Summer 2018: Flying to Aspen & Snowmass Just Got Even Easier and More Affordable!

12.03.2018 ,Mandy Gore-Booth

Combining world-class arts and culture, adventure and mountain beauty, a spring, summer or autumn holiday in Aspen & Snowmass, Colorado, is incomparable.  The good news is that flying to Aspen & Snowmass from the UK this summer will be easier and more affordable than ever. Here we take a look at all that is new & notable in Aspen & Snowmass for Summer 2018:

MORE AFFORDABLE FLIGHTS:

Norwegian has just launched a direct London Gatwick to Denver flight route with fares from £309. There are also one-stop connections between London Heathrow and Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE) on both American and United Airlines through hubs including Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago-O’Hare, Los Angeles International, Houston, and San Francisco International.

During the summer, American Airlines offers nonstop flights from Manchester to Chicago, while United Airlines offers nonstop flights from Edinburgh to Chicago, both of which easily connect to or from ASE. With Aspen located 3 miles and Snowmass located 6.5 miles from ASE, most hotels offer complimentary airport transfers.

America As You Like It offer a 7 night holiday to Aspen and Snowmass from £1575 per person (based on two sharing) including return flights from London to Denver on Norwegian, car hire, 4 nights at the 5* Hotel Jerome in Aspen and 3 nights at the Westin Snowmass.

HOTEL NEWS

• Hotel Jerome will add six new keys in a new building adjacent to the historic Aspen Times building in June 2018.  The new rooms will also be able to be configured as two three-bedroom suites and so great for families. The Aspen Times building will house an old-fashioned barber shop as well as an entrance to a subterranean speakeasy-style bar.  Hotel Jerome will also be unveiling a new space in June, which will open onto the courtyard and offer 735 square feet of event space, designed to accommodate weddings, meetings, and social events.

• Aspen Meadows Resort will unveil a new Pavilion and renovated Reception Center in June 2018. With stunning views of the surrounding mountains from Aspen Mountain to Aspen Highlands to Buttermilk, the new Pavilion will incorporate a modern design aesthetic from Jeffrey Berkus Architects, while preserving key elements of the present architecture.   A new outdoor deck will also be added to the existing Meadows Restaurant.

Other openings to look out for:

• Limelight Hotel in Snowmass – opening in November 2018 and offering fun, laid-back luxury with an energetic vibe, the Limelight Hotel will feature 99 hotel rooms, an indoor/outdoor lounge area, a five-story climbing wall open to the public – the largest of its kind in the state – a fitness centre, kids’ room, and outdoor spas and a deck.
• W Aspen and The Sky Residences at W Aspen is slated to open by spring 2019. The new hotel and residences are being designed by Nemaworkshop in partnership with local firm Rowland + Broughton Architecture and W’s in-house design team, offering 88 guestrooms and 11 W-branded fractional residences. Conveniently located at the base of Aspen Mountain, the development will also feature a 12,000 sq. ft. rooftop bar and pool, which will be open to the public.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE

• NEW! The Lost Forest, open daily from 10:00am-4:00pm, fully debuts in Snowmass this summer. The Lost Forest is a new on-mountain activity center featuring the Breathtaker Alpine Coaster, which opened in December 2017 and features a 5,700 foot track that winds through the trees at speeds of up to 28 miles per hour; the Canopy Run Zipline, which includes a three hour rappelling and zipline tour with eight ziplines up to 90 feet off the ground; and the Treeline Trail Challenge Course, which includes five paths (ranging from beginner, medium, and difficult) up to 40 feet in the air. The Lost Forest opens on June 22, 2018. A new Rugged Ascent Climbing Wall, 40 feet tall with 14 auto belays and up to 50 routes designed by El Dorado Climbing Wall Company out of Boulder, adds to the fun in late August 2018.
  
  
• NEW! We-Cycle Aspen’s local bike sharing program, will now offer the first 30 minutes of every We-Cycle ride fare free to all riders. We-Cycle launched in 2013, making Aspen the first-ever resort town to have an official bike-sharing programme.

FOOD & WINE NEWS

Aspen and Snowmass are big destinations for foodies.  Here’s what they are serving up this summer!

• Marble Bar Aspen, a Marble Distilling Co. concept and tasting room, opened over the winter season inside the Hyatt Residence Club Grand Aspen. The new bar serves up Colorado craft cocktails made with local Marble Distilling spirits, and farm-to-table small bites.
• Austin-based eatery Clark’s Oyster Bar will be opening in Aspen in June 2018.  The unnamed Clark’s expansion will serve up seafood dishes, burgers, and more.
• Local resident and restaurateur David Roth is opening Oakville Grocery Aspen, a new restaurant featuring farm-first products serving up breakfast and lunch. Oakville Grocery will also offer specialty items for purchase including locally made breads, meats, cheese and more.
• Francesca’s Empanadas opened in Snowmass this winter and features various flavours of empanadas, done in the traditional Argentinian style, as well as croissants, coffee, and more – ideal for a grab and go breakfast, lunch, or quick bite to eat.
• Elk Camp Farm-to-Table Tuesdays, a series of farm-to-table dinners in partnership with local farmers, return for summer 2018  in conjunction with Bonus Bike nights, dusk riding in the Snowmass Bike Park.

GOOD NEWS FOR FAMILIES

• Destination Hotels recently began partnering with Babierge, which lets parents rent all the baby gear they need on site, so they don’t have to worry about packing or travelling with it.

2018 SUMMER CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Aspen and Snowmass have a huge calendar of events and festivals going on all summer long with musical performances around town and on mountain, culinary and art festivals, sporting events and more. Here are some of the headline events for Summer 2018:

• Snowmass Free Concert Series, June 9-August 16

On 10 consecutive Thursdays and two bonus Saturdays (June 9 and July 21) throughout the summer, Snowmass hosts a weekly free concert series on Fanny Hill, showcasing genres of music ranging from reggae, to soul, to funk, to rock. 2018 marks the 27th year of the Snowmass Free Concert Series.

• Anderson Ranch, June 3– September 18

This magnet for artists offers 140 art workshops each summer in 8 artistic disciplines. New for this summer are Tech Workshops for kids and free guest faculty lectures on Tuesdays and Sundays from 3rd June – 18th September. The Visiting Artists Programme returns with free lectures open to the public.

• Snowmass Rodeo, June 13-August 22

The Snowmass Rodeo celebrates 45 years this summer, making it the longest continuously running rodeo in Colorado. The Snowmass Rodeo takes place on Wednesdays, rain or shine, throughout the summer.

• Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, June 15-17

The nation’s leading culinary event returns to Aspen with world-renowned celebrity chefs and wine experts. The three-day weekend includes tasting events, cooking classes, cooking demos, wine and interactive seminars, and the daily grand tastings.

• Aspen Summer Words, June 17-22

Aspen Summer Words welcomes visitors and locals alike to celebrate writing and writers in Aspen for a week in June. Various workshops will be held with renowned authors and teachers including Peter Ho Davies, Tom Perrotta, J. Courtney Sullivan, Heather Harpham, Margot Lee Shetterly, Tina Change, and more. New this year, Aspen Words will offer a juried narrative nonfiction workshop as well as a beginner’s writing workshop.

• Aspen Institute Aspen Ideas Festival June 21-30

The 14th annual Aspen Ideas Festival is divided into three sessions over ten days. Spotlight Health returns to the festival as the opening segment June 21-24, followed by festival 1 June 24-June 27 and festival 2 June 27-June 30. A variety of additional programmes, tutorials, seminars and discussions confront guests with stimulating issues throughout the festival.

• Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Festival June 22- 30

This summer highlight includes four nights of headline concerts from world-class musicians at the Benedict Music Tent, an expanded JAS Café Downstairs Series, and a free nightly lawn party.

• Aspen Music Festival & School, June 28-Aug. 19

Aspen Music Festival and School, regarded as one of the top classical music festivals in the United States, will celebrate its 70th anniversary this summer, as well as a school with more than 600 classical music students from around the country and the world. The eight-week summer season includes more than 400 classical music events, from concerts by orchestras, solo and chamber music performances, master classes, lectures, and children’s programming. Aspen Music Festival and School’s 2018 season will be a summer of celebration focused around Paris, City of Light. Concerts throughout the season will allow patrons to delve into works by Parisian composers and inspired by the French capital. This season also marks the 25th anniversary of Harris Concert Hall.

• AdventureOUT Snowmass, July 4-8

AdventureOUT Snowmass brings the LGBT community together for a weekend of summer adventure, from hiking to biking, to white water rafting. AdventureOUT Snowmass features a different spin on the Aspen Gay Ski Week Experience, with an emphasis on building community and getting out into nature. AdventureOUT benefits local nonprofit, AspenOUT.

• Yoga on the Mountain in Snowmass, July 27-29

The second annual Yoga on the Mountain, presented by Power Yoga Retreats, returns to Snowmass for a three-day festival celebrating yoga, music, and nature. The weekend schedule includes restorative yoga classes, advanced asana workshops, children’s yoga, and focused sessions on mudras, mantras, bandhas and breath work – all mixed with meditation, presentations, and discussions.

• Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival, Aug 31- Sept 2

The Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival will take place in the Snowmass Town Park. Acts for this year’s festival include Zac Brown Band, Lionel Richie, Jack Johnson, Fitz and the Tantrums, Michael Franti, Gary Clark Jr. and more.

• Snowmass Balloon Festival, September 7-9

The 43rd Annual Snowmass Balloon Festival, a long standing Rocky Mountain tradition, fills the sky with eclectic balloons, as 30 pilots launch their hot air balloons into the air at sunrise. The Night Glow Balloon Show on Saturday evening provides an up-close-and-personal experience to these mega balloons and chat with their pilots.

• Aspen Filmfest, September 25-30

Aspen Film’s 40th annual FilmFest is a six-day-long festival with a focus on documentaries. Filmfest audiences are among the first in the country to see award-worthy and acclaimed independent films.

For further information on Aspen and Snowmass, visit www.aspenchamber.org and www.gosnowmass.com.

For more ideas on how to go about organising an affordable family holiday in Aspen and Snowmass, there are lots of good tips here. A lot of activities are free or nearly free!