Race cars and wine in Snowmass this week
Proving summer in Snowmass isn’t over yet, two events — one old and one new — will take the village by storm beginning today.
Motoring Classic and Vintage Car Race
Sixty race cars from the 1960s and ’70s will compete in this classic — the first auto race to hit the streets of Colorado ski country in nearly 20 years.
Formula race cars and vintage Corvettes, BMWs and Porsches, among other top brands, will cruise around the village as part of Snowmass’ Motoring Classic Weekend, which kicks off at 9 a.m. today.
The races, which are expected to last until 5 p.m., will travel up Snowmelt/Lower Carriage Way, around the RFTA Bus Depot and down Brush Creek Road.
During the race, the course and roads will be closed or restricted to regular traffic. People are encouraged to take the bus from the Intercept Lot or Rodeo Lot.
Traffic will be restricted on upper Brush Creek Road and lower Carriage Way beginning at 7 a.m. on Thursday. Throughout the race, traffic will be able to pass through the course between race sessions in 10-minute intervals and one-way lanes, but motorists should expect delays.
Wood Road will remain open at the roundabout but will be reduced to alternating one-way traffic. Elbert Lane will be closed to general traffic and parking beginning at 7 a.m.
For onsite race information, visit the hospitality tent in the Base Village arrival center. The best viewing areas include the arrival center, Town Hall, parking lots 4 and 7 and the Base Village conference center lot, according to Snowmass Tourism.
An after-race party with live music will take place at Base Camp Bar & Grill beginning at 6 p.m. Admission to the party is $60.
“A race of this level hasn’t been seen in the mountains in many years, so it is a real treat to see it come alive in Snowmass Village,” Kyle Popejoy of Rocky Mountain Vintage Car Racing said in a statement.
The last time a race of this caliber was held in ski country was in 1998 in Steamboat Springs, according to Snowmass Tourism.
The car collections also will be on display for spectators from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Snowmass Town Park Softball Field.
For more information on the vintage car race and Snowmass’ Motoring Classic weekend, visit http://www.gosnowmass.com/event/aspen-snowmass-vintage-car-race/.
Snowmass Wine Festival
The Rotary Club of Snowmass will host its annual wine dinner and festival this weekend.
All proceeds benefit local nonprofit organizations throughout the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond.
The weekend will kick off with a four-course “California Dreamin’” themed wine dinner at the Viceroy Snowmass starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Viceroy executive chef Will Nolan will prepare the four-course meal, which will feature five wines from American viticultural areas throughout California. Tickets are $135 per person.
The grand tasting wine festival will take place at Town Park from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday. A silent auction also will be held.
For more information on the festival, visit http://www.snowmasswinefestival.com.
Tickets to the dinner Friday and the festival Saturday may be purchased at http://www.rcsvcf.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/SnowmassWineFestival2017/SnowmassWineFestival2017.
Genstar’s Jean-Pierre Conte sued in Aspen by ex-girlfriend Hillary Thomas
The former girlfriend of Jean-Pierre Conte, the chairman and managing director of the private equity firm Genstar Capital, filed suit Thursday in Aspen claiming that Conte committed assault, battery, and violated the terms of a 2021 separation agreement. Hillary Thomas claims in her lawsuit that during her more than nine years with Conte, she helped parent his four children and her two children “whom they raised in a blended family.”
