12 Days of Aspen

Cultural Family Friendly Aspen Central Core

Celebrate the last 12 days of December during 12 Days of Aspen. Each day, enjoy fun, free, and family-friendly activities. 12 Days of Aspen activities include performances by carolers, photo ops with Santa, holiday crafts, film screenings, live music, cookie decorating, storytime for kids, and more. On New Year’s Eve, check out the torchlight parade and New Year’s Eve fireworks at the base of Aspen Mountain.

Golden Leaf Half Marathon

Outdoor Aspen

The Golden Leaf Half Marathon is a popular backcountry foot race between Snowmass and Aspen, starting in Snowmss Village. Since the half marathon is held when the aspen leaves normally turn from green to gold, the race brings partcipants through beautiful  stands of golden aspen trees. In years past, the race start has been located at Fanny Hill on Snowmass Mountain, and the race finish has been located at Koch Park. Both of these places are great for cheering on the race partcipants. If participating in the backcountry run sounds more fun, the Golden Leaf Half Marathon is certain to be a challenging, fun, and rewarding experience. See the event website or visit the Facebook page for more information.

Motherlode Volleyball Classic

Aspen Central Core

Playing beach volleyball in Aspen over a long Labor Day weekend sounds like our brand of fun. What better way is there to celebrate the end of summer than by soaking up the sunshine in Aspen, and enjoying your favorite sport with fellow fanatics? The Motherlode Volleyball Classic is an annual Aspen event that draws volleyball players and fans from all over the US and Canada.

Professional athletes and amateur players join the open tourney, which features over 15 divisions of play. The Motherlode tournament is accessible to volleyball players of all skill levels, which makes it a great event to learn from the sport’s top athletes. And with the Motherlode attracting pro talent, the tournament is also the perfect opportunity for top amateur players to move up to the pro level.

The divisions of play are Men’s Seniors 45s, 50s, 55s, and 60s. There is also a Women’s Seniors bracket for 45s and over. The tournament has a Women’s Masters 35s and over and a Men’s Masters 37s and over. Then, there’s the Men’s and Women’s A, BB, and B divisions, plus the Standard and Reverse Co-ed A, BB, and B divisions. There’s also a Men’s and Women’s Open. On top of all of the playing and watching, the Motherlode hosts two parties at local restaurants for players―a welcoming party and a players’ party―offering players more opportunities to mix, mingle, and be merry.

Old Fashioned Aspen 4th of July

Aspen Central Core

Aspen is the place to be if you’re looking for fun, small-town Fourth of July festivities. The Old Fashioned 4th of July celebration in Aspen features patriotic activities, like a parade on Main Street, community picnics, a festive carnival, and a fireworks show on Aspen Mountain. There’s no better place to celebrate America’s birthday than in Aspen and Snowmass.

Each year, the Old Fashioned 4th of July celebration includes:

America’s Birthday Carnival at Paepcke Park – This kids’ carnival features classic carnival games, face painting, and balloon animal making. There’s also live music and a bake sale.

Old Fashioned Fourth of July Parade – Grab a spot on Main Street to view the parade. The Old Fashioned Parade has colorful floats, patriotic music, and smiling paraders clad in red, white, and blue.

AVSC 4th of July Picnic – A fun and welcoming community gathering, the AVSC picnic is an opportunity to support a worthy local organization, and to spend time with family and friends. Play volleyball, and enjoy a cold beverage in the park on a hot summer day.

Aspen Music Festival and School 4th of July concert  – Head to the Benedict Music Tent for this free 4th of July concert. Listen to your favorite patriotic compositions performed by the talented musicians of the Aspen Music Festival and School.

Fireworks on Aspen Mountain – Other fireworks displays pale in comparison to the spectacular show on Aspen Mountain. From the Gondola Plaza or downtown Aspen, watch colorful bursts illuminate Ajax.

Owl Creek Chase

Outdoor Aspen Snowmass Village Owl Creek

The Owl Creek Chase is a cross-country ski race in Snowmass Village, CO. The first race took place in 1985. The race starts at the Snowmass Cross Country Center and ends at the Aspen Cross Country Center. The Owl Creek Chase course is 21 kilometers of fun skiing and beautiful views.

Owl Creek Chase offers a classic race and a skate race, with prize money awarded for the classic race.

If you don’t want to race, you can sign up for the Owl Creek Chase Tour. It’s the same course, but without the competitive element. You get to enjoy all of the race amenities, like aid stations and a free shuttle from Aspen to Snowmass after the race.

Winter X Games Aspen

Nightlife Outdoor Aspen Buttermilk / Tiehack

Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado is the main stage of the Winter X Games. The mountain has hosted the action sports competition for over a decade now.

Held in late January, X Games Aspen attracts huge crowds to Aspen Snowmass. And in the past few years, the annual event has grown to include a festival village and musical performances. Past artists include Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Skrillex, Chromeo, Tiësto, Phoenix, Axwell, and Matt & Kim.

X Games Aspen offers free admission to all of its sporting events. And that means, anyone can watch 200+ talented athletes compete at their highest caliber, day and night.

X Games Aspen has welcomed the athletes listed below to compete for medals and purses.

• Jamie Anderson
• Gretchen Bleiler ― Snowmass local
• Bobby Brown
• Kelly Clark
• Simon Dumont
• Heath Frisby
• Arielle Gold
• Tucker Hibbert
• Gus Kenworthy
• Levi LaVallee
• Colten Moore
• Iouri Podladtchikov
• Mike Schultz
• Shaun White
• Torin Yater-Wallace ― Aspen local

Get pumped for this year’s Winter X Games Aspen. Learn more about the event by visiting the X Games Aspen site.

The Winter X Games Aspen is a popular event, and often leads to sold-out accommodations. The sooner you reserve an Aspen or Snowmass vacation rental, the better.

Have questions about the right Aspen Snowmass vacation rental for you?

Give us a call ― 1-866-209-1540, or send us an email. We'd be delighted to review our rental inventory with you.

Wintersköl

Cultural Family Friendly Aspen Central Core

Wintersköl is a unique Aspen celebration of winter that began in 1951. This nordic festival includes a canine fashion show, a snow sculpting competition called Wintersculpt, a torchlight parade, fireworks show on Aspen Mountain, and lots of other activities and events happening around town.