Sponsors

 pastseasons.gif

Living the Dream in Aspen: Skiing, Lifestyle, Parties, Events, Travel, Gossip, Society, Entertainment, Restaurants and Bars, Nightlife, Photographs.

The POW, the PIX, the PEOPLE.

Go BIG, or Go Home.

This area does not yet contain any content.

Entries from April 1, 2009 - April 30, 2009

Thursday
Apr302009

Social Media in Action

Fran Melmed & Shel Holtz @ CCM09 with Carmelo's moon.It's "mud season" in Aspen so there's not much going on in town--- its kinda nice. The lifts are closed, the sun is out and A-Spin is about to hit the beach.

As you probably know AspenSpin is a major force in SOCIAL MEDIA.  Using tools such as FACEBOOK, TWITTER and LinkedIN we've connected with people from all over the world. Click the links, become our FB friend, tweet us, link in.

We were twittering yesterday and entered a discussion about #CCM09 in Ruth Ellen Kinzey, Colleen Perrin & Christie Gay get used to the altitude in Aspen.Aspen. What's #CCM09? We asked the same thing. Its the Council of Communication Management (CCM) Annual Conference, and its being held @ the St. Regis. Its a convention for senior level corporate communications executives. We twittered with Fran Melmed from Context who gave us the low down. We crashed that party--hard.

Shel Holtz communicating @ CCM09 in Aspen. Before security was called (just kidding) we networked with some of the most influential communications execs in the U.S. We met well known social media consultant Shel Holtz who invited us to sit in the CCM social media workshop. It was a stone cold groove. Unusual in Aspen, the workshop was almost all women. Niiiiiiice, and they were all good communicators.

Surrounded by communicative, professional women---and we liked it--- alot.  We learned that in the next 3 years over 50% of all content on the internet will be "user generated". Research shows that 78% of people trust a "personal recommendation" and that "word of mouth" is the most effective form of marketing. AspenSpin has been proving that since our inception.  According to CCM research, trust is at an all time low and that corporate CEO's/ corporate spokes people are currently the least trusted source of info.  That gives the power to the people, and the internet is their weapon.  Join the conversation, it's two way now.Joyce Buford (r) teamed up with Kathy Collura @ CCM09

That's the beauty of Social Media---its "person to person" communications, and it allows one to easily share opinions, insights, information, experiences and perspectives with others. Thanks to #CCM09 for inviting us to sit in on their Annual Convention and to participate in their World Vision caregiver event. Enough cerebral work for now, tomorrow we'll be sitting on the beach sipping umbrella drinks---with no internet connection---we're gonna communicate the old fashioned way.The CCM crew prepped "caregiver kits" on behalf of World Vision. Zambian orphans will receive backbacks filled with cool stuff thanks to CCM and www.WorldVision.org

Monday
Apr272009

The Last Lap

CannonBall . click 4 pixAspen's 2008/09 Ski Season came to a glorious end on Sunday 4-26 @ Aspen Highlands. It was an awesome season to be sure, and the super-stars of Aspen came out for THE LAST LAP.  We experienced Winter & Spring conditions all in the same day as the unpredictable Rocky Mountain weather spit-up a final POW storm to close it out.  It was freezing, windy and dumping in the morn.--followed by a bluebird afternoon. Ankle shots all day. What a way to go out.  See the pix, click  THE LAST LAP.

Sure the economy sux and all- but we get to crib & breathe it all up, right here in a little place we like to call Aspen, Colorado.  The Roaring Fork Valley, ZG, A-Town, Fat City, the Capital of Skiing, Cougar-city---call it anything you want ---we call it siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.Jello shots? click 4 pix

AspenSpin registered 101 ski days this season. NOT BAD for a gaper.  That's 101 ski dayz, in addition to all the insane partying that we documented for A-Spin.   Special thanks go out to our equipment sponsors, they kept us properly geared-up all season: Kudos to  KJUS, CLOUDVEIL, IBEX, BLIZZARD / TECNICA, & HIGH SOCIETY. Extra-special thanks to GORSUCH for the spectacular tunage and the fat boyz that we "borrowed" for all the really BIG days.   Thanks to THE ASPEN CLUB for keeping us in shape (sort of) and to the boyz @ CRYSTAL PALACE GRILL for filling our belly with grub all season. ACRA was a great promotional partner. TREW GEAR, RED BULL & OAKLEY kept us swimming in swag all season.    Our Real Estate partners RAIFIE BASS, RESORT QUEST and AJAX Real Estate  are 100% ready to make a GREAT DEAL for you in Aspen---right now.  DR. KEN MARK made us "camera ready" all Winter long with various botox treatments, derm-abrasions, zit cream and even a full-on face-lift.  How do I look? Good enough to party @ CARIBOU CLUB---right?

Cougar Hunting? This is real.Congratulations go out to BERLONI AMERICA on the opening of their new big-daddy U.S. showroom.  We want to share the luv with our affiliates VINTAGE SKI WORLD, STAY ASPEN/SNOWMASS, Buckaroo Builders, Aspen Skiing Company and CHARITY BUZZ, along with the hoards of non-profits we worked with all season including AAM, Susan Komen, Chris Klug Foudation, Shining Stars,SpingBoard, Aspen Deaf Camp, Aspen Historical Society, Grassroots TV etc. etc.  A-Spin is not just about the parties and good times and stuff---we try to give back too. We helped raise over $100,000 (via on-line auctions and direct contributions) for various local charities. Again, not bad for a gaper

MOST OF ALL we want to congratulate YOU---the loyal, award winning readers of AspenSpin.com--and to those of you who posed for our long lens all season. Without your narcissism, hedonism and voyeuristic tendencies we would not exist.  It's been a great ride, a fantastic voyage and a big BLAST for the past 3 years.  We really are LIVIN' the DREAM in Aspen, Colorado.  As we said from the start--Go BIG---or ?  Well, we're still here Bi-atchs.

PARTY/OUT

BitterSweet POW. It's all over @ A-Spin HQ. Click 4 Pix

Saturday
Apr182009

Aspen Highlands POWDER Posse

It ain't over yet.   Get your last ya ya's out during The After Party @ Aspen Highlands.  We're still skiing and riding in Aspen.   April 18 & 19 and April 25 & 26 at Aspen Highlands.  8 to 10 inches of FRESH.  Big discounts on lodging and lit tix.  GET HERE NOW. Photos: Jeremy Swanson /ASC

One More Face Shot @ Aspen HighlandsEarn your Turns @ Aspen Highlands Bowl

Wednesday
Apr152009

Squirm Night

Squirm Night click for pixWe've said it before:  Aspen is a small town. We have 2,500 voters, 5000 residents and 100,000 opinions. Political commentary is not normally our milieu..... and we are not making endorsements, simply observations (in 3 words or less).

Aspen's election is May 5th. We at A-Spin feel a sense of civic duty to try to be fully informed.  Tonight we attended Aspen's  SQUIRM NIGHT.  Whats the Squirm?--- all the candidates for Mayor and City Council are grilled by the fourth estate, live on Grassroots TV12.  Last week we attended ACRA's Q & A event.  We can't get enough of the non-stop political babble.

O for 4We don't really wanna make anybody squirm, but we did want to see the squirmage ---LIVE.   Our Squirm Night post from two years ago ( click Squirm), proved to be pretty sagacious (look it up).   Lets see how we do this time around.

 The continuous squabble that masquerades itself as Aspen politics is quite tiring.  Aspenites reside in one of the most beautiful & special places in the world. Why all the suspiciousness, anger and angst within our City Government?  Small town politics?   Can't we all just get along.

 As stated above, these are not endorsements----just observations. We limited our commentary to 3 words or less, and we tried to keep it positive. We can't choose for you.  You must decide for yourself.  See our take (in 3 words or less).

Click   SQUIRM NIGHT 

Model of the proposed Aspen Art Museum. You decide?

Tuesday
Apr142009

The Closer

It was a fantastic ski season in Aspen. 

At A-Spin, we skied our A$$es off and partied like a Mo-Fo for the past 5 months.  The closing weekend was a microcosm for the entire season.  We had just enough stamina to finish it off--VICTORY !!!

2 photo albums with 75 pix captured it all.  All season long, we got the goods. 

The POW, the PIX , the PEOPLE. Click 'em all, and let Ullr sort 'em out.

Click  4 CLOSERS ONLY  and  CABIN FEVER             Synchro Action. Click 4 pix

click 4 pix a The Sh*t got out of control. Click 4 Pix.Click 4 Pix. All Night Long

The Grill . Click 4 pix.