking the photograph. It gives you extra control over exactly how things will look.”
When they are not at their Aspen studio, Yaron and Jenny travel the world to shoot, with their schedule taking them routinely to American cities, such as Boston, Miami and Dallas, to international locales like London, Mykonos, Tel Aviv and beyond. “We bebop all over and feel grateful to be able to see things through
Loft is an innovative fine art photography studio and gallery specializing in unique commission art projects alongside experimental works by artist Yaron Leshem. This photo: Family and a Horse in Glade Park, Colorado, 2024.
Leshem
Leshem Loft’s Yaron and Jenny Leshem with their three daughters on a studio shoot in The Catskills, New York, 2014.
Over the past 20 years, Yaron’s photography has morphed into a body of work that pushes the boundaries between dreams and reality and is informed by his environments. Above: Family in The Hamptons, New York, 2020. Next spread: Children and a Horse in Basalt, Colorado, 2022.
different eyes,” notes Jenny, who runs the studio. “It’s fascinating, a window into a world of other people.”
Over the past 20 years, Yaron’s photography has morphed into a body of work that pushes the boundaries between dreams and reality and is informed by his environments. His photographic work, including works in progress, ranges from whimsical studio portrait sessions to more exploratory pieces, such as his renowned “The Village,” which is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.
Upon shooting what he refers to as a commissioned piece of art, Yaron’s process begins with speaking with the individual or individuals, as the case might be, and discussing concepts that may be particularly relevant to them. He scouts for unique places to shoot objects that may be woven into the piece. “In each one, there is something very specific to the person or family,” he shares. “We meet, engage together. It’s a process.”
Singularly, his overall process goes far beyond the norm. “Yaron never takes something literally,” notes Jenny with a smile. “Part of his creativity is taking things that are exciting and meaningful and rather than taking that too literally, infusing it in an interesting dreamlike way into their ultimate art pieces.’’
This concept is particularly evident in work for repeat clients whose lives Yaron chronicles over long periods of time. “People can see how their families
grow and evolve,” he says. “When we are younger, we dream about what we look like at the time. As we grow older, our faces change in our dreams. Photography gives you the amazing ability to create two dreams of family, one 20 years ago, one today.”
Of particular note is a concept that is markedly unique in Yaron’s process. He often “stitches” or integrates 500 to 100 images into one piece. “Artists’ brains are different,” explains Jenny. “Yaron works a lot with what’s real and what’s fake and integrates it all into his pieces.”
In one instance, he merges natural tropical plants with a wallpaper pattern depicting fake tropical plants and creates a waterfall that kids are standing under. It’s difficult and time-consuming, to say the least.
“Yaron can shoot for five minutes but later work on an image for five hours.”
Moving beyond portraiture and all that Yaron’s process entails, his neverending yearning for uniqueness and differentiation has led to yet another singular tactic. “Yaron has a bit of a mad scientist in him,” says Jenny with a laugh, as well as an obvious sense of pride and admiration. “If something doesn’t exist in the market to help him create what he’s looking to create, then he is going to figure out a way to build it. He has built drones from scratch and has also learned to fly them on his own. The complexity of creating art pieces and having the technology to create those pieces adds weight to the work.”
Andrew Geller and Vincent Mangiere, March 15, 2024, The Little Nell Wedding Deck. Wedding by Creative Weddings.
Image by Tara Marolda Photography.
What goes into planning a full-service mountain wedding?
In 1996, I moved to Aspen from Vermont where I’d been working in events and wedding planning. My first job in town was at the Hotel Jerome as their Catering Manager. After about three years, I decided to go out on my own and started my business, Creative Weddings.
Back then, most of the weddings I planned were either at the Aspen Mountain Club, on The Sundeck, or inside The Little Nell. So naturally, I became familiar with the properties and the top-notch people who ran them. About ten years ago, I joined The Little Nell team as the Director of Events. I loved my time in that position.
About six years ago, I returned to Creative Weddings once again. I really missed being intimately involved in every aspect of planning. I missed the weddings themselves.
I love the top of Aspen Mountain. You really can’t get a better view of the Elk Mountain Range. Whether it’s the wedding deck, the overlook, or the meadow, you’re looking out over Aspen’s famous Highland Bowl. That’s the best skiing in the universe right there. You simply can’t beat the location.
As a full service planner, I spend almost every day working. These days, because weddings are so enormously time consuming, I’m only taking on a few. At the minimum, I’d say I spend about five hundred hours per wedding. The time adds up because I ensure every single detail is tied together thematically. Each event at Aspen Mountain Club looks and feels different. We work hard to make everything personal.
As told to Kate Donnelly Images by Tara Marolda Photography
People certainly have a stigma when it comes to weddings. And while we love including traditional aspects, we also love bending the rules. For instance, we recently did a wedding atop Aspen Mountain and we didn’t order a cake. And instead of flowers, we only used candles. The mother of the groom walked her son down the aisle. It’s always fun to do something that isn’t expected.
I also plan social and corporate events. We design all sorts of creative outings. This winter, we’re putting together a vintage ski theme. I’ll head over to Vintage Ski World Warehouse and pick up skis, sleds, old posters and vintage chair lifts. It’s a really fun part of my job. And no matter where the gathering is being held, it’s all about making the guest experience memorable.
Logistics are important. It doesn’t matter what season, because you always have to think through what you can get up the mountain. A couple weeks ago, we brought up aspen trees for a ceremony. They don’t fit into the gondolas, so we had to drive them up. And afterwards, we drove them back down and planted them. It’s about considering all the little details.
I like to get to work early. This morning, I talked to my client in New York and we ran through their winter event. I do a lot
of creative planning myself. This means coming up with the design, welcome gift ideas and event branding. I love coming up with ideas. For instance, if you want to create a monogram or logo, I do that myself. And then if it requires another step, we hire a graphic designer to help finish the product.
These days, we plan more mountain themes over ski themes. Of course, planning events in the winter poses its own unique challenges. There’s always a fun challenge you’re not totally ready for. So you’re always leaning into trying something new.
Fall is my favorite season in Aspen. I’m from New England, and always remember watching the changing foliage. I love when the twinkling aspen trees turn a golden yellow. They look like floating clouds of gold. It’s so magical. Of course, I’m an avid skier and also love winter too.
I’m 56 and I’d like to work until I’m 70. The idea is to do one event a month, and do an incredible job. A strong work-and-life balance is important to keep the creative juices flowing. I have horses I ride everyday, and when it snows, I like to get out and ski. Yes, I still work nearly everyday, but for some portion of my day, I make sure I can enjoy all that Aspen has to offer.
Dr. Barbara Sturm’s advice for protecting the skin from harsh winter weather.
In winter, skincare requires extra attention, as frequent transitions between cold, dry outdoor air and heated indoor environments can deplete the skin’s natural moisture. This can llead to dryness, flakiness, and irritation. To counter these effects, Dr. Barbara Sturm recommends skincare products rich in lipids and antioxidants to hydrate and fortify the skin barrier. Her key picks for winter, she says, include her Hyaluronic Serum, Face Cream Rich, Anti-Pollution Drops, and Calming Serum, each designed to nourish, protect, and repair skin from winter stressors. The Hyaluronic Serum, used morning and night, delivers immediate hydration and replenishes moisture deep within the skin, while Face Cream Rich provides an essential lipid layer that reduces water evaporation, essential in cold, arid conditions.
Dr. Sturm’s Anti-Pollution Drops are especially beneficial for high-altitude locations like Aspen, where heightened solar radiation and pollution can damage the skin if you’re not careful. These drops include Cocoa Seed Extract to create a protective barrier and Purslane, an antiinflammatory that combats free radicals.
In The Spa at The Little Nell, Dr. Sturm offers exclusive facials tailored to winter skincare needs. Treatments like the Signature STURMGLOW™ Facial and Super Anti-Aging Facial combine deep hydration with advanced techniques from her German clinic to leave skin radiant and resilient. For those who can’t make it to the spa, Dr. Sturm recommends a mini at-home STURMGLOW™ facial using her Enzyme Cleanser, Face Mask, and Hyaluronic Serum to refresh and hydrate the skin during the winter months.
ABSOLUTELY PRIVATE, ENTIRELY WELCOMING
At Kohanaiki, members find a home in a setting that gives them a genuine connection to place and people, and an escape that’s entirely, unabashedly devoted to the fun, the ease and the joys of island life. At the pinnacle of Kohanaiki’s vast and varied offerings are the Kahakai Estate Homes, a limited offering encompassing upwards of an acre homesite that occupies front-row seats to the mesmerizing panoramas of the Pacific.
Our Kahakai Estate Homes are the most coveted sites in the community; perfectly positioned to offer the best views of the land, the sea and the club, offering the unique opportunity to design and build dream retreats from the ground up.
In today’s fast-paced world, restful and restorative sleep remains a top natural prescription for recovery, immunity, cognitive health and emotional wellbeing.
A luxury wellness amenity inside select rooms and suites of The Little Nell, Bryte Balance Smart Mattress offers guests a personalized, state-of-the-art sleep experience. Developed with leading sleep scientists with the modern traveler in mind, the AI-powered mattresses are built with dynamic air chambers and intelligent cushions to reduce waking times and sooth circadian rhythms.
Sensing the slightest body movements, Balancing Technology makes subtle and targeted adjustments in firmness throughout the night. As guests naturally shift sleep positions, the smart mattress redistributes pressure, resulting in longer periods of balanced support and uninterrupted sleep.
A multi-sensory relaxation feature known as BryteWaves, pairs a curated library of slumber-inducing audio with softly synchronized head-to-toe bed motions. Meanwhile, with 25 custom settings, Dual Comfort Tailoring enables sleepers to select their desired firmness on each side of the bed.And Sleep Concierge delivers personalized reports with valuable insights into sleep quality alongside the meaning behind the metrics.
Personalized luxury and custom wellness are a top priority at The Little Nell. With intuitive technology designed to help you fall and stay asleep, the Bryte Balance Smart Mattress allows guests to naturally wake up feeling mentally, physically, and emotionally rejuvenated.
Get to know Carol Lucey, GM of Residences at The Little Nell.
Tell us about your career path in hospitality that led you to your current role.
I studied Hospitality Management at Florida International University and began working in luxury hospitality at the Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, and immediately enjoyed the challenge and satisfaction of working in a 5-star environment, where your co-workers share the same pride of being the absolute best every day.
What do you love most about Residences at The Little Nell?
I love the relationships I have with our Owners and working with a team that is so committed to creating an amazing and personalized experience for our Owners and guests. With our Owners staying here several times a year, we have the unique opportunity to know them well and watch their children grow up, celebrate their milestones, and see them become so accomplished.
What excites you about Aspen Hospitality and the next phase of growth?
It is wonderful to work for a company that is expanding the brand and staying true to building a quality product, with very high service standards and taking care of its team members.
Regarding hospitality, what are some of the standout services provided by Residences at The Little Nell for our guests that you value the most?
I love that each team member enjoys building special connections with our Owners and guests to make them feel well taken care of. We celebrate Owner accomplishments, graduations, college acceptances, new babies, etc. It is most heartwarming to see how well the guest services team takes care of our guests’ dogs at the front entrance. They take them for walks and comfort them so the dogs do not miss their parents.
We try to create a welcoming and warm atmosphere with interactive programming and activities throughout the year, including s’mores by the fireplace, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in ski concierge, poolside popsicles, holiday carolers, a hot chocolate bar, snowcones, outdoor movie nights and much more.
The Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon is the hypertwin to Bugatti’s new hyper sports car, which is also named Tourbillon. The Bugatti Tourbillon features new inventions, new complications in a new architecture that takes after Bugatti’s. These two extreme mechanisms are aesthetically, mechanically and functionally integrated. Never before has the likeness between a timepiece and an automobile been pushed that far and with such accuracy.
