Aspen’s Aussie market shows a downturn from cost of flying to weak spending power in U.S.

In an almost by the way comment at this week’s Aspen Chamber Resort Association monthly meeting, Jeff Bay, the assistant treasurer of the association’s executive committee, shared a startling update.

“A bit of sobering thought about the Australian market,” he said. “We’re seeing quite a downturn from the Australian market, and we’ll certainly have a challenge next year replacing and continuing to court that important piece of international business.”

Australians are one of the top international travelers to Aspen. This means a potential financial loss for Aspen tourism if not filled in by other visitors.

“You know, we’re facing some economic situations. Airfare is extremely expensive for Australians. Japan and Canada are very competitive and are taking market share,” he said. “We’re going to have to be really thoughtful and focused in terms of making sure that Australia, which is arguably our No. 1 international destination in winter time, remains strong, and we can continue to be of value to that to that market.”

According to stocksdownunder.com, the Australian dollar has been weak recently due to lower interest rates there relative to other countries and because of the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Australian dollar, combined with weak commodity prices.

In comparison, the Australian financial company, Stocks Down Under, documented a significant 10-year change for Australians visiting America. A decade ago, they calculated the Australian dollar was about equal to the American dollar. Today, that value is more comparable to $1 Australian dollar equating to 67 cents in the United States. 

“Last year, it was an amazing year for the Australian tourist as they were finally able to travel abroad and visit Aspen,” said Jeff Hanle, vice president of communications for Aspen Skiing Co. “It’s not like we’re going from 100 to 0; it’s just that we have a number of headwinds in terms of the visiting Australian tourist.”

He added, “Multiple factors that are all happening at the same time include weak Australian dollar, interest rates, and air travel is expensive. When you combine those three things, it has a more amplified effect.”

He noted that airlines in Australia are ramping up service, but he isn’t sure if it will impact airfares for this winter: “It’s just not going to be as strong as last year, but it won’t be like COVID when we had no Australians. We look for other people who can travel in January and work in those markets, such as Latin America.”

He said they have teams in South America looking for group business and individual business.

“We are looking to fill the gap. And, we also have Japan to compete with this year. Last year, Japan didn’t open until midway through their season, so many people missed out who book in advance. Now that it’s open, people want to go back there since it’s been four years,” added Hanle.

Rivers unforgiving during run-off; second death in only two weeks for the region

A week after a rafter from Vail died in Glenwood Canyon, the body of longtime Aspen and Snowmass resident Tony Welgos, 73, was found Monday in the Roaring Fork River near Basalt’s Lazy Glen neighborhood.

“We got the 911 call of a person in the water with jeans and sweatshirt,” said Scott Thompson, chief of Roaring Fork Fire Rescue. “All we got from the beginning was there were sightings of him in the water, so we set up to do a contact rescue near the bridge on Highway 82 and Lazy Glen.”

The Roaring Fork Fire Rescue team was able to recover the body with the assistance of Aspen Fire, Aspen Ambulance, and Carbondale Fire. 

“We tried CPR for a considerable amount of time, especially in cold water scenarios, but we were unsuccessful.” Thompson added, “People need to be very careful this time of year. Rivers are full and moving swiftly. The river is unforgiving, and unless you are prepared to be in the swift water, you should not be out there. Do anything possible to not be on the water.” 

He suggested using a professional guide service with noted rafting experience.

“No one should be there in river in a tube or a small inflatable raft that is not made for handling swift water. Right now is a dangerous time of the year. People need to make informed decisions.” 

Close call for a waterman

Paul Meyers knows well the dangers of spring runoff. He nearly died rafting through Shoshone Rapids on the Colorado River.

Paul Meyers doing what he loves: fly-fishing via boat in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Julie Bielenberg/The Aspen Times

He has been rafting and fly-fishing in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1992. For over three decades, he has typically used a 12-foot raft, solo paddling, often with family and friends aboard. He’ll usually complete 25 to 30 raft trips a year on the Colorado, Green, and Roaring Fork rivers.

However, it was his first trip on the Colorado River in a raft in Class III rapids that nearly took his life in spring 2004.

“I was overconfident. I missed a paddle stroke on Shoshone Rapids and got flipped by a wave. I missed the stroke because I hit air and not water and didn’t get the boat turned into the wave and over,” said Meyers.

First, he swam for the boat. Then he changed his mind and swam for his wife, Joy, who was also in the water. She made it 100 yards down the river and was able to climb out. Meyers and his wife were luckily both in approved personal flotation devices, which aided in their survival, thus far. 

“Where I landed, there are pretty big rocks for erosion control, and it took me a few tries to get the correct rock to grab myself and get out of the water,” he said. “We gathered up what gear we could and had approximately a mile walk on the bike path back to Grizzly Creek park-and-ride.”

Before the he got to the parking lot, he started having chest pains. And then it got worse. 

“Somebody who saw the accident was also parked at Grizzly Creek and helped me to her pickup truck. She was trying to keep me calm and telling me to breathe.”

Another person near the accident saw the Meyer’s boat floating downriver upside down and had called 911, who dispatched an ambulance.

“Without that very quick response, I would not have made it,” said Meyers.

The rescue responders arrived, and he ended up going into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated in the ambulance — and a couple more times en route to the hospital. 

“Contributing to my survival was the fact that Valley View Hospital has just opened a cardiac catheterization lab with more high-tech instruments to diagnose patients,” he said. “They immediately started a stint.”

A year before the incident, Meyers had a mild heart attack and stent inserted. This stint would later fail because of a blood clot caused by the cold river water. 

Their raft was recovered in West Glenwood Springs, about six miles down the river.

Oh, he also broke his knee in the snowmelt-swelled rapids that spring day.

Today, he is much more vigilant and cautious about spring runoff. He’s been out five times thus far this year but only the Green River, as well and the Roaring Fork River between Carbondale and Glenwood — not through Glenwood Canyon, certainly not Shoshone Rapids.

“I’m not doing that rapid anymore. I’ve only done it once since the accident,” said Meyers.

On Tuesday, at the Roaring Fork River put-in at the Carbondale Bridge.
Julie Bielenberg/The Aspen Times

How fast are the rivers moving?

River flow is measured in cubic feet per second (cfs). That is how river enthusiasts determine the level of hazard and speed of the river.

“We haven’t hit peak flows in most rivers yet this summer,” said Ken Murphy, owner of Glenwood Adventure Company in Glenwood Springs.

He also owns Lakota Guides, a commercial whitewater rafting company based out of Vail and Colorado Rafting Adventures in Buena Vista. Murphy, although an Ireland native, has been on the rivers of Colorado since 1996 and has owned Glenwood Adventure Company for 13 years.

“Mother Nature is going to dictate when we hit peak, and we haven’t had the warm evenings combined with the warm days to really send the flows into higher numbers,” he said.

The Roaring Fork River and Crystal River aren’t controlled as much as many other rivers. The Roaring Fork upstream of Aspen does have the Lincoln Creek Connection Canal southeast that diverts water from Lost Man Tunnel No. 2 to Grizzly Reservoir. The Crystal River is largely free flowing and the subject of possible wild and scenic river designation.

“Vegetation is now an obstacle, the banks are more unstable, the river can take items from the banks and push them into the river and downstream. Every day can be different as the water rises and falls during this time of the year,” Murphy said.

He recommended that if private boaters have questions or concerns on river conditions, they should call commercial outfitters and ask about the conditions, as the pros are out there daily.

“Some of these commercial outfitters have guides with years of experience on certain stretches of the river with plenty of history and knowledge they can pass on,” he said.

He said the water’s been higher than it is now.

“I’ve seen higher flows in lower snow years due to a quick warmup with warm evenings. It’s all how it melts, and what’s released. If we have plenty of sun with warm nights, it can come down faster.”

Murphy recalled years when Shoshone Rapids in Glenwood Canyon was running at 16,000 to 17,000 cfs in lesser snowpack years. On Tuesday, Shoshone Rapids was at 6,700 cfs. 

“We don’t run certain areas when it gets over a certain cfs, and we always factor in the guests’ age, weight, and physical ability when deciding on the best adventure that suits their group’s wide range of abilities. Outfitters have staff on hand to help you choose the best trip for your group. When one area may get too high, there are always other options here, and that’s what makes this area such a popular rafting destination both privately and commercially,” he said.

Hypothermia can easily consume river enthusiasts, as Meyers can attest. River water is snowmelt — and so cold, very cold.

“You need to be wearing the proper attire for the conditions and an approved personal flotation device,” Murphy said. 

Multiple families enjoy a warm and much calmer Labor Day in 2022.
Julie Bielenberg/The Aspen Times

The rise in private boats on the river

River traffic has surged over the past decade with private boat ownership, and many new owners who hadn’t experienced high run-off like this.

“We now have many more private craft on the water, and many of these water recreationists haven’t seen flows this high before. Things are moving so much faster, and you have to make decisions much faster. The set-up needs to be earlier as you prepare for the obstacle ahead much earlier than in years past,” said Murphy.

“There’s absolutely a rise in private boats,” Meyers said. “It’s crazy. The parking at the boat ramps is tight, and they are in terrible shape.”

Parking lots and boat launches along the Roaring Fork can feel a bit like frat parties on the weekends throughout summer with pressure to get loaded and unloaded quickly with boat congestion.

“Fortunately, everyone cooperates and helps each other, preventing it from being chaos,” he said. 

“It’s a bigger water year. It’s a great year, and those who love the water and are experienced are going to have a blast. I’m afraid there are some people that shouldn’t be on the water,” Chief Thompson said.

Aspen City Councilman Sam Rose last week noted the danger upstream from the city: “Devil’s Punchbowl is a swimming hole up by Independence Pass, and it feels like every year someone dies from going in it while the water level is too high,” he said. “I mentioned it because it is a high-water year, and someone just died in Glenwood Canyon rafting, so I believe vigilance is important as we get excited about summer.”

Vail resident Nick Courtens, 34, died Sunday, May 21, in a paddling accident in Glenwood Canyon. Garfield County authorities said he was wearing a personal flotation device and a helmet while rafting with a group of five people, in two rafts. Between the Shoshone power plant and Grizzly Creek, two people went into the river from one of the rafts while navigating a rapid. Other members of the group were able to get both of them to shore and begin CPR. Unfortunately, only one of the men responded.

Everyone, including Fido, needs a certified PFD on the water, authorities say.
Julie Bielenberg/The Aspen Times

Colleen Pennington, Glenwood Canyon manager for the White River National Forest, said: “Hazards can change day-by-day, including debris and tree snags that can trap people underwater and puncture rafts, dangerous currents, and cold-water temperatures that can create dangerous situations for even strong swimmers.”

Garfield County Emergency Manager Chris Bornholdt said: “Water levels are predicted to come up even more in the next couple weeks and stay at a high level for over a month. River safety should be our biggest concern right now. Navigating the river is tricky under normal conditions, and when you add three-four times the amount of water and speed, things can happen really fast.”

Hours later on the Roaring Fork, rescuers had a happier outcome with a rescue downstream at Willits near the Basalt Business Center.

Aspen police find sexual abuse accusations against St. Mary’s priest ‘unfounded’

Aspen Police investigators took their time, 19 months, before closing a sexual assault allegation against a Catholic priest as “unfounded” on Wednesday.

There will be no charges filed against Father Michael O’Brien, who served at the St. Mary Catholic Church in Aspen from 2002 to 2011.

The investigation, conducted with the assistance of the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the FBI, began in September 2021 with an accusation of sexual assault against O’Brien regarding what was reported as a series of up to 300 incidents between 2004 and 2008 in Aspen, allegedly involving a juvenile victim.

Investigators with the Aspen Police Department said they spoke with at least 26 law-enforcement agencies, interviewed more than 80 witnesses and reviewed a polygraph report that O’Brien voluntarily submitted to. In total, the Aspen Police led by Detective Jeremy Johnson invested more than 500 hours into this case in an attempt to find the truth, according to the department.

“We understand the significant impact this case had on (the reporting person), Father O’Brien, St. Mary’s, and our community,” Detective Sergeant Rick Magnuson said. “We appreciate the patience that was given as investigators pursued this case. We are confident that we have reached the proper conclusion.”

“The reason it took 19 months was because there were multiple agencies involved, as well as attorneys on both sides, parties traveling. There were a lot of moving parts,” he said. “We had to get records collections from agencies, including medical records, and that involves a process and patience. It came together, it took time, but we needed everything before we could make our conclusion.”

The investigation was conducted with the assistance of the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

There were no comments available from St. Mary’s Catholic Church. The Archdiocese of Denver made the following statement while not making a representative available for questions:

“After an exhaustive year and a half long investigation completed by the Aspen Police Department, the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has determined the allegations against Father Michael O’Brien are baseless, and the District Attorney has closed the case. This work and the outcome of the investigation informs the public that the allegations that Father O’Brien sexually abused a minor more than 15 years ago during his time at St. Mary Catholic Church in Aspen are false accusations against a good man.

“Father O’Brien was a priest in good standing when these allegations were first made in 2021, and in his more than 22 years of priestly service, he has never had any other allegation made against him. Father O’Brien has been out of ministry awaiting the outcome of this investigation and he will now await the determination of the Archdiocese’s internal process before he can return to ministry.

“False and fraudulent claims do enormous harm to the accused, the system, and to legitimate reporters of harm. The Archdiocese of Denver remains committed to the protection of all who are vulnerable, and we are also committed to defending our priests and anyone affiliated with the Church when they are wrongly accused.

“The individual who made these allegations also filed a civil lawsuit seeking money and the Archdiocese was quickly dismissed from that case. Now that the police have finished their work, the Archdiocese will complete our investigation and submit the facts, including all the available materials from the Aspen Police’s investigation to the Review Board of professionals who will advise the Archbishop on the issue of Father O’Brien returning to the ministry.”

The lawsuit, filed in Denver District Court around the time the criminal investigation began, accused the priest of numerous incidents. The victim named in the case, now in his mid-20s, is serving a 14-year prison sentence for sexual abuse in 2018 of a 16-year-old girl in Aspen.

At that time, Vicar General Very Rev. Randy Dollins said O’Brien “resolutely denied these allegations” and that the archdiocese had not received any other similar allegations against him.

O’Brien was not available for comment Wednesday.

Local investigators said they were grateful for the collaboration with the FBI and learned nuances to investigative techniques that will help the department in the future.

“It was great working with the FBI on this case,” Magnuson said. “They taught us some good strategies in terms of working with the archdiocese, as well as collecting medical records and personnel records.”

Magnuson credited Johnson on his lengthy and arduous work over the months, as well as the District Attorney’s Office and Chief Deputy District Attorney Don Nottingham with the investigation and interviewing Father O’Brien.

“When someone comes to us, we have a philosophy on sex assault cases to start by believing. That is how we approached this case,” Magnuson said.

Authorities said if you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, contact Aspen Police at 1-970-920-5310, or Response Aspen at ResponseHelp.org or 1-970-925-7233. In this case, as with all sexual assault investigations, Aspen Police starts every conversation with “I believe you,” police officials said.

Meet Michelle Weeks, owner of a children’s clothing store in downtown Aspen

It’s been sparkling for 15 years, and it hasn’t been easy.

If you’ve walked past the corner of Hunter and East Hopkins in the downtown core, maybe that twinkle has crossed your eye.

Twinkle, literally, is a 400-square-foot children’s retail boutique at 533 E. Hopkins and one of the most comprehensive clothing outlets in Aspen.

What started as a void in the community for high-end, brand-name, gently used children’s clothes blossomed into Aspen’s only boutique outlet dedicated solely to children’s’ clothing, accessories, infant needs, athletic gear and more.

Michelle Weeks couldn’t return to her job at The Little Nell with the birth of her first daughter, Zoe, now 14. Pregnant, she had loads of designer clothes and friends with even more. She wanted a place where she could embrace the joys of motherhood yet still help pay the bills, at least some of them, and in Aspen. 

Twinkle blossomed into Aspen’s only boutique outlet dedicated solely to children’s’ clothing, accessories, infant needs, athletic gear and more.
Julie Bielenberg / The Aspen Times

Aspen has changed in 15 years, and so has Weeks. Maybe that’s why she has one of the few woman-owned, local, single-store retail enterprises in the Roaring Fork Valley dedicated to not only clothing, but immediate-need items for high-end tourists.

The original consignment store grew with the addition of trendy and up-and-coming brand products. There was a niche. 

After two successful years at a location near the Wheeler Opera House, Weeks was ready for more and bigger.

Owner Michelle Weeks showcases one,of nearly 100 shelves of items in her store.
Julie Bielenberg / The Aspen Times

“I found this great storefront in a high-traffic, walkable street and Steve Marcus rented it to me and became my mentor. He was a wonderful landlord,” she said. Marcus, a legendary Aspen real estate mogul, died two years ago of COViD-19.

“Every time he would come in, I would tell him, I need more space, and he would tell me, you can’t afford more space! However, he would always reiterate to me that no one else was doing what I was doing in Aspen, and that resonated with me.”

Weeks embraced Marcus’ wisdom and loyalty and love for local business, and stayed at her cozy corner location.

“I learned not to compare myself or my store to other outlets. I had to be my own brand and company,” said Weeks. 

Twinkle, originally named after Weeks’ favorite childhood song, is almost the antithesis of the store. “The song, it just calms people, there is something about it.”

Calm is not necessarily the vibe upon entering the emporium of color and kid product. Rather, there are over 400 products in a cozy space. 

“I haven’t hung anything from the ceiling, yet,” said Weeks. 

The shelves and clothing racks are stocked to the brim, with new merchandise in the wings, just waiting to be placed. The plethora of brands, prices, options, is packed in.

Weeks’ hands-on experience with over thousands of tourists has made her an expert in youth retail. It’s obvious.

“I can read a customer within a few questions. It’s my charm,” she said.

Julie Bielenberg / The Aspen Times
Twinkle’s stock-filled retail space.
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Weeks is the ever-present body in the store. She can navigate a stroller in her confined space better than any snowplow with 12-foot snow berms.

She’s done her research to ensure the choicest of children’s lines are scattered throughout the boutique.

And she still carries oodles of consignment items for locals. She knows the brands and what customers, local or visiting, desire.

“Working Aspenites can’t afford a $500 baby dress, but they can certainly search for a $25- relatively new-looking, high-end-brand Easter dress.” 

Locals account for 40% of Weeks’ business, and visitors the other 60%.

The company Instagram account is also dedicated to Michelle’s first daughter. True to the brand, the company markets to the tween and thriving 20- and 30-something-year-old trend.
Julie Bielenberg / The Aspen Times

“I have incredible customers from all over the country,” she said. “Some start coming here on their yearly ski trips. Others will make it a stop every three-summer visit. I have a grandpa who calls for each grandchild’s birthday and updates me on the size, and I ship out the gift.”

The store is grandfathered into the summer Aspen Farmers Market. Each summer, expect an assortment of items on tables across the lawn with everything from retail product to bubbles and dogs. And maybe a cup of lemonade.

“I’ve probably paid over a million dollars in rent to this space,” joked Weeks. “I might as well use every square inch, including the lawn.”

Summers abound with lemonade stands for non-profits. “My daughters have held dozens of lemonade stands. There would be an NBA player that would throw a $300 tip in the jar, and it all went back to local charity. It’s been incredible.” she said.

What next? 

“We bought a cotton candy machine for this summer. Zoe is turning into me. She wants to be on trend and desirable. She gets it. Customers can log onto our Instagram and recommend non-profits for our sugary Saturdays.” 

But it’s not all twinkling lights. “I’m extremely nervous,” said Weeks. “My mentor passed away, and I’m not sure his legacy translates to the current Aspen demands. Who knows if I can negotiate the similar lease and provide both a local and tourist service in such an expensive town? When you see Balmain taking up space on a third level, it says a lot.” 

Weeks’ daughter is learning the business and helping her mother when not at school or in sports. 

“It’s fun to teach Zoe the business. After all, it was created for her,” Weeks said. 

How many little baby booties does Week need to sell to cover rent? A lot. 

“It ebbs and flows. Every year I seem to find the ‘it’ trinket or gift or headband that I can sell thousands of dollars of in one Saturday alone. I had this unicorn headband a couple years back,” she said.

Weeks couldn’t even finish her sentence as a grandmother from New Jersey and toddler came in asking if she had a unicorn headband. 

“We sold out,” she told the woman. “The company stopped making them during COVID. Give me your number. I’ll find you something similar. I’ll ship it to you.”

That’s Week’s persona, she knows her customers and what they want. It’s what’s kept her in business in one of the most competitive markets over the years. 

Amazon and online retailers has sniped at Weeks’ bottom line, but she’s been creative.

“This is a tourist town, and people need instant gear and satisfaction. I offer that. I absolutely have something in this store for every child. On a given weekend in summer, I can sell 100 cowboy boots. I have the sizes and I can fit the foot. I know what to stock, when and who my customers are.” 

However, that doesn’t stop Mother Nature from fooling with her plans. 

“This year has been slow. The large amount of snow and cold, sunless days. Our usual customers are staying on Durant Street or in their hotels bundled up,” she said. “It’s a bit different and strange.” 

“I don’t know what we will do when our existing lease is up with our former landlord in May 2024. As the world has proven, a lot can happen,” she said. “We could be here, or it could be my next adventure.”

McLain project likely to spur Aspen summer traffic woes

Brace yourselves, Aspen, because this summer’s traffic just got worse.

Most of McLain Flats Road — the pressure valve that traditionally provides some relief to commuters hoping to avoid Highway 82 gridlock — will be torn up and reduced to one lane from April to October, a county official said Tuesday.

“This is what we’re trying to gear up for this summer on McLain Flats,” Pitkin County Engineer G.R. Fielding told commissioners Tuesday, noting that between 3,400 and 3,500 cars use the back road between Aspen and Woody Creek each summer day.

The season-long construction project by Black Hills Energy to install a second gas line into Aspen also means more bad news for road bikers this summer, Fielding said.

“Most of the popular cycling routes (around Aspen) will be affected this year,” he said.

That summer work will include two projects on Castle Creek Road, two projects on Maroon Creek Road and one on Gerbaz Way in Woody Creek, Fielding said. The county also will close one lane of Owl Creek Road — the back way to Snowmass Village — for drainage improvements from roughly May 6 to June 14, he said.

“It’s gonna be easier to tell people where we’re not working than where we are,” Fielding told commissioners Tuesday.

The longest and most impactful of them all, however, will be the McLain Flats project, he said.

Black Hills Energy wants to install 2½ miles of 6-inch gas utility line under and along McLain Flats Road from the triangle intersection of Smith Way, McLain Flats and Upper River Road in Woody Creek to Trentaz Drive, Fielding said. For the first 4,000 feet of the project — where McLain Flats winds up a steep hill heading up to the flat section of the road — the utility company must rip up the asphalt and install the line under the road bed, he said.

That’s because there’s no more room on the road’s shoulder for utility lines, Fielding said.

After that initial 4,000 feet, work will move to the shoulder for the remainder of the installation, he said. The utility expects to finish between 80 and 100 feet of gas line per day when working in the roadway, and between 100 and 120 feet per day when working on the shoulder, Fielding said.

“That’s gonna be a big one,” Fielding said of the project.

While the county has not issued a permit yet, Black Hills wants to start construction April 16 and expects it to last until Oct. 18, Fielding said. He expected the permit to be issued shortly.

Black Hills has already built sections of the gas line on either side of this summer’s project, making this the final piece to the project, he said. It is meant to provide “redundancy” and “resiliency” to Aspen’s main gas line in case an emergency forces a main line shutdown.

The traffic control plan calls for work to begin at 9 a.m. after the morning rush that generally starts at 7 a.m. Flaggers will direct traffic between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., when work is scheduled to stop each day, Fielding said.

After that, portable traffic signals will direct one lane of traffic at a time at night, he said.

Commissioner George Newman asked if the McLain Flats project might allow for construction of a much-talked about bike lane along the scenic road. Fielding, however, said construction, especially up the hill from Smith Way, could get tricky and expensive because of lack of room and construction of a bike lane platform.

Commissioner Kelly McNicholas Kury suggested installing fiber optic cable while the road is torn up. Fielding said he’d check into it, but noted space issues could prohibit such work.

The Woody Creek Caucus is set to hear a presentation on the project March 28.

The other projects likely to affect both bikers and drivers this summer include the 1-mile Castle Creek Trail construction from the Marolt housing to the Aspen Music School campus, continuing fiber optic installation up Castle Creek Road and the construction of two retaining walls on Maroon Creek Road near Aspen Highlands and the T-Lazy 7 Ranch, Fielding said.

jauslander@aspentimes.com

Castle Creek Road near Aspen open again after early-morning avalanche

Castle Creek Road outside of Aspen re-opened about 8 p.m. Saturday after crews did avalanche mitigation from a helicopter to work on the slide area that came down early Saturday morning.

Crews dropped 10 charges from a helicopter in the afternoon, and no other avalanches were triggered. The road was cleared and opened in the evening.

One residences was damaged by the initial avalanche, but no one was home at the time, according to Pitkin County officials. The extent of the damage is unknown.

A crew from Holy Cross Energy discovered the slide just after 5 a.m., and it crossed the two-lane road about 4 miles up from the roundabout.

Power is expected to be out or limited into Sunday for the approximately 40 homes in the area above the slide.

“Though potentially inconvenient, long-term safety is crucial and is best managed by dealing with the heavy snow loads that are currently poised on the steep slopes adjacent to the valley,” Pitkin County officials said in an update Saturday afternoon.

“The Pitkin County IMT is working closely with (Colorado Avalanche Information Center) to mitigate the risks to the public,” officials said Saturday. “There are greater than 40 residences affected by the closure. Telephone and power service has been interrupted to some of these.”

There were no reports of injuries from the slide.

Road closure on Castle Creek Road due to an avalanche at mile marker 4 on Saturday morning. Mountain Rescue Aspen team members gear up to head into the field to insure safety precautions during clearing. (Anna Stonehouse/The Aspen Times)
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The road leads to Ashcroft, which is about 10 miles up from the roundabout.

According to Pitkin County Deputy and Public Information Officer Alex Burchetta, the slide was approximately 500 feet long by 12 feet deep and happened between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Burchetta shook his head stating people were attempting to walk across the slide this morning. A second slide was reported last night by Conundrum, he said.

Mountain Rescue Aspen team member, Matt Lanning, sleds past the road closure on Castle Creek Road due to an avalanche at mile marker 4 on Saturday morning. MRA was called in to insure safety during the avalanche clearing process. (Anna Stonehouse/The Aspen Times)
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A small Mountain Rescue team was sent into the field for safety while clearing the slide and a drone was used to document the site of the slide.

The full alert: Pitkin Emergency Alert for the Aspen, Snowmass Village area(s): Castle Creek Road is closed due to an avalanche at mile marker 4. Do NOT attempt to pass over the slide path. Fire/EMS services still intact, although expect a delay in response. Call 911 for emergencies only. Updates to follow. 

Road closure on Castle Creek Road due to an avalanche at mile marker 4 on Saturday morning. (Anna Stonehouse/The Aspen Times)
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This is a developing story that will be updated.

Lift One proposal: Voters approve new Aspen Mountain base area by 26 votes

The proponents of the Lift One proposal needed every bit of a well-funded and well-oiled campaign effort to squeak out a victory in Tuesday’s election.

The Lift One corridor plan was approved 1,555 in favor to 1,529 against or a margin of 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent.

“Actually, I said all along I’d be happy with 50.1 to 49.9. It looks like we got there,” said Jim DeFrancia, president of Lowe Enterprises, which is a partner in the Gorsuch Haus, a hotel that is part of the plan. “I liken it to a football game. You can win by seven touchdowns or one point. Either way, you’re in the win column.”

Campaign finance reports filed with the city of Aspen showed the Lift One proponents spent about $283,000 while opponents had spent about $15,000 as of the most recent report.

“I’m crushed,” said John Doyle, a leading opponent of the project. “I knew it was going to be close.

Although the victory margin was slim, it wasn’t close enough to trigger an automatic recount.

“Based on current calculations, there would be no automatic recount,” said city attorney Jim True.

Aspen residents were asked to vote on a proposal crafted in negotiations between the developers of a lodge and a hotel, Aspen Skiing Co. and representatives of the city government. One of the drivers of the plan was bringing the replacement for Lift 1A down the mountain another 500 feet rom its current lower terminal location to Dean Street.

The Lift One corridor plan encompasses more than 320,000 square feet of commercial space, which includes the 107,000-square-foot timeshare project known as the Lift One Lodge and a 64,000-square-foot luxury hotel called the Gorsuch Haus.

Lift One Lodge will add 34 fractional interest and six full-interest condominiums at the base. Gorsuch Haus will add 81 rooms.

Mixed in and around the tourist accommodations are bars and restaurants, skiers’ services, an underground parking garage and a ski museum.

Both sides agreed Tuesday night that making the bottom terminal of the chairlift was a key to the vote.

“It was the bright, shiny object that got everybody distracted,” Doyle said.

Opponents of the project were concerned about the traffic it will generate, the lack of affordable housing construction required of the developers, the city’s contribution of $4.36 million, the mass of the project and the effects on the Norway ski trail.

Proponents touted the revitalization of the original base area of Aspen Mountain with hot beds, cold beers, restaurants and a more accessible ski lift.

Jeff Gorsuch, a principal in the Gorsuch Haus, thanked about 100 supporters at an election night party.

“Tonight it’s about 26 people that made the difference but the story tomorrow will be about a community that comes together with varying viewpoints,” Gorsuch told the crowd. “You respect people and move forward.”

Michael Brown, a partner in the Lift One Lodge, said he wasn’t surprised by the close outcome.

“We probably flipped three or four votes today at 4 o’clock at the Jerome,” he said. He estimated that the Lift One team contacted up to 1,000 people on Election Day alone through emails and door-to-door contact.

“Obviously the lift coming down is the linchpin that we all rallied behind,” Brown said. He felt the collaboration between the developers, city, Skico and other players also resonated with voters.

He said he understood the opposition to some degree. Aspen residents are passionate about protecting the community. Brown said the redeveloped base will be a project that makes the community proud.

“This is really going to be something special for the community,” Brown said. “I very much look at this as a community spot and people will come to realize that.”

DeFrancia echoed the sentiment. “I respect those that opposed it. They had their reasons and it’s the way democracy works,” he said. “I want to assure them as well as our supporters that we are going to do a good job. They’ll be proud of what we do and when we finish they’ll look at it and say I’m glad it turned out this way.”

Doyle said he was pleased that the vote was as close as it was, though obviously disappointed by the loss.

“It showed this is a divisive issue,” Doyle said. He hopes that the debate continues based on the close outcome.

scondon@aspentimes.com

Aspen City Council: Skippy Mesirow, Rachel Richards win seats

Aspen voters sent a message Tuesday that they want change on the City Council by electing Skippy Mesirow and Rachel Richards.

On a night that wasn’t kind to the three current council members — though Councilwoman Ann Mullins qualified for the April 2 mayoral runoff against Torre with 341 fewer votes than him — Mesirow and Richards avoided a runoff by eclipsing the minimum 1,228 votes needed to get elected outright. That figure represents 45 percent of the vote plus a single vote.

Unofficial results showed Richards as the top vote-getter among the four contestants for City Council with 1,729 ballots cast in her favor.

Mesirow was next with 1,433 votes, incumbent Councilman Bert Myrin finished third with 1,215 votes and Linda Manning, in her first campaign for public office, garnered 1,076 votes.

Mesirow and Richards were able to capitalize on a voting public that has expressed frustration with the City Council over the last few years, including its handling of the new municipal offices that are now under construction, conducting traffic experiments, proposing a bike corridor on Restaurant Row that was met with firm resistance and failing to select a tenant for the former location of the Aspen Art Museum, among other dealings.

A former Aspen mayor and two-term Pitkin County commissioner, Richards, 58, campaigned on a platform that she would continue to pursue the very political objectives she has in the past — housing local workers, preserving open space and working on the state level on matters ranging from health care to the environment.

“Certainly my work represents my values,” Richards said minutes after learning she’d won a seat.

Richards didn’t have the usual amount of campaigning time she had been accustomed to in past elections. That’s because she stepped down from her commissioner seat because of term limits in January. She’ll get two months away from politicking before she takes office June 10.

“I’ll have some catching up to do,” she said, while sending a “big thank-you to the community.”

Mesirow, 32, positioned himself as a voice of the younger generation and a proponent of bridging gaps rather than widening them.

Mesirow was a primary force behind the campaign to have Aspen’s odd-year elections moved to March from April, after voters in November favored the date change.

“It was just hard work by an amazing team,” he said of his triumph.

The chair of the Aspen Planning & Zoning Commission, Mesirow ran for City Council in 2017, finishing fourth with 792 votes.

Mesirow’s campaign certainly had firepower, as he was able to connect with Aspen’s younger crowd and such longtime, influential residents as former Pitkin County sheriff Bob Braudis, former Aspen councilman Art Daily and developer John Sarpa.

Myrin, 51, was the sole City Council candidate who campaigned against the Lift One development proposal on Aspen Mountain, which voters approved by a margin of 26 votes Tuesday.

During his first 4-year term on the City Council, Myrin fancied himself as a lone wolf, oftentimes at odds with other council members, while maintaining a no-growth position.

During the campaign, however, Myrin said if he were not re-elected, he would continue to be active in Aspen politics on the sidelines as he had done in the past.

Myrin was not present at Aspen City Hall when the results were produced at approximately 8:30 p.m. He also could not be reached by phone.

Manning, 41, who is the Aspen city clerk, stood to leave her job if she was elected because officeholders also can’t hold a job with the city.

Manning, who vowed to make the city more accommodating toward businesses, said she was proud of her showing.

“I came to this with a positive attitude,” said Manning, noting that still believes the city would benefit from more working-class people on the council. “And I brought some awareness about City Council.”

rcarroll@aspentimes.com

Aspen voter turnout crushes previous recent record

Nearly 60 percent of Aspen’s active, registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s municipal election, according to the city’s deputy clerk.

That number, more than 3,200 votes, demolished the previous highest voter total recorded in the past five Aspen city elections by almost 700 votes, according to numbers provided by the City Clerk’s Office.

“That’s a significant amount,” said Linda Manning, who has been the city clerk for five years but did not run this election because she was a candidate for City Council.

By the time the polls closed Tuesday, 3,220 out of 5,398 active registered voters cast ballots in this year’s election, said Nicole Henning, Aspen’s deputy clerk. That didn’t include about 20 ballots where discrepancies were detected, she said.

Previously, the largest number of voters recorded in the past five municipal elections was 2,544 in May 2009.

“It’s amazing,” said Skippy Mesirow, the lead organizer in the campaign last year to move the municipal election from May to March. “It’s better than our wildest dreams.”

Aspen voters in November overwhelmingly approved the measure moving the election by a 68 percent to 32 percent margin. Supporters claimed the May election took place during offseason when town occupancy is low, disenfranchising a segment of the population.

“(The high turnout) is because of Lift One,” Manning said. “It is not the change of election day.”

Up until two days ago, the turnout was running behind 2017 totals, the second-lowest in the past five elections, she said.

“If it wasn’t for Lift One, we would have seen roughly the same or less turnout (as June 2017),” Manning said.

Henning agreed with her boss.

“Personally, I think it was Lift One,” she said after all the votes were counted Tuesday. “That’s just listening to people coming in on a daily basis.

“I think it drove the entire election.”

Mesirow, who won a City Council seat Tuesday, wasn’t so sure.

“There’s just no question,” he said. “We’re talking about a 20 percent increase in voters. The change (of election date) has something to do with it.”

jauslander@aspentimes.com

Winter storm warning for Aspen area starts Wednesday; 10 to 20 inches expected above 8,000 feet

Another big snowstorm is expected to hit Aspen and the central and northern Colorado mountains starting Wednesday and lasting into Thursday, the National Weather Service said in a winter storm warning.

The warning begins early Wednesday and extends until 6 p.m. Thursday with snow totals up to 16 inches above 8,000 feet.

“Heavy snow and areas of blowing snow expected … with 8 to 16 inches above 8,000 feet. Up to 20  inches possible on higher west-facing slopes,” according to the warning issued Tuesday afternoon. “Winds gusting as high as 40 mph.”

Snow totals below 8,000 feet are between 4 and 7 inches, the NWS said.

“Another easterly propagating Pacific storm will move through the area potentially bringing another round of heavy snow to the mountains,” according to the NWS outlook. “Mild temperatures are expected to limit heavy snow to mountain areas above 8,000 feet with rain, or a mix of rain and snow. This system may bring as much as another 10 to 20 inches with locally higher amounts to the northern and central Colorado mountains.”

The round of snow comes after nearly 3 feet of snow fell over this past weekend around Aspen and Snowmass.

The NWS forecast calls for another Pacific storm to move through the area Friday and Saturday “with significant snowfall accumulations possible.”

High temperatures in Aspen the rest of the week are forecast in the low-40s, then drop to the 30s over the weekend.