Mountain Mayhem: May’s picks for June
Jeremy Swanson/Courtesy photo
With Aspen Airport back in business after a month’s hiatus, hotels and restaurants reopening after brief closures, schools out for summer, and flowers and greenery bursting around the valley, it feels like the most magical season of the year has arrived. It also signifies an abundance of cultural happenings are on offer, including a few that are on my radar for June, shared below.
On Friday, June 13, Aspen Words presents its annual Book Ball at Hotel Jerome, featuring historian, author, and journalist Hampton Sides as the keynote speaker in conversation with Pete McBride, who is best known for his non-fiction adventure stories from “Blood and Thunder” to “The Wide Wide Sea,” named a Top 10 Book of 2024 by the New York Times for its gripping, meticulously researched tale of Captain James Cook’s final, fatal voyage. Tickets and tables are available online, with funds raised in support of Aspen Words programs, including Writers in the Schools, scholarships for aspiring writers, and community talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning authors. aspenwords.org/book-ball
On Sunday, June 15, the bi-annual MOLLIE Standard Cocktail Competition returns, bringing Aspen’s premier hotels and their talented mixologists together. Tickets are available at a pre-event price online or for more at the door and provide access to sampling each entry and voting in the People’s Choice awards. The Judges’ Favorite award will honor a winner with the Golden Cocktail Shaker trophy and bragging rights as the creators of Aspen’s Best Summer Cocktail. mollieaspen.com/events/mollie-standard-cocktail-competition
From Friday, June 20, through Sunday, June 22, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen returns with cooking demonstrations, wine and spirits tastings, and panel discussions led by world-class chefs and beverage experts. Passes are available online, and hotly sought-after invitations to parties include Global Fire on Saturday, June 21, Presented by Aspen Collection in collaboration with Taste Network and benefiting Aspen Public Radio, the evening features a live-fire culinary experience at Aspen’s historic Smuggler Mine. tastenetwork.com/events/global-fire
On Monday, June 23, Mountaintop Yoga returns to the top of Ajax on The Little Nell’s wedding deck. The hour of Hatha Yoga led by Aspen Shakti takes place on weekdays from 10:30-11:30 a.m. with vast views of the Elk Mountains. Hike or ride the gondola to yoga and register upon arrival; a portion of the class fee is earmarked for Aspen Snowmass’ Caring for Community Fund. aspensnowmass.com/visit/activities/summer/yoga
Now through September, visit Paepcke Park to see “Unsui (Mirror),” a monumental public art installation by internationally acclaimed artist Sanford Biggers. The work features two mirrored cloud sculptures—standing 28 and 23 feet tall— and is presented by Buckhorn Public Arts in partnership with Aspen Public Art. Co-commissioned in partnership with Desert X, this installation marks Desert X’s first project in Colorado. The work evokes themes of freedom, interconnection, and transcendence, drawing on Biggers’ study of Buddhism and the Japanese concept of unsui (“clouds and water”). On Sunday, June 29, at 3:30 p.m., an artist talk will take place, open to one and all. redbrickaspen.com/2025public-art-projects/sanford-biggers
Mountain Mayhem: May’s picks for June
With Aspen Airport back in business after a month’s hiatus, hotels and restaurants reopening after brief closures, schools out for summer, and flowers and greenery bursting around the valley, it feels like the most magical season of the year has arrived. It also signifies an abundance of cultural happenings are on offer, including a few that are on my radar for June, shared below.
‘Aggressive infestation’ almost eats away popular Aspen park
The city of Aspen departed from their standard policy of not using herbicides or pesticides when they treated Wagner Park last week to combat an aggressive disease called Ascochyta leaf blight that could have wiped out the turf.
