Colorado is known for having an amazing music scene.  The artists that come through Aspen’s famed Belly Up are no exception to the rule.  This music venue has been selling out shows since 1979, so  If you plan on traveling to Aspen or Snowmass make sure seeing a show at Belly Up is at the top of your list.  Locals rave about it, while others drive many miles to see their favorite artists perform here.

Belly Up is setup in a tiered manner, making for an outstanding concert experience.  In the far back of the venue you’ll find the bar which provides standing room and limited seating around the perimeter, a few feet lower is the VIP area, and further down is where the main dancing area is in front of the stage.  The venue is intimate (450 people at maximum capacity) allowing for an incredible light show and the opportunity to get up close and personal with your favorite artists. The sound at Belly Up Aspen is not surprising amazing so you can count on an overall stellar experience.  Get your tickets early, because this venue sells out shows fast!

Here’s a look at some of the upcoming shows happening at Belly Up Aspen.

• April 25 – Oakhurst – Album Release Party
• May 16 – Mishka * AnuhaMay 28 – Mt. Eden
• June 8 – Indigo Girls
• June 7 – Jimmie Vaughan and The Tilt-A-Whirl Band Feat. Lou
• June 13^th – The Dandy Warhols
• June 17 – Mickey Avalon

After a night of dancing you’ll want to comfy bed to come home to.  Call Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals today and our Aspen local will help set you up with lodging in Aspen conveniently located close to Belly Up.

This year (well, technically next year in 2012) will mark Aspen Gay Ski Week’s 35^th anniversary of hosting the event. Running from January 15-22 in beautiful Aspen, Colorado, this GLBT friendly event is expected to be a blast as always. They are pulling out the stops this year for the anniversary, and will be celebrating the best of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s by hosting decade themed parties throughout the week. And remember to bring your best and/or most outlandish outfits because there will be prizes given away at the decade themed parties throughout the week! These parties are not the only thing going on for Aspen Gay Ski Week—there is an opening cocktail reception, a pool party, après ski parties, a Downhill Costume Parade and a comedy show.

Here’s some footage from last year’s Downhill Costume Parade (from PlumTV):

Participants are able to purchase a single pass (the Patron Pass) for $750 that will not only include admission to the aforementioned events and activities, but also VIP access to all of the events, a 1 day lift ticket, and a week long pass to the Aspen Club & Spa. Be sure to take advantage of this pass—unpackaged it costs $1025. Also, the ticket price includes a charitable donation to The Roaring Fork Gay and Lesbian Community Fund (RFGLCF), so you can SAVE BIG while knowing that you also made a donation to charity. There are various other passes available as well, and you can also buy tickets to each individual event at the door. Here is a schedule of events to take place during the week:

Sunday

• Hospitality Suite  – 8 am
• Apres Ski Hot Tub Parties @Limelight Lodge – 3 pm
• Friendship Dinner @Ellina – 6 pm
• Opening Party @Baldwin Gallery – 9 pm
• Late Night @Escobar- 11:58 pm

Monday

• Friendship Dinner @L’Hostaria – 6 pm
• Film “3″ @Wheeler Opera House- 8:15 pm
• Late Night: 70s Glow Party @Hunter Bar – 10 pm

Tuesday

• Friendship Dinner @St. Regis – 6 pm
• Film “Going Down in La-La Land” @Wheeler Opera House – 7:15 pm
• Late Night: 80s Prom @Escobar – 10 pm

Wednesday

• Aspen Club & Spa Day – 8 am
• Friendship Dinner @Elevation – 6 pm
• Boutique Night – 6:30 pm
• Late Night @Caribou Club – 10 pm

Thursday

• Friendship Dinner @Gisella – 6 pm
• Play Reading “Unmarried in America” @Wheeler Opera House – 7 pm
• Comedy Night: Demented Divas @Belly Up – 9 pm
• Late Night @Belly Up – 9 pm

Friday

• Downhill Costume Parade & Contest @ Aspen Mountain – 12 pm
• Friendship Dinner @Cache Cache – 6 pm
• Late Night: Studio 2054 Party @Sundeck – 9 pm

Saturday

• Friendship Dinner @Brexi – 6 pm
• Weekend Pool Party @Aspen Recreation Center – 9 pm

 

The Limelight Lodge is the official sponsor of Aspen Gay Ski Week, so this will definitely be where it’s happening. This stylish lodge is located right in the town of aspen and has a pool and hot-tub, free Wi-Fi, daily housekeeping and complimentary breakfast, among other things. Also, the lodge is pet friendly! So be sure to bring your dog along for a great week in Aspen. This property is booking fast, however, so be sure to check out some of our other lodging options just in case.

 

Aspen Gay Ski week is the GLBT travel event of the winter, so be sure to come check it out! Find out more about how our Friendly. Knowledgeable. Locals.^®  at  Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals can help you book the perfect Aspen Gay Ski Week vacation!

This past summer, Colorado hosted the 2011 US Pro Cycling Challenge, a bike race covering over 600 miles through Colorado’s mountainous terrain. The magnificent race not only brought the top 3 finishers from the Tour de France, it also lured in over 1 million spectators, creating an electrifying energy throughout the host cities and the entire state. Due to its great success, the US Pro Cycling Challenge will return again to Colorado in the Summer of 2012!

The race will be held from August 20-26, and again will go throughout the state of Colorado, showcasing the beautiful terrain that the state is known for. However, the race will change slightly this year, as new cities have been chosen to host each stage.

 

Here is a list of dates and cities where the

US Pro Cycling Challenge will take place:

 

Stage 1, August 20: Durango to Telluride

Stage 2, August 21: Montrose to Crested Butte

Stage 3, August 22: Gunnison to Aspen

Stage 4, August 23: Aspen to Beaver Creek

Stage 5, August 24: Breckenridge to Colorado Springs

Stage 6, August 25: Golden to Boulder

Stage 7, August 26: Denver

While some cities from last year are not on the route this year, such as Steamboat Springs and Vail, new cities have been added, like Boulder and Beaver Creek. It will be interesting to see if there is ever a permanent schedule, or if the host cities will continue to change.

Either way, if you plan on coming to any of these destinations to follow the 2012 US Pro Cycling Challenge or just to visit any time of year, find out more about how our team of Friendly. Knowledgeable. Locals.^® can help you plan your customized mountain vacation.

 

Check out highlights from the 2011 US Pro Cycling Challenge:

Mountains’ terrain is constantly changing, especially at the beginning of the season. So here’s a quick look at whats going on in the Colorado Rockies this weekend.

Aspen/Snowmass

This weekend, Aspen Highlands will open parts of Highland Bowl, Steeplechase and Temerity. Buttermilk will start its season by opening its Tiehack Express lift on Saturday. This now means that top-to-bottom skiing will be available at the 4 Aspen/Snowmass mountains. This is great news for the area, as the year has gotten off to a slow start. Also, the remodeled Merry-Go-Round on-mountain restaurant will open today at Aspen Highlands **show up from 1-3 for an opening day party!

Breckenridge

Peak 7 opened today at Breckenridge, expanding their terrain to 420 acres out of the available 2,358. While there is still much to be opened at Breckenridge, the opening of Peak 7 is great improvement to the mountain.

Vail

Parts of Game Creek Bowl are set to open today, giving skiers even more access to Vail. While the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin are still some time away from opening, expanding access to Game Creek Bowl with the Game Creek Express Lift marks the start of a great winter.

Keystone

Keystone’s Main Street Jump Line is set to open this weekend, which often deemed as some of the best jumps in the nation. Pro ski and snowboard teams come to Keystone every year to film and train on these jumps.

Beaver Creek

There are big things going on in Beaver Creek this weekend with the opening of 4 new lifts. Rose Bowl is opening up with a new high speed quad, Upper and Lower Beaver Creek Express will be running. and finally the Riverfront Gondola will be opening. These changes will all take place on Saturday, just in time for a great weekend in the mountains.

 

So come visit the Colorado Rockies this winter and be sure to find out more about how our team of Friendly. Knowledgeable. Locals.^® can help you plan your customized ski vacation in any of our fun-filled destinations.

Every year since 2001, Aspen has been hosting the Winter X Games. And every year, they up the ante and get more creative and intense with their jumps, terrain features and race tracks. This year will be no exception.

Winter X Games 16 will return again to beautiful Aspen, Colorado from January 26-29, 2012. Last year, various milestones were set, including the first triple cork in a snowboard competition, the first 1080 by a woman in the superpipe, the first 4-peat gold by Shaun White in the superpipe, and the Moore brothers did a back flip on a snowmobile—together (however they were disqualified from the event since the event was for “individuals”). The event grows bigger each year as athletes and judges continue to raise their performance expectations, along with the growing popularity of snow sports in general. Last year broke their previous attendance record of 85,100 and reset the bar at 114,200. Attendance is expected to increase again, making Winter X Games 16 the biggest Winter X Games yet.

There are also a handful of returning athletes with big expectations: Shaun White, Scotty Lago, Louie Vito, Gretchen Bleier, Kelly Clark, Hannah Teter, Kevin Rolland, Sebastien Toutant,Torstein Horgmo,  Sarah Burke, Lindsey Jacobellis, Daniel Bodin, and a handful of others.

Here is the schedule throughout the weekend:

Thursday, Jan 26:

10:30 am – Men’s Ski Slopestyle Elimination

1:30 pm – Women’s Ski Slopestyle Final

2:30 pm – Snowboard Street Final

7 pm – Snowmobile Freestyle Final

7:45 pm – Men’s Ski Slopestyle Final

 

Friday, Jan 27:

10:30 am – Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Elimination

11:30 am – Men’s & Women’s Skier X Qualifying

1:30 pm – Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final

2 pm – Men’s & Women’s Snowboarder X Qualifying

3:30 pm – Adaptive Snowboarder X Exhibition

6:30 pm – Men’s Ski SuperPipe Elimination

8:30 pm – Snowbaord Big Air Final

9 pm – Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe Final

 

Saturday, Jan 28:

9:30 am – Mono Skier X Qualifying

11 am – Women’s Ski SuperPipe Final

12:30 pm – Men’s Ski SuperPipe Final

2 pm – Men’s & Wome’s Snowboarder X Final

6:45 pm – Ski Big Air Final

7:30 pm – Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final

 

Sunday, Jan 29:

12 pm – Men’s & Women’s Skier X Final

12:15 pm – Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe Elimination

2:45 pm  – Mono Skier X Final

7 pm – Snowmobile Best Trick Final

7:45 pm – Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe Final

 

Television coverage for this event can be found on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN 3D. Internet coverage can be found on espn.com/action, xgames.com and espn3.com.  And don’t forget to check out all of last year’s footage to get stoked for this year.

When searching for lodging in Aspen or Snowmass for the X Games, be sure to contact us for the best deals. Also, our complimentary full service concierge will take care of all your ski rentals, lift tickets, and transportation to and from the airport.

Find out more about how our team of Friendly. Knowledgeable. Locals.^® can help you plan your customized X Games Vacation today!

Have you been waking up each morning with excitement? Immediately going to the window to see if snow has fallen overnight? Or religiously checking your computer for the snow report, hoping you somehow slept for a month and all the resorts have suddenly opened? Well if you have, you are not alone. I have been impatiently waiting for the beginning of ski season, even though it was only three months ago that I was taking runs at Arapahoe Basin on the 4^th of July.

It was a great day to end a wonderful season, complete with friends and a grill in the parking lot. But as I look out my office window at Vail, I look forward to the coming season, and pray that this year will be as fulfilling as the last.

While Vail is not open yet, the ski season in Colorado has already begun! On October 7^th, 2011, Wolf Creek opened, recording the earliest opening day in Colorado’s history. Arapahoe Basin followed soon after on October 11^th, this past weekend Copper and Keystone Opened! So get out your calendars, put a big red “X” on the following dates, and start the countdown to what is predicted to be another La Nina winter!

 

• ·        Keystone: November 4^th
  
• ·        Copper Mountain: November 4^th
  
• ·        Breckenridge: November 11^th
• ·        Vail: November 18^th
• ·        ***Snowmass: Now December 10^th
•          Beaver Creek: November 23^rd
• ·        Crested Butte: November 23^rd
  
• ·        Aspen Mountain: November 24^th
• ·        Telluride: November 24^th
• ·        Buttermilk: December 10^th
• ·        Aspen Highlands: December 10^th
  

 

Whether you‘re coming to ski on opening day or sometime mid-season  be sure to find out more about how our team of Friendly. Knowledgeable. Locals.^® can help you plan your customized summer or winter vacation in any of our fun-filled destinations.

 

 

The gorgeous Aspen, Colorado is more than just a fantastic location to ski the slopes and plan your premiere vacation; It is also a fantastic summer destination which offers community events such as the Aspen/ Snowmass Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®.

The Aspen/ Snowmass Race for the Cure® will occur Sunday, August 21^st 2011. This majestic route will begin in Aspen and continue into Maroon Bells, Woody Creek, Snowmass Village, and Old Snowmass. This race is customizable for riders of all skill levels as riders get to choose a race of either 10, 40, 65, or 100 miles! The Limelight Lodge will also be hosting a post-ride event including free music, delicious food and drinks, kid friendly activities, and free massages! What a great way to spend a weekend with the family!

While this event is a great way to experience Aspen and Snowmass, the event is first and foremost a charitable event for Komen Aspen and is well known as a local resource serving the Roaring Fork area. Komen Aspen is one of the largest fundraising organizations for women living with breast cancer and has provided the area with over four million dollars to fund programs and education.

Komen Aspen asks that each rider make a commitment to raise at least $500 to register for the race. Fundraising tools and tips are available on their website so all riders can have the ability to be a part of this amazing opportunity. If you cannot participate yourself, Komen Aspen gives everyone the opportunity to donate or sponsor a rider in the race.

While you plan your trip to Aspen to participate in the Aspen / Snowmass Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure®, take some time to do something fun with the family like an off-road tour! Jeep tours can include mountain climbing and wilderness viewing. Aspen offers more to do in the summer than you may think; check out all of the summer activities that Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals offers.

Whether you are looking to Race for the Cure®, raft down the Roaring Fork River, or go mountain climbing on a jeep tour, Aspen is the perfect summer destination for you and your family. Find out more about how our team of Friendly.Knowledgeable.Locals.® can help you plan your custom summer or winter vacation in any of our fun-filled destinations.

“Race for the Cure”® is a Registered Trademark of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. for more information, visit their website at http://ww5.komen.org/