Top five most-read stories last week
River Stingray/The Aspen Times
Stories in this list received the most page views on aspentimes.com from September 15-22.
1. Four Aspen restaurants receive recognition in the 2025 Michelin Guide Colorado
The Michelin Guide Colorado published its 2025 list on Monday, with four Aspen restaurants included in the prestigious lineup.
Bosq, which received a Michelin star in 2023 and is one of only nine Michelin-starred restaurants in Colorado, received the “Michelin Sommelier Award” this year for Nick Heileman. Of the four 2025 Michelin Special Awards, Bosq is the only restaurant located outside of Denver to receive recognition. Bosq remains the only Colorado mountain town restaurant with a Michelin star — all other restaurants are in Denver and Boulder.
This is also the second year in a row that an Aspen sommelier received a “Michelin Sommelier Award” — in 2024, Chris Dunaway of Element 47 was named.
-River Stingray
2. Aspen mountain to be ‘fundamentally changed’ as construction starts near Lift One
Construction is slowly starting for the Chalet Alpina project near the original base of Lift One, bringing the resort “crafted from fables,” as its website puts it, one step closer to reality.
The project was originally passed by Aspen voters in 2019 by only 26 votes, with 1,555 voting in favor and 1,529 voting against. Irongate group, the real estate group behind Chalet Alpina, has proposed a vision that includes timeshares, residences, restaurants, retail, and additional amenities at the base of Aspen Mountain. A separate Aman destination hotel by Miami’s OKO Group, Lift 1A replacement, and rehabilitation of several historic buildings are also lined up as part of the project.
“So, obviously there are very different perspectives in town on whether this project found this balance in the proposed design and program,” Aspen’s Community Development Director Ben Anderson said of whether the city’s character will be preserved while expanding its resort footprint. “In my view, these will be beautiful, world-class hotels when they are complete.”
-River Stingray
3.Coyote or gray wolf? How to tell the difference in the Roaring Fork Valley
As hunting season gets under way, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is warning those with coyote tags to be aware of the differences between coyotes and wolves.
Currently, the federal Endangered Species Act and state law protect gray wolves in Colorado. Coyotes are managed as furbearers, meaning “species with fur having commercial value and which provide opportunities for sport harvest,” according to the Colorado Secretary of State, and can be taken with a small game license. Other furbearers in Colorado include mink, pine marten, badger, red fox, gray fox, swift fox, striped skunk, western spotted skunk, beaver, muskrat, long-tailed weasel, short-tailed weasel, bobcat, opossum, ring-tailed cat, and raccoon.
CPW warns in a press release that, despite their different statuses, coyotes and gray wolves can look similar from a distance.
-River Stingray
4. Aspenites share stories about late Robert Redford
Editor’s note: Lola was Robert Redford’s first wife, pictured below.
After Robert Redford passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 16, a number of Aspenites are sharing stories about their parents’ connections to the famous actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival.
Lorenzo Semple, one of The Aspen Times’ featured columnists, shared that his father, Lorenzo Semple Jr., wrote the screenplay for “Three Days of the Condor,” a film from 1975 starring Redford.
“My dad is one of two men in Aspen to have ever put words in Robert Redford’s mouth,” Semple said.
The other was Aspen local James Salter, a friend of Semple’s and writer of the screenplay for “Downhill Racer.”
-River Stingray
A group of 29 agricultural groups, hunting organizations and county commissioners is asking Colorado Parks and Wildlife not to release any more wolves until next winter.
The entities submitted a citizen petition to the agency on Sept. 5, marking the latest attempt to pause Colorado’s voter-mandated wolf reintroduction as concerns percolate about rising costs, livestock losses and a feeling of unpreparedness to deal with wolves on the ground from some communities and producers.
“Ranchers are doing everything we can to coexist, but the state has not held up its end of the deal,” said Tim Ritschard, representing one of the petition’s signing organizations, Middle Park Stockgrowers, in a news release. “When wolves kill our cattle, our families pay the price emotionally, financially, and generationally. Until (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) can demonstrate it can manage the wolves already here, adding more is irresponsible.”
-Ali Longwell
Aspen Mountain to be ‘fundamentally changed’ as construction starts near Lift One
Construction is slowly starting for the Chalet Alpina project near the original base of Lift One, bringing the resort “crafted from fables,” as its website puts it, one step closer to reality.
