Progression, Amplitude, Shredability, Mega Mo and Money Booters.

Shaun White 4-peated while wearing ladies pants and a black leather. Photo: Eric Bakke / ESPN ImagesThe X Games is the Olympics of Action Sports..... and its a MACHINE. Winter X Games 15 is the 10th Anniversary of Winter X Games in Aspen. Its been a wild, wild ride.  ESPN's baby is "all growed up".  Aspen /Snowmass and ButterMilk are locked in as the site for the 2012 X Games....but ESPN has been non-committal about an extension past next year. The seemingly symbiotic relationship may be on thin ice. AspenSpin's spyder senses indicate a change of venue may be coming after 2012...we'll see if that 's the call.  X Games has been good to Aspen, and Aspen has been good to X Games. One result.....Aspen Spin has some sick pix coming soon.

ESPN's X Games brings many things to Aspen....most obviously....a younger demographic.  On Saturday, a record 41,800 fans attended the X Games and for the weekend a roof shattering 114,200 souls came to B-Milk. We're not sure how the numbers were tabulated or who was on the clicker...but it was crowded.  Security at Buttermilk was slightly overwhelmed and buses into the games were temporarily halted. 

The crowds were dense and the on-course competition was fierce. Rock star Shaun White 4-peated in super pipe. Seasoned pro's like Sarah Burke (4th Gold), Tucker Hibbert (5-peat) and Lindsey Jacobellis (4-peat) added Gold medals to their hardware collections.  Young guns such as  Big Air Skier Alex Schlopy,  Stylie French Canadian Sebastian Toutant and 15 year old Aspen local Torin Yater-Wallace took center stage with breakthrough performances.  A changing of the guard seemed to occur right before out eyes.  The weather in Aspen was picture-perfect all weekend.  The "non-alchololic" family friendly, schwag-heavy events at Buttermilk yielded to major league partying in town.  Music was abundant.. Lance Herbstrong, The Mile Markers, Big Boi and The Marley Family  and O.A.R. were a few of the acts gigging in Aspen.  Sponsor parties, autograph signings and  un-limited free stuff was everywhere.  A-Town was swingin' for the fences, but Ajax was empty.

X Games is BIG Air...and like the Olympics its BIG biz.  The partnership between ESPN and Aspen Skiing Company is a combination of business titans.  ESPN is a division of the powerful media conglomerate Disney and Aspen Ski Co. is a privately held asset belonging to the billionaire Crown Family.  Both entities like to be in control...so the fact that they work in harmony is testimony to the HUGENESS of the business opportunities at X.  Sponsors who want to stay relevant with the action sports demo line up to participate.  Jeep, US Navy, Oakley, Samsung, The North Face and more.  Other consumer brands who are not "official "sponsors rent spots along the X Fest corridor or in the Gondola Plaza in town.  Still more brands go the grass-roots route and set up "pop up" promotions in all kinds of crazy spaces---even in the trunks of their cars.  The schwag flows like beer---and everyone knows the beer flows like wine and beautiful women instinctivly flock  here like the salmon of Capistrano...i'm talking about a little place called Asssspen.

ESPN completely takes over Buttermilk  for a month and re-tools the smallest of our 4 mountains.  Aspen/Snowmass gets phenomenal TV exposure, a connection with a younger demographic and boat lodes of dollars from tourists and promoters.  The town of Aspen takes a beating as many of our younger guests forfeit their security deposits upon entering the Roaring Fork Valley.  The partying is excessive and the cops are much busier than usual.  While it's mostly good clean fun... A-spin never condones binge drinking. Aspen will miss Winter X Games in 2013 if ESPN decides to take The Machine to Canada...or some other "not as cool" location.  However, that is indeed our prediction....2012 will be the final X Games in Aspen.  It's been a fantastic run, and honestly we hope A-Spin is reading the tea leaves incorrectly this time.  

Our pix will be up soon.

Daniel Bodin took two Golds at X Games 15 in Aspen. Photo: Eric Bakke / Espn Images

Shaun White combines BIG Air and BIG Biz at X Games 15 in Aspen. Photo: Christain Pondella/ESPN Images.Yeeeeeaah. 15 year old Aspen Local is the youngest medalist in X Games history. Photo: Tomas Zuccareno /ESPN Images

Winter X Games 15, Aspen, Colorado

Winter X Games 15 in Aspen, Colorado moves at the speed of light.  AspenSpin is about 2000 photos behind.   Men's skiing SuperPipe Podium .  Gold:  Kevin Rolland,  Silver: Torin Yater-Wallace, Bronze: Simon Dumont.  Rolland is a repeat Winner is SuperPipe, Yater-Wallace is a 15 year-old Aspen Local and the youngest male medalist in X Games history and Dumont is one of the kings of the sport. Photo: Eric Bakke / ESPN Images.

X Games 15: Aspen,Colorado.

Let the X Games Begin.   We'll be posting pix as fast as we can. 

X Games 15 press conference. Aspen, Colorado. Shaun White, Gretchen Bleiler and the Hardware Crew. Click 4 pix.

BIG night in Aspen/ I'll Be There.

Who's Bad. Click 4 Pix.It was supposed to be a nice, quiet weekend. Gay Ski Week  petered out and X Games wasn't starting until Thursday.  AspenSpin would have settled for a few laps and play-off football.  A rest period so to speak.  Then we realized it was a full moon. 

Saturday turned out to be a POW day leading into a BIG night in Aspen. Just call out my name. I'll be there.

After skiing all day, we joined our Buckaroo Brothers (and a few hearty ladies) for a cabin party in the back country.  A mild hike and a super-sick POW run down to The Cabin was followed by THE BEST LASAGNE EVER.  It was a great home cooked meal chased by lots of Stranahan Whiskey Sno Cones.  It continued to snow, but the sky cleared to reveal some of the brightest stars we've ever seen.  As we began our trip back to Aspen, the normally skate-able trail had to be broken.  Things got sweaty. Several calf muscles were pulled, but we skied down safely under the full moon.

AspenSpin completed the 3 S's in record time.  We scored a coveted ticket to Belly Up to see WHO's BAD, the greatest Michael Jackson tribute band in the world.  Who doesn't like the King of Pop?  The crowd near the stage was composed  mostly of ladies of a certain age.....and boy do they love Jacko.....  or  even fake Jacko.  Who's Bad brought out the best of the best.  More Mommy foxes than you can count.

Live the Dream with us.  Click the Pix.

JACKO lives in ASPEN.

THE CABIN

When Michael Jackson died...he moved to Aspen. Click 4 pix.

Jacuzzi Geography: Gay Ski Week in Aspen.

Sir GaGa. Gay Ski Week in Aspen. What was he wearing underneath his meat dress?? Skis and boots. Click 4 PixHow many guys can you squeeze into a Jacuzzi??? ...... more than you can ever imagine.   

Aspen's 34th annual Gay Ski Week blew into town for a week of fun, festivities and relationship building.  Friendship dinners were happening all over town.  Boys just wanna have fun...and they did. Click 4 Pix.

One of the best parts about living in Aspen is the free spirited culture... we call it the "live and let live" attitude.  Gay Ski Week (GSW) was still in the closet 34 years ago.  In 1977, Aspen was the only mountain town with enough style, sophistication and tolerance to handle an openly gay skiing holiday.  Today, other GSWs have chipped away at Aspen's market leadership.  GSWs in Whistler,Teluride and other resorts have sprouted up as competitors to Aspen.  AspenSpin didn't cover many GSW events this season, but we did happen to stroll by The LimeLight Lodge for "Camp Aspen" an après event. The jacuzzi was overflowing and the sounds of happiness pierced the air.  There is only one Aspen...and partner....don't you ever forget it.

The raucous GSW pride parade is always a highlight of the week.  Host/Hostess Sister Helen Holy emceed for the 10th straight year and he/she busted on everybody.  Chilly but sunny conditions allowed the revelers to show a lot more skin than was necessary as they rode down the Little Nell run at the base of Ajax. A standing room only crowd cheered wildly as body parts were flashed, shrinkage was prevalent and the Bud Light flowed like wine.  Check the Pix.

GAY SKI WEEK PARADE in ASPEN.

 Save a horse, Ride a Cowboy. The Aspen Club getting after it during GSW. Click 4 Pix. 

Air New Zealand. Servicing the Sky. Click for more photos.The Go Hoe's won the GSW Parade Competition with their rendition of Vacation. Click 4 more pix.