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Mountain Mayhem: To Ski or Après-Ski

May Selby
Mountain Mayhem
Buttermilk birthday ski day with Kirk Lawrence, birthday boy Merric Lutz-Sladdin, Sammy Scher, Remy Selby and Wyatt Lawrence. Courtesy photo.
Kathy Fry poses in front of the installation atop Ajax by cosmetics company Glossier.
Après-baby Jones Leavitt at Dantè with her dad, Derek.
Sonya Vega Auvray, owner of Dona Vega Mezcal, at Danté with Sari Tuschman.
The Spicy Fresca at Danté made with Dona Vega Mezcal, tequila, grapefruit, San Pellegrino Pompelmo and smoked jalapeño.
Artist Fischer Cherry and philantropist Alexander Hankin in the Pow Wow Room at The Caribou.
Jordan Kleiman and Alexander Hankin arrive at one of Aspen’s best addresses.

With spring weather upon us, there’s an itch to pack in as much as possible when it comes to skiing and après-skiing and hitting the town at night. From on-mountain birthday parties with gangs of all ages to après-ski toasts at the top hot spots to dinner dates at Aspen’s many restaurants, there’s a vibrancy and cause for celebration everywhere you look.

Merric Lutz-Sladdin turned eight on Saturday, March 27, by making turns on Buttermilk with a few of his closest ski buddies. The crew lapped the mountain several times before having a cupcake tailgate in the parking lot, then headed back up for more runs in the park.

Also that afternoon at the base of Aspen Mountain, Sonya Vega Auvray hosted friends for drinks at Danté at The Snow Lodge, with her signature Dona Vega Mezcal as the spirit of choice. As one of the drinks on tap at Danté, the Spicy Fresca is made with Dona Vega Mezcal, tequila, grapefruit, San Pellegrino Pompelmo and smoked jalapeño.



You may have noticed dinner reservations during primetime have been hard to come by lately. Whenever friends of mine or I have tried booking a table in the past few weeks, it’s either 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. as the remaining options. So when it works out to dine in between that range, it’s a home run. Alexander Hankins of Philadelphia recently secured a 7 p.m. table in the Pow Wow Room at The Caribou, inviting a group of close friends to join him. “I was so happy to return to Aspen this spring,” said Hankins. “It was the first time I’ve been on a plane in a year – almost a year to the day. I hosted an intimate dinner for close friends at Caribou Club and an après-ski at The Little Nell’s new speakeasy – it was so wonderful to see everyone. My Aspen family holds such a special place in my heart.”

He added: “I’m also excited that I think we will be able to bring back The Next (the December fundraiser at the Aspen Art Museum) in a new form this winter. I spent an afternoon with Nicola Lees at the Aspen Art Museum. I can say with confidence that we are so lucky to have her leadership. She’s doing amazing things at AAM and I especially love her {now closed) student exhibition. It’s such a great way to bring the community into the museum. I think that Aspen is definitely back and better than ever!”




Aspen Times Weekly

Bar Talk: sway Thai

sway opened its Aspen doors at the beginning of February with nine cocktails on the menu including some options not offered in Austin, such as a Thai coffee martini, fitting in with this mountain town’s espresso martini infatuation.



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