Klaus Obermeyer turns 91.

Klaus Obermeyer turns 91. click 4 more pixDecember 2 is an international holiday for skiers.  Its the birthday of KLAUS OBERMEYER, one of the most influential people in skiing history. Click KLAUS to get a summary of his accomplishments. Klaus Obermeyer was born in Germany in 1919.  He founded his own ski wear company,-- Sport Obermeyer in 1947 in Aspen, Colorado in his attic while he was working as a ski instructor. Klaus developed the first down parka, the first mirrored sunglasses and the first high altitude sun screen  among other innovations. Sport Obermeyer is still known as one of the most important, progressive and powerful brands in snow sports....to this day.

Klaus still skis almost everyd day.  His technique is smooth and fast, in fact ---it's doubtful that you can keep up.  His distinctive Yodel is famous throughout the world. 

Klaus is more than just a ski-wear trend setter--he's "the greatest guy in skiing".   He's affable, gregarious, funny and super popular with the ladies.  His energy and love for the mountains is contagious.  He's quick with a quip and his 5000 watt smile lights up every room he enters.  At 91, Klaus is still getting after it ----every day --on the mountain and off.  His 91st birthday was a cause celbre at the venerable Wienerstube restaurant in Aspen.  4 generations of family and friends gathered to wish Klaus a Happy Birthday and share a delicious apple strudel warm from the oven.   When he bit into his birthday pastry, the SRO crowd cheered.  Klaus looked up, shrugged and laughed and said " i'm really gonna have to brush my tooth more often", and he immediately began his trademark Yodel.   The crowd went wild.   

SEE PIX --click  KLAUS at 91.

Living Legend Klaus Obermeyer turns 91. click 4 pix

Ski Tuners Ball

Ski Tuners Ball . #1 Party in Aspen. Click 4 pix.For 25 years in a row its been the same story.  CG tries to put her foot down... "no Ski Tuners Ball, this year".   Every year there is a lingering seed of doubt throughout the tech rooms of Aspen's ski shops.  Every year GG comes home from a hard day at the office and says "c'mon honey, lets do it for the ski tuners, lets do it for Aspen".  

Thank G-D, GG is a very persuasive dude....and he likes to tear the roof off the sucka.  Thank G-D, CG lets him do it.

The SKI TUNERs BALL is the un-official kick-off event for ski season in Aspen. 

Ski Tuners Ball. click for PixSki Tuners Ball, is iconic and beloved in Aspen.   Scoring an invite is like  findng a golden ticket. Somehow...every year... the chili gets cooked, the tequila gets chilled, the limes get cut and the drums start beating...and ski tuners, ski bums and ski lovers show up to party like it was 1899----No holds barred.  After all it is a little place called ASSSS-Pen , where the beer flows like wine and beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. 

HUGE thanks to GG and CG for rallying every year to throw the #1 party in Aspen.  Thank you for keeping it real....and really fun again.  POWDER DAYS and TEQUILA NIGHTS in Aspen forever.

Following the ball, we hit a ripping LUKAS NELSON Show at Belly UP.

See the PIX, Click  SKI TUNERS BALL

 Team Photo. Ski Tuners Ball Click 4 more pix.Lukas Nelson Show at Belly Up capped off an EPIC Night in Aspen    

Aspen Party Wars

Everyone in Aspen knows that going hard is a life-style.  Whether you're a world-class mountain athlete, a weekend warrior, a socialite, a patron of the arts or a world class partier...Aspen provides the venue. 

Last weekend AspenSpin experienced the perfect storm.  Opening Day (Pow Pow) FIS World Cup Skiing and more events than you can count.   In Aspen... people don't just talk about going BIG....they do it. It's all part of living the dream.

AspenSpin crashed every party in Aspen in our effort to capture the energy, document the festivities, and blow the sh*t up virally on the web.     Click for pix.

ASPEN PARTY WARS (part 1)  and

LEGEND of Aaahhh's (movie premier)

Detroit in da House.

Kaycee,Stump and the Oates at Legend of Aahhs'

Skiing Legend Micah Black and his posse.

The Tiara Girlz and friends.

Aspen World Cup Skiing : Slalom

The fastest ladies on earth raced down Aspen Mountain at the FIS World Cup Skiing Event.

Slalom Final Results:          4 more pix, Click   FAST GIRLZ in ASPEN

Gold: Maria Pietilae-Holmner (SWE) Silver:  Maria Riesch (GER) Bronze:  Tanja Poutiainen (Fin)

FIS World Cup Skiing in Aspen. Slalom Podium

Lindsey Vonn brought the Vonntourage to Aspen.

Its always a POW day in Aspen for Resi Stiegler

AspenSpin and the Girl with the Gold Medal. Super-Swede Maria was stoked by her first World Cup Victory in Aspen

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.