Travel the World Cup: Aspen

How to spend your Thanksgiving weekend feasting on fast skiing

When

Nov. 27 — Women’s Giant Slalom
Nov. 28 — Women’s Slalom (rescheduled from the canceled Levi races)
Nov. 29 — Women’s Slalom

Where

Aspen, elevation 8,000 feet, first began hosting world-caliber races back in 1950 when the resort held the FIS World Championships; this was also the first time the Championships had ever been contested outside of Europe. Last year, Eva-Maria Brem kicked off a breakthrough season by claiming the GS win while her compatriot Niki Hosp, since retired, snagged her first and last slalom victory since 2008. Mikaela Shiffrin found her way to fifth in the slalom and sixth in GS, while her teammate Resi Stiegler placed 11^th in the slalom.

How to Get There

Fly into Aspen/Pitken County Airport, which connects to eight major U.S. airports serviced by airlines including United, American Airlines and Delta. The drive from Denver International Airport (DEN), meanwhile, is about 3.5 hours; a standard rental car is about $70 per day. A shuttle from the Denver airport to Snowmass village is $120 each way.

Lodging

Those with deep pockets typically head to Hotel Jerome. But Aspen native Gretchen Grebe points those of us on a shoestring to the smattering of accommodations in Carbondale, 20 minutes from Aspen. A bus service runs between the two towns at 30-minute intervals for $6 each way.

Race Time

The Aspen Winternational races are free for spectators, who can watch both the GS and slalom (there’s an extra one this year, rescheduled from the canceled Levi events) on Strawpile from grandstands in the race arena at the top of Monarch Street near downtown Aspen.

Down Time

Don’t miss Meat and Cheese; says Grebe; the Colorado-focused restaurant has, you guessed it, meat and cheese for sale. But the dining area’s darn decent, too, she adds.

Justice Snow is the live music spot beloved by many an Aspen local, while New York Pizza and The Red Onion (built in 1892, and one of the oldest saloons in the area) have kept many a SkiRacing.com staffer well fueled for the rigors of race reporting; the latter is a top spot for soaking up the suds, too.

For soaking up something else, the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge is 40 minutes from Aspen while Grebe also gives a nod to the nearby Iron Mountain Hot Springs. “It has sort of a more intimate feel, with a bunch of smaller pools,” she says, also raving about the Yampah Spa vapor caves.

And for more information on Winternational events, including a tour of World Cup wax rooms; autograph-signing by the U.S. Ski Team and free concerts at the Upper Gondola plaza, visit aspensnowmass.com.