Hartstein: Is Ajax closing the new Highlands closing?

The mountains are officially shutdown, and what a closing it has been! Between the first week of April’s pow days that led into Bacon Day and Buttermilk closing day, the start of the closing of the four mountains was stellar. That prime first week in April led into what has notoriously been the best closing party of the year: Highlands.

What used to be an amazing throwdown for locals, this local has observed the Highlands closing high-jacked by greed and out-of-towners. Between the $20 mandatory entry fee, VIP areas, table service, the busses of Denverites being shipped up strictly to party and take drugs and the overall lack of skiing in general, my last several Highlands closing parties have left me longing for days of old.

When the party was mostly locals, all decked out in costumes, bathing suits, and bikinis and the party didn’t even get started until after 3 p.m. — when all the locals had finished their final day of skiing, which was marked by drinking pit stops and friend meet-ups all over the mountain. 

Rejoicing with friends and toasting the end of a long, hard season mid-mountain was one of my favorite parts of Highlands’ closing day. Seems like since they added a VIP section to closing day, those Highlands closing parties of old are long gone. 

If you’re anything like me, in the past, you take off for your off-season adventures immediately after Highlands’ closing party. The way I figured it, there was no need to stick around for Ajax closing as it was a full week later, the weather had warmed up, and the snow was just bearable. Meanwhile, there was too much snow to go camping around the valley; yet, a quick 3-hour drive in a multitude of directions — namely the desert — and you could be lounging in the sun, alone or with friends, and either way, it would be better than another week of winter here in Aspen. 

Well, this year, I decided to stick around for Ajax’s closing party and, boy, am I glad I did. For reasons mentioned earlier, this was my very first Ajax closing party in over a decade of living in Aspen. It never ceases to amaze me how many firsts you can still have after living in Aspen for years, and yet, I continue to have many of my own. As I mentioned I’m usually out of town by then, so this year’s Ajax closing was my first time sticking around long enough to see what it was all about.

Having partied for the past two weekends in a row and being well beyond my prime partying days, I decided to head up top around 1 p.m. when I assumed the party would just be getting going. The gondola ride up was more fun than usual as I shared a gondola with both people who had been before and people who were seeing it for the first time. 

Skiers dressed up in all sorts of fun costumes, including Easter Bunnies and pot leaves, as it was also Easter Sunday and 4/20. Bell Chair was running (as is tradition) for maybe the only time I’d seen it run this season. As a result, there were skiers taking on the mostly skied out bumps of the nose of Bell and other skiers and snowboarders off to the side of the runs, beers in hand, cheering and jeering any brave souls attempting to jump off what remained of the moguls.

Coming down Kleenex Corner and the base of Aspen Mountain, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that many people at once. It looked like an ant hill, as novice skiers fell trying to navigate the moguls left from earlier skiers. Meanwhile, advanced skiers were left trying to navigate both the moguls and the downed newbies trying to find their feet. A longtime local, it was a comical site to behold. 

Upon reaching the top, I stepped out of the gondola to what seemed like an already pumping party. Gated off with blue ski-crash gates, you had to show identification and check your bag to get in. Unlike the Highlands party, this party was free, and the bracelet was just to identify those 21+ if they wanted to buy alcohol. I showed my ID, had my bag searched in 2 seconds, and went on in. I’d estimate 100 people were there. Wanting to set my bag down and grab a quick slice, I ventured into the Sundeck. I noticed right away that the flimsy tent thing that you have to go through to get to the main door of the Sundeck had been taken down, opening up all kinds of room outside, which was another thing I had never seen before. Almost made me wish they always had it down. It really freed up the view off the deck to see the mountains. They even had enough room for a water station and people to dance. It was nice to see something different. 

I went inside and threw my bag down and headed for a slice of pizza. The food area was packed. As I went to grab a slice, I noticed how quickly people were moving through the checkout lines. Kudos to the staff working, as they either had tons of experience this winter and knew how to handle hoards of hungry people trying to pay and leave or they had extra staff on. Either way, I waited 2 minutes in a line of 30 people to pay and checkout. Flashing my community sticker barcode, the guy working knew immediately what to do, and my $10 slice became $5. (If you know, you know.) For $5, I was pretty happy to get some food in my belly before the party really got started.

Heading back outside to the party to hear the music and do some dancing, it seemed like there were even more people in the 20 minutes I had gone inside. Making my way to the back of the party, I found some room to boogie down. As I danced while people-watching and was shaking what my momma gave me, I spotted several different friends. Gave a few head nods and “what ups,” as it was nice to see familiar people who also lived here. As I continued to look around, I was shocked at how many people had dressed up in costume. I myself was in my stellar ’80s neon jacket that gets compliments every time I wear it, fitting in with the majority of others who got the memo. In fact, it was the people in normal ski gear and regular clothes who were out of place in a sea of Aspen freaks, letting their freak flags fly. 

Eventually, I ran into my friend Jeff Hansen. We boogied outside for a bit until it got cold and he and his crew decided to grab some food inside, as it was now 2 p.m. and beginning to snow. Snow — on the closing day!? Could it get any more perfect? I went inside to chat with them, and as we talked, a few things were pointed out. 

I initially commented I was surprised there were so many people here at the party. Between the deck outside and the tables and food inside, it was one of the busiest I had ever seen the Sundeck. I also commented on how everyone was in costume. Even more so than Highlands closing party. It was then that Jeff hit me with “Ajax closing IS the new Highlands closing,” which gave me pause to think about.

I didn’t have to pay a cover. The DJ (Naka G) wasn’t just playing what he wanted — he was vibing with the crowd, giving what they wanted instead of just sticking to his own playlist. Plus, it was his third year in a row, so people knew what they could expect. There were tons of people, but it wasn’t overcrowded both because of the space inside and out, and it seemed like most of the people were actually Aspen locals. As I looked around at all the different people in their different costumes, it hit me: I think Jeff was right. Ajax closing IS the new Highlands closing. It felt like, and maybe even better than, my romanced memories of what Highlands closing used to be.

Are you a know-it-all? Know something Landon doesn’t? If you have a suggestion or hidden gem you’d like Landon to highlight and share with the town, email him at LandonLikeAPlaneWrites@Gmail.com.