Married couple recalls ‘special memories’ of meeting at Snowmass’ Ullrhof

Long before blueprints were drawn and demolition dates set, Allen and Stacy Stern found something enduring at the Ullrhof — a quiet moment of connection that would change both of their lives.

It was Jan. 11, 2021, and the COVID-19 pandemic was still reshaping routines and expectations across the globe. But on that unassuming winter day, fate intervened somewhere between a tray of leftovers and a shared trash can.

Stacy, a Snowmass Mountain ambassador visiting her nephew who worked at Ullrhof, had stepped inside to rest her legs. 

Allen, a local and regular with “The Over the Hill Gang” — a Tuesday ski group led by an 85-year-old ambassador — had just finished lunch with friends. 

They didn’t know it yet, but both were about to collide in the most charmingly mundane of ways.

“I grabbed the trash from the table I was sitting at and headed towards the trash can,” Allen recalled. “At the same time, Stacy got up from the table she was at and headed to the same trash can.”

A casual “hi” from Allen led to a brief exchange. 

Stacy, ever the Ambassador, asked him where he was visiting from. He told her he lived in Snowmass. So did she, and as luck would have it, both were single. 

“Then we should ski together,” she said. He asked for her number on the spot.

“From that day on, we fell in love,” Allen wrote in an email, adding, “We always considered the Ullrhof our special place.”

Since then, their lives have grown together, on and off the slopes. He proposed to Stacy at the summit on the hike from Aspen to Crested Butte. The two were married at the Viceroy Snowmass last September. 

They’ve built a life with friends, routines, and near-daily ski meet-ups — all of which orbit the Ullrhof like a cozy gravitational center.

Aspen Skiing Company has announced plans to begin tearing down the mid-mountain lodge in May 2025. There is also a ’70s-themed farewell party slated for the legendary restaurant on Sunday, March 30.

“We will be sad when the Ullrhof as it is will be gone because of the special memories we have,” Allen wrote.

The new building will feature expanded seating, modern restrooms, and improved accessibility — a significant upgrade for a space that has served skiers since 1967. While the renovation promises a better guest experience, the couple feels a bittersweet pull.

But for Allen and Stacy, no architectural upgrade will ever replace the serendipitous spark shared over a trash can in a cafeteria during a pandemic winter.

They plan to be there on Ullrhof’s final day to raise a glass and toast “the wonderful life we are so lucky to enjoy because of that special moment in time when we met.”