First Chair: Best Opening Day Ever in Aspen.

The Deep. Photo: Frank Shine / ASCAspen is a ski town, first and foremost.  Aspen has arts, culture, history, glitz and glamour....but its the mountains and the snow that are Aspen's greatest attributes.

When you live in a ski town the anticipation for opening day is palpable. Locals have been chomping at the bit since a huge blower storm hit us on on October 25. That POW followed by several blizzard-like cloudbursts  provided us with the best  pre-season base in recent memory.  We give THANKS 4 POW. Props to all those who have been working on the ski hill prepping for the rest of us. Kudos to those who have been earning their turns by skinning up the Power of Four. We've seen plenty of POV vids and professional photos from  FOSC.....Friends of Ski Co. ....jealous. But, 11/24/10, the day before Thanksgiving, ski season 2010/11 kicked off with a BANG in Aspen.....a full fledged POW DAY. 

AspenSpin is calling it the BEST OPENING DAY...EVER. Click 4 pix.

Turkey getting after it on Bell Mountain. Photo: Jeremy Swanson / ASCThanksgiving is the "official" opening date for Aspen Mountain and Snowmass.  It's become a tradition that AJAX opens a day early to benefit AVSC (Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club).  For a $40 donation to AVSC anyone can ride....all day.  With a 48 hour total of 17", AVSC Day became Aspen's  BEST (unofficial )opening Day Ever.  It was a legit POW DAY.  Pockets of waist deep, untracked snow were there for the taking.   FAT SKIS were de rigueur.  We've never needed a snorkel on opening day before.... but face shots were plentiful., it was Legit. It was also bitter cold and windy too..... nobody cared.   Winds of up to 75 miles an hour were forecast.....but it never got that bad and the trusty Gondola ran all day.   The red cars have even added solar powered MP3 players this year----pretty sick.

Thanksgiving is an awesome holiday on its own--but when you throw in opening of ski season it becomes EPIC.  While the official turkey day opener was a bit anti-climactic after AVSC day, it was still awesome.   Aspen was beautiful, bluebird sunny and brrrrrrrr  minus 10 degrees.   The Dogs got the first chair...as always. 

So lets get-it-on. Lets roll.  Expectations are high.  Big snow is forecast.  Pack your warm stuff and your gear. Book your flights.  Get here now...by any means necessary. 

 First Chair at Snowmass. Photo Jeremy Swanson /ASCPOW day opens the season in Aspen. Jimmy on 3. Click 4 pix. Gordon Bronson broke out the Spacesuit for Opening Day in Aspen. Click 4 more pix.