Skiing and Spa Going: Part Two in Aspen

Pond Skimming at Aspen Highlands

Some nights ago I tuned into some pond skimming from Mammoth.  I took a double take since we are almost in summer.  Then I remembered that Mammoth Mountain doesn’t typically close until mid June; I also realized that I had switched on to RSN, or Resort Sports Network, a local’s favorite here in T-ride, a cable station that can satisfy a sports enthusiast’s hankering for outdoor adventure with the push of a button.  The show that followed tracked some of the world’s most harrowing expeditions at both the North and South Poles.  The channel was all about snow, risk taking and fun.  And here it is mid June.  Boy, do I love living in a ski town.

Pond skimming.  The words themselves conjure up a variety of curious images.  But I’m talking about some of the best end-of-season fun that can be had on skis and boards.  I witnessed some impressive pond skimming late April of this year, the last weekend at Aspen Highlands.  Crazy kids young and old challenged themselves and wooed the crowd by plunging from atop the hill onto a manmade pond hoping they had gauged their speed and balance enough to carry them across the water.  Plouf!  Inevitably a few unlucky souls didn’t quite make it.  The audience howled.

I’ve since carefully stowed my skis away but thoughts of skiing and the upcoming ski season aren’t too far out of mind.  The season ended on a particularly sweet note, so I can’t help looking forward to what next season will bring.

It has become a tradition of mine to ski Aspen once Telluride closes and I willingly obliged to this rite of spring again this year.  I actually had been staying in Aspen a good part of off-season with my dad, so it was a given that I’d close the season much as I had in the past, especially since the Highlands opened for an additional two weekends.  (Let’s hope they’ll do it again next year.)  This year though I was going to be with Steve, my sweetie, and I knew that our last day would mark the end of a very full ski season spent as much happily together as apart.  My brother, David, and his wife, Geri, also planned to join us, so it seemed we’d all strike a celebratory chord together throughout our last turns.

Merry Go Round Fun

With Aspen as the destination, I wanted to do the weekend in high style.  I had heard much about the St. Regis and yearned to wrap myself in a full-on Aspen experience.  A stay at the St. Regis in New York many years ago had left an indelible impression on me, so, of course, such a grand hotel in Aspen intrigued me immensely.  Steve and I checked in and instantly began taking note of all the little niceties that made for a first-class experience including a jarful of exquisite dark chocolate, a handsome little box filled with very useful desk supplies and butler service that was scheduled to bring us tea in the morning.  Of course the rich appointments, marble bath and luxurious bed and bath linens delighted us, but it was the details that spoke to us the most.

St. Regis Aspen

The St. Regis became our headquarters de luxe for the full forty-eight hours of our Aspen stay.  (Yes, we had to ask for a late check out come Sunday.)  We enjoyed its grandeur and spaciousness but also its convenient location and efficient, friendly service.  We had the whole hotel practically to ourselves and Steve and I both noted once again, that ski resorts and their hotels are truly a dream once the crowds have gone home.

Friday night was filled with laughter, stories and very agreeable food and wine at Mezzaluna, a local’s favorite that had become one of my haunts over the years.  Many of the restaurants in town were offering specials, including Mezzaluna.  (Another reason to visit during off-season.)  On Saturday we picked up the bus at Ruby Park and headed for the Highlands.  We all skied for a good four hours on intermediate terrain blanketed in a wondrous mix of mashed potatoes and corn snow.  We couldn’t have asked for a softer ending to the season.  We toasted our time over beers at the Merry Go Round, the Highlands’s mid-way on-mountain restaurant where end-of-the-season revelers had gathered to bask in the balmy weather, take in the pond skimming and groove to the beat of a good ‘ole rock and roll band.

We stayed en famille Saturday night and enjoyed a dinner together where Steve met my dad for the first time.  (Now things are getting serious!)  It wouldn’t be a Saturday night in Aspen though without a night cap out in some swanky locale, so we opted for the bar at the St. Regis, where we delighted in delicious wines and twelve-year old bourbon.  The stately setting here—complete with a reproduction of the renowned Maxfield Parrish Art Nouveu painting that adorns the famous King Cole’s Bar at the St. Regis in New York—made me feel as though I was back in the Big Apple at this landmark establishment.  Ski season almost seemed like a distant memory.

Couples Treatment Room

We shifted gears so much so, in fact, that we opted out of skiing the last day.  It didn’t help that we woke up to a rain/snow mix that seemed to promise a day of icy crud and poor visibility.  Steve and I were quietly relieved about the development of this less-than accommodating spring storm.  It was good to have an excuse for taking full advantage of Remède, the oh-so elegant spa housed within the hotel.  We padded down in our bathrobes and hovered in the Relaxation lounge a while.  We hadn’t scheduled a service but we wanted to take in the creamy luxury of this space, its sophisticated artwork and yummy assortment of snacks such as truffles and some of the best dried fruit I ever sampled.

The attendant came by and settled us into the Oxygen lounge where other spa goers lolled in la-la land as they inhaled a continuous stream of oxygen.  We each stretched out on a chaise lounge with oxygen tubes firmly affixed to our nostrils.  The cocoon-like setting of the dimly-lighted room quickly dispelled any thoughts of us—god-forbid—looking ill.  Instead we both fell into an otherworldly trance-like state most surely brought on by the freshly oxygenated blood coursing through our veins.   The fireplace that we faced and hypnotically stared into further enhanced the relaxing effect of the whole experience.  We cat napped enough to feel as though we had slept a good eight hours.  Or was that the oxygen?

It was time for a soak and since we’re still a fairly new couple, we chose to spend all our remaining time in the Confluence room, a co-ed serenity pool where we were lucky enough to find ourselves alone.  Just as in Vail, we quickly realized that off-season is an ideal time to indulge in such spas.  A combination of warm and cool water flowed out from the rocky shelves of this superlative stone enclave but all we seemed to focus on was each other.  And isn’t that just how it should be?

The Confluence Room

There was no time to take in the other amenities offered in this healing space.  We showered in our respective locker rooms and later commented to each other how wonderful it felt to stand barefoot on the smooth stones that made up the shower floor.  “It reminded me of an outdoor shower at the beach,” Steve said.  I agreed and marveled at finding such a feature in a mountain spa.

We drifted out of Remède with glasses of Champagne in hand and ladened with a supply of skin care products from Laboratoire Remède (that I later found to be extraordinary).  Our ski season and weekend in Aspen had come to a heavenly close.  Our feet wouldn’t be cramped into ski boots for at least another six months.  Pond skimming was a year off and there were no mountain expeditions planned for the summer.  At least not yet.

Aspen Highlands, 800-525-6200 or 970-925-1220, www.aspensnowmass.com

Mezzaluna, 624 E. Cooper Avenue, 970-925-5882, www.mezzalunaaspen.com

St. Regis Resort, 315 E. Dean Street, 888-454-9005 or 970-920-3300, www.stregisaspen.com

Remède Spa at the St. Regis Resort, 970-492-9038, www.remede.com; note that you don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy this spa.

Know that there are currently special deals offered at St. Regis Resort Aspen.  Click here to learn more.