Blog Archives - Gareth Williams

Aspen Snowmass Shifts Winter Marketing for 2020/2021

Scaling Back and Moving Online

A recent article in the September 30 Aspen Times reports on the challenge of promoting winter sports during these uncertain times. The Aspen Skiing Company rethought everything and the resort scaled back their support staff and magazine ad buys.

“Aspen Skiing Co.’s marketing campaign will look significantly different this winter, both in substance and execution,” writes Times reporter Scott Condon. “There will be no national branding such as the “Give a Flake” effort of recent seasons.”

The management company for the mountains of Aspen/Snowmass has let some staff members go and tightened up their strategy in response to the current economic environment.

“It’s definitely going to be a different kind of marketing campaign,” Jeff Hanle, Skico vice president of communications, said Tuesday. “You have to remain flexible and ready to pivot.”

Gone is the campaign urging skiers, snowboarders and other outdoor lovers to “Give a Flake” and get involved in concrete action to ease global warming.

“We’ve moved on from that. That was the plan already,” Hanle said.

The article goes on to state that “an advertising agency was working with Skico officials on a new campaign, but that’s been put on hold. There won’t be any advertisements in ski publications in January, for example, because conditions could change so drastically by then, Hanle noted. The ads would have to be finalized now to run in January.”

“Instead, Skico will remain nimble with messages that will be shared primarily through digital platforms. They will ...focus on education about protocols to keep customers safe from the spread of the coronavirus, trumpeting fresh snowfall and renewing the spirit during a tough time by getting outdoors, according to Hanle.”

The types of visitors the resort typically sees will change this year with fewer international visitors and more “drive-time” domestic visitors. The resort expects guests to stay longer than what would be typical during an average year.

A big part of the marketing effort will be education about the new hands-free procedures that will be in place for everything from ordering food at restaurants to buying lift tickets.

Both the town and the resort are working hard to plan and educate guests on how to have fun and stay safe this winter.

For the full article click here!

Latest Adaptation Trend – Extended Mountain Stays

Many urban and suburbanites are looking towards the mountains as more than a holiday escape. As the global pandemic continues with no end in sight, people seeking a respite from the stress of crowds see mountain communities like the Roaring Fork Valley (Aspen to Glenwood Springs, Colorado) as the perfect place to relocate for an extended stay.

Mountain homes provide for a welcome change of scenery and access to fresh air and the great outdoors, something in short supply in major metropolitan areas. According to a recent article in the Denver Post, “initial predictions of a wave of panic selling depressing second home prices never materialized. Instead, the opposite has happened. More people are buying in resort areas to escape big cities, and the available inventory has tightened.”

Vacation property rental agencies reported that “not only did occupancy roar back, but guests were staying for long periods of time. [Guests] were either taking extended vacations or, more likely, they were working remotely.”

In fact, “guests have started asking for something that was a rare request before — desks in their rooms.”

“If they can work remotely what does it matter if they are working from their apartment or house or further away,” said [a Denver-based property rental associate]. He also noted that many guests don’t always tell their employers where they are actually located.

Guesty, a [popular] property management software, has seen a 117% increase in reservations of 90 days or more. It is also seeing more spur-of-the-moment rentals. In July, for example, a majority of bookings came within seven days of arrival.

Bookings for holidays periods, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, are running behind they did this time last year, but that might change given the trend to booking closer in. At Gareth Williams Aspen Snowmass Real Estate, we certainly expect those bookings to pick up as the season approaches!

Indeed, given the likelihood that winter resort activities could move to a reservation-only setup, the time to book your accommodations is now. If you are looking for the flexibility to work remotely while taking advantage of everything the Aspen/Snowmass area has to offer be sure to give Gareth a call at (970) 309-7649!

Spring Value Season is Here

Spring value season has arrived in Aspen!

Spring in Aspen/Snowmass is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory. According to recent reports our snowpack is well over 100% of average. The conditions outside swing from snow to sun every few days and the days are getting longer, leaving more time for sunny apres-ski celebrations!

Aspen enters spring with a full slate of events including the Apres Ski Cocktail Classic (March 12-15), more Aspen Laugh Festival performances at the Wheeler Opera House (March 12-13), and The Bud Light Spring Jam (March 17-22) with contests, live music and big air competitions at all four mountains.

For the past few years Aspen Skiing Company has joined forces with 17 other prominent ski areas to offer the Mountain Collective pass. Passholders get two free days at Aspen/Snowmass and 50% the window ticket price for any days beyond that.

Aspen also accepts the 2019/2020 Ikon Pass, which entitles members to ski or ride for up to seven days out here - good enough for a nice vacation - hint, hint! If you purchased either of these passes this past year now is definitely the time to get out here and use them!

We’re expecting a fantastic spring season out here so reach out to Gareth and come join us. Breathe the mountain air, enjoy the sunny (and snowy!) weather and live it up in the best place in the Rockies!

App Adds to Aspen Fun

How do you make the most of your time on the mountain?

Aspen Skiing Company has been polling guests and has just what they need. Vacationers these days look for their cell phone apps to enhance all kinds of experiences, from travel to dining to tracking fitness. Aspen's newly improved on-mountain app does all of the above and more. A recent Aspen Times article interviewed the in-house developers at Aspen Skiing Company about just what goes in to building and improving their app.

Guests can now start their day with the latest information about on-mountain conditions. They can see current weather and snow reports from each of the four mountains. This info is updated every hour, but that’s just the beginning.

Worried about getting lost or taking a wrong turn? Peace of mind is close to hand as the app can actually track your location on the mountain and even alert ski patrol if necessary.

Are you someone who loves setting goals and measuring your progress? The built-in tracker lets you see how many vertical feet you covered each day. It’s the perfect way to challenge your friends and see who’s really in shape the next time you have a powder day!

According to the article, future improvements could include ways to meet up with friends and family on the mountain, assuming cell network coverage permits.

Being on vacation can be a great way to escape from our phones, but for those who enjoy having them alongside sometimes a little technology can make being out on the mountain even more fun and rewarding. At last count over 100,000 current users would agree!

Aspen Music Festival – Free Music for You!

The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is one of the world’s premier classical music festivals, bringing together superstars and emerging young artists from the most prestigious orchestras and conservatories in the world for more than 400 events in eight weeks. The 2019 summer season runs from June 28 through August 18. Sounds impressive right?

It's actually remarkable how many opportunities there are to experience AMFS's world-class performances for free. From the classical music-curious, to the casual fan, to the aficionado seeking musical immersion, here's how to treat your ears and your wallet at the same time!

1. Lawn Seating

The AMFS is known around the world for its incredible orchestras and you can experience these weekly concerts for no charge at all! Simply bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy the music from the David Karetsky Music Lawn outside the Benedict Music Tent. Because the Music Festival's tent walls are adjustable louvers, the sound quality from outside the venue is extraordinary. There’s nothing quite like sitting outside, surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of Aspen on a perfect summer day, and listening to classical music. During the season, come by the Benedict Music Tent at 6 pm on Wednesdays to hear the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, at 6 pm on Fridays to hear the Aspen Chamber Symphony, and at 4 pm on Sundays to hear the Aspen Festival Orchestra.

2. ACA Orchestra

You can also experience an orchestra concert inside the Tent for free with our series of Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra concerts. These events take place at 4 pm on July 2, 9, 16, and 30 and August 6 and 13, and are led by students in the AMFS’s prestigious conducting program. A different student conductor leads each movement of each piece, making the pacing a bit more digestible for newcomers and fresh and exciting for seasoned concert-goers. The students are eager to hone their skills in front of an audience and you reap the benefits!

3. Music on the Mountain

Saturday afternoons are tailor made for picnicking at the top of a mountain with beautiful chamber music playing nearby! You can do just that with the AMFS’s Music on the Mountain series (1 pm Saturdays from July 6 through August 10). Though a gondola ticket or strenuous hike to the top of Aspen Mountain is required, the event itself is free of charge, and it offers a great casual atmosphere that proves classical music is just as vibrant outside the concert hall.

4. Music with a View

This series, in collaboration with the Aspen Art Museum, combines phenomenal visual art with chamber music performed by some of the AMFS’s top students and visiting musicians. Head to the Roof Deck Sculpture Garden at the museum (637 E. Hyman Ave.) and enjoy one-hour performances as well as refreshments available for purchase from SO café. Music with a View takes place at 6 pm on Tuesdays from July 9 through August 13.

5. Spotlight Recitals

Sprinkled throughout the season are Spotlight Recitals, featuring a juried selection of the AMFS’s brilliant student musicians performing chamber music masterworks. The programs and performers are announced at the events, so what you end up hearing is always a fun surprise. Spotlight Recitals take place at Harris Concert Hall, Aspen Community Church, Aspen Chapel, and Christ Episcopal Church. Visit the AMFS’s online calendar at www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar for exact dates, times, and locations.

Gareth Sells Aspen Snowmass Estate for $21.2 Million

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2019
Contact: Gareth Williams, Aspen Snowmass Real Estate 970.309.7649

ASPEN, COLORADO –Aspen Snowmass Real Estate is proud to announce that Gareth Williams successfully represented the buyer of 1500 Owl Creek Ranch throughout the sales process which just closed for $21.2 million.

Situated on 80 Acres nestled between Aspen and Snowmass, the estate “has everything that my buyers were looking for,” said Williams. He first noticed this property located in the prestigious Owl Creek Ranch subdivision property when it was listed in 2012 at $37.5 million. “By 2018 the asking price had come down to $25.5M and was starting to look like a real opportunity for my buyers,” Williams added.

The spacious and luxurious 6-bedroom, 11,722-square-foot home offers everything from a substantial movie theater and guest master wing to a gym and panoramic views of the mountains of Aspen/Snowmass. There is plenty of outdoor space, which boasts 2 ponds, a swimming beach, rolling pastures and views of Mt. Daly, all just minutes from downtown Aspen.

Last month Williams also sold 1227 Alta Vista, a 4400 square foot townhouse adjacent to the Aspen Golf Course for $6,755,000. “We had an above full price offer within a week,” said Williams who was the listing agent and closed the sale in a matter of weeks. Williams adds that the market is still hot for the right properties. Interested sellers and buyers are encouraged to call him at (970) 309-7649.

Aspen Snowmass Video – Wait For It

Here’s what’s happening in our backyard this past week!

SKI Magazine – Aspen Snowmass Named “Resort of the Year”

Aspen Gets the Honors

What makes a resort special? For SKI Magazine the answer lies in a having a variety of amenities including terrain, fun for the whole family, and great apres-ski and nightlife options. This year, Aspen Snowmass checks all the boxes and was named SKI Magazine’s No. 1 ski “resort of the year” in the West.

SKI Magazine unveiled its debut “Resorts of the Year” issue in October, with categories featuring “Best in the West” and “Best in the East.” Smugglers’ Notch in Vermont is ranked the top ski resort of the East.

These two resorts garnered editor and reader praise for offering skiers the best overall vacation experiences, according to a statement from SKI Magazine.

“With its variety of terrain across four resorts, family-friendly offerings and virtually unmatched dining, lodging and apres in the vibrant town of Aspen, Aspen Snowmass delivers the whole package,” SKI Magazine content director Samantha Berman said in the statement. “Add to that the resort management’s forward-thinking attitude toward the environment and its inclusion in the industry-changing Ikon Pass, and we feel that Aspen-Snowmass is the destination generating the most buzz going into this season.”

Great Amenities

The magazine writes, “the four mountains that make up Aspen Snowmass are the gold standard for American skiing. Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass each have their own character, which is why most skiers visit a different mountain each day of their visit.

The Dumps on Aspen Mountain or the glades beneath Snowmass’s High Alpine Lift are a must when it’s snowing, while the breathtaking descent of Highlands Bowl or the empty, perfect groomers of Tiehack beg for attention when the sky is blue. If the renown nightlife stretches on too long, at least one mountain will have a daily noon groomer on the weekends, keeping the corduroy fresh for those who hit the snooze button too many times.

The world-class ski school can get the kids carving at Buttermilk or Snowmass while Mom and Dad can enjoy the decadent pleasures of top-to-bottom gondola laps or the infamous 2:30 p.m. seating at Cloud 9 Bistro, all before a perfect family rendezvous for dinner in town. ”

Aspen’s Lift One Corridor Taking Shape

The developers of Aspen’s new Lift One Corridor joined together on October 1st to unveil their plans for the new lift, new lodging and amenities along South Aspen Street. They shared their plans with roughly 300 members of the Aspen community at the Limelight Lodge in downtown Aspen.

They stated that the plan is the culmination of more than a year of work by the City of Aspen, the Aspen Skiing Company, Lift One Lodge and Gorsuch Haus. According to the developers, “it is truly a testament to the power of collaboration and couldn’t have been done without the significant participation of the Aspen Historical Society and the generosity of the Dolinsek family.”

The plan highlighted the proposed benefits to the community:

The Skiers Chalet Lodge will be relocated to Dean Street and remodeled to house the Aspen Ski History Museum and will include skier services run by the Aspen Skiing Company.
The Skiers Chalet Steakhouse will be moved down the hill along South Aspen Street and reopened as a restaurant.
The historic bull wheel, one tower and chairs from the original Lift 1 will be renovated and showcased right below the new Lift 1A.
The park space at Dean Street will be greatly improved and expanded with the addition of Dolinsek Gardens, Lift One Park, and Willoughby Park, including a 60-foot wide greenway between the two Lift One Lodge buildings for summer mountain access.
50 public parking spaces, public restrooms, public lockers, and bike racks are all part of the new Dean Street mountain portal

The new Lift 1A will be a telemix, a combination of gondola cars and chairs. This format allows year-round, multimodal use and will give the Aspen Skiing Company the opportunity to explore reopening Ruthie’s Restaurant. This is a historic opportunity to bring Lift 1A back to the core of Aspen and make it as easy to access as the Silver Queen Gondola.

Two lodges are proposed as part of the plan. Gorsuch Haus at the top of South Aspen Street, immediately adjacent to the current site of Lift 1A, and Lift One Lodge on the properties once occupied by the Holland House, Skiers Chalet Lodge and Skiers Chalet Steakhouse. Gorsuch Haus will be an 81-room hotel and Lift One Lodge brings another 104 lodge rooms. These new properties contribute much needed new lodge inventory and provide the bed base that is an important foundation for the vitality of this portal.

The developers asked the townspeople to support “this historic opportunity that has emerged thanks to the insistence of Aspen City Council and the many people in the community who pressed for the return of walk-up access to Aspen’s original base area.”

If approved by voters, developer Michael Brown (Lift One Lodge) said it would take four or five years for all of it to be built. Lift 1A would be out of service for one or two seasons.

Because it involves city land, zoning changes and variances to the land-use code, the plan requires a public vote, which is anticipated for this spring.

Developer Jeff Gorsuch (Gorsuch Haus) asked the room for its support in that election and said the project connects the heart of the mountain with the soul of the town.

More information can be found at: www.LiftOneCorridor.com.

Aspen/Snowmass Real Estate Trends

What does the start of September mean for the real estate market? The Colorado Association of Realtors’ most recent market snapshot shows last month’s single family home and townhome/condo median sales price is up across the board year-to-date. A new Pew Research Center report details the one generation of Americans who have fully recovered from the housing crash a decade ago. And a Zillow Research report from last month explains when they believe it will be a buyers market!

Midvalley (Basalt, Willits, El Jebel) was a more mixed bag with transactions per month down 21% versus last year but gross volume (total sales amount) up 8.8%. The total year to date transactions are up by almost 13% over 2017, pointing to tighter inventory but solid overall sales. The numbers are taken from current July 2018 records from Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield Counties.

The Garfield County (Carbondale to Glenwood Springs and westward to Rifle and Battlement Mesa) picture in July 2018 was much better with sales, volume and YTD statistics up across the board. Gross volume was up 31%, transactions up just 1% (169 vs. 167), gross volume YTD up 12.5% and YTD transactions up 10%.

Contact Gareth for more information about how these trends could work in your favor whether you’re a buyer or a seller!