Spring Breakers invade Aspen

Guitar Hero with Steve Stevens. Click 4 pix.The last 48 hours are still a blur.  Yes, skiing and partying are my milieu but things spun out of control in Aspen this past weekend.  The Spring Breakers are here and dat sh*t got turned up to 11. The Spring Breakers were out in force this week as Easter and Passover coincided in a perfect-storm in Aspen.  Bluebird days and late, late rowdy nights have finally caught up with A.Party.  I'm taking today off.

Click for pix:  SPRING BREAKERS

     and   SPRING BREAKERS (part 2)

Let me say it out loud.  I love "corn snow".   For the uninitiated...corn snow is the soft, partially melted snow we get on the mountain when Spring gets sprung and temps rise above 40 during the day, but fall below freezing at night.  If your timing is right...and you guage your aspects properly, and you know where to go... the corn can be almost as much fun as the POW. On Friday, The Dumps "went off" around 1 o'clock and we got some great Spring skiing.

The music was off the charts this weekend.  Aspen / Snowmass and Bud Light threw their annual Spring Jam Core Party, so we got two free concerts in the center of town...and free kettle corn.  On Friday night the super-entertaining March Fourth Marching Band (M4) took over the core of Aspen.  While M4 has played in Aspen several times previously (see our  first take here) they shared their "kalidescope of musical and visual energy" with a whole new crowd. The all-ages show was spectacular. The streets of Aspen were packed with thousands of white affluent people jamming to sounds of M4's 7 piece brass section and 5 piece percussion corps guided by a funky electric guitar and bass.  The visual spectacular includes fire jugglers and stilt walkers.  The show was extremely well receiveds and may have been the best Core Party show ever.  A-Spin after-partied at the famous "Rabbit Lodge" into the early morning.

Keg stands w/ the Easter Bunny. Click 4 pix.Saturday required a second wind.  We enjoyed another beautiful Spring day on Ajax skiing with the spring breakers. We had 2 celebrity encounters at the Sun Deck, actor Luke Wilson and Congressman Paul Ryan (R, Wisc) were spotted (not together).  A not-to-miss event is the on-mountain party's on Bonnie's Deck.... the 13th year in a row.  We capped that off with a super-rowdy apres session at Ajax Tavern and Sky. 

Saturday's  Core Party music kicked in again around 8.45.  A last minute cancellation caused the Ski Co. to bring in an emergency replacement act from L. A.   The Magnificent 7...a hard rock super group conglomeration featuring guys from Jane's Addiction, Billy Idol and Skid Row.  Lead singer SEBASTIAN BACH has aged well and the set list was filled with classic 80's and 90's hard driving rock and roll.   After all the EDM and hip hop around here...it was good to hear some solid guitar based rock songs...all covers. The highlight for me was when CHAD SMITH, drummer from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers sat in for an awesome version of Led Zeppelin's  Whole Lotta Love.  It was great to hear Bach's honesty when he explained to the rowdy crowd, "we were contracted for a certain amount of time....but *bleep that*...we're here to play this *motherbleeper*...consider this a bonus track".  The Magnificent 7 kicked out a stellar version of G n R's rock anthem Paradise City to the delighted crowd in front of Paradise Bakery.

Chad Smith was in Aspen to ski and to play a gig with his side band at Belly Up, Aspen.  Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats is a funky rock fusion instrumental group that blew the roof off Belly Up.  Chad's distinctive style on the skins got him inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the Peppers and won him a Grammy.  Smith is from my neighborhood back in suburban Detroit and is well known for being one of the coolest guys in rock.  In addition to being a great guy he bears a striking resemblance to Will Ferrell.  According to Will, "Chad is a very handsome guy".

Furrys at Apres. Click 4 pix.A late night bon voyage party for 7 year local, Erin Robinson capped it all off. 

So forgive me. I couldn't keep up with the Spring Breakers.  I took Easter Sunday off. Andy Party does get tired. After I walked my dog,  I got back in bed, I read the NY Times, I ate chips, I watched hoops & the season premier of Game of Thrones. Gotta rest up.  Gotta be ready to shred on Monday.

Click for pix:  SPRING BREAKERS

 and SPRING BREAKERS (part 2)

March Fourth Marching Band. Killer show in the streets of Aspen. Click 4 pix.Sebastian Bach and the hard rocking Magnificent Seven were a last minute addtion to the street party. Click 4 pix.Chad Smith sat in on Whole Lotta Love and led his own band The Bombastic Meatbats. They rocked Aspen. Click 4 pix.

13th Annual Party at Bonnie's. click 4 pix. Spring Skiing with On Mountain VIPs. Click SPRING BREAKERS for more photos.

Time: The Ultimate Asset

When I matriculated at Wharton in 1983 I was taught a very important concept. It's a simple one too..."the time value of money".  This basic principal was driven home hard at Wharton... over and over again.  The notion of the time value of money is the central precept in classic financial theory and it was hammered into my brain by a variety of Wharton professors, assignments, papers, group projects and caculations on my HP 12C. Adhereing to the time value of money and the related fundamentals of net present value, future value of a sum, future value of an annuity etc etc. eventually helped me to forge a successful career on Wall Street.

Face to Face texting.I found a career that was a perfect match for my skill set.  I worked in the "high net worth" group at Morgan Stanley in New York (before the Dean Witter deal). Basically, I was selling stocks and bonds to billionaires...and I was good at it.  The 90's Bull Market was flying high and I was in the right place at the right time.

My career progressed quickly and I adapted instinctively to the Wall Street model. I encountered important issues that I had not read about in my school books or on the spread sheets. Stress, time management, office politics, nepotism, staffing issues, taxes...complicated stuff like that.  For me, the stress related to managing money for people and especially managing the expectations of my clients was much harder than picking a fundamentally sound investment.  As the first internet bubble began to froth in 2000 and stocks were being valued on multiples of projected sales (rather than profits) I began to feel uneasy.  The euphoria and lack of fundamental valuations in the stock market did not allow me to sleep well at night. The stress was killing me.  A bad day in the S & P meant a sleepless night for me.  As the market began to plummet my health began to deteriorate.  

I needed to make a change.  In 2002 I did. 

Why ski Aspen, when u can work.For the past 10 years I've been a ski bum / blogger in Aspen, Colorado. Now I ski every day and party every night as the founder/ editor of AspenSpin.com.  I'm much happier & healthier. Blogging and ski bumming is not very lucrative (I often get paid in chapstick and t-shirts).

I now have a very different perspective than most Wharton grads about business and life in general.  My priorities have changed.  I'm not chasing dollars, I'm chasing experiences. 

Living in Aspen, I'm still exposed to BIG business.  In addition to skiing moguls...I get to interact with moguls when they visit Aspen.  About 50 members of the Forbes 400 have strong ties to Aspen.  Riding the Silver Queen Gondola on Aspen Mountain I get to meet and interact with America's business leaders.  

Just eyeballin' it,  I've noticed one thing about American capitalists, they don't know how to relax.  Even when they're on holiday, there is no down time. It has become a reflex action for business people to pull out their phones on the gondola to "get some work done" on the 17 minute ride to the top of the Aspen Mountain.   

You're on Vacay...let it go.I get it.  Business is tough.  Margins are slim. Competition is rabid. Business people need to stay on top of their work load or else it turns into a never ending to-do list.  I understand, people have responsibilities, families to support, mouths to feed, meetings to attend, conference calls to make, deals to do, companies to take over, profits to earn.  From the outside looking in it appears that there is no such thing as down time anymore?  How can business leaders think clearly when they never shut it down, they never log off...even when they're on vacation.

So what's my point.

It's all about asset allocation and diversification.  I have learned that TIME is one of the most undervalued assets in today's globalized, 24/7 ,hyper-connected, over-stimulated society. I call it the time value of time (formula available upon request).  Free time, relaxation, leisure...is crucial for any well rounded person, including CEO's.  Time is a precious commodity and no one knows how much of it they have left in their bank.  Time is often the most over looked asset when creating the portfolio of life. People buy gold to hedge the stock market...or go short against the box to diversify their assets. But do they ever take the time to decompress?

2 phones better than 1.I'm not suggesting that people shouldn't work hard.  I'm not intimating that being serious about your career and your business is a bad thing.  I'm just saying that everyone should take time to smell the roses.  Find a hobby or a passion that is outside the business world.  Read a book for cripe's sake.  Try leaving your phone in the locker room for an hour or two, you might be better off for it.  You might even do bigger & better things at work.

Time is the ultimate asset.  So spend your time wisely, don't waste it.  Live each day to its fullest.   It's OK to work hard...just give it a rest once in a while. Take a step back...and play hard too.

Take it from me...I'm a ski bum/ blogger...I know what I'm talking about.

*this article was written as a guest post on the Wharton Blog Network.

Another bluebird day at the offices of AspenSpin in Aspen, Colorado.

Fallen Friends Memorial (& BIG Air)

Crocodile Dundees 3 peated at Fallen Friends. click 4 pix:The 5th Annual Fallen Friends Memorial was held at Aspen Highlands on Saturday.  Fallen Friends is a tribute to those skiers and riders who are no longer with us.  It's a celebration of the mountain lifestyle and a remembrance of those who have lost their lives in the mountains. Fallen Friends is an athletic competition, a party and a fund raiser for AVSC scholarships, but most of all its a reminder of the fragility of life. 

18 teams in full costume ripped laps down the modified slope-style course on Scarlett's run, just above The Merry Go Round restaurant.  Guys, gals, kids, adults...everybody threw tricks off the kickers and rails and natural features on Scarlett's.

Click for pix:  FALLEN FRIENDS (& BIG Air).

Every year, those of us that live in Aspen are exposed to death in the mountains and within the community.  Every ski season lives are lost in a variety of ways in the Rocky Mountains.  Fallen Friends memorializes the brothers (and sisters) who have paid the ultimate price and did so pursuing the life they loved in the Rocky Mountains.   Every Spring the Fallen Friends event brings the skiers and snowboarders together to throw down...to remember the good times...and to honor the lives of our Fallen Friends.

On the same night on Aspen Mountain the KickAspen BIG Air contest was held.  An 80 foot kicker was built at the base of Ajax on the Little Nell run. Athletes from near and far were sending their biggest tricks in front of a packed house.  Skiers and Snowboarders alike were hucking their meat under the lights for cash and prizes.  Everybody was whipping out the 720 corks and 1080's from their trick bags.  The best BIG Air specialists around were going for broke on the BIG Stage in Aspen.

Click for pix:  FALLEN FRIENDS (& BIG Air)

They gripped and they ripped at Fallen Friends 2013. Click for pix.The Ghost Riders at Fallen Friends 2013. Aspen Highlands. Click 4 pix.White Trash at Fallen Friends. Click 4 pix.Berkel & Tae went HUGE over the 80 foot kicker at KickAspen. Click 4 pix.The kicker was enormous on Aspen Mountain. Photo: Aspen/Snowmass Clcik for more pix.

Local's Showcase at Belly Up Aspen.

Local's showcase at Belly Up. Click 4 pix.Local's Showcase night at Belly Up is always a jam. From time to time Belly Up offers their stage to various local musicians and opens the doors with no cover charge.   Belly Up has developed a reputation as one of the finest venues in the country and everybody gets pumped up for a free night of music and fun.  Playing Belly Up is a BIG DEAL for these talented locals.   Selling it out and getting the joint jumping is even bigger.  

Click for Pix: Local's Showcase

Last night the local talent focused on Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and featured homies T. Smash (Teddy Leibowitz) and Berkel Beats (Nathan Robert Berkel). Over the past few years AspenSpin has watched the progression of these two local EDM artists.   Both guys are breaking out...playing bigger and more important gigs around Aspen and beyond. They both killed it at Belly Up, Aspen ...in front of a capacity crowd. The house was packed, the drinks were flowing and the beats were thumping at Belly Up.  Thanks to T. Smash, Aspen Spin got all access.  We shot sick pix on-stage, back stage and on the dance floor. 

Click Em.  LOCAL'S SHOWCASE

T.Smash crushing at Belly Up, Aspen. Click 4 pix.Berkel Beats and his Boyz , backstage at Belly Up, Aspen. click 4 pix.Front Row at Belly Up, Aspen.

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