Fridays in Snowmass Village just got better. The Town of Snowmass has expanded the ten-year tradition of celebrating the end of the week by grabbing some time on the mountain, either at Big Air Fridays, enjoying live music at Base Village or at the Bud Light Hi-Fi Free Concerts by incorporating a Torchlight Descent into their Epic Friday celebrations.

Traditionally a holiday event, the Torchlight Descent has for many years taken place just after Christmas. Snowmass Village businesses, on a mission to encourage locals and visitors to extend their time in town and on the mountain by creating a new late winter/early spring tradition, decided to embrace this popular activity and bring it back for even more people to enjoy. The image of the holiday Torchlight Descent is captivating and gorgeous – almost dragon-like, with the colors and gleams of lights winding around Snowmass Mountain as skiers and snowboarders work their way down in a long chain.

The Snowmass Sun reported on the first of this season’s five descents, with about 100 participants. David Dugan, partner at the Base Camp Bar and Grill was quoted in The Snowmass Sun discussing the success of the kick-off event, “The plaza was pumping, there was about 100 people out there dancing. It was great.”

Dugan, one of the brains behind the new wintertime activity, hopes, along with his co-planners, that the Torchlight Descent continues to be successful and builds the vibe in Snowmass Village.

Interested residents and visitors can sign up to be in the Torchlight Descent at the ticket pavilion. Participants begin loading the Village Express at 6p.m to head up the mountain. Children must be older than 8 years old in order to participate. The Torchlight Descent offers an activity to fill the gap in the Friday afternoon/evening schedule between Big Air Fridays and the live music, keeping tourists and residents active and engaged in the community activities.

Big Air Fridays, a ten year Snowmass Village tradition is already well into its third week, allowing locals and tourists a chance to strut their stuff in front of an audience and to see the tricks and accomplishments of other skiers and snowboarders as well.  Little Air Fridays have been added immediately following Big Air events, allowing younger skiers and snowboarders to participate as well. Big Air gets started at 2p.m. at Fanny Hill on Snowmass Mountain and wraps up just in time for skiers to take on last trip down the mountain in the parade.

The Bud Light Hi-Fi series of concerts has scheduled at least two in Snowmass Village for the 2011/2012-ski season. The first took place in conjunction with the first Torchlight Descent on February 19^th. The second will be held March 18^th, the same night as the very last Torchlight Descent and will feature the Wailers at the Snowmass Base Village. The second Bud Light Hi-Fi concert will also be one in a series of concerts held to celebrate Spring Break in the Snowmass Village and Aspen area.

Celebrate your own TGIF in Snowmass Village with locals and visitors alike in the Torchlight Descent, at the concerts or in your favorite restaurant or bar. And then begin round out your weekend with a tour of homes, condos or investment properties in Snowmass Village or Aspen area. Click here to see Greg Rulon’s latest and most exciting listings now!

It’s almost March again, and in Aspen and Snowmass Village the month of March means a few things: Spring Break, great powder and the Annual Aspen Fashion Week. For the fourth year in a row Aspen has put up the runway, and invited the best fashion designers from the world to show off their winter collections for 2013.

On March 11^th-14^th next year’s trends will walk the runway to help Aspenites and tourists prepare to look their best next season. Design predictions have declared 2012 to be a year of bold contrasts both in color, texture and materials. The color orange promises to be a big hit next year, followed by watermelon pink and lime green. Of course mixed and matched, as uniform colors on the slopes will be a trend of the past. Fur has held its own amid the texture wars as a classic look – either real or faux. Designers this year have played with traditional textures and materials such as leather and offset them with nylons and wools. These combinations promise to be interesting both for the wearer, and the observer.

Designers like David Peck of CrOp by David Peck, will be featured in the show at The Chateau at The St. Regis Aspen. According to Aspenfashionweek.com Mr. Peck was quoted describing Aspen style as “the perfect balance of sport and chic. You may be sweating, but you’re doing it in style!” Other featured designers include, Kjus, Helly Hansen, Sport Obermeyer, Klover and many others. Throughout town designer stores will host their own private fashion events in coordination with runway shows. Check in with favorite stores or designers for a complete listing of their events.

Official sponsor FEED will return to the AFW this year. FEED Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to providing healthy food to hungry children throughout the world.  In addition to focusing on the school lunch programs in the U.S., FEED has also created a campaign to feed those hungry children in Kenya as well. The Sunday Riley Modern Skincare line will join them as sponsors. Sold at Barney’s New York, Sunday Riley Modern Skincare embraces the healing aspect of Nature alongside excellent biotechnology to fight aging and increase the natural beauty of women worldwide. Inspired by Sunday’s Native America culture and the reliance of the Earth and Nature to heal and regenerate the body, Sunday Riley Modern Skincare incorporates detoxification, anti-aging ingredients and botanicals to deliver beautifully glowing skin.

After the shows are over and the skiing squeezed in, the evenings in Aspen during Fashion Week will be fashionably out of this world. Après events hosted by AFW are accessibly only through The Snowstage daily passes for sale now. These not to be missed events will host models, designers and celebrities strutting their fashionable attire. Throughout town other nightclubs and venues will also host cocktail parties and private collection viewings and even film-screenings. Tickets to the runway events are sold in a four-person package or individually. Theses include access to the runway shows, after parties, private showings and full hospitality and tableside service along with four limited edition FEED gift bags. Ticket holders must still RSVP to individual events and are asked to take their seats 15 minutes before any given show is set to start.

While the looks on the runway promise to be exciting and are sure to make those in and around Aspen look amazing, the most fashionable thing in Aspen and Snowmass Village at any given time is still Aspen and Snowmass Village themselves. Come see how good Aspen/Snowmass looks on you! Click here to see the homes, condos and properties in the area today!

Snowmass Village is home to incredible beauty year round. Whether in the gorgeous summer months when the mountains are sprinkled with wild flowers and perfect sunny days, or the crystalline winter, where powder snow and icicles adorn the trees and mountain slopes. While the natural beauty of Snowmass Village is acclaimed worldwide, even more significant is the lasting beauty of a community filled with spontaneous joy.

As a case in point, the Snowmass Base Village Pavilion was blanketed in red and filled with shouting and dancing Monday afternoon as the first ever flash mob descended upon the town. At three-thirty in the afternoon, 70 red-coated ski school pros seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the pavilion, and shared the excitement of living in Snowmass Village. Although this event was planned and rehearsed a few days in advance of the actual event, the joy and enthusiasm poured into the event stemmed from genuine sentiment and contagious joy one finds exuding from every corner in town.

The flash mob phenomenon was created in 2003 when Bill Wasik, editor of Harper’s Magazine organized several such congregations as a social experiment to make a social commentary on conformity. However, these events have taken on a mind of their own, encouraging spontaneity, random joy and a spirit of Carpe Diem. They have also spread internationally to London and beyond.

Residents and tourists who witnessed the flash mob were pleasantly surprised by the activity and applauded enthusiastically. As the ski school employees dispersed after their performance, the mood of Snowmass Village was happier, filled with laughter and a feeling of joyful celebration.

The Snowmass Village flash mob event took place as Snowmass Village was packed to the gills with skiers attracted by great recent snowfall and Mardi Gras celebrants. Mardi Gras kicks off with a multitude of events today and will continue until late tonight. Many Mardi Gras visitors will extend their visit through the end of the week to maximize time on the slopes, shopping and just generally enjoying the atmosphere of Snowmass Village.

Snowmass Mountain is currently boasting a fantastic 59-inch base. Snowfall in the last week has added fourteen inches; eleven of those inches have come in the past forty-eight hours. With snow expected through Thursday, the slopes promise joy to skiers, snowboarders, sledders and snow enthusiasts in town all week long.

All this snow will not dampen the Mardi Gras spirit or activities. Snow in Snowmass Village is considered a compliment to any and every event or celebration. The only alteration in plans may be in costume design to incorporate slightly warmer clothing.

Come experience the joy of Snowmass Village. Between the parade, parties and incredible skiing and snowboarding, take some time to look at homes, condos and investment properties tucked within the beautiful scenery and among the joy-filled neighbors today! Click here to learn more about Greg Rulon and Snowmass Village.

Here there are no blindingly bright lights. No flashing billboards, gaudy musical acts or Elvis impersonators crowding the streets. There are no honking taxis, or bumper-to-bumper traffic as far as the eye can see. Instead, there are perfect mountain views, blue skies, fresh, clean air and skiers and snowboarders enjoying perfect powder conditions. This isn’t Las Vegas; in fact it’s just about the furthest thing from it.  It is Snowmass Village, Colorado. However, beneath this serene surface there is just one thing Las Vegas and Snowmass Village have in common, and that is a deep and abiding love for poker.

On March 9, the 2^nd Annual Texas Hold ‘em Poker Tournament the Snowmass Village card sharks will really come out. For just a $100 donation players can join in the tournament to win the Grand Prize and a trophy. For smaller winners, there will be cash prizes, trips, golf and much, much more. Along with receiving complementary wine, beer and Hors d’oeuvres, players will play with the best of the best poker players in Snowmass Village.

For those wanting a little less competition and a little more of a friendly learning curve, there will also be a Beginners Tournament. Entrance to this event costs just $50, and also includes prizes. All donations will directly benefit non-profit organizations in the Roaring Forks Valley, as well as worldwide organizations associated with the Rotary Club. This year’s Texas Hold ‘em will take place at the Silvertree Conference Center in Snowmass Village.

The Rotary Club in Snowmass Village has taken a direct interest in the eradication of Polio worldwide, and has been actively working toward this end. In conjunction with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rotary Club has worked since 1988 to provide money for research and sweat equity in countries where Polio still affects children. The Snowmass Rotary Club has also participated in the 2011 Dictionary Project with the aim of providing every 3^rd grader with their own personal dictionary.

It is here within the charitable arm of Snowmass Village’s love affair with poker that one really sees the distinguishing characteristics of this community. Unlike Las Vegas, or other glitzy poker cities, Snowmass Village throws their cards in for a good time, but more importantly for a good cause.

Join the fun, and while skiing or Snowboarding through town to collect your Poker Run cards, or between hands in the Texas Hold ‘em contest, click here to see condos, homes and residences in the Snowmass Village and Aspen area. Make a difference in your world and your community while having the time of your life!

Next Tuesday, February 21^st, Snowmass Village will hold its 29^th annual Mardi Gras celebration. One of the phattest fat Tuesdays outside of New Orleans, the Snowmass Village festival will have all the Mardi Gras musts, like a Crawfish boil, a Mardi Gras parade and bead throw. But it just wouldn’t be Snowmass Village if there weren’t just a few extra special additions to the day, like the insane, hilarious and incredibly challenging Mother of All Ascensions race and après ski like only Snowmass Village and Aspen can do.

Snowmass Village prides itself on its family friendly atmosphere, offset with just enough adult fun to keep people on their toes. Not surprisingly, the children are a major focus of the Snowmass Village Mardi Gras. Beginning at 1 p.m. the bead throw will commence. Mixed in among the 24,000 bead necklaces, the King Cake necklace will entitle its finder to a piece of King Cake and a chance to win the Jagermeister snowboard.  Later in the afternoon mask making and clown and face painting will keep the children busy until the Mardi Gras Parade takes center stage.

This year’s parade theme, ‘Lift Your Spirits,’ is sure to capture the imagination of float builders. For those that best embody the theme, the cash prize will be $200, beyond the float reimbursement costs. A prize for best costume is also offered this year, along with the traditional prize for best float.

Every year the excitement around this event builds, the floats get more elaborate, the costumes more fantastic and the parties bigger. All through town food and drink specials and great music will entice Mardi Gras celebrants to extend their celebration well into the evening. Snowmass Bar and Restaurant Après Ski will be the official headquarters for Mardi Gras partying, with local acts, Damain Smith and Jes Grew. Venga Venga will be having its own fete, featuring a DJ, more beads and hot drink specials. Meanwhile Cedar Avenue Blues Band will play at Big Hoss Grill on the Snowmass Village Mall. And just a hop, skip and jump away, The Blue Door will proudly host the Jagermeister Party, with giveaways, live music and a long night of Mardi Gras fun.

Of course all of this fun is mild when one considers that the biggest event of the day will take place at the first crack out of the box at 7 a.m. The Mother of All Ascensions is a strictly local insanity in which costumed athletes race up Snowmass Mountain in the one of the most challenging snowshoe races in the country. While technically considered a snowshoe race, hiking boots, telegear or track skis are also acceptable race gear. This 1,741 vertical rise will celebrate all extremes, from ‘Best Time,’ ‘Worst Time,’ and ‘Best Costume.’ Year after year the costumes improve, as do the times of the ascents. With this in consideration, cash prizes totaling $15,000 are awarded in a variety of categories. Many also consider this race and excellent training exercise for America’s Uphill contest.

Spend Fat Tuesday in Snowmass Village and experience all the excitement and fun of New Orleans with the added excitement only Snowmass Village could add to the mix.  Of course this kind of fun is addictive, so between the Mother of All Ascensions and the Mardi Gras Parade, take a moment to click here to see homes, residences and investment properties in the heart of the fun!

It seems as though the Holiday decorations were just taken down and the Christmas tree was just put away, but none-the-less it is still time to think about planning your Spring Break get-away. Fortunately Spring Break is Aspen and Snowmass Village’s specialty.  With seven fresh inches of snow on the ground in the last twenty-four hours and a 30 – 60 inch base on the four mountains, the conditions are perfect for a beautiful, snow-filled Spring Break.

From March 16^th until the 25^th the calendar in Aspen and Snowmass Village is absolutely packed with great events. Beginning with the CORE Party with Railroad Earth, this block party in downtown Aspen will set the tone for a fantastic week. Railroad Earth is socially concerned band, voicing the political, ethical and moral questions of our time in a slightly Woody Guthrie vein. This event is free and open to the public.

On a lighter note, the Fallen Friends Memorial Event will take place on Aspen Highlands the following morning for its fourth year running. In this fun event, costumed skiers and snowboarders help raise money for the AVSC scholarship funds, in a tribute to those skiers and snowboarders who have been injured or killed in the past few years on the mountain. Judges will scrutinize teams in a variety of categories and select the winners. For those who would rather enjoy the show from down below, Merry Go Round will provide food and beer specials during the competition.

Meanwhile, just across town and a littler later in the day, the KickAspen Big Air Invitational will kick off its 13^th year of ski and snowboarding competitions on Aspen Mountain on the evening of the 17^th.  Proclaimed the best regional ski and snowboarding competition, The KickAspen Big Air Invitational will feature not only exciting on-snow excitement, but photography from David Benjamin Sherry and $2 Bud Light in the Bud Light Beer Garden as well.

The fun doesn’t stop there, the Aspen Klug Camp and the Terrain Park Boot Camp will offer spring breakers inexperienced in snowboarding the opportunity to learn with the pros over Spring Break. Aspen Klug Spring Snowboard Camp will take place from the 18^th-20^th on Buttermilk Mountain. For the past 11 years, Klug Camp has helped snowboarders of all ages and abilities the opportunity to get on the snowboard and to improve their skills or even simply learn how to snowboard.  Likewise the Terrain Boot Camp on the 17^th and 18^th as well as on the 24^th and 25^th will take snowboarders to the Terrain Park and teach tricks, sliding skills and tricks.

To mix things up and keep the nightlife fresh, the Wailers will take the stage on the evening of the 18^th with classics from Bob Marley and the Wailers in the Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series in Snowmass Village. Another Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series will take place on the 23^rd, with the artist yet to be announced.

Last but not least, the Helly Hansen Battle in the Bowls will take place on the 25^th of March on Aspen Highlands Mountain.  In this competition, teams of two will race to ski/ride the bowls of Aspen Highlands with the best time. The course, designed by Chris Davenport, promises to tough, but allows competitors to complete the course in any order or route so long as they complete every bowl on the course.

Don’t miss your chance this spring to get on the mountains and in the excitement of Aspen and Snowmass Village! Indulge your case of spring fever; click here to see homes, residences and condos in the area today.

Just days ago the 7908 Aspen Song Writers announced the finalists from 6 regions throughout the entire state for the 2012 Colorado’s Best Song Writer Competition. This competition and the enormous talent it recruited has served as the perfect preface to the annual Song Writer’s Festival. Every year, talent from around the world descends on Aspen to share their music and their art in a personal and intimate setting. This acoustic experience allows fans and fellow musicians to hear famous songs from virtually every genre in the context they were originally conceived. It is also an event that celebrates the often forgotten art of song writing.

The 7908 Aspen Song Writers announced the contest in the first week of the year, and the response was immediate and overwhelming. While many talented artists submitted their work, the winners were limited to Harley Ellis of El Jebel, CO, Eric Delaney, Steamboat Springs, CO, Matt Holliday from Meeker, CO and Elli Gauthier, Avon/Vail, CO. These artists will compete in one last contest for the opportunity to perform during the festival.

The 7908 Song Writing Festival will commence on March 21^st with the New Americana genre and performers, Darrell Scott and Adam Ailjala and Ben Kaufmann from the Yonder Mountain String Band.  Thirteen performers in all will take the stage during the festival throughout the five days of the festival. Thursday, the 22^nd will feature ‘The Two Sides of Austin,” illustrating the diversity of the music scene in the eclectic Austin, TX. James McMurtry and Bob Schneider will represent the Lone Star State. Friday will feature Southern California music traditions; The Berklee Songwriters Circle and JD Souther and Carrie Rodriguez will perform their work along with the Blue Sky Riders. On the 24^th, the theme of the day is, ‘Masters of the Hook.’ Authors of such hits as, “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover,” “Best I Ever Had,” and artists who promise the future of R&B. Sunday, the 25^th is not to be missed, new artists Angel Snow warms the stage up before festival creator John Oates and Sam Bush take the stage with some featured guests, Matt Nathanson will end the show on his day off from his tour with Kelly Clarkson.

Founding partners of the 7908 Aspen Song Writer’s Festival, John Oates and Gram Slaton, set out in 2009 to connect listeners to their music on a more intimate level. In a mini-series, “The Stories Behind the Songs,” Oates and Slaton realized their deeper ambition – to create the shortest distance between songwriter and audience. This mutual project was the naissance of the Aspen Song Writer’s Festival. Together they have expanded this original idea into five fantastic days of musical discovery and enjoyment.

The name 7908 is, of course, the elevation of Aspen, CO, but for Oates and Slaton it has a deeper meaning. According to their website, “It’s also a state of mind, where imagination is heightened, ideas run freely and friendships are forged for a lifetime.”

With those words, Oates and Slaton capture the fundamental draw of Aspen and Snowmass Village ~ imagination, inspiration and friendship. Embrace the Aspen/Snowmass Village state of mind; click here to see residences, condos and investment properties that will make your heart sing today.

It has been called the greatest winter mountaineering challenge in America; it starts right at the base of Snowmass Mountain and crisscrosses all four of the mountains in Snowmass Village and Aspen. It is The Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race and one glimpse of the course reminds one of the indomitable nature of the Rocky Mountains.

The race will kick off March 3^rd, 2012 at 6 a.m. at the Base Village in Snowmass Village. From here racers will skin up Snowmass Mountain, skin or ski across Snowmass and across the ridge to Buttermilk Mountain, where they will ski down toward the Tiehack parking lot toward Aspen Highlands. Once over the ARC bridge racers will head up Thunderbowl Lane, into Thunder Bowl to the top of Highlands Bowl. From here, racers will follow three trails leading to the Midnight Mine Road on up to the Sundeck on Aspen Mountain. Finally, skiers will head down the mountain with the course behind them and only the finish line before them.

Much easier said than done – only mind-over matter and extensive skiing, skinning and mountaineering experience will get these racers to the bottom of Aspen Mountain with the complete course behind them. Last year’s winners, Brian Smith and Bryan Wickenhauser completed the course in 6 hours, 13 minutes and 7 seconds. However, the Aspen Times reported Smith saying, “This is one of the biggest challenges on skis. I can’t imagine anything tougher than this.”

Even members of the U.S. Mountaineering Team found the Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race to be a challenge last year. Coming in third place, Max Taam and Chris Kroger were just minutes behind the first and second place teams, but just as glad to reach the bottom. By the end of last year’s competition thirty-seven teams failed to finish the race at all.

While competitors are advised to train, and required to have a partner as well as carry their own beacon, shovel, probe, helmet and weather gear, inevitably the mountain sometimes proves to be too much. The Website for the Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race reminds participants that the course is a self-sustained race, with only one aid-station. It does offer racers the option to do half of the course if they are unsure of their abilities.  All racers who plan to go the full course must have reached mid-mountain by 9 a.m.

For those concerned about accidents on the course or on the mountains in general, the Aspen Historical Society will host a talk on mountain rescue on February 25^th.  The discussion will focus on the history of the Aspen Mountain Rescue team, its practices and policies and how it is has transformed throughout its long history. Racers preparing for the Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race may find this discussion helpful in their preparations and informative in their approach to the mountain on race day.

Here in Aspen and Snowmass Village the four mountains call out to challenge the outdoorsman and women throughout the state, the nation and the world. Heed the call; embrace the Power of Four. Find your home today in the shadows of these mountains; click here today to see homes, residences and condos in the Snowmass Village and Aspen area.

Greg Rulon and Greg Didier

The glass is half-full in Snowmass Village, and as Greg Rulon, long-time resident and real estate agent in Snowmass Village, reminded the Aspen Business Journal this week in an exclusive interview, it’s getting fuller by the moment.

Last fall The Westin announced it would take over the Silvertree Hotel, renaming it The Westin Snowmass Resort. This has been a dream a long time in the making, as back in 2004 The Westin had its shoe in the door of the original Base Village voter-approved agreement. However, in a series of unfortunate events that seemed to have surrounded the Base Village, The Westin did not make the final cut. Fortunately, neither Snowmass Village nor The Westin were deterred, as the opportunity for the Silvertree opened up, the Westin jumped right back in the mix.

With its impending arrival, The Westin seems to have brought with it a breath of fresh air, and a sizeable investment in the community. “You can feel the optimism coming back,” Greg commented. The economic downturn, and its ugly side effects have finally become a thing of the past, as new visitors have begun flocking to Snowmass Village for the great snow and a truly family friendly experience.

Rulon reminded the ABJ, “Snowmass mountain is the mountain. If you ski two weeks a year, that’s the mountain for you. It offers something for everyone, every family.” With the influx of new visitors Snowmass Village, Base Village and the Snowmass Mall are all experiencing exciting growth. New restaurants have opened their doors this winter season, and as Greg pointed out, “Business begets business.” Every business in town benefits the others; Snowmass Village has always had to compete with the high society, restaurants and entertainment of Aspen. However, companies like The Westin that carry a certain level of prestige will help Snowmass Village to continue to build its own reputation for elegant and comfortable accommodations. Places like Sneaky’s and Base Camp are packed for après ski, while the Base Village and Village Mall provide excellent shopping and dining.

Rulon, of course sees room for growth in the community for more engaging activities to retain skiers in the Snowmass Village after the lifts close, however he predicts, “Snowmass will succeed. The Silvertree renovation is part of that; Base Village is a part of that. The critical mass and energy is important. It’s got all the bones…”

In recent weeks, investors and homebuyers have been putting some meat on those bones. Rulon has seen a huge increase in the number of showing and offers through his office noting, “I have had more showings in the last few weeks than in the last four months combined.” Part of this increase in activity is the improvement of the national economic outlook. Another contributing factor has been the bottoming out of the market in Snowmass Village. There are great homes and investment properties to be had, at a fraction of their price just a few years ago. The market in Snowmass Village, as it has everywhere else in the United States, has adjusted away from the inhibitive prices of $2,800 a square foot into a more reasonable, but still exclusive price range.

Rulon sees the Snowmass Village as a puzzle, one in which the pieces are truly coming together for a seamless combination of home and community, beautiful nature, fantastic skiing, convenience, good food and fun for everyone. For your own piece of the puzzle in Snowmass Village click here to see the homes, residences and condos in the Snowmass Village and Aspen area.