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January Approaches 20-Year Record for Frigid Days in Aspen

imagesThis month will grab honors as one of Aspen’s most frigid Januarys in at least 20 years if the mercury plunges below zero again in the next 10 days.  This month has chilled skiers, frozen pipes, tortured cars and chattered teeth with lows at or below zero on 10 days so far, according to records tracked at the Aspen Water Plant.
This cold snap featured two periods with consecutive subzero days — Jan. 3 through 5 and Jan. 12 through 16. Subzero weather isn’t unusual for Aspen in January, but it doesn’t usually strike for this many days. Records from the observers at the water plant show that since 1994 only two years came close to matching this icebox performance. There were 11 days with temperatures at or below zero in January 2008, including five in a row. There were nine days with the super-low temperatures in 2007, according to the water plant’s records.  Last year there were only four days of subzero temperatures in January. In 2005, there was none.
The first half of the winter will be remembered as much for being dry as it was for being cold. The snowpack in the upper Roaring Fork River basin fell below 40 percent of average Monday, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The snowpack is measured at an automated Snotel site near Grizzly Reservoir, roughly 15 miles east-southeast of Aspen. It should typically have 8.7 inches of water in the amount of snow at this time of year. The snow-water equivalent was only 3.4 inches Monday, making it 39 percent of average, according to the Snotel site.  The total amount of precipitation — snow and rain — at the site is only 53 percent of average since Oct. 1.

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In Aspen, Aspen Market, resources

Vacant Land Sales Pick Up in Aspen Area

imagesVacant land for single-family homes in the Aspen area was the first segment of the real estate market to get smacked by the recession, and it’s been one of the slow areas to recovery, but it’s finally turning around, according to sales data.

Twenty-six vacant lots in Aspen and surrounding neighborhoods sold in 2012, far exceeding any of the prior four years, according to an analysis by Andrew Ernemann, of B.J. Adams and Co. Only 11 vacant lots sold in the same geographic area in 2011.  The level reached last year essentially matched the pre-recession level of 25 lots sold in 2007, Ernemann’s report showed.

He said his personal experience and chats with other real estate agents indicate that most of the sales are to end users — people who want to build and live in the homes. There are also signs of some interest from investors, he said. Investors are typically spec builders who invest the money in land and construction on the assumption the houses will sell. Spec building disappeared, for the most part, when the recession struck the Roaring Fork Valley in late 2008.

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Colorado Revenue Continues to Grow, Economists Say

imagesColorado’s economy continues to outperform expectations, spurred on by tax revenue from stock sales, although unemployment remains high, state economists told lawmakers Monday.  The state’s tax receipts are expected to be $548.2 million, or 7.1 percent higher, this budget year than the prior year, according to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s economists. The latest quarterly forecast from state economists touched on familiar trends of past reports: Colorado’s economy is outperforming the national economy, but there remains caution because of the revenue growth is driven by taxes on one-time stock sales.  “We have clue after clue that what we’re dealing with is volatile revenue stream,” said Henry Sobanet, Hickenlooper’s budget director.  With the adjusted revenue numbers from December, the state’s general fund is expected to be $8.3 billion for the fiscal year that began in July. The general fund now exceeds the pre-Great Recession peak of $7.7 billion in 2007. The quarterly forecast released Monday afternoon will play a key role in the upcoming debate over the budget, especially as lawmakers debate an overhaul of the state’s system to fund schools. Lawmakers typically give final approval to the budget next month.  State legislative economists also delivered a separate forecast to lawmakers Monday with a similar outlook of cautious optimism for the state.  “I believe it is the spring of this recovery. However, know that storms can still happen in the spring,” said Natalie Mullis, the Legislature’s chief economist.

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In Aspen, Aspen Market, resources

Aspen Real Estate Market Slows After A Torrid December

imagesThe fantastic finale to 2012 in the Pitkin County real estate market has given way to a sluggish start in 2013. The total dollar volume of all real estate sales in January was down $15.15 million, or 15 percent, from January 2012, according to deeds filed with the Pitkin County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.  The sales slump continued in February, with dollar volume down another $9.1 million, or 20 percent, according to deeds filed.  For the two months combined, the market is down $24.25 million, or 17 percent.

Realtors said Friday that the surge in late 2012 and the slump in early 2013 are connected. A flurry of activity in the fourth quarter of 2012 was driven by changes in the capital-gains tax laws. Sales that would have been completed in January and February of this year were fast tracked in December.  “Buyers and sellers were doing back flips to get closings done in the last days,” said Carrie Wells, a leading real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Mason and Morse Real Estate in Aspen. Work in December for real estate agents, title insurance companies and real estate attorneys was like “running a marathon,” she said.

Wells said she represented the buyers in one transaction in which an offer was made for a home on Christmas Eve with a closing on Dec. 27. The buyers knew they would benefit from a discount, so they agreed to a deal that skipped many of the due-diligence steps, and they allowed the sellers to remain in the property for six months, she said. Buyers aren’t willing to jump through hoops like that now, and sellers don’t have the incentive to reach an agreement because of higher taxes, Wells said. Therefore, activity has sagged.

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In Aspen, Aspen Culture and Nightlife, Crested Butte, Crested Butte Culture and Nightlife, resources, Vail and Beaver Creek, Vail and Beaver Creek Culture and Nightlife

Colorado Ski Towns Face Off in Energy Challenge

imagesAspen, Crested Butte and Vail compete for skier days every winter. But this March, the towns and the counties they’re located in will go head-to-head for energy assessments in the Energy Smart Challenge.  In 2010, Eagle, Pitkin and Gunnison Counties all received Department of Energy grant funding to offer the Energy Smart Program. Now, in the third year of the program, it’s time for a little friendly competition.

The Energy Smart Challenge kicked off on Friday and will end on Earth Day, April 20. Every homeowner who signs up for an energy assessment during the Energy Smart Challenge will be entered into a raffle for a free pair of custom, locally-made skis. One lucky participant from the Aspen/Snowmass area, including Basalt, Redstone, Marble and unincorporated Pitkin and Eagle Counties within the Roaring Fork Valley, will win a pair of custom-made Double Barrel Meier skis from beetle-kill pine.

Besides good karma and bragging rights, the winning county will also receive recognition on the Energy Smart and Protect Our Winters websites and an Energy Smart Pizza Party for the community.

“Since the program began, we’ve facilitated 3,111 home energy assessments and 1,439 home energy improvements,” said Amelia Potvin, the Energy Smart Program Manager in Pitkin County. “The Energy Smart Challenge is a way to encourage more homeowners to take advantage of the program.”

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In Aspen, Aspen Recreation, Crested Butte, Crested Butte Recreation, resources

An Epic Hike From Crested Butte to Aspen in Colorado

On-the-trail-near-the-Maroon-Bells-outside-of-Aspen-200x300Some vacations are about relaxing; some are about sightseeing and some are about accomplishing a goal—climbing a mountain, becoming a certified scuba diver, visiting as many ball parks as you can in two weeks. I’d always wanted to do the famous hike between Crested Butte in Southwest Colorado and Aspen –12.2 miles along the West Maroon trail, crossing the Maroon Pass which is 12,500 feet high. And in the year since— as we get ready to meet up with family for a week at a Portico  Club  rental house in Snowmass, up the road from Aspen–I’ve thought  a lot about that hike.

That I was able to do it has not only given me confidence to push myself in other arenas but has made me smile when I’m feeling low.  I treasure the memory, most of all because I shared the hike with my husband and 21-year-old daughter Mel, an avid hiker and backpacker who led the way.

This would be no walk in the park.   We were at high elevation hiking over a mountain pass. Many people backpack here.   I’d first heard about this hike years ago when we took our kids to ski at Crested Butte, one of my favorite mountain towns. Crested Butte is an old western town with an entire downtown area that is on the national historic register and a five minute free bus ride from the mountain (and the condos) and so safe we felt comfortable letting young teens wander. At many other ski resorts, you are 20 minutes or more from downtown if you stay on the mountain.

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In Aspen, Aspen Recreation, resources

Conundrum Hot Springs

conundrumThree dozen people, about a third of whom seem to have forgotten to pack their swimsuits, are soaking at 11,200 feet in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, near Aspen. They hiked 8.5 miles to get here, and the 103-degree water bubbling from below does miracle work on sore legs. But just as the party is getting going, the weather turns. People laugh when the rain starts, then cover their heads with towels and bags of wine when it begins to hail. A few claps of thunder are enough to send most scrambling for their tents.

The rain never lets up, and the party must wait for another night. And there will be another night, another party, at what is quite possibly the most crowded wilderness locale in Colorado: Conundrum Hot Springs. It’s a natural wonder in a stunning setting, quite possibly the last of its kind in Colorado, hot pools on public land with free, unlimited access. How long it stays that way remains to be seen. The U.S. Forest Service says it’s being loved to death, and officials are studying options to address the overuse, including an alternative almost unheard of in Colorado: reservations to visit a national forest.

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Timelapse: Super Moon Rising Over the Rocky Mountians

imagesAstrophotographer Cory Schmitz braved a brown bear in order to capture some wonderful images of the full Moon rise on July 22, 2013. This composite shows a series of images of the moonrise, and below is a beautiful timelapse.

A series of photos combined to show the rise of the July 22, 2013 ‘super’ full moon over the Rocky Mountains, shot near Vail, Colorado, at 10,000ft above sea level in the White River National Forest. Moon images are approximately 200 seconds apart.

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In Aspen, Aspen Recreation, resources

Fly Fishing Near Aspen — It’s About the Fishing Not the Catching

Mel-Yemma-with-guide-Trevor-Clapper-in-the-Roaring-Fork-River-300x225It’s fishing, not catching! I’m standing  on a rock in the Roaring Fork River in Aspen early in the morning wishing for a cup of coffee—where there is supposed to be some of the best fly fishing in Colorado but I’m not catching anything.

Sure I’m a novice.  I’m certain my casting leaves a lot to be desired.  It is beautiful—no one but us, the water crystal clear, mountains around us.  We had to slide down on our butts to get to this fishing spot, suited up in waders with neoprene booties and waterproof boots.That’s part of the adventure I’m told—clamoring down the steep incline to the river, over rocks, holding on to tree roots for support.

But no fish.  “It’s about the experience,” says our guide Trevor Clapper from the Little Nell Adventure Shop, which offers trips that end in Basalt, about 20 miles downriver.  Clapper says of everything people want to do in the summer or fall when they come to Aspen—off road jeep tours, guided hiking trips, white river rafting—fly fishing is the most popular.  “It’s something different,” he explains.  “And something you can only do certain places.”

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In Aspen, Aspen Recreation, Breckenridge, Breckenridge Recreation, resources, Vail and Beaver Creek, Vail and Beaver Creek Recreation

Vail, Breckenridge & Aspen Flourish As Year-Round Desinations

dt.common.streams.StreamServer.clsThis is a great article from the Vail Daily about the increasing shift of mountain communities into year round destinations.

There was a time when mountains were enough — when skiing down or hiking up forested slopes, fishing and rafting rivers or biking or riding horses through the hills provided enough entertainment to last a week. As mountain resort communities grow and compete with one another for tourism dollars, the mountains simply aren’t cutting it. Visitors want more.

Ziplines. Trampolines. Alpine coasters. Extreme mountain bike trails. Paragliding. Ropes courses. Slacklines. Mini golf. Disc golf. Rock-climbing walls. Whitewater parks. Terrain parks. Skateboard parks.

Growth in visitors and sales tax revenues proves that ski towns are real communities no longer serving the very narrow niche of winter sports. The in-your-face overload of countless activities doesn’t stop with recreation. Summer events and festivals are filling up the calendars, giving guests from far and wide all the more reason to find their Rocky Mountain high. Event planning has taken off in the mountain region, and in many cases the public sector has its hand in it like never before. The mountains have become everything from a foodie’s paradise to a place to unwind to a spa or golf destination. Festivals focusing on music, art, food and dance plump up weekends that used to be desolate as recent as a few years ago.

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