Aspen in Colorado, and neighbouring Snowmass, are delighted to announce the highlights of their Summer 2015 calendar of events as well as to update on new itineraries and openings in town.  From world-class culinary, art and music festivals, to leading sporting events and outdoor adventure in the most beautiful mountain scenery, Aspen and Snowmass promise a spring, summer or fall holiday quite unlike any other.

NEW & NOTABLE IN ASPEN & SNOWMASS

·         Powers Art Center opened this past summer in Carbondale, located down valley from Aspen. The new art center's goal is to teach the public about contemporary and pop art through various exhibitions, primarily highlighting the limited edition works of Jasper Johns on paper. Powers Art Center is open to the public Monday through Thursday and admission is free.

·         Aspen Art Museum's new 30,000-square-foot Shigeru Ban-designed building debuted in summer 2014, with a 24-hour grand opening featuring music, performance, film and food. Founded in 1979, the Aspen Art Museum is a non-collecting museum for contemporary art and a leading voice in the intellectual discourse of international contemporary art.  

·         The Limelight Hotel in Aspen has just completed a $1.1 million refurbishment of all its 126 guest rooms.

·         An exciting new 'Teen' summer adventure itinerary from luxury tour operator Scott Dunn combining outdoor mountain adventure, ranching, horseback riding and music festivals in Aspen & Snowmass with the beaches, surfing, shopping and theme parks of Santa Monica, California.  The Aspen & Snowmass segment includes four-nights at Viceroy Snowmass.  Highlights include hot air ballooning, white water rafting, fly-fishing and mountain-top hiking, the classic Snowmass Rodeo and summer concert series, with plenty of time to explore Aspen's trendy cafés and restaurants and the famous Aspen Art Museum.  

·         More mountain bike trails: with over 50 miles of trails, Snowmass is a mountain biker's heaven, whether you're looking for the gravity-defying rush of a world-class down-hill trail or a gentle single track through meadows bursting with wildflowers. From lift-served terrain to cross country trails, Snowmass offers some of Colorado's best mountain biking trails. This summer brings even more beginner trails; the new Verde Beginner Trail, improved Viking Trail (formerly Easy Rider) and improved Vapor Trail. 

·         The Wildwood Snowmass hotel reopened this winter as a new Holiday Inn Express offering complimentary breakfast for its guests. The Holiday Inn Express is one of several brands under the umbrella of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and part of the IHG Rewards Club. 

·         Pitkin Outside has launched a new online map including top 10 places to visit, a trail route planner and more. Users can now find their favorite trails to hike, bike, run and walk in Pitkin County from home. Additionally, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association has partnered with Regal 360 to create a new 360° Virtual Tour of Aspen.  The tour displays Aspen's beauty through photos and descriptions of historical sites and outdoor recreation areas.

FOOD & WINE NEWS

With over 80 eateries in downtown Aspen alone, and home to the USA's top culinary event every June – the FOOD & WINE Classic – Aspen has long been a magnet for foodies, as well as been a source of inspiration for some of the world's leading chefs.  Here follow some of the latest developments in town: 

·         NEW! Grey Lady opened over the winter season, offering a taste of Nantucket in Aspen. The restaurant is loosely modeled after its sister location in Manhattan's Lower East Side and dishes out New England coastal favorites with an Aspen twist. 

·         NEW! Located on Aspen's “Restaurant Row,” and a new concept from Avalanche Cheese Company: Meat & Cheese is a European-style restaurant offering counter service by day and casual full-service by night, as well as a farm shop featuring local meats, artisanal cheeses and cured meats, house-made deli meats sourced from sustainable farms, seasonal produce, gourmet dry goods, fresh juices, and craft beer and wines. 

·         COMING SOON! David Burke Kitchen is set to open in spring 2015 from renowned chef David Burke. The menu is farm-to-table-style using local and seasonal ingredients. Dishes include venison, elk, wild boar, pig, trout, short ribs, aged cheeses and more to round out the menu selection.   

2015 SUMMER CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Aspen and Snowmass boast an array of events and festivals all summer long with musical performances around town, culinary and art festivals, sporting events and more. Following are some highlights for summer 2015: 

·         Snowmass Rodeo, June 10-Aug. 19 Celebrating its 43rd season, the Snowmass Rodeo is the longest-running rodeo in Colorado and provides and authentic western experience every Wednesday in the summer.  

·         Snowmass Mammoth Fest, June 12-14 Three days of music, cold brews and hot chili, featuring national touring bands, a grand beer tasting with over 25 microbreweries and the International Chili Society (ICS) tasting and competition. 

·         Snowmass Summer of Free Music  June 12-Aug. 13 Fanny Hill in Snowmass comes alive with this musical tradition.  Bring a picnic blanket and lawn chairs, pack a picnic or purchase food from vendors on site, and sit back and enjoy the show as well as kids' activities.  As many as 3,000 music fans turn out every week to enjoy rock, New Orleans' Zydeco, R&B, soul and Latin performers. 

·         Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, June 19-21 The nation's premier culinary event returns to Aspen with world-renowned celebrity chefs and wine experts. The three-day weekend includes tasting events, cooking classes, cooking demos, wine and interactive seminars, and the daily grand tastings. 

·         Heritage Fire and Grand Cochon, June 19-20 In a new culinary event, Heritage Fire will bring in over 45 notable chefs to Snowmass and 3,000 pounds of sustainably raised, wood-fired heritage breed animals from whole pigs, spit-roasted fish, dry-age beef and more, all in celebration of pasture diversity and family farming.  Grand Cochon is an epic pork feast featuring the top 10 chefs preparing 10 whole heritage breed pigs with winemakers, brewers, distillers and craft food makers. 

·         Aspen Summer Words, June 21-26 The 39th annual Aspen Summer Words welcomes visitors and locals alike to celebrate writing and writers in Aspen for a week in June. Various workshops will be held with renowned authors and teachers including Ann Hood, Dani Shapiro, Hannah Tinti and more. 

·         Aspen Institute Aspen Ideas Festival June 25-July 4 The 11th annual Aspen Ideas Festival is divided into three sessions over ten days. Spotlight Health returns to the festival as the opening segment June 25-28. This year's Spotlight Health will focus on four program tracks: navigating global health threats; if we build it; equality, dignity and the pursuit of happiness; the science of the possible. A variety of additional programs, tutorials, seminars and discussions confront guests with stimulating issues throughout the festival. 

·         Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Festival June 26-June 28 The Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Festival includes four nights of headline concerts from world-class musicians at the Benedict Music Tent, an expanded JAS Café Downstairs at The Little Nell Series, and a free nightly lawn party on the music festival grounds. 

·         Aspen Music Festival and School July 2-Aug. 23 AMFS presents its 66th season with more than 350 musical events including symphony, chamber, opera, choral and family concerts.  

·         Power of Four Trail 50K, 22K & Vertical K Race, July 18-19 The Power of Four Trail Race Series offers three different races in Aspen Snowmass including the 50K race, 22K race and the event's signature race, the challenging 50K Ultra that covers the four Aspen Snowmass mountains. 

·         Power of Four Mountain Bike Race, Aug. 1 This unique mountain bike race combines single and double track trails across the four ski areas of Aspen Snowmass into one challenging course. New for 2015, participants will have the option of racing a shorter course that covers only Snowmass and Buttermilk. 

·         Colorado Scottish Festival, Aug, 1-2 In the tradition of Highland Games, the Colorado Scottish Festival and Rocky Mountain Highland Games, will come alive for two days in Snowmass.  Events range from non-stop Celtic Music, Scottish athletic competitions, highland dancers and bagpiping/drumming competitions, the dogs of the British Isles exhibition, a British car display and a parade of Irish Clans.   

·         USA Pro Challenge Stage 3 & 4 Aug. 19-20 Referred to as “America's Race,” the USA Pro Challenge returns to Aspen with the end of stage three and stage four. For seven consecutive days, the world's top athletes race through the majestic Colorado Rockies. 

·         MountainSummit: MountainFilm in Aspen Aug. 27-30 A collaboration between MountainFilm in Telluride and the Wheeler Opera House, MountainSummit: Mountainfilm in Aspen brings artists, activists and adventurers together for a four-day celebration of films and discussion. 

·         Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival Sept. 4-6 The Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival will take place in the Snowmass Town Park. The hottest 72 hours of music in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  The JAS Labor Day Festival is one of Colorado's premier music extravaganzas.  Past musical acts include Black Eye Peas, Steely Dan, Ziggy Marley and country legend Keith Urban. 

·         Snowmass Balloon Festival (40th year), Sept. 18-20 The festival fills the sky with one of the highest-altitude balloon events in the country with over 30 balloons in flight.  Balloons launch daily at 7:00am and finishes with an evening Night Glow, a choreographed light show with balloons, lasers, music, and entertainers.  

·         Snowmass Wine Festival, Sept. 18-19 The weekend begins on Friday evening, with an incredible, four-course wine dinner at the Viceroy Snowmass.  On Saturday, the Snowmass Wine Festival features fine wines from over 150 wineries, small bites, live music and incredible auction items, all taking place in spectacular fall mountain scenery. 

·         Aspen Filmfest Sept. 25-30 Aspen Film's 36th annual FilmFest is a six-day-long festival with a focus on documentaries. Aspen Film “strives to enlighten, enrich, educate and entertain through film.” 

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ABOUT ASPEN

Aspen, Colorado is a world-class year-round destination with outdoor adventure from skiing to biking, with a flair for arts and culture, but still maintains enough small-town charm for year-round residents to call it home. Aspen truly is a unique diamond nestled in the rough of the Rocky Mountains that has a reputation for bringing major city features to visitors in a way that defies ordinary. www.aspenchamber.org 

ABOUT SNOWMASS

Snowmass, a charming town tucked away in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, just 9 miles from downtown Aspen, consistently ranks as one of the best ski resorts in the world. Snowmass offers unmatched year-round natural splendor and beauty, small-town friendliness, breathtaking backdrops and 300 days of annual sunshine.  Snowmass summer adventures are just as impressive and unforgettable—from premier fly fishing, white-water rafting and kayaking to summer festivals and weekly rodeos. Within this 25-square-mile town, visitors discover more than 50 miles of hiking and biking trails, an 18-hole, Jim Engh-designed golf course and an 18-hole disc golf course. The Summer of Free Music Night concert series draws thousands to picnic, lounge or dance the evening away. www.gosnowmass.com.

For more information and a complete calendar of events,

visit www.aspenchamber.org and www.gosnowmass.com