In Brief: Aspen Historical Society to honor docent; Wintersköl slogan contest underway

Aspen Historical Society invites community to bench dedication in memory of Alexander Hunter

On Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m., the community is invited to the Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum for an informal gathering in memory of Alexander Hunter, who passed away suddenly last winter. He was an extraordinary spirit who worked as a docent and educator for Aspen Historical Society for 15 years, sharing stories from the past with his unique sense of humor and intriguing facts.

Hunter was also the building manager and caretaker for both the Aspen Chapel and the Aspen Jewish Congregation. We will celebrate his life as we dedicate a special bench in his honor at the museum — a place he was especially fond of. 

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This event welcomes all who knew him. For questions regarding this gathering, please reach out to Heather MacDonald at Aspen Historical Society by calling 970-925-3721, extension 105, or emailing heather@aspenhistory.org.

Submit ideas for the 2024 Wintersköl slogan contest

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The Wintersköl Committee is asking all locals to get creative and submit slogan ideas for Wintersköl, Aspen’s toast to winter. The 73rd annual festival will be celebrated from Jan. 11-14, 2024.

When interpreting the slogan, entrants are asked to consider a phrase that embodies the culture and community of our unique alpine town. Submissions should be imaginative and capture the spirit of the Wintersköl celebration. The winning slogan will be featured on the 2024 Wintersköl button and throughout the celebrations.

Guidelines:

– Slogan entries are accepted through Monday, Oct. 9, by 5 p.m. 

– Limit of five entries per person 

– Slogan must be a one to five word phrase to fit on a 3-inch button

– Entries can be submitted at: aspenchamber.org/events/winterskol/winterskol-slogan-contest or e-mailed to jhardman@aspenchamber.org.

The winner will receive one associate pass to the 2024 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

Wintersköl dates back to a quiet January in 1951 when the ski lifts closed, and the locals, craving wintertime excitement in the downtime, created a weekend of eclectic events to showcase Aspen’s unique alpine lifestyle. The celebration has since developed into one of the winter season’s most cherished traditions. 

The 2024 Wintersköl schedule will be out in December. For additional information, contact the Aspen Chamber Resort Association at aspenchamber.org or call 970-925-1940.

Women rescued from Ute Trail on Sunday

Local responders aided a 64-year-old woman who suffered non-life threatening injuries while hiking Aspen’s Ute Trail on Sunday evening. The woman, who was unable to walk, was two-thirds of the way up the rigorous 5.3-mile trail on Aspen Mountain.

Around 9:15 p.m., after securing the patient in the rescue litter, rescuers began the slow, difficult descent. Due to the difficult and unfavorable trail conditions, rescuers were forced to perform a nearly straight descent down the mountainside rather than follow the trail. This involved the use of multiple belay stations with ropes attached to the rescue litter and litter team members, in order to safely control their downhill movement.

After nearly two hours of lowering the litter and resetting belay stations, the rescue team and patient reached the bottom of the mountain at 11:10 p.m. The patient was then transported by ambulance to Aspen Valley Hospital. By 11:30 p.m., all rescuers were out of the field and the incident was closed.