AMERICAN DREAM

Skiers are a special kind of globetrotter. Just as most big metropolises have their attractions, cultural characteristics and local laws, each mountain, mountain range and ski resort have their own peculiarities. In some places the terrain is steeper, in other places everything is at a higher altitude, which of course creates different snow conditions. From this point of view, skiers eternally search for optimal conditions that create the greatest possible pleasure on snow. Of course, everything revolves around snow. In certain places, the relative humidity in the atmosphere is much lower, which makes the snow extremely dry, soft, and fluffy. Those of us who swear by skiing in fresh powder are looking for just such conditions. And that’s exactly why skiing can be an extremely interesting journey. From this point of view, I am sincerely grateful for skiing, because it is solely thanks to it that I have seen the pearls of our planet, which I certainly would not have visited without skis. I wove some beautiful friendships that combine the whole story into a kaleidoscope of experiences, that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Of course, every skier has their own bucket list of hills, mountains, and places they would like to visit on skis. Eventually, the American Rocky Mountains will find themselves on this list. In my eyes, Aspen has always been associated with movies and iconic scenes. I’ve heard countless stories about how this place is essentially a vacation Mecca for super-rich Americans. There is always something going on in Aspen, and to be part of the working community around this place gives a great perspective on what happens in this special place. It can be the stories heard up on a chairlift with your guests, or just other people you meet on the mountains, or occurrences just happen like in the movie “Aspen Extreme “, things that appear possible only in this place!There is such a mix of people in Aspen. Sure, there are billionaires flying in with their private jets to ski, or just enjoy the lifestyle, but that is just one part. People around Aspen are all kinds, from all over the United States and from across the world. The Argentinian community is big in the mountains, with many young boys and girls coming over for a ski season on a student visa, and many others who moved here permanently or come back seasonally. They are part of a very much appreciated community and a considerable influence from central and south America, that works and lives spread across the beautiful Roaring Fork Valley. Similarly, many people are coming from Australia and New Zealand, and some (but few) from Europe. This place is maybe the first one that I’ve stumbled across, where the motivation to work at one of the mountains is strong enough that people are happy to commute huge distances, almost every day.The three major towns down the valley are 35, 50 and 60 kilometers away from Aspen, which means that from Glenwood springs (60km down the valley) it takes from 1 to 2 hours’ drive, or bus ride, depending on the traffic conditions. As in many other ski destinations worldwide, the closer to skiing, the more expensive the rent is, and this can make it impossible for many to afford to live close to the ski resorts. Several world-famous ski resorts are located, especially in the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Aspen often appears at or very close to the top of the list. This is a place where fashion and exclusivity are uniquely mixed with top-quality snow and excellent slopes, which together create an unforgettable skiing experience. From this perspective, Aspen is perhaps America’s best-known winter sports center and most popular ski resort. It is for this reason that many celebrities from the world of show business like to go there, so it is not at all a surprise if you see a face you know from a hit movie, while skiing.

It’s interesting that I never got a chance to visit Aspen when I was still racing. The Italian Ski Federation never sent its competitors to the legendary X Games because it was not regulated by FIS. So, I found myself in Aspen for the first time only in 2022, and not in winter, but at the end of summer, when I visited friends there. In fact, I should have already spent last winter in Aspen, as it was agreed that I would work for the winter season as a ski instructor in one of the ski schools there. However, when my visa was not approved in November, I accepted a last-minute offer from a friend who runs a ski school in Hokkaido, Japan. So, I postponed winter in Aspen for a year and ended up working in another place on my bucket list.

In my eyes, Aspen has always been associated with movies and iconic scenes. I’ve heard countless stories about how this place is essentially a vacation Mecca for super-rich Americans. There is always something going on in Aspen, and to be part of the working community around this place gives a great perspective on what happens in this special place. It can be the stories heard up on a chairlift with your guests, or just other people you meet on the mountains, or occurrences just happen like in the movie “Aspen Extreme “, things that appear possible only in this place!

There is such a mix of people in Aspen. Sure, there are billionaires flying in with their private jets to ski, or just enjoy the lifestyle, but that is just one part. People around Aspen are all kinds, from all over the United States and from across the world. The Argentinian community is big in the mountains, with many young boys and girls coming over for a ski season on a student visa, and many others who moved here permanently or come back seasonally. They are part of a very much appreciated community and a considerable influence from central and south America, that works and lives spread across the beautiful Roaring Fork Valley. Similarly, many people are coming from Australia and New Zealand, and some (but few) from Europe.

This place is maybe the first one that I’ve stumbled across, where the motivation to work at one of the mountains is strong enough that people are happy to commute huge distances, almost every day.

The three major towns down the valley are 35, 50 and 60 kilometers away from Aspen, which means that from Glenwood springs (60km down the valley) it takes from 1 to 2 hours’ drive, or bus ride, depending on the traffic conditions. As in many other ski destinations worldwide, the closer to skiing, the more expensive the rent is, and this can make it impossible for many to afford to live close to the 
ski resorts.

The skiing here is spread out between 4 resorts: Aspen Mountain (or locally called Ajax) is the resort that starts directly from Aspen with the iconic gondola climbing from the center of town to the top of the resort. The next mountain (separated by a narrow valley) is where Aspen Highlands is situated, the last of the 4 resorts to become part of the Aspen Company and the most local, with the Famous Highland Bowl. The next mountain follows the same direction, and we end up in Buttermilk, which is the easiest out of the four mountains with great infrastructure for beginners and famous for hosting the X-Games. A little further from these 3 mountains (but just 10-15 minutes drive from Buttermilk) we find Snowmass, which is the biggest of the 4 resorts and it feels like a special place of its own because of the amount of accommodation, restaurants, and the vast selection of terrain for beginners to great on and off-piste.

For me, this Aspen experience has been a new reality. I admit that one of the first things which caught my attention was noticing what kind of skis most people ski on. I found the trend in here to be quite like what I found in Japan, with the difference that here the groomers are great fun to carve on, because of how grippy the snow is, whilst in Japan, most of the time the groomers are exceptionally soft because of the constant snowfall.

Except for some ski instructors and the ski club, it’s quite rare to find what here would be called “skinny skis.” I am not sure if I have seen five pairs of slalom or giant slalom skis during the whole winter! Most of the people ski every day on what in Europe would be considered a freeride ski (from 85 up to 120mm underfoot), and the rentals mostly support this trend, with the only exception being beginner skis. Most of the time I was skiing on my Primetime 55+, I also had a pair of Playmaker 91 model, which I used often. I also brought a pair of widest Ripsticks, which I didn't use as much as last winter due to the snow conditions. Next time I would bring my Ripstick 88s with me.

One other thing I found quite different in this place is the passion for bumps. I have skied more bumps this season than during the rest of my life! When the bumps are sufficiently covered and conditions are safe, most of the off-piste terrain around the resorts stays open, which in powder days means that classic rush and race for the fresh line, and back to bumps after just a day.

It is quite different from Europe because here the backcountry can be extremely dangerous because of the extreme variations in snow layers, which means that almost 100% of the skiers will be in the resorts, instead of spreading out between resorts and backcountry as for example in Europe or Japan.

Skiers are very hungry for the hype here and spend most of the time off-piste. You can hear someone yelling and shouting their way down. One more substantial difference I found here is the huge demand for lessons compared to times in my past. There are some days when it feels like everyone on the mountain is skiing with an instructor, and this gives the opportunity for the people here to make a living, and for the guests to have a better mountain experience. The clients here are very gregarious, they are incredibly open, telling stories all the time and mostly interested in establishing a relation with the instructor.

I’ve spent a very amusing and interesting four months and consider this a different experience than what I’ve had. It’s the first time where I lived at a high elevation for such an extended period and I won’t deny this made me feel a little bit superhuman as soon as I got back to our elevations, because of how easier it is to recover here at 1400 meters compared to Aspen which seats on 2500 meters.

Would I go again? Of course, I will! There are some great people I had the chance to ski and spend time with, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them again. Aspen gave me the chance to live a unique cultural experience, which has broadened my horizons, and I would like to experience a real Aspen winter with a bunch of fresh snow in the future. Fortunately, my curiosity never sleeps.