For Explore Booksellers General Manager Jason Jefferies, music and books have played important roles in his life and career.

“The reason that I got into books is I grew up playing in rock-and-roll bands since I was 15 years old, and I realized that the lyrics I was writing were terrible,” he said. “The music was good, but what I wanted to say wasn’t translating on the page. When I went to college, I met a literature professor that unlocked the power of literature and the magic of books in my mind. And from there, I was just off to the races. I kept playing in bands, but I became equally interested in books and the stories that books tell.”

Jeffries grew up in the suburbs of Charlotte and attended the University of South Carolina. Upon graduating, he bought himself a roundtrip ticket to San Francisco to celebrate and never flew back. He was hired at a large Borders Books in Union Square and eventually worked his way up to managing the store, making books his full-time career.

“Books, to me, are the original virtual-reality technology,” he said. “You’re just looking at a piece of a tree on a page, and you’re suddenly living inside the mind of someone that you will never meet.”

But as he was pursuing his passions, the industry around him began to change with tech companies like music streamers and Amazon changing traditional business models, making it harder for brick-and-mortar stores to survive.

“When Napster hit (which eventually led to streaming) and people had all the music they wanted at their fingertips, suddenly that killed music stores. And people thought when ebooks came out that the same thing was going to happen to bookstores,” he said. “But a lot of people realized that they didn’t want to have an algorithm tell them what to read. They wanted to talk to people about books and the things that made these stories magical and connect with them on a human level. I think that was partially responsible for saving some bookstores.”

After 15 years in San Francisco, Jeffries made his way back to North Carolina and spent 10 years at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh before relocating with his family to Aspen in June 2022 to run a local institution of nearly 50 years: Explore Booksellers.

His reason for accepting the job was simple.

“I want to make sure that the bookstore survives, and I also just want to spread the love of reading,” he said. “And the geography is beautiful. You cannot match this area. I just thought, why not? I lived on the East Coast, I’ve lived on the West Coast, so why not try somewhere in the middle?”

In the time he’s been managing Explore, he has set out to make the store a community hub and create a salon atmosphere in which book lovers can hang out and share ideas. The former Pyramid Bistro has been transformed into an event space where they host visiting authors. He also hosts a weekly podcast called “Bookin,” in which he interviews authors. The podcast is approaching 33,000 subscribers.

Ever the purist, he recently began offering vinyl records at Explore. The decision wasn’t made from nostalgia but what he saw as an opportunity.

According to an annual report from the Recording Industry Association of America, vinyl outsold CDs in the United States last year for the first time since 1987. It shows that vinyl sales accounted for 41 million units, compared to 33 million for CDs.

“I think that the tactile experience of having this object that you put on to a turntable and then you’re really immersing yourself in this 60- to 90-minute work that these musicians have created, you’re having to get up off your couch and flip the record over. It just forces you to listen in a different way. And I think that that’s what a lot of people want, they want to get lost in the art. The physical experience of getting away from the internet for a while is what’s really appealing to people both with vinyl and with paper books.”

He says the community has responded positively to having a place to discover and purchase vinyl, noting that the closest other store offering records is in Grand Junction.

“What I’m seeing is people are buying things across the board. I mean, the first sale that we had, the first day we started carrying records, somebody came in and bought half a dozen Led Zeppelin and David Bowie records, which is about what I expected; but then, the next sale was King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in Kendrick Lamar. Wow. You know, folks are coming in for Taylor Swift and Billy Eilish, etc. So, I’m seeing a good balance of the classic rock and the contemporary artists,” he said. “I think what I’ve mostly learned again is just like how open people here are to new experiences; it’s a great community.”

Colorado Chicano history has experienced continuous cultural erasure since before Colorado became a state, but one young novelist is aiming to make her history heard. 

“My family, we have the saying: ‘We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us,’” said Kali Fajardo-Anstine, the author of the novel “Woman of Light.” 

In her novel, she combines stories she heard from her elders while growing up Chicana in Denver with vast historical research of the West in the early 1900s to immerse readers in a fictional world that is accurate to the time. 

“I would not call this like a memoir, autobiographical in a way,” shee said. “It’s very much an invention, but the characters are completely based on my ancestors, and a lot of them are even named after certain ancestors in my family.” 

“Woman of Light” was chosen this year as the Colorado Mountain College Common Reader. Fajardo-Anstine will be visiting Glenwood Springs for a book talk at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Morgridge Commons, located above the Glenwood Springs Library. 

Her novel traces five generations of a Chicano and Chicana family. 

The story follows the heroine Luz Lopez as she traces her family’s history in this multigenerational Western saga, meeting fantastical and memorable characters along the way as her Indigenous ancestors emerge, a release from CMC states.

“I have a really big family, and so there were a lot of elders around, including my great-grandparents, and my great-grandparent’s sister; so the book is dedicated to my great-grandma Esther and my great-Auntie Lucy,” Fajardo-Anstine said. 

She said she would hear stories of her relatives coming north from southern Colorado when she was little, and she knew she wanted to capture some version of the stories by the time she was a teenager. 

“Stories by people from my community, by and large, have not been represented in American literature before,” she said. 

For the novel, she did extensive research for about a decade, she said. 

“I visited libraries and archives across the American Southwest, from Durango, Colorado, to Wyoming, digging through any family records and digging through different oral history tapes,” she said. “When I visit the campuses, I will talk about the process of research that I did in order to make the details not only feel authentic, but make sure that I am accurately portraying this time in American history.”

Fajardo-Anstine said she would also be talking about her non-traditional route into higher education, from dropping out of high school before receiving her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Wyoming.

“I really didn’t have an easy path toward publication,” she said. “There were a lot of years of rejection, and so I will talk about the resiliency it took to write this novel, but also sort of talk about my family history, about Chicanos from Denver and people who come from indigenous descent.”

She was also influenced from growing up in mixed cultures, like having a great-grandfather from the Philippines, and her father, who is white from Nebraska.

“So I’ll talk a lot about how all of this inspired not only ‘Woman of Light,’ but my first book as well,” she said. “And I will talk a lot about my experiences in the educational system and not seeing my family represented in the historical record.”

Cultural erasure of Chicano Coloradans, along with other surrounding Western states, has caused decades of hardship for cultural identity, which still feels the ripple effects to this day. 

“I’m very aware of the fact that we’ve been erased and basically made invisible,” she said. “I don’t speak Spanish, and that’s something I’m very open about because of the forced assimilation and racism and violence that happened to my family members for speaking Spanish.”

This same erasure of culture still happens today in many communities, even Colorado and Glenwood Springs, she said. 

“We’re all part of a larger colonization pattern, and my ancestors’ stories are also part of what it means to be Latinx, and what it means to be Latina and Latino, in the American Southwest; and that if anything, I want my story to inspire other people to tell their own stories,” Fajardo-Anstine  said. “One of the things I do want to emphasize is that we are vastly different, but we are the same.”

While her story might be very different from the experience from someone who is Latinx, it is crucial to make sure there is a seat and recorded history for every member of any community. 

“That’s why it’s important that as many people as possible are getting their voice out there and are learning about their family history and trying to maintain what the story is of who we are,” she said. 

“Woman of Light” is offered for sale in both English and Spanish, along with her other book, “Sabrina & Corina.”

Post Independent reporter Cassandra Ballard can be reached at cballard@postindependent.com or 970-384-9131.

Local produce and arts enthusiasts will see the 14th summer of the Basalt Sunday Market even as the Midland Avenue Streetscape construction is underway.

Phase I of the project involves the construction on the Midland Spur, or the road behind Basalt Town Hall flanked by Two Rivers Road and Midland Avenue, where the market is usually held. Construction is anticipated to take until mid-to-late June.  

The first day of the market is scheduled for June 18 and to run weekly through Sept. 24. If Phase I construction takes longer than anticipated, town staff said they will likely relocate the market to the Basalt River Park. 

While the construction schedule for later phases of the streetscape project was not on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, it came up during public comment. 

Laura Maine, owner of Tempranillo restaurant in the historic downtown, called in for public comment to press the council on the possibility of rescheduling construction away from summer peak season. 

“I have no desire to be adversarial with you guys. I would much prefer that we’d be in Tempranillo to have a margarita or a glass of wine,” she said to the council. “Our one concern is to do the work in the spring and the fall and not in the summer.”

She referenced a petition she circled among Basalt businesses that gathered more than 30 signatures from some Midland Avenue business owners and employees. She also said she and other business owners have discussed seeking compensation from the town if their businesses lose money during construction periods. 

“I will say that if (our business’ incomes) show a difference this summer, we are going to come back to you seeking compensation,” Maine said. “That said, if you seriously consider and do the work in the spring and fall, not the summer, I will not pursue anything because I think that’s reasonable for completion of the project.”

She did not specify with whom she spoke to or if she meant that she would sue the town. 

Resident Ted Guy echoed Maine’s concern over water-line construction and location along Midland Avenue. 

“It’s really discouraging to see that your impetus seems to be to bring back the Sunday market and destroy the year-round businesses,” he said.

The council pushed back on that comment, and town staff brought up plans to explore an alternative construction schedule.

“I think we really believe that the best solution for all sort will come from working intensely together on this,” said Mayor Bill Kane. “We’re going to constantly evaluate the schedule, the timing, the calendar, and we’re going to do our damnedest to make sure that access is preserved.”

He said that the concert schedule, parking at the spur, and a potential shuttle service will keep foot traffic in downtown Basalt high throughout the summer. 

Town Manager Ryan Mahoney jumped in to let the public know about a plan to explore alternative contracts for Phase II of the streetscape project, one to prioritize cost-efficacy and construction outside of peak summer months. 

“We do want to see what is possible as far as schedule, and so we would be prepared to send (the call for bids) out. Catherine (Christoff) and Michelle (Thibeault) have been working really hard on that over the last several days,” he said. “Once we come back with a contract, it would give (council) the ability to make an informed decision.”

That process to receive bids would take several weeks, he said. 

Planning director Michelle Thibeault said that re-opening the bid for Phase II is more about double-checking that the town will pay the most competitive construction price.

“Double-checking the price is not necessarily about the businesses raising alarm,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to do a cost analysis.”

They expect the existing contractor Stutsman-Gerbaz would submit a bid. 

Town staff re-opened bids for both the bandshell and restroom/bus stop structure for the Basalt River Park due to post-pandemic volatility in the construction market. The new bids all came in over the original contract budget. 

“It’s an insurance policy. It’s just consistent with double-checking (construction costs and schedules),” Thibeault said of re-opening the bid. She also said that the town would consider approving a new contract if it made sense.

Basalt paves way to receive opioid settlement funds

Opioid settlement funds are down the pipe for Basalt after the Town Council approved five settlement documents between the state of Colorado and pharmaceutical/pharmacy companies.

The settlement funds total more than $250 million to be distributed among state and local governments. 

Pharmaceutical companies Teva and Allergan – along with pharmacy chains Walgreen’s, CVS, and Walmart – all settled with the state.

All settlements were reached in November and December 2022. 

In 2021, the town entered a memorandum of understanding with other government bodies regarding the disbursement of settlement funds in a similar settlement agreement with other pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Crews begin clearing Rio Grande Trail of snow

The city of Aspen trails maintenance staff this week have removing snow from the Rio Grande Trail between Puppy Smith Road and Stein Park.

The transition from winter multi-use and ski trails to the fully-plowed asphalt trail may take more time than previous years due to deeper snowpack along the corridor, officials said, asking the community to plan for crews to be working in this area for the entire week and expect for conditions to be highly variable during this period. As grooming for cross-country skiing ended on the Rio Grande Trail below Stein Park on March 14, those sections of trail will not be actively plowed, they said.

For more information, visit aspen.gov.

No word yet on possible remains in burning cabin

Eagle County and Roaring Fork Fire Rescue officials said Tuesday that a cabin engulfed in flames early Sunday was still burning and accessing the site still too dangerous to determine whether human remains are in the destroyed structure. The occupant remained missing.

The remote location of the cabin off of Frying Pan Road about seven miles from Basalt resulted in the fire apparatus not being able to access the cabin. Due to these circumstances, the cabin continued to burn, and no fire-suppression activities took place, authorities said. No adjacent structures or vegetation were threatened.

The first arriving unit reported the cabin was fully involved, and the majority of the cabin had already collapsed. Multiple apparatus and personnel from RFFRA responded with three engines, two command vehicles, a water tender, and an ambulance. Mutual aid resources from Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District also responded.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by Eagle County Sheriff’s Office and Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority. The cabin was a total loss.

350 Roaring Fork protests Uinta Basin Railway

At noon on Saturday, 350 Roaring Fork plans to lead a protest at Centennial Park at Grand Avenue and Ninth Street in Glenwood Springs to demand the Department of Transportation turn down a request for $2 billion in low-interest bonds for the construction of a stretch of railroad from the oil fields in the Uinta Basin to the Union Pacific line along the Colorado River.

This line would bring five two-mile long trains with oil tanker cars loaded with heated, highly-viscous oil up the I-70 corridor along the Colorado and Eagle Rivers and through the environmentally-sensitive Glenwood Canyon, organizers said.

‘Meet the Author’ features teen writer

Nyala Honey is a local teen author who has published two books so far. This 14-year-old’s newest novel, “The Silent One,” is a post-apocalyptic young adult thriller.

She will discuss her writing journey, the process of publishing her latest book, and answer audience questions at the Carbondale Branch Library on Saturday, April 8, at 3 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided, and the event is free and open to the public. For more information: 970-963-2889.

Dementia presentation at Sopris Lodge

Sopris Lodge at Carbondale will host Woo Bandel, community engagement manager from the Colorado Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, to present “Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors” on Tuesday, April 4, from 2:30-4 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public; an RSVP is required, and attendance will be limited to 25 registrants. Call 970-456-6871 or visit soprislodge.com/events to RSVP.

U.S. Bank announced as title sponsor of Bash for the Buddies

The Buddy Program announced that U.S. Bank is the title sponsor for the 24th annual Bash
for the Buddies. The bash is a celebration of the youth, families, and volunteer Big Buddies throughout the Roaring Fork Valley with whom the Buddy Program works with through their four mentoring programs.

The event typically raises over one-third of the organization’s annual operating budget and is
critical to sustaining their youth mentoring programs, Buddy Progam officials said.

The Bash for the Buddies will take place on Friday, July 7. This year’s honorees are Gail and Lenny
“Boogie” Weinglass for their many years of service and support of the Buddy Program. In light
of the honorees, this year’s theme is inspired by Boogie’s Diner of Aspen. Gail and Boogie will
also host the event at their ranch in Aspen.

For more information about the Bash for the Buddies event: buddyprogram.org/bashforthebuddies.

Large hangers approved for Rifle’s airport

Garfield County has approved an updated concept plan from Dark Horse Aviation to construct two large hangars at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. The Board of County Commissioners accepted the revised concept plan submitted by Dark Horse Aviation, which is constructing two new hangars proposed at 49,000 square feet and another of 40,000 square feet.

“Commissioner Samson said once we get the new development guide approved, we’ll have lots of developers coming to the airport to build, and I think this is just one of the many that will be coming before the commissioners,” said Rifle Garfield County Airport Director Brian Condie.

Dark Horse asked to proceed with its original request to lease airport parcels A-5 and A-6, allowing for the construction of larger hangars at the airport. The proposal noted that Dark Horse was determining how to maximize its investment at the airport over the 40-year land lease. The lease rate for the property was estimated at $83,867 annually. 

Ryan Maxfield, executive VP of business development for Dark Horse, told the board that the design of the Rifle Garfield County Airport and ample ramp room makes it a reliable destination for pilots flying into the area. 

“I began flying airplanes before I knew how to drive a car, so I have a unique background,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to have flown into Eagle, Aspen, Telluride, and Rifle, and you guys have one heck of an airport, and you should be very proud. In my mind, from a pilot’s perspective, Rifle’s always been a sure bet. … It’s a safe alternate, even if you’re not coming here in the first place.”

Roaring Fork Engineering announcements

Roaring Fork Engineering announced the promotion of Anthony Alfini to principal and the addition of Maggie McHugh to the team. McHugh will be serving the firm’s water and wastewater clients.

“Anthony’s expertise in our industry and acumen for business operations have made him an essential member both within our organization and in the external community,” RFE President, owner and Principal Richard Goulding said. “Additionally, we are thrilled to have Maggie McHugh rejoin our team. Her experience in managing large-scale water and wastewater projects will be highly valuable.”

Alfini, a native of Rifle, earned his bachelor’s degree in science and civil engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

McHugh graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering. She then pursued a master’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she focused on water resources.

Roaring Fork Engineering offers a range of services including civil, environmental, water resources, and construction administration to clients such as land developers, municipal corporations, commercial entities, and private landowners in Colorado’s mountain communities.

Presentation on organ donation

 Sopris Lodge at Carbondale will host a guest speaker from the Chris Klug Foundation for discussion about organ, eye, and tissue donation on Monday, April 10, from 3-4 p.m. at 295 Rio Grande Ave. 

April is National Donate Life Month and the Chris Klug Foundation is an Aspen-based non-profit that raises awareness about donation and strives to eliminate the wait for those on the transplant waitlist.

This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is requested, and attendance will be limited to 25 registrants. For more information or to RSVP, contact Sopris Lodge’s Director of Sales and Marketing Marie Herr at 970-456-6871, or visit the website events page at soprislodge.com/events.

Meeker Mustang Makeover seeks trainers for summer event    

The Meeker Mustang Makeover seeks 10 young horse trainers to start a 1- year-old mustang and compete in the makeover and help find homes for these horses.

This year, local horses from the Piceance basin and other areas of Colorado will be highlighted in the competition. Horse trainers, both amateur and professional, are encouraged to apply. While the Meeker Mustang Makeover provides clinics to help trainers through the process, applicants should have horse experience as these horses are wild, officials said.

The application period is open now until April 1 at 11:59 p.m. More information and applications are available at MeekerMustangMakeover.org.

This year, 25 trainers from across Colorado will pick up their Mustangs in Meeker on April 29, attend a Getting Started Clinic, and 120 days later, perform and compete to show how far they have come from wild horse to willing partner in front of a crowd at the Meeker Rodeo Fairgrounds. All horses are then sold at the end with trainers receiving 50% of the proceeds of their horse, in addition to taking home prize money and scholarship funds.

The selected trainers will have the opportunity to attend two free clinics by Wild Horse professional Steve Mantle. There is a youth division with yearlings in hand (halter) for kids ages 10 to 17 and a saddle competition with 3-year-old mustangs for anyone aged 15 and up.

The competition will be held on Saturday, Aug. 26, followed by an online and live auction of all the horses to their permanent homes. Trainers receive half of the auction proceeds. Longhorn Video Auctions is the auctioneer and last year attracted 22,000 views on the website.

Applications online at MeekerMustangMakeover.org. Questions? Call Robyn Blackwood at 760-774-6863.

Coming up at the Collective

Wednesday, March 29: Snowmass Live Comedy Presents the Valley Comedy Showcase, 7:30-9 p.m.

Free evening of comedy showcasing local Roaring Fork Valley talent, including winners of our January Colorado Comedy Competition. Reservations are encouraged. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and priority given to those with reservations. Large groups should arrive early to ensure the best seating.

Shows feature adult content and are not suitable for those ages 18 and younger. Bar service available before the show at Mawita. Come early and grab a bite in Snowmass Base Village. Parking is free after 3 p.m. in the Snowmass Base Village parking structure or free shuttles run from the Rodeo Lot, Intercept Lot and Aspen.

Thursday, March 30: Free Community Bingo, 5-6 p.m. in The Collective Hall

All ages are encouraged to come and make matches. Players will receive two cards with prizes awarded throughout the evening. Seatin is first-come, first-served.

Friday, March 31: Free! Snowmass Live Presents a DJ Set with Romy Ancona, 3-7 p.m. at The Collective

Romy Ancona is a self-taught musician making his way through the Hollywood, South Bay, and Las Vegas club circuits as an electronic music producer and performer.

Saturday, April 1: Free! A DJ Set and Ice Skating Disco Party with Taosun*, 3-7 p.m. at The Rink

Ice skating disco party with Taosun, a multi-talented beatmaker who’s been igniting dance floors and airwaves with his genre-blending sound. From hip-hop to bass music and Afro beats to Amapiano and house, this renaissance man has got it all covered. Taosun was exposed to a diverse range of sounds from an early age. He spent countless hours digging through music and experimenting with different styles, honing his craft, and perfecting his unique sound. 
*Weather and ice conditions permitting.

Snowmass events

Friday, March 31, Colorado Currys: Music on the Mall every Friday during après through April 14. This free event features live performances from local Roaring Fork Valley musicians on the Tower stage in the Snowmass Mall.

Nastar National Championship, all day, April 2-8

The NASTAR National Championships return to Snowmass April 2-8. The championships were first held at Snowmass in 1998 and again during the 2013, 2014, and 2015 seasons!

NASTAR offers recreational racing at resorts across the country and participants can compete and compare their scores to friends and family regardless of when and where they race. 

Uphilling primer for Snowmass

Uphilling has quickly risen to popularity in the ski community. Instead of a leisurely ride on the Elk Camp Gondola or chairlifts, you can earn your turns traversing up the mountain on alpine touring skis or splitboards. This workout with a reward is one way to change up your on-mountain experience, but comes with rules to minimize conflicts between uphill and downhill traffic on the slopes and maximize everyone’s safety and enjoyment.

Snowmass allows uphilling from 5 a.m. until 10:30 p.m., but remember you need an uphill pass. Uphillers are asked to travel on designated routes during operating hours (while the lifts are spinning). Here are some important rules to know before you head up the mountain:

• Uphillers must adhere to designated uphill routes during operating hours:
  • Two Creeks: Cascade to top of Funnel around Causeway (bottom of L10) to EC restaurant.
  • High Alpine Restaurant: Fanny Hill to McNamara Ridge to Coffee Pot to HA Restaurant.
  • Sam’s Knob: Fanny Hill to TOV headwall/Dawdler to Lower Velvet Falls to Upper Velvet Falls to midstation of VX to Coney Glade Trail to Banzai Ridge to top of Knob.
  • Elk Camp: Base Village to Funnel up to Elk Camp Restaurant.
• Uphillers must remain visible at all times: headlamps and taillights are encouraged in the dark, please help snow-makers and groomers see you if you go out before sunrise or after sunset
• Uphillers must stay on the side of the trail: stay visible but close to treeline
• Uphillers must be aware of downhill traffic and avoid blind spots
• Uphillers must stay away from all snowmaking equipment and may not cross snowmaking lines at any time.
• All uphillers must have a valid lift ticket or pass to ride up any lifts.
• As with downhill traffic, uphill traffic must obey all on-mountain signage — including closed runs — and rope lines. Uphill access may close during operating hours depending on snowfall and downhill traffic
• Dogs are prohibited between 7:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. at Snowmass during the ski season. Outside of those hours, you may bring your dog on-mountain with you, be sure to clean up after your canine friend — no one wants to ski through dog poo!

No ski area services, including Ski Patrol, are available during hours that the ski areas are not open for business. Please call 911 in the event of an emergency during non-operational hours. You are responsible for your own safety at all times while on Aspen Skiing Company property.

Here, you’ll find the full list of Aspen Snowmass uphilling policies: www.aspensnowmass.com/four-mountains/snowmass/uphill-policy

While paid occupancy in Snowmass is still slightly below last year’s levels, revenue is trending upward, according to the latest Destimetrics report.

The report, which is a collaboration among the Aspen Skiing Co., the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, and Snowmass Tourism, states paid occupancy as of Feb. 28 in Snowmass for the winter season is at 53.2% compared to 56.3% last year.

“I think we’re going to finish the season pretty strong from an occupancy perspective,” said Rose Abello, director of Snowmass tourism, at the monthly Tourism Talk in Snowmass.

She added that occupancy numbers are slightly “wonky” due to the Viewline and Wildwood being closed for a portion of last year, changing the denominator.

Revenue for both the month of February and the winter season is up from the past year. The average daily rate (ADR) is up 13.9%.

As of the Feb. 28 report, Snowmass ended the month of February down 5% from 2022 at 74.3 % paid occupancy. However, the daily occupancy report from Snowmass Tourism as of March 15 shows occupancy may finish strong.

“Overall, the winter season is up slightly in terms of occupancy but way up in terms of revenue,” Abello said.

According to Abello, Snowmass went into March down 4% in occupancy. April looks to be trending up 11% as of Feb. 28.

As for actual rooms sold year of year, the winter season is up 4.8% from last year, selling 113,790 rooms compared to last year’s 109,226.

“March is down about 1,000 room nights as of Feb. 28, so I think there’s some upside there. April’s looking strong,” said Abello.

Looking toward summer, reports show May through August is currently pacing down 17% from last year, a deficit shared between both resorts.

“June is doing well, up about 9%,” said she about Snowmass summer occupancy. “July and August are down 28-29% in terms of occupancy.”

She said she believes there is opportunity for group bookings in July and August because there is group space available. They do not have visibility into September as of yet.

Because summer numbers are low, the Snowmass Tourism marketing team has started planning how to increase tourism throughout the summer.

“Seeing how summer is pacing, we feel like it’s really important to make sure we are to market early. We’re planting the seed of inspiration for people to come here this summer,” said Virginia McNellis, Snowmass Tourism marketing director.

The summer campaigns launch April 1 and are focused on the “fly” markets, specifically markets that have nonstop flights into Aspen such as San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York State, and the Front Range, she said. The “drive” markets will launch later in May.

“We’re definitely going to build on last summer’s campaign success,” she said. “We’re using what we learned about which messages performed, which channels performed to be able to get the best messages out.”

There are so many tweets about Snowmass, we thought we would give the Snowmass Sun it’s own Tweet All About It. We’ve picked out our favorite and not-so-favorite (at least, those that are printable) tweets about Snowmass.

The Aspen Times is available on Twitter, as well. Simply type in “TheAspenTimes” on Twitter (No spaces, please), and get daily updates on what’s happening in the Roaring Fork Valley.

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Anderson Ranch Arts Center’s Patton-Malott Gallery is showing the Aspen Art Museum Artist Fellows Exhibition, which features the work of the 2022 fellows Leah Aegerter, Kris Cox, Chris Erickson, Paul Keefe, Shawna Miller, and Ali O’Neal. The exhibition will run to April 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Aspen Art Museum Artist Fellowship is a nine-month fellowship that provides a mentored, professional development opportunity for six artists each year, from emerging to established, working in the Roaring Fork Valley. The program provides recognition and support for artists interested in expanding their practice through exchange and mentorship through such opportunities as conversations with visiting artists and curators, presentations by museum staff, and facilitated studio visits with their cohort. Over the course of the fellowship, participating artists develop a creative project with the input of museum staff. This exhibition is the culmination of the 2022 Fellowship.

Aspen Art Museum Artist Fellows

Leah Aegerter is an artist working in object-based sculpture and installation. She lives and works in Carbondale and spends much of her free time exploring the mountains and deserts of the American West on foot and raft. Her work investigates her relationship to landscape and intimacy with material. She received a BFA in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2017. In 2022, she was named an Aspen Art Museum artist fellow.

Kris Cox is a visual artist whose practice includes sculpture and constructed paintings. In early 2020, he designed and completed his studio and residence in Basalt. His most recent sculptures are assemblages of entirely upcycled objects from the Roaring Fork Valley. He received a BA from Claremont Men’s College in 1973 and an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1977. His work is in the collections of numerous museums, and he has had 58 one-man shows.

Chris Erickson is a painter, sculptor and designer who emerged from the skateboarding and snowboarding culture of the 1980s. He received a bachelor degree in fine art from Fort Lewis College and then went on to study graphic design, receiving an Associates of Arts in graphic design and illustration from Platt College in Denver. The iconography and pure color depicted in his work blur the lines between fine art and graphic design. His work looks to explore the implications of an over-stimulated world and the effects this has on us as a society. He employs a proprietary technique to generate his images by the use of hand-cut foam core stencils and spray paint. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Aspen Sojourner, and Sunset Magazine.

Paul Keefe lives in Basalt. His drawings, sculptures, and videos question the functions of value, beauty, and humor. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colorado State University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Kansas. His works have been exhibited at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and Lane Meyer Projects in Denver. In 2017, he participated in the Artist in Residence program at the Atlantic Center for the Arts.

Shawna Miller is a figurative oil painter living and working in El Jebel. Her current work focuses on the bittersweet beauty and weight of motherhood. She began oil painting six years ago and has studied in the studio of Michelle Doll in Hoboken, N.J. Shawna moved to the Roaring Fork Valley four years ago from Manhattan, N.Y., with her husband and two young children.

Ali O’Neal is a screen printer, designer, and textile artist and is currently pursuing creative endeavors through her brand, Thimble Fox, and as an independent artist. She uses her work in serigraphy and textiles as a platform for social and political commentary as well as to educate about the inequities of the textile fast fashion industry.

The Patton-Malott Gallery is a gallery space on the Anderson Ranch campus. Its contemporary and rustic ranch architectural elements provide the backdrop for rotating exhibitions throughout the year.

The mission of the gallery is to inspire creativity and critical dialog, engaging the regional community by exploring diverse histories within contemporary art. Based on a foundation of exhibitions that tie the gallery to educational programming at Anderson Ranch, our goal is to bring compelling exhibitions to the Roaring Fork Valley region. The gallery supports artists working with themes that affirm the trajectories of contemporary art as plural, unbounded by geographic, conceptual, and cultural limits. The gallery builds community through its programming, employing art as a vehicle for the examination, and transmission of contemporary experience.

Two brightest planets in night sky will appear close together Wednesday

Skygazers will have an interesting and easy-to-identify celestial event to look at Wednesday evening when the two brightest planets in the sky, Venus and Jupiter, appear to come very close together. It’s what astronomers call a planetary conjunction.

Venus, typically the brightest object in the nighttime sky except for the moon, is often seen just before sunrise or just after sunset. For the past few weeks it has been noticeable in the western sky at twilight, slightly higher each night and appearing to move closer and closer to Jupiter, the third-brightest nighttime object apart from the moon.

Wednesday night they will appear in very close proximity as they pass each other. In subsequent weeks, Venus will continue to be noticeable, higher and higher in the evening sky, while Jupiter will slowly move lower and lower toward the western horizon.

The two planets will appear very close to each other Tuesday evening as well, just not quite as close as they will appear when in conjunction Wednesday night.

They aren’t really close together, of course; they just appear that way from the vantage point of earth. Venus is the planet second-closet to the sun, earth is third and Jupiter is fifth. Jupiter is the largest planet and Venus is third-smallest after Mercury and Mars.

— Denver Post

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall inducts 2021 and 2022 members

ISHPEMING, Mich. — The U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum that recognizes the athletes and visionaries who have significantly enriched the global sports of skiing and snowboarding in the United States inducted members from 2021 and 2022 and one member from 2018, cementing their place in history as accomplishing the highest possible industry honor.

“Over 600 individuals attended the ceremonies and the week-long industry celebrations. Many of our inductees stated that this event was the highlight of their career,” said Justin Koski, executive director of the U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum Inc. “To be able to host so many accomplished individuals and their families for this once in a lifetime achievement is a really unique experience that is a true testament to their respective dedication to the sport.”

Each year, the Hall of Fame manages a revolving list of nominations and works through the selection process to elect the next class of honored members. The process involves over 400 industry advocates and takes place in July and August with its new class being voted on in August and announced mid to late September. The 2024 U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for Park City Mountain, Utah, in March 2024.

Class of 2021

• Sven Coomer (Sydney, Australia)
• Herman Dupre´ (Seven Springs, PA)
• John Eaves (Calgary, Alberta)
• Renie and Dave Gorsuch (Vail)
• Peter Graves (Putney, VT)
• Mike Hattrup (Ketchum, ID)
• Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) (2018)
• Jan Reynolds (Stowe, VT)
• Alan Schoenberger (Park City, UT)

Class of 2022

• Gwen Allard (Mendon, VT)
• Tina Basich (Nevada City, CA)
• Gary Black (Sun Valley, ID)
• Shannon Dunn (Steamboat Springs)
• Rusty Gregory (Mammoth Lakes, CA)
• Terry Kidwell (Tahoma, CA)
• Kent Kreitler (Sun Valley, ID)
• Phil McNichol (Revelstoke, B.C.)
• CJ Mueller (Breckenridge)

Last of physics talks Wednesday at Aspen Center for Physics

The Nick and Maggie DeWolf Foundation will present the last free “Public Physics Talk” of the season at 5:30 p.m Wednesday, doors open at 5 at the Flug Forum at Aspen Center for Physics with the promise of cookies and tea.

In “Casting a Wide Net for Dark Matter, Tim M.P. Tait of the University of California Irvine will discuss the nature of dark matter, the mysterious substance whose existence is necessary to hold galaxies together, but whose fundamental nature remains unknown. Tait will go over some of the key ideas for how to build experiments that could teach us more about dark matter, and how we can synthesize their results to build a kind of composite image of what the dark matter can (or can’t) look like.

Tait is a chancellor’s professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests include theoretical investigations of physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, particle physics phenomenology, high energy collider physics, and cosmology. Tait’s work involves both exploring new models and new phenomena, as well as theoretical interpretation of experiments.

‘Meet the Author’ features teen writer

Nyala Honey is a local teen author who has published two books so far. This 14-year-old’s newest novel, “The Silent One,” is a post-apocalyptic young adult thriller.

She will discuss her writing journey, the process of publishing her latest book, and answer audience questions at the Carbondale Branch Library on Saturday, April 8, at 3 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided, and the event is free and open to the public. For more information: 970-963-2889.

Dementia presentation at Sopris Lodge

Sopris Lodge at Carbondale will host Woo Bandel, community engagement manager from the Colorado Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, to present “Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors” on Tuesday, April 4, from 2:30-4 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required, and attendance will be limited to 25 registrants. Call 970-456-6871 or visit soprislodge.com/events to RSVP.

U.S. Bank announced as title sponsor of Bash for the Buddies

The Buddy Program announced that U.S. Bank is the title sponsor for the 24th annual Bash
for the Buddies. The bash is a celebration of the youth, families, and volunteer Big Buddies throughout the Roaring Fork Valley with whom the Buddy Program works with through their four mentoring programs.

The event typically raises over one-third of the organization’s annual operating budget and is
critical to sustaining their youth mentoring programs, Buddy Progam officials said.

The Bash for the Buddies will take place on Friday, July 7. This year’s honorees are Gail and Lenny
“Boogie” Weinglass for their many years of service and support of the Buddy Program. In light
of the honorees, this year’s theme is inspired by Boogie’s Diner of Aspen. Gail and Boogie will
also host the event at their ranch in Aspen.
For more information about the Bash for the Buddies event: buddyprogram.org/bashforthebuddies

Large hangers approved for Rifle’s airport

Garfield County has approved an updated concept plan from Dark Horse Aviation to construct two large hangars at the Rifle Garfield County Airport. The Board of County Commissioners accepted the revised concept plan submitted by Dark Horse Aviation, which is constructing two new hangars proposed at 49,000 square feet and another of 40,000 square feet.

“Commissioner Samson said once we get the new development guide approved, we’ll have lots of developers coming to the airport to build, and I think this is just one of the many that will be coming before the commissioners,” said Rifle Garfield County Airport Director Brian Condie.

Dark Horse asked to proceed with its original request to lease airport parcels A-5 and A-6, allowing for the construction of larger hangars at the airport. The proposal noted that Dark Horse was determining how to maximize its investment at the airport over the 40-year land lease. The lease rate for the property was estimated at $83,867 annually. 

Ryan Maxfield, executive VP of business development for Dark Horse Aviation, told the board that the design of the Rifle Garfield County Airport and ample ramp room makes it a reliable destination for pilots flying into the area. 

“I began flying airplanes before I knew how to drive a car, so I have a unique background,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to have flown into Eagle, Aspen, Telluride, and Rifle, and you guys have one heck of an airport, and you should be very proud. In my mind, from a pilot’s perspective, Rifle’s always been a sure bet. … It’s a safe alternate, even if you’re not coming here in the first place.”

Roaring Fork Engineering announcements

Roaring Fork Engineering announced the promotion of Anthony Alfini to principal and the addition of Maggie McHugh to the team. McHugh will be serving the firm’s water and wastewater clients.

“Anthony’s expertise in our industry and acumen for business operations have made him an essential member both within our organization and in the external community,” RFE President, owner and Principal Richard Goulding said. “Additionally, we are thrilled to have Maggie McHugh rejoin our team. Her experience in managing large-scale water and wastewater projects will be highly valuable.”

Alfini, a native of Rifle, earned his bachelor’s degree in science and civil engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

McHugh graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering. She then pursued a master’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she focused on water resources.

Roaring Fork Engineering offers a range of services including civil, environmental, water resources, and construction administration to clients such as land developers, municipal corporations, commercial entities, and private landowners in Colorado’s mountain communities.

Presentation on organ donation

 Sopris Lodge at Carbondale will host a guest speaker from the Chris Klug Foundation for discussion about organ, eye, and tissue donation on Monday, April 10, from 3-4 p.m. at 295 Rio Grande Ave. 

April is National Donate Life Month and the Chris Klug Foundation is an Aspen-based non-profit that raises awareness about donation and strives to eliminate the wait for those on the transplant waitlist.

This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is requested, and attendance will be limited to 25 registrants. For more information or to RSVP, contact Sopris Lodge’s Director of Sales and Marketing Marie Herr at 970-456-6871, or visit the website events page at soprislodge.com/events.

Meeker Mustang Makeover seeks trainers for summer event    

The Meeker Mustang Makeover seeks 10 young horse trainers to start a 1- year-old mustang and compete in the makeover and help find homes for these horses.

This year, local horses from the Piceance basin and other areas of Colorado will be highlighted in the competition. Horse trainers, both amateur and professional, are encouraged to apply. While the Meeker Mustang Makeover provides clinics to help trainers through the process, applicants should have horse experience as these horses are wild, officials said.

The application period is open now until April 1 at 11:59 p.m. More information and applications are available at MeekerMustangMakeover.org.

This year, 25 trainers from across Colorado will pick up their Mustangs in Meeker on April 29, attend a Getting Started Clinic, and 120 days later, perform and compete to show how far they have come from wild horse to willing partner in front of a crowd at the Meeker Rodeo Fairgrounds. All horses are then sold at the end with trainers receiving 50% of the proceeds of their horse, in addition to taking home prize money and scholarship funds.

The selected trainers will have the opportunity to attend two free clinics by Wild Horse professional Steve Mantle. There is a youth division with yearlings in hand (halter) for kids ages 10 to 17 and a saddle competition with 3-year-old mustangs for anyone aged 15 and up.

The competition will be held on Saturday, Aug. 26, followed by an online and live auction of all the horses to their permanent homes. Trainers receive half of the auction proceeds. Longhorn Video Auctions is the auctioneer and last year attracted 22,000 views on the website.

Applications online at MeekerMustangMakeover.org. Questions? Call Robyn Blackwood at 760-774-6863.

The trio of skiers involved in an avalanche in Maroon Bowl on March 19 that resulted in one death were experienced backcountry skiers who had skied in Maroon Bowl the previous day, according to the accident report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The three, who were vacationing in Aspen, had skied in the backcountry regularly for the past 15 years. They had taken avalanche courses in Europe and followed avalanche conditions in Colorado by reading CAIC forecasts in the weeks before their trip, the report says. Each of them carried avalanche rescue equipment and practiced regularly with the gear.

Gábor Házas, 54, of Budapest, Hungary, was killed in the slide.

“They made an attempt to do snowpack analysis,” said Brian Lazar, deputy director of the CAIC and Central Mountains lead forecaster. But that was the previous day, Saturday, March 18, when they skied the bowl safely.

On March 18, the group spent the morning skiing inbounds at Aspen Highlands. In the afternoon, they exited the Highlands ski area boundary through a backcountry access point above an area locally called Green Wood Glades. There, they dug a profile through the upper few feet of the snowpack and found no concerning weak layers. Then they climbed N5, a steep, north-facing slope, and descended N5 to Maroon Creek without incident.

Similarly, the next day, Sunday, March 19, the skiers spent the morning inbounds at Highlands before deciding to venture back into Maroon Bowl after lunch. The three discussed the conditions from the previous day and decided cold temperatures and no new snow would not have changed the stable conditions overnight.

“As indicated in the report, their attempt failed to account for the deeper weak layers,” said Lazar. “Had they been closely following the avalanche forecasts, they would have known that the weak layer of concern in that area was these deeply buried, weak layers.”

The report states Skier 2, Házas, wanted to ski one descent down to the road, so the group planned to hike past the previous day’s first descent and make a slightly longer run to Maroon Creek.

At 12:15 p.m., they began their hike up N7. They skied down a short distance before regrouping above a rock band. Skier 1 descended through the rock band and stopped to the skier’s left to watch Skier 2 and 3 descend. Skier 3 waited above the rocks.

Skier 2 fell forward and began sliding as he skied through the rock band. He released a small amount of surface snow and deployed his avalanche airbag. As he slid below the rock band, a large avalanche broke to the ground. The fracture line came within a few feet of Skiers 1 and 3.

The avalanche occurred in Maroon Bowl on a near treeline, northwest-facing slope on Highland Peak in an area next to but outside the Highlands Ski Area boundary. It was small relative to the path and produced enough destructive force to bury and destroy a car, damage a truck, destroy a wood frame house or break a few trees, according to the report.

“The previous day’s experience boosted their confidence about snowpack stability on N7. They failed to account for the higher chance of triggering avalanches from thinner snowpack areas such as previously avalanched terrain or slopes with exposed rocks,” the report states.

Skier 1 conducted the companion rescue while Skier 3 climbed back p to the ridge to get help from Highlands ski patrol, who had seen the avalanche from patrol headquarters and responded immediately. Ski patrol dropped a rope to Skier 3 and determined it was too dangerous for patrollers to descend Maroon Bowl.

Meanwhile, Skier 1 was able to detect a transceiver signal after only a few minutes of searching. Skier 2 was partially buried and Skier 1 was able to reach him five minutes after the avalanche was released and began CPR.

A helicopter from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control arrived at 4:36 p.m. with two Mountain Rescue Aspen rescuers. They loaded skiers 1 and 2 onto the helicopter at 4:42 p.m, and the two rescuers skied down to Maroon Creek Road.

Early season storms played a part in forming the weak layer across the Elk Mountains. The estimated one to three feet of snow from late October and early November was followed with a two week dry spell with sunny days and cold temperatures.

By mid-November, the early season snow melted from most slopes, except shady, high-elevation slopes facing northwest, north and northeast. That snow developed into a thick layer of faceted grains on the shady slopes, becoming the primary weak layer across the eastern Elk Mountains.

Highlands reported near continuous snowfall from late November through March 5. After a six-day dry spell, which was the longest dry spell since November, a series of atmospheric river events returned intense snowfall to the mountains. Highlands reported 31 inches of dense snow between March 10 and 19.

On March 11, Highlands snow safety teams were conducting avalanche mitigation in Highlands Bowl, which is inbounds terrain on the opposite side of the ridgeline from Maroon Bowl. Their work also started a large avalanche out of bounds in the proximity of the later slide triggered by the skiers on March 19 in Maroon Bowl.

“It was so close that what they skied into is what we call hangfire, those unsupported slopes that rest above the old fracture line,” said Lazar. “Those slopes are a little bit easier to get moving because they’re unsupported.”

Hangfire are pieces of snow that are hanging precariously in place after an avalanche, he added.

On the day of the March 19 avalanche, the CAIC forecast for the area rated the avalanche danger at moderate, or level 2 of 5.

“The chances of triggering an avalanche under moderate danger is much lower than at high dangers, but the consequences are very much the same. In Maroon Bowl on the day of the avalanche, there were many places you could have skied without triggering an accident, just like the group did the day before the accident,” said Lazar.

According to CAIC avalanche statistics, the last fatal avalanche in Aspen was in 2018. The avalanche caught two side country riders in Maroon Bowl and killed one. The approach and terrain of the March 19 avalanche was similar to this fatal avalanche in 2018.

It may be the end of March, but the spring transition period is only just beginning. As the transition gets closer, Lazar said, water is introduced to the snowpack for the first time and impacts buried weak layers.

“We often see avalanches break on those weak layers,” he said. “We have a transition period before we get into more mature spring snowpack and more predictable melt-freeze cycles.”