aspen Travel Guide
Tags: Crime / New Year's Eve / Skiing / → All Tags
Aspen Defuses New Year's Bomb Threat
God save our aging, semi-retired celebs! After four homemade "gasoline bombs" disguised as holiday gifts were found in Aspen, police there say they found the body of the would-be bomber, a convicted con man who apparently shot himself before his New Year's plot could unfold.
The explosives were found at two banks and in a nearby alley along with notes demanding $60,000, leading police to seal off a 16-block section of downtown, shuttering restaurants and bars gearing up for a huge night. Celebrations in the celeb-stuffed ski village ground to a halt, and the professionally planned fireworks show was also canceled.
Locals say the suspect, James Blanning Jr., was upset that he hadn't cashed in on the town's transformation from mining outpost to celebrity ski haven, though we'd classify his apparent expertise in grandstanding and dramatic plots as straight out of Aspen resident Don Johnson's playbook.
Related Stories:
· Bomb Plot Interrupts New Year’s in Aspen [NYT]
· You, Me And Some Skis [Jaunted]
· All She Wants For Christmas... [Jaunted]
[Photo: non no yes]
Tags: Celeb Travel / Skiing / Kate Hudson / Goldie Hawn / → All Tags
You, Me And Some Skis
Kate Hudson and mom Goldie Hawn were spotted shopping in the celeb haven of Aspen on Sunday while Kate's son Ryder was actually checking out the slopes. With 65 inches of snow at Aspen Highlands and a 58-inch base at Snowmass, it's good to see someone's taking advantage of high quality pre-season skiing!
Kate and former husband Chris Robinson were married in Aspen back in 2000, and her mom and Kurt Russell are part-time residents, along with Michael Douglas, Kevin Costner, Jack Nicholson and Don "How's my stubble?" Johnson.
Even more celebs swing by for occasional visits: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon dropped in this Christmas and Paris Hilton and new BFF Brittany hit the town this weekend.
Related Stories:
· All She Wants For Christmas... [Jaunted]
· Skiing coverage [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: PopSugar]
Tags: Holiday Travel / Mariah Carey / Celeb Travel / Skiing / → All Tags
All She Wants For Christmas...
If you're going away this Christmas, at some point you have to pick: Sun or snow? Mariah Carey, original artist behind one of the best modern Christmas songs ever, picked snow--specifically, celeb magnet Aspen. (Probably just so she can hang out with longtime resident Jack Nicholson, right?)
Well, at least the ski patrol won't have trouble finding her. She might be alone up there--a lot of celebrities have opted for the beach instead of the slopes this year, from Simon Cowell and Gwen Stefani to president-elect Barack Obama, whose trip home to Hawaii must be bittersweet after losing his grandmother earlier this year.
Related Stories:
· Baggage Fees? But I'm Mariah Carey! [Jaunted]
· Ice Fishing Too Easy For You? [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Faded Youth Blog]
Tags: Ski-Resorts-in-Summer / Food Travel / Wine Travel / → All Tags
Ski Resorts in Summer: Food & Wine Classic
The Food & Wine Classic, takes place this weekend in the swellest mountain town in the USA, Aspen, Colorado. It's the Art Basel of American cuisine, a place where you can sample some of the country's finest wines, attend a "Future of Flavor" seasoning seminar by high cuisine juggernaut McCormick and steal away to the US Open viewing lounge to gripe to other dudes about how all you want to do is play some golf and get away from your wife and her drunk friends.
Beginning this Friday afternoon, there are some really quality events such as the Sam Adams beer pairing with food and a documentary about Spanish wine country held at the Aspen Opera House. (We're pretty sure Aspen is the only ski town with an opera house.)
Tags: Mancations / Fishing / Skiing / Active Travel / → All Tags
Ice Fishing Too Easy for You?
After we heard about the ski doctor at the St. Regis Aspen, we started wondering what else might be shakin' in the St. Tropez of the Rockies. And leave it to the hotel to fill us in on all the alternatives to sussing down the slopes--there are plenty.
The staff would be happy to set you up with some snowshoeing or snowmobiling excursions, but the winter fly fishing snagged our attention. It really doesn't get much more extreme than angling while standing in rushing water cold enough to kill you if you fall in. Head out with the crew from Aspen Outfitting Company who have the gear and the expertise to make sure that doesn't happen.
Then again, if you're not keen on hooking fish while standing in freezing streams (you're not!?), check out the spa at the St. Regis. You can still get your active on Tuesday through Saturday with a $20 yoga class at 9 a.m.--early enough to be hitting the slopes the same day.
[Photo: absolutwade]
Related Stories:
· Aspen Outfitting Company [Official Site]
· Ice Fishing Freaks [Jaunted]
