The search is over but the news is grim, according to the Snowmass Sun: "The victim, whose name has not been released pending notification of next of kin, was located by a K9 search team in a debris field of what is being described as a 'large avalanche' that was approximately 150 yards long and 20-30 feet wide at the bottom, according to Mountain Rescue Aspen personnel. At 9:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, the body was transported to Aspen Valley Hospital, where it was met by representatives from the Pitkin County Coroner's Office. The avalanche was reported just before 6 p.m. on Feb. 23 and was believed to have happened around 4 p.m. that day."
Aspen skater Jeremy Abott and snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler both saw their Olympic dreams evaporate against the hard, cold surfaces of the Vancouver Games.
The Village is ready for Fat Tuesday and beyond in one of the biggest weeks of the season.
Posts filed under 'Snowmass'
| Aspen, Colo. (January 7th, 2010) – Imagine a year of your life submerged in outdoor activities, culture and fine dining in a place high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Qittle is now providing people the chance to make this dream a reality. On January 1, 2010, Qittle’s “Live the Dream – A Year in Aspen/Snowmass” contest went live, and those eligible can now go to the website http://livethedreamaspensnowmass.com and register for their chance to win. |
| Mobile marketing company Qittle has partnered with various local and national clients for “Live the Dream” contest. One lucky winner will receive accommodation, grocery allowance, lift pass, equipment for winter and summer activities and tickets to local events among other prizes. He or she will work for Qittle hosting a weekly radio/TV show that will air locally and will also be responsible for his or her own blog, where they will share their experience in Aspen/Snowmass with the world. |
| The second part of the contest will begin June 1st 2010 where 100 random names will be selected from the entries to compete in a personal viral marketing campaign called ACTION (Announce yourself, Create a new lifestyle, Take chances, Inspire, be Outgoing, Network with friends and family to support your dream). Participants will be judged on their own campaign, and five finalists will be selected to come to Aspen/Snowmass for an interview. The overall winner will be announced on July 4th 2010. |
| “This is the ultimate prize: a year in one of the best places in the world, living in the heart of the Rockies, going to some of the coolest social events and hitting the slopes of Aspen/Snowmass. We are excited to be working with some awesome brands to provide this. Good luck and I hope to meet you in the final round in June.” said Casey McConnell, CEO of Qittle. |
| During the contest, there are also weekly prize giveaways from various “Live the Dream” sponsors on each of the "Swag Fridays". This Friday, January 8, is the first Swag Friday giveaway and is provided by LoveSac, the alternative furniture company. LoveSac offered up a CitySac (http://www.lovesac.com/citysac.asp) to give away this Friday. |
About Aspen/Snowmass Colorado The small towns of Aspen and Snowmass boast an eclectic mix of people. The rich and famous often find themselves mingling with some of the most talented ski bums, living paycheck to paycheck in order to live the mountain lifestyle. When the days are snowy, you can step outside to ride powder runs on one of Aspen/Snowmass’ four majestic mountains. During the summer months, “lifestyle” doesn’t slow down and many who came for the winters stay for the summers when biking, hiking, concerts, fishing and festivals take over. Many only dream of the chance to live even one year of their life in Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado. This is the year that Qittle help one lucky person live that dream. |
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to individuals 21 years of age or older as of January 1, 2010. Various residency and skill requirements apply. See Official Rules at http://livethedreamaspensnowmass.com/ for complete Promotion details. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Sweepstakes Registration Period ends 5/31/10 and Contest Submission Period ends June 14, 2010. |
January 7th, 2010
Aspen/Snowmass got some love in the Toronto Sun today. Live The Dream was 1 of 3 campaigns featured, the other 2 are both based in Canada.
The time has never been better to be a ski bum.
Three separate contests in the Canadian and the U.S. West give skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to become the ultimate slope slacker, with prizes that include free skiing throughout the entire 2010 winter, free cat- and heli-skiing, free airfare, free hotel accommodation, free food, even free use of an SUV for the season.
Live The Dream win a year in Aspen/Snowmass Colorado
Contestants have more time to enter the Live the Dream contest for an all-expense-paid year living in Aspen, Colo. Anyone can submit their name to enter the contest, which starts Jan. 1, 2010. Contestants will be narrowed down and invited to Aspen to compete for a year's worth of free accommodation, a ski pass, new skis, a new bike, tickets to Aspen events and a credit card allowance. The winner will be required to blog on the experience, plus host weekly radio and TV shows in Aspen.
The contest is being promoted mainly via social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. For more information, go to qittle.com/live_the_dream.
Click here to read the full story at the Toronto Sun
November 6th, 2009
Wednesday October 20, 2009
Announced on Tuesday: the “Mining Aspen for Ideas” city sponsored program----with up to 200 thousand dollars could budgeted to help spark business this winter.
Local news will be covering a meeting on November sixth aimed at getting those ideas organized and moving forward.
The city of Glenwood Springs has planned on minimal changes to its budget for next year-----the result of cautious planning that began one year ago.
But the Town of Basalt on Tuesday announced that it will be cutting a few positions from its staff next year----one in the planning department---to hold labor costs down.
Merchants and town elected leaders are rallying to find a way to persuade the director of Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Jim Horowitz, to keep the concerts in Snowmass and not, as is planned, move to the larger venue at Buttermilk next year.�
With all the hits taken to the local economy in Snowmass Village, some optimism was voiced by Westpac President Dwayne Romero, who last night told elected leaders that the village is “not dead yet” and that the opening by Thanksgiving of the new Viceroy Hotel, and several new businesses---will help to jump start the economy.
Send your news tips and opinions to news@aspenglenwood.com, and listen to KUUR and KSNO radio!�
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October 21st, 2009
QITTLE TO LAUNCH “LIVE THE DREAM” CONTEST JANUARY 1ST 2010
An Individual will Win A Year in Aspen/Snowmass
Aspen, CO (October 5th, 2009) – Imagine a year of your life submerged in outdoor activities, culture and fine dining in a place high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
The little town, situated at the base of a mountain boasts an eclectic mix of people. The rich and famous often find themselves mingling with some of the most talented ski bums, living paycheck to paycheck in order to live the mountain lifestyle. When the days are snowy, you can step outside to ski powder runs on one of Aspen/Snowmass’ four majestic mountains. During the summer months, “lifestyle” doesn’t slow down and many who came for the winters stay for the summers when biking, hiking, concerts, fishing and festivals take over. Many only dream of the chance to live even one year of their life in Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado. This is the year you can live that dream.
Mobile marketing company Qittle is partnering with various local and national clients to create a contest—“Live the Dream.” The winner will experience the ultimate year of his or her life—complete with an apartment in Aspen, Colorado, a ski pass, health club membership, credit card allowance, winter and summer activities package, tickets to various local events and much more. He or she will work for Qittle hosting a weekly radio/TV show that will air locally and will also be responsible for his or her own blog, where they will share their experience in Aspen/Snowmass with the world.
Entry for “Live the Dream” will go live on Jan 1st 2010. The contest will be promoted via social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. People will also be able to gain more information about the contest by texting LIVEIT to 32075 or visiting http://www.qittle.com.
Anyone over the age of 18 can register to enter the contest. There will be weekly random prize giveaways to anyone who registers. The second part of the contest will begin June 1st 2010 where 100 random names will be selected from the entries to compete in a personal viral marketing campaign called ACTION. (Announce yourself, Create a new lifestyle, Take chances, Inspire, Outgoing, Network with friends and family to support your dream) Participants will be judged on their own campaign and five finalists will be selected to come to Aspen/Snowmass for an interview. The overall winner will be announced on July 4th 2010.
Qittle plans to launch the contest with a six month bus tour around the United States promoting “Live The Dream” and holding educational seminars in 60 cities helping businesses use New media tools like mobile marketing. Qittle is building a Qittle Campus Team to help spread the word across College campuses as well.
“We are Living our dreams everyday, running Qittle, living in Aspen/Snowmass and this seemed like a great way to assist someone out there to go after their dream. We are very excited to launch “Live The Dream” and have some fun with this campaign meeting people online and in person in 2010” said Casey McConnell, CEO of Qittle.
Qittle helps businesses create, customize and manage a mobile marketing initiative. Launched on the dawn of a worldwide mobile reign, Qittle brings the message to the customer through the mobile phone-a device most customers don’t leave home without. Qittle has signed up numerous clients including Aspen Skiing Company, Snowmass Village, Cost Cutters, Energy Outreach Colorado, Bono’s BBQ and The Aspen Club & Spa.
QITTLE TO LAUNCH LIVE THE DREAM CONTEST JANUARY 1ST 2010
October 4th, 2009
By Associated Press
11:37 AM MDT, October 2, 2009
ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado company is offering a rent-free apartment in Aspen, a ski pass and spending allowances for a year, but the winner will be expected to work for the company and blog about the Aspen experience to the world.
The contest is by Qittle (KIT-tehl), an Aspen company that does marketing via mobile phone. CEO Casey McConnell says the winner also would host a local weekly radio or TV show. Details are still being worked out.
He says contestants can enter from Jan. 1 to May 31. A winner will be chosen in July.
The contest is based on a similar promotion in Australia.
October 2nd, 2009
Has Aspen taken a dive?
Aspen is so used to being considered the top of the heap in skiing, the coolest of the cool, that the recent drop in rankings from SKI magazine have left the town in a bit of a huff. The very notion that somehow Aspen has lost its way-cool edge, like a skier with untoward skis, has left people hereabouts just a tad unhinged.
First the numbers. Snowmass, despite a raft of on-mountain improvements, has fallen to #6, the top ranking for any of the four mountains that make up an Aspen/Snowmass ski pass. Aspen Mountain, in turn, is falling out of sight—all the way down to #14, while Aspen Highlands is more than holding its own at #17. The fourth mountain, Buttermilk, is barely a blip on the national scene, except when it comes to the X Games.
Four high-quality mountains with top twenty rankings is much better than your average resort, of course, but bordering on disaster for the mighty Aspen/Snowmass empire, the jewel of the Crowns. So what went wrong?
Number one, keep in mind that Snowmass is skiing better than ever, with a new gondola and two new high-speed lifts that have that have left the mountain wide open to exploration. There’s a new barbeque joint at the top of Ajax Express—a good one—and even the abortive efforts at a new base village have added some culinary choices to the mix.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Related Westpac fiasco has left Snowmass with a gaping wound that will probably take a decade to close. And the only thing worse than too much construction is that same construction in gaping abeyance.
The result: things are getting ugly at Snowmass, with no immediate end in sight.
In my opinion, Aspen Mountain has suffered from some negative Snowmass run-off. With new gondola cabins and the same great runs, there’s no reason why the mighty mountain formerly know as Ajax should be falling in esteem, except for this: while the rest of the world continues to improve, improvements at Aspen Mountain are likely to take a backseat to backfilling at Snowmass. The overall result is a weakened Snowmass, albeit one skiing better than ever, that ironically helps Aspen Mountain in the ratings not one bit.
Amidst this flickering picture, Aspen Highlands is a glittering gem. Though modest in size, it is gnarly and beautiful, and Highland Bowl remains a literal rite of passage for skiers everywhere. The lift system is brand-new and without any obvious flaw, and the mountain can ski miraculously well on days with adequate snow or better. Highlands also has great quirky places to eat on-mountain, and a base village worthy of the Ritz that calls it home. (Though Highlands becomes a wasteland off-season.) Aspen Highlands is a natural high, and the ratings reflect that.
In the midst of the recession, there was unfortunate talk by the pols in Aspen about bringing the Aspen brand downmarket as an affordable destination. But once a brand is tarnished, it’s almost impossible to bring it back to its original sheen. If Snowmass doesn’t get its act together soon, all four mountains—even Highlands—might just keep falling down.
September 23rd, 2009
Qittle Tweetup
In Aspen on the 27th, plan on attending. We’ll have some food and drinks as well. Be sure to confirm over on Facebook, click here
* when: October 27th 2009, 9am – Noon
* Where: Wheeler Opera House, Aspen, CO
* What: Qittle New Media Conference
* Cost: FREE
* RSVP: Text TWEETUP to 32075
Please invite, Retweet or Facebook this event. We want to make it a lot of fun for everyone. Thanks, Casey
September 21st, 2009
One lucky winner would spend an all-expenses-paid year living the dream in Aspen, click here to read the full article in the Aspen Daily News
September 19th, 2009
It was in 1970 that an Aspen city council first asked the State of Colorado to hold off on the expansion of Highway 82 to four lanes so that they could study mass transit as an alternative to highway construction. Forty years later there will still be a traffic jam at the entrance to town - despite tens of millions of dollars in annual transit spending.
In 1984 a group called the “Traffic Committee”, organized by the City of Aspen, recommended a new four lane entrance to town which was later approved by Aspen voters in 1990. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project was nearing completion, and Scott McInnis had secured a special appropriation from the state to begin construction.
What happened next, the history of why the new entrance was not completed either then or over the next 19 years up to today, is a microcosmic example of just about everything that currently doesn’t work in the governing process of the United States.
Understanding this one example of the total breakdown of our system serves as a primer for why so much cynicism exists regarding the point or purpose of participation, and provides a crystal clear example of why our country is bankrupt.
Beginning with their refusal to honor the clear outcome of that perfectly reasonable 1990 electoral decision, and continuing through the corruption of federal oversight processes designed to protect the public from waste and mismanagement, transportation planning throughout the Roaring Fork Valley is totally compromised by the original sin of the Aspen city council in 1991.
Anyone interested in the failure to reach a solution for the Entrance to Aspen, the current condition of state transportation planning - or why the United States is bankrupt - may not be surprised to learn that these subjects are closely related.
The letter below was recently sent to members of the Colorado Transportation Legislation Review Committee (TLRC). The TLRC is made up of members of the Colorado legislature, and they have the responsibility to provide, “guidance and direction” over all phases of the operation and planning of state transportation projects.
The report mentioned in the letter is available online at: http://www.entrancesolution.com/History.htm
Dear [TLRB Member],
The enclosed report is directed to your attention as a member of the Transportation Legislation Review Committee.
Though the context of the report is an analysis of the planning and funding process for one section of a Colorado state highway, the findings are significant for transportation projects throughout the state.
As you know, most major state highway and transit projects rely on federal funding, and as a consequence are subject to federal oversight and review. That oversight and review is intended to provide protections to taxpayers in all jurisdictions from waste, fraud, and mismanagement in the application of public funds.
Based on the example of the various federal processes which have failed to protect the public in the Roaring Fork Valley, and the near certainty that these failings are far more widespread, the State of Colorado needs to take action.
It is not sufficient to say that federal oversight of transportation spending has been lacking; federal oversight has collapsed to the degree that there is none.
The recommendations for your committee contained in the report are modest in relation to the magnitude of the problem. However, any increase in the awareness of the void left by federal malfeasance, and the need to fill that void with greater local and state diligence, will provide immediate benefits to the citizens of Colorado.
The TLRC can be contacted through:
Kurtis T. Morrison
Colorado Legislative Council Staff
Room 029, State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 866-3140
kurt.morrison@state.co.us
September 14th, 2009
Thursday August 27, 2009
Change is good. But that often depends on how change affects those involved. Winners (sort of) and losers yesterday at the steps to the Pitkin County Courthouse auction---one bid---one buyer: for six foreclosed properties in Snowmass Village---casualties of the weak economy but returning to dominance: New York based Related Groups, buying Snowmass Mountain Chalet, the Snowmass center, some luxury condos at Sonnenblick----at just under 101 million dollars. Stability: finally here---says Related Westpac President Dwayne Romero, who says Related New York plans to continue development at Base Village---no plans to sell.
Continue Reading August 27th, 2009
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