Aspen Co

IN recent years, the Aspen Skiing Co. decided to change its marketing pitch. The new strategy: Convince the masses that they're welcome, despite the resort's long-standing reputation as the premier outpost of implausible wealth and snobbery in the Rockies. The problem with such a shift is that, sooner or later, word reaches the likes of me. Economic profile of me: drives beater Subaru, makes well under six figures and has little use for a $25,000 carved bear.

Actor Charlie Sheen was charged Monday in a Colorado court with felony menacing, third-degree assault and criminal mischief, stemming from a Christmas Day incident in Aspen, Colo., in which he allegedly held a knife to his wife's throat. The charges raise new questions about the troubled actor's successful entertainment career. For seven seasons, Sheen has starred in one of television's most-watched comedies, "Two and a Half Men." Calling the charges part of a "personal situation" that has not affected ratings, CBS officials have repeatedly declined to comment.

This season, Aspen is reaching out to the little people. Take it from me. I'm one of them. After decades of catering to the upper echelons of society, Aspen promoters are rolling out the red carpet to those of us lower in status and stature by offering less expensive vacation options. As a Colorado native who grew up about four hours from Aspen, I've been taking trips to the state's shining star all my life.

The request momentarily took Dan Sheridan aback. A table of locals at a New Year's gig he was playing at a tavern here called for his most popular song, "Big Money," a biting, Woody Guthrie-style lament about how millionaires are spoiling this onetime countercultural mecca. Sheridan warily eyed the crowd. It included a couple of fellows in floor-length fur coats and cowboy boots who seemed straight out of his song. But his hesitation didn't last long, and Sheridan strummed his guitar.

It's your long-awaited winter vacation, and you're going big. You're on your way to Aspen, the Rockies' snooty grande dame of skiing. You've landed at Denver International Airport, loaded the family into the rental minivan and now you're puttering up Interstate 70 into the heart of the Colorado Rockies. Stop right there. Break free from the conga line of sport utility vehicles. Forgo Aspen's thronged sun decks. Instead, turn south on U.S. 24.

The request momentarily took Dan Sheridan aback. A table of locals at a New Year's gig he was playing at a tavern here called for his most popular song, "Big Money," a biting, Woody Guthrie-style lament about how millionaires are spoiling this onetime countercultural mecca. Sheridan warily eyed the crowd. It included a couple of fellows in floor-length fur coats and cowboy boots who seemed straight out of his song. But his hesitation didn't last long, and Sheridan strummed his guitar.

Confusion over how to best approach the tricky mountain valley airport here is of growing significance in the probe into the crash of a charter jet from Los Angeles that claimed 18 lives last week, federal investigators said Sunday.

Day 1 was the easiest. On June 24, I caught a taxi from Aspen's airport to my hotel, dumped my luggage, grabbed a jacket, then dropped it again because the night was so mild. Then I rushed down to Main Street, where the 19th century bricks of the Hotel Jerome glowed red in the late daylight, and where one of the most attractive off-seasons in North American tourism bloomed in full glory. To the north, the famous slopes of Aspen Mountain were bathed in summer green.

Actor Charlie Sheen was charged Monday in a Colorado court with felony menacing, third-degree assault and criminal mischief, stemming from a Christmas Day incident in Aspen, Colo., in which he allegedly held a knife to his wife's throat. The charges raise new questions about the troubled actor's successful entertainment career. For seven seasons, Sheen has starred in one of television's most-watched comedies, "Two and a Half Men." Calling the charges part of a "personal situation" that has not affected ratings, CBS officials have repeatedly declined to comment.

The pilots of a charter jet from Los Angeles that crashed last year in Aspen, Colo., made "numerous" errors as they rushed to make an instrument landing at dusk in snowy weather, federal investigators concluded Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board's final report on the March 29 crash that killed 18 people also called for improved training of charter crews on the management of complex, rapidly evolving situations. Since the Sept.

Next time you're lucky enough to jet into Aspen for a little rest and relaxation, one of the recorded voices greeting you at the Pitkin County airport won't be John McCain's. Until last month, the dulcet tone of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was among those heard at the terminal, welcoming visitors and reciting various safety-related warnings. About 40 people have recorded the messages, a mix of celebrities (such as comic David Brenner and actress Jill St.

ASPEN, Colo., is no stranger to world-class events: It claims an annual food and wine festival, World Cup ski races and innumerable gallery openings and musical soirees. It also hosts the Winter X Games, which run Thursday through Jan. 28 at Buttermilk Mountain. Winter X, now in its 11th year, will draw more than 250 of the world's top athletes (including 28 Olympians) to compete in all things extreme, such as the ski superpipe, the snowboard half-pipe, mono skier X and snowmobile freestyle.

IN recent years, the Aspen Skiing Co. decided to change its marketing pitch. The new strategy: Convince the masses that they're welcome, despite the resort's long-standing reputation as the premier outpost of implausible wealth and snobbery in the Rockies. The problem with such a shift is that, sooner or later, word reaches the likes of me. Economic profile of me: drives beater Subaru, makes well under six figures and has little use for a $25,000 carved bear.

Here is an example of out-of-control real estate prices in Aspen, Colo., where the average home sells for $4 million: The local realty association has moved out of town to find an office it can afford. The Aspen Board of Realtors previously had occupied a small space at the airport that serves the pricey ski community, but it recently relocated 10 miles away to the town of Basalt.

Kobe who? That's what readers of the Aspen Daily News may well ask in the weeks and months to come. Fed up with the relentless, increasingly lurid media coverage of the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case playing out 75 miles away, the paper recently told the world -- or at least its 15,000 readers -- enough is enough. No more stories of sex over chairs, legal gamesmanship or alleged promiscuity.

The pilots of a charter jet from Los Angeles that crashed last year in Aspen, Colo., made "numerous" errors as they rushed to make an instrument landing at dusk in snowy weather, federal investigators concluded Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board's final report on the March 29 crash that killed 18 people also called for improved training of charter crews on the management of complex, rapidly evolving situations. Since the Sept.

ASPEN, Colo., is no stranger to world-class events: It claims an annual food and wine festival, World Cup ski races and innumerable gallery openings and musical soirees. It also hosts the Winter X Games, which run Thursday through Jan. 28 at Buttermilk Mountain. Winter X, now in its 11th year, will draw more than 250 of the world's top athletes (including 28 Olympians) to compete in all things extreme, such as the ski superpipe, the snowboard half-pipe, mono skier X and snowmobile freestyle.

Here is an example of out-of-control real estate prices in Aspen, Colo., where the average home sells for $4 million: The local realty association has moved out of town to find an office it can afford. The Aspen Board of Realtors previously had occupied a small space at the airport that serves the pricey ski community, but it recently relocated 10 miles away to the town of Basalt.

Five days before former Enron Corp. Chairman Kenneth L. Lay took a verbal whipping from members of the Senate Commerce Committee, a 3,015-square-foot home he and his wife, Linda, bought in 1991 for $1.95 million sold for a soothing $10 million. The Lays had planned to retire to the cozy retreat they called "the cottage."

This season, Aspen is reaching out to the little people. Take it from me. I'm one of them. After decades of catering to the upper echelons of society, Aspen promoters are rolling out the red carpet to those of us lower in status and stature by offering less expensive vacation options. As a Colorado native who grew up about four hours from Aspen, I've been taking trips to the state's shining star all my life.