Take Only What you Need - What I Learned about Aspen
Over the past few weeks, my small new media class hit the streets of Aspen to fulfill an assignment. Through digital media, we will feature "A Day in the Week of Aspen". Our goal was to interview as many Aspen "characters" as we could to gain insights for our story.
I found it surprising that video interviews were hard to come by. While we approached a multitude of strangers, acquaintances, and friends, most were congenial, excited and friendly. But when we asked them to answer our questions on camera, they were reticent. I know most people who visit and/or live in Aspen are quite outspoken. Which makes me think they would be more than happy to share their experiences beyond the cities boundaries through new media outlets. Unfortunately that was not the case.
A few other things I discovered about Aspen and our story involving Stuart Mace.
~ Not very many people are familiar with Stuart Mace or Ashcroft for that matter. But they are actually aware of a portion of his legacy that still thrives today. Tourism is a very important part of Aspen's heritage. It was downhill skiing that brought great interest to Aspen in the 1950's, but another attraction drew people to this little known haven behind Aspen Mountain as well.
Originally, Mace's presence in the Castle Creek Valley included an alpine lodge that accommodated around 16 guests. The experience included all meals, dog sled rides and/or cross country skiing excursions, and the opportunity to learn about the natural environment from Stuart Mace himself.
The lifestyle promoted by the Mace family caught the interest of several mainstream media outlets of the past. The Saturday Evening Post published one story and Bill Moyers took the trek out for a personal interview for his show, Journal. The area enjoyed some notoriety in the form of a television show, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, in which the dogs were featured and Mace played bit parts.
Eventually, the dog were relocated to another area - Krabloonik, located near Snowmass Village - and the Ashcroft Ski Touring Center/Pine Creek Cookhouse escalated into one of the best tourism attractions available off-mountain.
These ventures seem to fit within the boundaries that were the basis of Mace's teachings. I love that he defined them as a "graceful uses of the land", today I think we call it "sustainable tourism."
~ Mace had a great yearning to share the idea he felt most needed to he heard - we all have to work on giving back more than we take from nature. His thoughts about sustainable agriculture and environmental consciousness date back over 50 years now. At one point, the Maces ran specialized restaurants in Aspen - at the Hickory House site and at the Chart House site. I find it interesting today that many locals have become more conscious of food production and distribution. Aspenites especially like to shop at local farmers markets and a look around as some of the top restaurants offer trendy local farm-to-table eating options. The closer the food is produced, the lesser the impact on the environment. It is a start but is it enough?
Something I already knew and did not surprise me was that most people we approached, when they did want to talk, boasted about Aspen's charm and appeal. My experience is that Aspen has worked very hard to create an image of an idyllic resort town. People, whether living in the upper echelon or in the tiniest employee housing unit, find something wonderful about this little mountain town.
Somehow it just keeps on giving.
