Mountain Mayhem: Girls’ trip

Over the weekend of March 5-7, a group of eight friends descended on Aspen for their annual girls’ trip — a mildly wild tradition fueled by laughter, skiing and a suitcase full of costumes.

Partway through their visit, I just so happened to run into some of them on a sidewalk downtown and offered to snap a group photo; I was quickly fascinated by their vibrant itinerary, infectious energy and the collection of fun photos they shared from their weekend thus far, so I figured a recap would make for good fodder for this column. Catherine Eplett, Jess Sargent, Molly Bechtel, Kerryn Connolly, Kinsey Kornack, Meggie Barrow, Annie Mullen and Amanda Kubista are girls who just want to have fun, hailing from Maryland, Massachusetts and South Carolina.

According to Co-Organizer Molly Bechtel, the secret to their success each time is a “go with the flow” philosophy.

“The unspoken criteria are that you ski and you’re willing to be flexible,” she explained. “If après is too fun to leave, dinner plans shift. If you want to go rogue and hit the spa, no one is offended. We just say, ‘See you at the base!'”

This year’s Aspen itinerary included Yacht Rock Revue at Belly Up, lunch at Cloud Nine, après-ski at The Little Nell, dinners at Casa Tua and Catch Steak and late-night dancing at the Caribou Club. They sported lifeguard attire for some stops and dressed to the nines for others. But the real showstopper was their commitment to the “Bernie” look. Inspired by “Weekend at Bernie’s,” the group donned Hawaiian shirts, mustaches and shades, perfected their best “limp pose,” had trucker hats made with his likeness and brought a touch of the absurd to Aspen’s swanky social scene.

As Molly puts it, quoting Amy Poehler: “There’s power in looking silly and not caring that you do.”

I completely agree with that mantra and just might try to invite myself along on their 2027 visit.