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night skiing(and drinking, and eating, and skiing again) Skiing après-ski sounds like a contradiction. That, or a bad idea that guarantees you’ll miss the tastiest beer of the day. But sign up for an Aspen Expeditions Nachtspektakel—that’s “night spectacle” in German—and you won’t regret strapping on skis after the lifts shut down. Using alpine-touring gear, you skin up a ski slope under a full (or nearly full) moon; it’s no grueling slog, just a moderate hike on snow. You arrive, slightly winded and hungry, at an on-mountain restaurant—either Aspen Mountain’s Bonnie’s, Cloud Nine at Highlands, or the Lynn Britt Cabin in Snowmass (see aspenexpeditions.com for locations and dates)—where a Euro-style raclette feast awaits. You eat, you drink, you start to ponder the ski down, you drink a little more. When you spill back outside, Aspen Expeditions’ conscientious guides implore you to ski carefully, or if you have imbibed too heartily, to climb into the snowcat for a ride down. Hopefully, you can opt for the skis, turn on your headlamp, and begin one of the more whooping, hollering, exhilaratingly memorable runs you’ve ever experienced. It makes a beer at the base seem mundane. —M.M.

friendly competition abounds after dark

Round up some playmates and rehearse your cleverest taunts: friendly competition abounds after dark. The mainstay, of course, is Aspen Billiards at Eric’s Bar (920-6707), home to five pool and two shuffleboard tables rented by the quarter-

hour. Cocktail service ensures you can keep an eye on your ball-moving friends. The kaleidoscopic twinkling inside Ryno’s Pies & Pints (922-RYNO) comes from a miniature arcade of pinball, foosball, and video games, and there are plans to add more multiplayer consoles to the nostalgic ranks of four-way Pac-Man and Big Buck Hunter soon. On Wednesdays, up to thirty-two beer pong teams battle for tournament prizes at The Red Onion (925-9955), while dart sharks duke it out at The Square Grouper (429-4968), the only place in town where you’ll find mint-condition 1984 bubble hockey, as well as Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and PS3 on a nine-and-a-half-foot screen. Wanna play ping-pong at the members-only Eagle’s Club (925-9912)? A smile and a handshake might be just the token. —Amanda Rae

gamespeopleplay

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SHOTS IN THE DARKThe times, they

are a-changin’—so

mutters the guy

in muddy boots,

belly-up at one of

the few elbow-worn

bar tops left in this

town. He’s mostly

right, but tradition

isn’t all gone: the

shot-and-a-beer

special endures.

Order the original

($4) while scooping

free popcorn from

a bottomless barrel

at Little Annie’s

(925-1098), the

low-ceilinged 1972

joint that shut down

briefly last fall—as if

to remind everyone

how much Aspen

would miss it. At

The Red Onion

(925-9955), slam

Jack Daniel’s boiler-

makers ($7), $4 well

shots plus $2 PBR

pints during happy

hour (3–6 and 10–

midnight), and even

’80s-throwback

Jell-O shooters

($2). Wash down

chips and salsa with

well-draft combos

($5.50) at Cantina.

Football on TV at

Zane’s Tavern

(544-9263)? Score

with Session lager

and a Jägermeister

($7.50); the leg-

endary wings are

fifty cents apiece

at happy hour.

Wherever you go,

demand the shot-

ski: it’s how Aspen

barflies get their

wings. —A.R.

A hhh, Aspen, that great seductress: the crisp air, the constant sunshine, the snow falling on your nose at night. You’re already in the mood for love—or will it be some low-rent rendezvous?—so what you need is the perfect plan. Allow us. You

will begin in the gloriously refurbished Living Room at the Hotel Jerome (920-1000). Your partner will oooh and ahhh at the Old Aspen memorabilia as you settle into deep wingback chairs, then sink into Cherry Tree cocktails, with local CapRock Gin, plus a jar of house-smoked trout.

It’s hard to tear yourself away from the fi replace, but onward! Strolling up Mill Street, there’s the Crêperie du Village (925-1566), funkily, warmly French. Walk down-stairs and wrap yourself around plates of “magic mush-room” crêpes and a bottle of Beaujolais amid fl ickering candlelight. For dessert, baked apple crêpes, spiked with calvados, should seal the deal. Prefer to hold hands in low-light luxury instead? Right turn at Hopkins and into subterranean Syzygy (925-3700), where the elk loin and duck breast, not to mention glasses of rosé Champagne, will soften any heart.

Keep going up Mill, however, and turn left on the Hyman Mall. Your ultimate destination is Casa Tua (920-7277), the most seductive dinner spot in town this winter. You’ll see and be seen here; the crowd is well-dressed in an urban way, so make sure your best jeans are pressed and your cashmere sweater draped just so. You’ve booked a table in the front dining room, with its view out onto the snow-slicked streets. The walls are dotted with superb photographs from the owner’s collection (yes, that’s a real Ansel Adams), the tables are set with ivory linen, and the lighting makes everyone look at least twenty years younger. Tru� es, the most aromatic of aphrodisiacs, are frequently deployed here, so start with the beef tartare, oozing with poached egg and black tru� e, and follow with the tagliolini with wild mushrooms, tru� es, and pancetta. Then sink into the whole Dover sole or the lamb chops, and fi nish things o� with just-creamy-enough tiramisu, sex appeal on a plate. There’s a great wine list, too, deep with Italian gems.

Care for a nightcap? Just outside the door is the horse and buggy you reserved from Aspen Carriage and Sleigh (925-3394). The hourlong private tour ends at, well … do we have to tell you everything? —T.P.

romance in theair

Amorously inclined? Here’s how to turn down the lights and turn on the charm.

FRIENDLY COMPETITION ABOUNDS AFTER DARK

Flirting in Aspen can

occur over a shared

dessert (like Casa

Tua’s tiramisu, at top),

or, less subtly, in a

shared bathroom at

Eric’s Bar.

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LAY SOME GROUNDWORK Dressing for a day of skiing requires a good base layer. Ditto a night of Aspen-scale rev-elry. So start your evening at, say, the always-jumping bar at L’Hostaria (925-9022), where the plate of eggy spa-ghetti carbonara, studded with crisp bacon, is a founda-tion that will sup-port a long night of partying. Ditto the guacamole at Zo-calito (920-1991), thick, luscious, and topped, if you dare, with a sprinkling of fried chapulines—that’s grasshoppers to gringos. It’s the perfect prelude to a night in Mar-garitaville. Cheese always makes an ideal ground floor, so head to Justice Snow’s (429-8192), where Kiley’s ever-changing platter of three perfect specimens hits the spot. Still, our pick hit to kick o� the night is a longtime favorite local dish: Flavors of the Sun, the Mediter-ranean sampler of hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, olive tapenade, and plenty of pita, from The Wild Fig (925-5160). It’s like a cushy landing mat for the shots of tequila to come. —T.P.

T he audacious Ms. Lauper’s words still ring true: after a playful day on the slopes or at a soothing spa, snow bunnies of all stripes seek more, more, more. So slip into your fi n-est wedge boots—the better to confront Ute

City’s spotty cobblestones—swig that last bit of bub-bly, and let’s hit it. First we breeze into the ultimate happy hour spot: 39 Degrees at the Sky Hotel (925-6760). The après-ski crowd has thinned by early evening—save for a few stragglers bobbing in the hot tub out in the dark, shades still on, natch—so we nab sleek leather couches by the swank stone fi replace and call for frosty concoctions. The lounge swells with o� -duty fi nance mongers, real-estate dealers, and athletes—thanks for the drinks, fel-las!—but our itinerary doesn’t include dead ends, no matter how big the attached expense account. Besides, we’re craving bar-menu fl ank steak and local buzz at Ellina (925-2976), plus decadent, crushed-espresso-bean martinis for dessert.

Was it a boyfriend or just a friend who men-tioned that Playboy magazine recently named Justice Snow’s (429-8192) the country’s coolest high-altitude bar? We step into the Prohibition-era speakeasy, fi ngers crossed to fi nd enough seats at the long, lean copper bar for all of us. (If not, the tufted corner banquette will do fi ne.) Push aside the ninety-fi ve-page, leather-bound cocktail mani-festo and describe your mood to our vest-clad host: he’ll whip together a custom concoction beyond imagination. Next up, a stop at Cache Cache’s (925-3835) foxy marble bar for pink bubbles and French mood music; we’ll fl oat across the plaza to Campo de Fiori (920-7717) afterward. By now our cheeks are dangerously fl ushed, but only because we feel faaaantastic; we’re able to shake o� wily suitors with ease. (Our charming bartenders see all, and wine fl ows.) Footloose wolves run rampant after midnight, but any girl pack worth its Prada has a well-timed eye-roll ready. Ready to dance, we spill into The Regal (989-8016; Wednesday is Ladies’ Night) or the semi-exclusive Caribou Club (925-2929), if we bump into a few lucky lads, and boogie down until last call. No drama, just a damn good time. —A.R.

girlsjustwanna

... It’s always ladies’ night in Aspen.

TATAMI ROOM TIP: YOU CAN BRING

YOUR iPOD, FOR CUSTOM

MUSICAL MOOD-SETTING.

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Upscale wines by the glass are a local trend we heartily endorse; they let you sample famous bottlings without breaking the bank or cre-ate your own grape-centric dine-around. Although the offerings change constantly,

it was recently possible to start at Prospect at the Hotel Jerome (920-1000) with a glass of Quintessa ($55) or Flowers chardon-nay ($26). At The Little Nell’s Element 47 (920-6330), a superb red Burgundy, Henri Delagrange Volnay, was $34 per glass. A great selection—including Silver Oak cabernet this winter at around $35 per glass—is also of-fered at the Westin Snowmass (923-8200), which uses an Italian-made WineEmotion dispenser to preserve open bottles. “There is definitely a market for these great wines by the glass,” says Cache Cache’s (925-3835) wine director, Alex Harvier. He’s been know to uncork Chateau LaTour, a Grand Cru white Burgundy, or even Chateau D’Yquem, the legendary dessert wine. —T.P.

One theory of morning-after recovery counsels tiptoeing into the dawn, and in Aspen that might mean a gentle eye-opener for breakfast. In this category, consider a chewy

homemade bagel at Annette’s Mountain Bake Shop (544-1806) or, upping the ante, a French toast waffle and a custom juice blend at Peach’s Corner Café (544-9866). At the new Spring Café (429-8406), we’d opt for the avocado toast, with cherry tomatoes and olive oil—hold the red pepper flakes, please—and a Green Light juice, made with kale, romaine, cucumber, pineapple, and celery.

The other strategy involves serious quanti-ties of protein and carbs; you’ll have to get out of your jammies, though, since the best examples are offered at full-service hotels. At the Nell’s Element 47, the unbeatable classic is the lemon soufflé pancakes, light as air, with raspberry syrup and toasted pine nuts. Upping the calorie count is the Toad in the Hole at the Jerome’s Prospect (920-1000) dining room: a fried organic egg nestled in country toast, with spinach, avocado, ruby trout, and dill hol-landaise. But if you’re feeling especially am-bulatory, nothing beats the lavish (and in fact, Aspen’s only) breakfast buffet at the St. Regis Aspen (920-3300), which includes smoked salmon with cream cheese, eggs and pancakes, and enough pastries to overcome even the worst crapulence. —T.P.

Flightsof Fancy

recoveryrooms

the bewitching hourIt’s late. Technically,

it’s morning. Maybe

you’ve been spit out of

Belly Up or overstayed

your welcome wher-

ever else you went.

But you soldier on …

and now it gets weird.

The heart of Aspen’s

late-night scene beats

underground, where

bottle service—and

bad decisions—flow.

Not to worry, it’ll all be

mostly mind-erased

come morning. The

most classic option is

Eric’s (920-6707), a

sleek cave of exposed

brick, faux candles,

and beer on tap (the

Cigar Bar upstairs

channels your cool,

chain-smoking uncle’s

cherry-paneled den).

Prefer to wear the

darkness like a cloak,

slamming saccharine

shots and generally

losing your morals?

The Regal Watering

Hole (989-8016) has a

dance floor with room

to groove; show-offs

will climb into the

shadow box behind

the DJ booth. For a trip

down the rabbit hole,

melt into the mob at

Escobar (414-0524),

a whitewashed won-

derland of big beats,

booze in plastic cups,

a stripper pole, and,

often, utter shameless-

ness. Just beware:

what happens at

Escobar stays at Esco-

bar—until it’s posted

on the Internet. Hope-

fully you’ve changed

out of ski gear by now,

but if not, don’t worry.

We’ve all been there.

—A.R.

Hallmarks of a

memorable 24

hours in Aspen:

beautiful rooms,

top-flight wines, and

delicate but delicious

breakfasts.

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G iven Aspen’s rich tradition as a culture center, a night out promises to be as stimulating and memorable as any powder day. If your legs remain fresh, hit the dance fl oor of Belly Up (bellyupaspen.com), the ski world’s preemi-

nent music venue. (Don’t take our word for it; Rolling Stone called it a top-twenty club nationwide.) From up-and-comers (rapper Jake Miller, Dec. 5; DJ Steve Aoki, Dec. 21) to members of the rock ’n’ roll pantheon (B.B. King, Nov. 27; the Pixies, Feb. 14), there’s a hot ticket for every generation and sensibility. For an archetypal Bel-ly Up experience—seeing a band that would normally play a venue twenty times the club’s size—snag a ticket for the o� eat, ambitious Flaming Lips (Dec. 30–31). Go full throttle with the experience: down shots and beers, dance like mad, stay through the encore.

Want something a touch more refi ned? Among the great sensations of evening-time in Aspen is the unmatchable merging of urban and mountain. Consider Jazz Aspen Snowmass’s JAS Café: a downtown Manhattan vibe; the setting of the Little Nell, nestled against a killer ski hill. Listen to smoking music (try trombonist Wycli� e Gordon’s tribute to

Louis Armstrong, Jan. 10–11, jazzaspensnowmass.org), sip cocktails, and walk into the high-altitude night. Another citylike attraction, the Aspen Art Museum’s group exhibition Trapping Lions in the Scottish Highlands (Nov. 15–Feb. 2, aspenartmuseum.org) should cast a distinctive spell on your night.

To feel a sense of privilege, take up residence in Aspen Film’s Academy Screenings (aspenfi lm.org), an orgy of Oscar hopefuls. You’ll get cultural brag-ging rights, as many of the fi lms won’t be in general release for weeks, and you’ll experience cinematic immersion with twenty fi lms over eleven days (Dec. 22–Jan. 1), all in the Wheeler Opera House. Find a table downstairs at Justice Snow’s to gather with your fi lm-bu� friends for nightly analysis.

Witnessing homegrown talent on its home turf is a pleasure of its own. Watch the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet company (Feb. 14–15, Aspen District Theatre, aspen-santafeballet.org) and marvel at the phenomenon—an internationally touring, contemporary dance troupe based in a small mountain town. You’ll feel a surge of pride in the local community. Even if you don’t live here. —Stewart Oksenhorn

NOCTURNAL NOSHINGNight owls with

the munchies can

forage cheap eats

past midnight at

a few spots. On

weekends—that’s

Thursday through

Saturday here—Su

Casa (920-1488)

serves a dozen

types of tacos

($2.75–$4), quesa-

dillas, and burritos

until 1 a.m. The

Square Grouper

(429-4968) slings

hearty Southern

fare until 2 a.m.,

but the late-night

king is New York

Pizza (920-3088):

its gluten-rich pies

reign supreme

until crowds cry

uncle (3 a.m, tops).

Bring cash (slices,

beer: $4–$5), and

prepare to wait in

line upstairs. Au-

thenticity hounds

will squeeze

against the tiny

counter beneath

band posters and

eat standing up

between politicos

and ski bums. Door

locked? If you

haven’t turned into

a pumpkin yet, the

snack smorgas-

bord at the 24-

hour Shell Station

(920-2370) might

save you. Build

some nachos,

grab a bear claw

if you dare, and

for the love of god

go home already.

—A.R.

culture club

Need a serving of sophistication? You’re in the most arts-stu� ed ski town in the world.

GOING TO POT If you are reading this after Jan. 1, 2014, marijuana is now legal in Colorado, and depending on how local regulations unfold, you may be able to buy some at an Aspen pot shop. If it’s still 2013, you can purchase ganja in Aspen, but only the medicinal variety with a prescription card. (Because despite being pumped to hike Highland Bowl tomorrow, you still su� er from chronic, debilitating pain, correct?) If you do choose to relive your Cheech and Chong years, keep a few things in mind. For starters, it’s not 1990. That homegrown your older brother once shared with you has given way to extraordinarily powerful stu� . Unless you’re a seasoned pro, one hit will get you high; three or four and you’re catatonic. You’ll probably notice the potency after your first pu� , which means the real danger lies in the edibles. That piece of candy the size of a Tootsie Roll? Eat half, and it’s game over for hours—seriously, you’re toast. Show some restraint: nibble a bit and wait a while, and you might end up with a sustained buzz you can handle. Just make sure the condo’s snack cabinets are stocked. —M.M

From the Aspen

Art Museum’s

Trapping Lions...

show: Kerry

Tribe, There Will

Be __________ /

Greystone, 2012,

single-channel

HD video, sound,

30 min.

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