Closing day: The thought of it can make any grown man cry, especially after one of the better seasons Colorado has seen in recent years. Deep powder runs, park laps, insane aprés ski parties and chilling with friends will be missed for many months. So, to send off the season in style, Aspen/Snowmass ended their record setting year at highlands with some of the best conditions and parties ever.
The entire weekend proved to be one to remember, or not. Mother Nature blessed us with fresh snow both Saturday & Sunday which made the riding, if you made it out, some of the best closing weekend snow to date. Combine that with a plethora of creative costumes and almost unlimited beverages and you have one day you will remember for a lifetime.
We kicked off the day with some solid bloody mary's at The Gant which was probably a bad idea. Who knew that we would be drinking all day…
Closing day began with sunny skies and one of the best pond skimming events around. Looking more like an Olympic-sized pool, with lanes and all, skiers and riders raced toward the pond dressed in whatever gaper attire or costumes they conjured up. From a team of hot dogs to scantily clad women, the pond skim started what would be one crazy day.
Random snowboarder makes his way to victory
Now, if you had the energy to make the hike to the top of the Bowl you wouldn't be disappointed. Adult beverages awaited and a few too many people took advantage. One dude even skied the entire bowl butt naked. Quite amusing if you made the 30-minute hike. The Bowl hikes proved to be worth it, as there was plenty of powder to be had. It's always nice to finish off a season with a deep pow run, especially in mid-spring.
The top of Highlands Bowl was straight up epic | Photo: Jeremy Swanson – Aspen/Snowmass
Once you got your fresh turns in for the day the next stop was Aspen's famed Cloud Nine, serving up some of the best fondue and raclette around. Trust us, you needed something to combat the copious amounts of drinks one was expected to consume while dancing on tables to a never ending womp of music. If you could find a spot or table to dance on you wouldn't be disappointed. It felt as though the party would never stop. But, soon enough ski patrol made their way in, bullhorn and all to clear us out to the bottom where we would finish off closing day.
Cloud Nine – Bottles!
Imagine a large deck, roughly a football field in length, flexing as though it were a trampoline, and then you’ll have a pretty good idea of what was going down at the base. I've never seen a deck flex let alone like this. You could actually get airborne if you could stand up straight. The thousand-plus people made for one exciting time as they cheered on ski patrol, who as a team, made their way to the base setting off avalanche charges. Those guys deserve a huge thanks for keeping us safe throughout the season.
A huge thanks to The Gant and Aspen/Snowmass for one bitchin weekend!
If you missed this year's closing day at Highlands Bowl we highly suggest you pencil in next year’s, and get hike, shred, and party like you’ve never done before.
