Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/310878
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KARL WOLFGANG Aspen Envy OUR MOUNTAIN TOWN CAPTURES THE HEART OF GOVERNOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER. BY DOUG BROWN together to discuss difficult social challenges. They come up with ideas and solutions. Look at the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club. It makes sure kids who can't afford to ski get passes and learn how to go down the slopes. The Aspen Community Foundation has done cutting-edge work around things like work force development, early childhood education, and work force mobility. The USA Pro Challenge has always run through Aspen. It fits per- fectly into [Colorado's] vision of being the healthiest state in America. How does this concentration of career triumph in Aspen affect the rest of Colorado? Aspen is the intellectual capital of the state. So many exec- utives from Fortune 100 companies live in Aspen. Many want to volunteer to help the state. We are trying to figure out now how to take advantage of that resource. Every time I go to Aspen I meet someone who could be doing any- thing else, anywhere in the world, but they choose to live in Aspen. When you come to town, what do you do for fun? I was at the Belly Up to see the Counting Crows. I always stop by Hotel Jerome for brunch, happy hour, or dinner. The Little Nell has been a faithful watering hole all of these years, too. We hiked up in the Maroon Bells some years ago, and when you are up there you could be a million miles from anywhere. AP A lthough he spends most of his time in Denver, tending to the state's business, Governor John Hickenlooper frequently heads to one of his favorite destinations: Aspen. It's not the high-end retail or the bustling restaurant scene that keeps bringing him to Pitkin County. It's Aspen's intellectual ferment and can-do approach to civic issues. "Aspen is a real community," says Hickenlooper. "It punches way over its weight. Look at the new art museum. It's a major building and potent for Colorado." As a Democrat, you brought the Democratic National Convention to Denver in 2008. Why are you trying to bring Republicans to the Mile High City in 2016? It's great for the entire state to put on a major international event like that. Republican and Democratic party conventions are among the most widely reported events. Having it here gives us a chance to showcase incredible Denver downtown, and some of the really remarkable resort com- munities and smaller towns like Aspen or Crested Butte or Steamboat Springs. We are still reaping the benefits from the 2008 Democratic Convention. With your interest in nonprofits, how does Aspen fare in that realm? The Aspen Ideas Festival is like a smaller Davos [the World Economic Forum, held annually in Switzerland], where you get the leaders of the world getting Governor John Hickenlooper values the times he can get away from his desk in the state capital to visit Aspen. 64 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM 64 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM VIEWS FROM THE TOP 062-072_AP_SP_VFT_V3_SUM_FALL_14.indd 64 5/7/14 3:21 PM