Aspen fall colors hit their peak

ASPEN — The fall colors in Aspen don’t get any better. Or do they?

A look around the upper Roaring Fork Valley suggests the aspens are hitting their peak, blanketing the mountain slopes around Aspen in gold, but since the leaves don’t all turn color en masse, some popular leaf-peeping locales are further along than others. This past weekend was a prime chance to catch the colors, but the splendor should continue through the coming weekend, as well.

The slopes surrounding Maroon Lake and the Maroon Bells have gone gold, but enough swaths of verdant aspens remain to prolong the show, presuming a big wind, rain or snow doesn’t knock the leaves from the trees (no such event is forecast in the coming days).

The East Maroon Valley, on the other hand, appeared to be peaking on Sunday, with the massive aspen groves on both sides of the valley nearly a solid gold.The upper Castle Creek Valley, south of Aspen, is also at its peak, displaying gold and pockets of the rarer red aspen leaves. Some stands of trees have already lost their leaves at the head of the valley, most of the rest are gold or quickly becoming so, with few swaths of green remaining.

Independence Pass, east of Aspen, may offer an extended display. A reconnaisance mission to the lower reaches of the pass on Saturday revealed enough gold to make the slopes spectacular, but there were plenty of trees yet to turn, as well.In town, Aspen Mountain is crowned in gold, with some patches of green yet on the lower slopes, and gold is spilling into the green atop Red Mountain. Smuggler Mountain is at its prime.

On the outskirts of town, Buttermilk’s aspens are gold, with some trees on the upper slopes already barren of leaves; west Buttermilk is a mix of gold and green.

South of Carbondale, the peak display in the upper Crystal River Valley is probably yet to come. While the mountainsides near Marble are already photograph-worthy, the view from Highway 133 as it climbs McClure Pass should only get better. There were still plenty of aspens that had yet to turn as of Saturday.

Watch the Aspen fall colors from one of Aspen luxury rentals.

The Hyatt Grand Aspen

Aspen, long known for its stunning beauty and legendary charm, is the perfect setting for the Hyatt Grand Aspen. Located just steps from the breathtaking grandeur of Ajax Mountain, this stunning rental property offers design with luxury and comfort in mind. Enjoy features such as multiple fireplaces, private balconies, grand kitchens, spa tubs and steam showers. Hyatt's unmatched level of service and amenities will turn your stay into an experience.

Check out our Aspen luxury rentals with Alpine Property.

Ski Season 2008/2009: What's new on Mountain

Aspen/Snowmass, comprised of Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass will have invested $35 million dollars in capital improvements for the 2008-09 season. Improvements include new terrain at Aspen Highlands and Snowmass.
In Snowmass the new Sheer Bliss chair has a capacity of 2,000 people per hour and takes riders 2,212 vertical feet, 155 feet more than the old Sheer Bliss chair, with a ride time just over nine minutes.
The base of Aspen Mountain features an improved gondola plaza for the 2008-2009 season. New steps, and less of them, will make it even easier to load the gondola.
Buttermilk Mountain, home to the ESPN Winter X Games, has a new Olympic-size superpipe. The new pipe will be more than 500 feet long with walls towering 18 ft. overhead and measuring 22 ft. from the center of the pipe. Upon completion of the superpipe it will stand as one of five 22 ft. superpipes in the US.

Let us help you find your Aspen - snowmass ski vacation rental now.

Top vacation home spots? Try Aspen/Snowmass

Publications love lists. The October/November issue of Robb Report Vacation Homes, which should be out the middle of next week, will look at the "top" places to buy second homes these days.

RobbblogNo California destinations make the U.S. list, but Las Vegas does. The editors report that while the low-end of the price spectrum has slipped significantly, international demand is buoying the top of the market. Home prices in the Las Vegas area (including Boulder City and Henderson) had dropped 20% at the end of the second quarter from the same quarter a year ago, according to San Diego-based MDA DataQuick. For the same period, sales were off 18%.

The criteria for making the Robb Report list seems to be somewhat of a head-scratcher. Included in the top 5 are Aspen/Snowmass Village, Colo., which saw its "second-best year for home sales ever" in 2007 and where prices are up an average 10.5% in 2008; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where median home prices rose more than 50% from 2000 to 2006 and are reportedly holding firm in resort areas; and Maui, where condo prices are up 27% from a year ago. Yet also making the list is Miami, with a high rate of foreclosures and a condo overbuilding problem. As for that editors' pick, "Miami epitomizes the 'buy low, sell high' axiom for potential investors."

Interested in buying real-estate in Aspen/Snowmass, contact Alpine Property.

MAROON BELLS BUS INFORMATION FALL 2008:

FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAYS through SEPTEMBER

After September 1: Public vehicle access for fall color viewing, photography, hiking and camping will be unrestricted Monday through Thursday with fees, $10 per vehicle; collected at the Welcome Station from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Camping will continue be on a first come, first serve basis at Silver Bell Campground until snow impacts camping access with a $15 fee.

All buses depart from Aspen Highlands Ski Area: Bus will leave every 20 minutes starting at 9:05 am until 2:05 pm, then on the hour and half hour until 4:30 pm with the last bus returning to town at 5:00 pm. There is plenty of free parking at Aspen Highlands or you can take the free Castle Maroon Bus from downtown to reach Aspen Highlands.

Your driver/tour guide will point out areas of interest and geographical features, describe the wildlife, and tell you some of the area's history on your way to the Maroon Bells. When you arrive at Maroon Lake at the base of the Bells you may depart the bus and return on any later bus, affording you the opportunity hike, take a guided nature tour, picnic, and take pictures.

Tours to the Bells cost $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for children 6-16, $4.00 for seniors, and children under 6 ride free plus .50 per ticket Forest Service charge.

Tickets can be purchased at Pro Mountain Sports at Aspen Highlands Village or at the Rubey Park Transit Center, then taking the Maroon Creek Bus to Highlands Village.

Come and enjoy the fall colors, rent one of our Aspen Luxury Properties, with Alpine Property.

Aspen Music Fest sets winter recitals

ASPEN — The Aspen Music Festival has set the program for its Winter Music Artist Recital series. The series will bring four concerts to Harris Concert Hall between mid-February and mid-March.

The series opens Feb. 9 with pianist Jeffrey Kahane. The music director of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Kahane has played recent solo recitals in Aspen, Chicago and New York. In the 2005-’06 season, he performed all 23 Mozart piano concertos as part of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

Violinist Joshua Bell, a former student at the Aspen Music Festival and a strong draw at his frequent summertime appearances in Aspen, is set to perform Feb. 16. Swiss-born pianist Andreas Haefliger, another regular Aspen visitor, and flutist Marina Piccini perform in the series on Feb. 25.

The series concludes on March 14 with the Aspen debut of violinist Julian Rachlin, who will be accompanied by pianist Itama Golan. The 33-year-old Rachlin is a native of Lithuania who moved to Austria during his childhood, and became the youngest soloist ever to appear with the Vienna Philharmonic. Rachlin earned the 2000 International Prize of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana of Siena.

Patron and sponsor opportunities for the Winter Music series are available. Also, series subscriptions are being offered for a 13 percent discount from the single-concert price. 

For further information on the winter series, click here. 

"HOT HARE" BRINGS PLENTY OF HOT AIR TO SNOWMASS, COLORADO

Tallest Balloon in the U.S. visits one of highest balloon festivals in U.S.


Snowmass Village, CO (September, 2008) - While the recent political conventions may have been full of hot air, they can't hold a candle to theamount of hot air needed to launch all the balloons at the 2008 Snowmass Balloon Festival. This year's festival includes a visit from The Energizer BunnyR "Hot Hare," the tallest balloon in the U.S., which will be participating in morning events September 11 through September 14 and during the spectacular evening nightglow on Saturday night.

Larger - much larger - than life

Fifteen feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, the Hot Hare's ears alone are as big as George Washington's face on Mount Rushmore. And it would take about a dozen George Bushes to fill his size 98 EEEEE sandals.

The Energizer BunnyR is held together with 84 miles of thread. And if you were to fill the balloon with AA EnergizerR MaxR batteries, it would take quite a few - like 550 million. That's enough to power a portable CD player for everyone in the United States. It takes a lot of hot air to get the Hot"Hare" Balloon inflated. The balloon's double burners produce 30 million BTUs per hour-that's equal to the heat of 5,000 gas barbeque grills. A crew of as many as 20 people is required to prepare the huge HAREcraft before liftoff and after landing. Area residents and Energizer BunnyR enthusiasts from all over the country are recruited to volunteer as crew members each year.



The Snowmass Balloon Festival Schedule (Sept. 11-14)

Considered one of the highest balloon festivals in the nation, the Snowmass Balloon Festival sends nearly 30 balloons up in the space of a ballfield to participate in:

. The Hare & Hound Chase for media (Sept. 11) finds pilots and media chasing a Hare balloon around Snowmass for the chance to win the Hot Air Media Trophy.

. The Colorado Rat Race timed distance race (Sept. 12) spans the length of the Roaring Fork Valley as balloonists attempt to find the best currents and create their own rush hour out of Snowmass at the height of the morning commute down below.

. Dawn Quixote (Sept. 13) sends all balloons alight to joust with (and ultimately pop) tethered weather balloons, which are backdropped by the magnificent Elk mountains.

. Target Tubing (Sept. 14) presents the perfect reflective photo opportunity as hot air balloons "splash and dash" over the Snowmass Club Golf Course ponds while attempting to aim tennis balls into huge floating tubes.

. The Saturday Balloon Glow kicks off at 6 p.m. with a barbecue (all food under $8) and S'mores, a free concert by Americana artist Jeff Finlan, and when dusk arrives, the tethered balloons light up the night sky to twinkle on and off like enormous Christmas ornaments.


All weekend long, the Kids' Elevation Station is set up to entertain the kids with clowns, juggling, face painting, balloon-making, a house of bounce while breakfast vendors are on-hand on Saturday and Sunday as well..


ALL BALLOON EVENTS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC and launch between 7-8 a.m. from the Snowmass Village Softball fields each morning, while the Balloon Glow starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday night. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.snowmassballoon.com or call 1-800-SNOWMASS. 

For lodging in Snowmass, visit Alpine Property.