Mountain Mayhem: In like a lion, out like a lamb

As the proverb goes, March “comes in like lion and goes out like a lamb,” indicating when the month starts, it’s still winter, and by the end, spring will have sprung. 

A few dates to keep in mind in March are the annual ritual of changing the clocks to daylight saving time, coming at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 12, and the first day of spring on Monday, March 20, on the March Equinox. By the end of the month, the sun will rise at 6:53 a.m. and set at 7:30 p.m. Lifts are already operating on spring hours, select lifts loading until 4 p.m., and the Silver Queen Gondola downloading as late as 4:30 p.m.

Perhaps we’ll have a sunset skiing-day surface, as well — not announced yet, but always a favorite of mine to enjoy lift-served skiing into the early evening when it’s offered. It’s also Women’s History Month with lots of events on the calendar to celebrate including a champagne lunch at the Cliffhouse followed by an après women’s panel at Limelight Aspen on Wednesday, March 8. 

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In February, in honor of Black History Month, Chef Mawa McQueen welcomed a special guest chef for two evenings to her newest restaurant, Mawita’s, in the Collective at Snowmass. Chef Ope Amosu from ChopnBlok in Houston brought his native Nigerian cuisine to Colorado serving three courses with an optional wine pairing from McBride Sisters, a Black-owned business with wines from around the world. The first course was a Yassa Scotch egg salad, followed by an African lentil bisque. The main was a Liberian rice and greens dish with coconut curry and seared Cameroon pepper shrimp. Nigerian plantain bread and colonial cream capped off the dessert. I never knew how sweet and savory those flavors could be — delicious.

Also last month, the Los Angeles-based active wear brand Splits59 presented a pre-skiing yoga class for a select group of women led by instructor Arielle Shipe at O2 Aspen on Feb. 17. Founded in 2008 on the foundation of creating effortless style and functional performance clothing for women, Splits59 takes its name from “the split second on a stopwatch that can make all the difference to an athlete.” For this specific class, all participants were outfitted in flattering silhouettes in high-performing fabrics, moving through a flow class followed by a trunk show at the studio. With the introduction of eco-friendly and upcycled capsules, Splits59 is working to reduce their carbon footprint towards greater sustainability. 

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Closing out February: the popular Palm Tree presented by Belly Up Aspen with Palm Tree Crew (founded by Kygo and his manager Myles Shear) and C3 Presents. The well-organized, two-day outdoor event featured headliners Kygo and Jack White with lots of additional talent as openers.

And now we move into March!