avant-garde in après-ski - new york times
avant-garde in après-ski - new york times
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avant-garde in après-ski
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by lois smith brady
published: december 21, 2003
although the roads in aspen, colo., are typically covered in snow right now, one of the most popular ways to get around is by bicycle, with a long plastic tube fastened to the side for skis. more people than ever seem to be riding to the gondola that way, often pedaling in ski boots. bike racks are packed, even in blizzards. those bikers typify a change happening in aspen. it is becoming less about movie stars in stretch limos and more about being stylish in a young, low-profile, cost-conscious, athletic way. you can see it in the après-ski scene, especially at the new 39 degrees lounge in the sky hotel, right at the base of ajax. the bar is so close to the slopes that you have to look up, as if you're in the front row at a movie. the sky hotel combines mod furniture and groovy graphics (on everything from menus to matchbooks) with old ski lodge classics like huge rock fireplaces and a long table for family scrabble games in the lobby. the whole place is stylish and hip, but in an unpretentious, friendly way. the sunflower-yellow rooms, with ski photos, pine furniture, snow-white beds and faux fur blankets, cost $289 to $599 in ski season; suites are $489 to $899. in cold weather, people come straight from the slopes to the 39 degrees lounge, which encourages long-term hanging out. it is filled with low, boomerang-shaped couches in muted colors, polka dot pillows and abstract animal print rugs, contemporary versions of bearskin rugs. on one wall, there's a rock fireplace, with a wide stone ledge that can double as a table for cocktails. on another, a tv plays silent ski videos. the music is like a soundtrack for a quentin tarantino movie. it's mesmerizing to the point of hypnosis. at the bar, bottles are stored in plastic shadow boxes, each backlit in a different bright color, like crème de menthe green and shirley temple red, glowing like aquariums. waitresses tend to be friendly young women with european accents. in another era, at another après-ski bar, they'd be wearing dirndls. here, they wear black pants with futuristic pink and black form-fitting jackets. the drinks, like everything else in the place, are updates of old classics; none are over $10. one is called sex on the slopes (raspberry vodka, peach schnapps and orange and cranberry juice), and the altitude martini is the most beautiful shade of pink i've ever seen. the funniest is the botox martini (''get a fresh face for the night!'') with a wrinkly reconstituted cherry. a ''nibbles'' menu includes everything from burgers to sushi to a huge organic greens salad weighed down with carrots, radishes and beets. it's a meal, for $7. in spring, when the strong colorado sun turns the snow as soft as pâté, the lounge's glass doors slide open. everyone spills out onto the patio, with a swimming pool and hot tub, more low couches and a long bar lined with votive candles. the crowd is young or young-at-heart, women in pigtails and low-slung ski pants and men in baggy clothes and nepalese-style ski hats, holding cute cocktails. it's more fun than fancy, more sassy than stuffy; people who hate to leave the city will instantly feel comfortable, as will people who hate to leave the mountains. the sky hotel, 709 east durant avenue, aspen; (800) 882-2582, fax (970) 925-6778, www.theskyhotel.com. lois smith brady contributes vows columns to the new york times.
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