Gay Ski Weeks have become hugely successful and popular in recent weeks, mixing what so many GLBT travelers love about circuit parties, gay pride festivals, and upscale (and welcoming) resort destinations into one very festive package. Arguably the most famous of these events is Aspen Gay Ski Week, which takes place in 2010 from January 17 through January 24 and consists of dozens of cool events. This weeklong party is, of course, especially fun for skiers and snowboarders, but you might be surprised just how many of the events can be just as easily enjoyed by nonskiers. Gay Ski Weeks are also an excellent time for beginners to take lessons.
Of the many ski resorts that straddle the Continental Divide, Aspen has the most striking setting - and inhabitants. You'll be charmed by the grid of neatly preserved 19th-century buildings. You'll be blown away by the 360-degree curtain of 14,000-foot mountains. You'll be just as astounded by all the townspeople who are ever so tan, trim, beautiful, and friendly (in that multi-million-dollar sort of way). The pages of GQ and Vogue spring to life here.[]
Gay Ski Week in Aspen, which is sponsored by the Aspen Gay and Lesbian Community Fund (AGLCF), consists of a wide range of activities, including apres ski parties and cocktail receptions at a number of great bars and restaurants around town (39 Degrees at Kimpton's uber-gay-friendly Sky Hotel, the swish new Limelight Lodge, and Cirque Cafe at Snowmass. There are also numerous lunch and dinner events; a comedy night; a downtown-skiing costume parade; and a riot of hot performers and DJs.
Also keep in mind some of the town's other favorite gay-friendly nightspots, such as the J-Bar at the the wonderfully historic Hotel Jerome, and the super-hip Social, a late-night restaurant and lounge). During gay ski week, there's always plenty going on around Aspen, and it's easy to find "family" at any number of locals bars and restaurants. Dining socials during gay ski week take place at several culinary hotspots, including L'Hostaria, for Tuscan fare; Cache Cache, where you can try the outstanding Provencal cooking of Christopher Lanter; and Matsuhisa, part of the renowned sushi empire of chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
Aspen accommodations can be very pricey, and they fill up fast in ski season, so it's wise to book early when possible. That being said, it is possible to find last-minute deals, even during Gay Ski Week. One excellent resource is the Stay Aspen & Snowmass (SAS) Central Reservations gay ski week site (888-649-5982), which has loads of information on the event itself as well as on Aspen and Snowmass condos, hotels, and even home rentals. SAS has been around since 1986, and it's one of the most reliable - and gay-friendly - travel resources in Aspen.
The definitive gay Aspen accommodation is the Sky Hotel, run by the super-gay-friendly Kimpton Brand, but the town has plenty of appealing and gay-popular lodgings, among them the classy Hotel Jerome, the and the hundreds of condos and town homes at Snowmass Village, and the official 2009 host hotel of Aspen Gay Ski Week, the stylish new (and pet-friendly) Limelight Lodge.
