Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/601986
photography by ross Daniels Follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/aspenpeak.magazine and at aspenpeak-magazine.com. top left: With writer Andre Dubus III and Aspen Peak publisher Alex Halperin at the Aspen Words Summer Soirée. top right: With Nick Byrne at Jazz Aspen Snowmass's black-and-white 25th-anniversary benefit at the ranch of Bob and Soledad Hurst. above: Taking a break from sipping fine wines at the annual Food & Wine Classic with Christine Quinlan and Dana Cowen of Food & Wine magazine. damien a. williamson Oh, what a difference a year makes. This time last year, I found myself back in Aspen after a week in the Nevada desert contemplating life, love, and location. I had spent the previ- ous nine months freelance writing and, after nearly a decade in mountain para- dise, was beginning to wonder if it wasn't time to pack it in and move on. But, being the bold, beautiful temptress that she is, Aspen had other plans for me. On the very night I returned from my spiritual journey, a serendipitous encounter with Aspen Peak publisher Alex Halperin set me on a new path—one that brought about a string of dueling emotions, from elation to nervousness, unabashed joy to single-minded focus, but, most of all, excitement at the opportunity to see Aspen through new eyes. And if the whirlwind of last winter—and the preparations for my very frst issue as the editor of Aspen Peak—served as my training ground, then this summer was the big event. Just think: the Food & Wine Classic; the Aspen Words Summer Soirée with Garrison Keillor; the USA Pro Challenge; Jazz Aspen Snowmass's 25th- anniversary celebration at the spectacular ranch of Bob and Soledad Hurst; the Aspen Music Festival and School's A Feast of Music event at the Hotel Jerome—which, with its six wine-paired dinner courses and six musical performances by students and faculty artists, might go down as the best event of the year.... This summer was certainly one for the record books. From my perch as chief curator of stories for this glossy magazine, I had the perfect view of what can be dubbed the Aspen Renaissance. This issue's cover story (see page 142) examines this idea as we pre- pare for the 2017 men's World Cup Finals here in Aspen, and from every angle: the recent real estate boom; the infux of top-tier, internationally focused art galler- ies; the rapidly expanding luxury retail market; and the new winter sports that, like skiing, are keeping Aspen on the cutting edge of the snowsports industry. This time the training wheels are off, and I feel even more empowered by the sheer number and magnitude of the stories I am able to share with both locals and visitors to Aspen. So much has changed in the last year, and I can only imagine what the next will bring. 38 aspenpeak-magazine.com Letter from the editor