A Little Place Called Aspen

Photo Source: Aspen X Games

By Josh Lenahan, Staff Writer

Lil Wayne, professional snowboarders, the brapp of snowmobiles, the smell of hops, and bottomless champagne powder. What kind of place could have all these mouthwatering, beat bumping, fun things within a five-minute walk of each other?

As Lloyd from everyone’s favorite Colorado-centered movie “Dumb and Dumber” put it, “A place where the beer flows like wine, where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. A little place called Aspen.”

With live music performances from Lil Wayne, Louis the Child, Kygo, and the Chainsmokers, X Games Aspen is a hotspot for action sports fans and concert goers alike. This last X Games in late January turned Aspen into action sports’ biggest stage of the year.

With snow sport events ranging from slopestyle, big airs, halfpipes, snowmobile and snow bike racing, and more, the action at X Games was nonstop. The music shows were sold out, but artists hosted after parties downtown – adding to the already world-renowned Aspen après-ski scene.

Pizza at the Aspen Alehouse, music at Belly Up, or a blast back in time to Aspen’s Red Onion –open since 1892 – the town offered something for everyone day and night.

Nestled in Colorado’s beautiful Roaring Fork Valley, Aspen is split into four alpine skiing areas accessible by shuttle throughout the day. All X Games events are held at Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain. Kicking off on a Thursday, the sporting events stretched through the following Wednesday. With a modern bus system throughout the Valley, Aspen made it easy for everyone to get around throughout the weekend. It made driving unnecessary.  

If you happen to be an IKON pass holder, you could ski all day while catching snow sports in between laps, then enjoy some of Colorado's best après-ski locations downtown. To put it simply, there’s no reason to be bored during an X Games Aspen weekend. The snow sports themselves are worth the effort to get to Aspen – the slopestyle course as well as the skiing and snowboarding competitions make for memorable X Games.  

This year IKON pass holders can enjoy 5,300+ combined skiable acres, 4,400 feet of vertical drop, and some of the best snow Colorado has seen in years. The beautiful Valley, home to the infamous Maroon Bells, buzzes with life during an X Games weekend, and this last one was one for the books.

Eighteen years in, Aspen has been the longest re-occurring X Games host and doesn’t seem to be ditching its commitment anytime soon. After renewing a five-year agreement with X Games, Aspen will have hosted the games for 23 consecutive years by 2024.

“Aspen is truly a special community and we could not be happier to commit to another five years,” said Tim Reed, X Games vice president, in a recent news release.

An essential piece to the puzzle that is the World of X Games, Aspen has been crucial in the success of the world’s biggest action sports events.

Ski resorts are being blessed with heavy snowfall this season; here’s why

By: Joshua Lenahan, Practicum Reporter

Blue Sky Basin at Vail opened Nov. 29this year – more than a month earlier than last year. Aspen Highlands had the earliest opening since 1992. As of Nov. 9, the Loveland Ski Area had had the best opening in its 81-year history, passing the 10-foot mark before December. Breckenridge had fewer than five runs open this time last year; now nearly 100 percent of the runs are open. 

“It’s absolutely dumping, and has been since October,” said a 10-year ski patrol veteran at Copper Mountain. “It doesn’t even compare to last year and we’re loving it.” 

The heavy snowfall seems to have caught every major ski area in the state. The totals are nothing short of jarring compared to last season’s snow tally. 

Keeping in mind the records that so many ski resorts are reporting, how good is this season? How does it compare to normal years (surely, the totals could feel exaggerated when compared to last year’s extreme lack of snow)? 

Well, Colorado is still in a drought, but it’s beginning to catch up. With 20 percent of the state, mostly in the Southwest, in extreme drought, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System, there’s a lot of catching up that needs to be done. Vail has the most ski terrain open than any resort in North America right now with 4,200 acres in total, and they’re considered to be in a severe drought. 

The high snowfall totals were only one piece to the puzzle that is this season. Consistent cold temperatures has kept the snow on the ground and blessed snowmakers with ideal snowmaking conditions. Snowmakers were able to blow snow to form safe bases for early season skiing. Some high winds earlier in the season helped pack down the snow and form a base for the areas that snowmakers can’t get to. This was important for places like A-basin, which rely heavily on natural snowfall instead of man-made snow. It also helped the higher and harder-to-access terrain elsewhere. 

Early-season starts are heralded not only by ski resorts, but other businesses too. Restaurants, ski shops, dispensaries and hotels benefit from the massive flocks of tourists. 

This season hasn’t been without challenges, however. A heavy early-season snowfall also means heavy early-season avalanches. With avalanches being reported as early as mid-October, the mountains aren’t messing around this season. Additionally, good ski conditions bring tourists, which means traffic, which means accidents. Mid-November brought its fair share of accidents on I-70, but the worst was a multi-car pile up that resulted in four tragic deaths.  

With snow totals piling up fast, resorts are opening new terrain and new lifts, and new skiing opportunities are being offered. The Alterra Mountain Co. introduced the Ikon Pass, a new all-season option for riders, and coincidentally picked what most might consider the best season in years to do so. 

A Rising KRCX Welcomes North Carolina Rapper to Promote Music

By: Joshua Lenahan, Practicum Writer

 Regis’ KRCX radio station held a basement session with up-and-coming North Carolina Rap artist Ron Beatty recently. The basement of Clarke Hall is home to the headquarters of the oldest college radio station in Denver. Beatty has been touring colleges around the country promoting his music before dropping his new album “Beats Beers and BBQ.” 

Beatty sampled his unreleased album with the crew at KRCX and talked about his inspirations, other artists he has worked with, and his artistic process. Anyone who’s interested in Beatty’s new album, or any other new music, can tune into the station at KRCX.org whenever they want. Beatty is the first of many successful artists the KRCX team hopes to welcome into the station this year and next. 

With a new staff, the station is on the rise and improving its lineup. KRCX is run by students who update the music library, market the station to the rest of the student body, and bring in talent to perform in basement sessions to share their music with KRCX’s audience.

Basement sessions serve to get the station involved with the community, and vice versa. Artists can bring new or old music to show off – and even perform live on the air. The basement of Clarke is home to a broadcasting room, a studio with an isolation booth, a video editing room, and all kinds of equipment needed to create music. It’s a playground for musicians and music lovers alike. 

KRCX’s goal is to get more students tuned in and consistently listening to the station. It brings new, curated music to the student body and helps keep students informed about happenings on the Northwest Denver campus. Being an internet radio station, anyone can listen from anywhere, which makes it ideal for busy students who listen to music on their phones. In an era of music-streaming services, many students turn away from radio even though they can provide a tasteful and curated selection of music picked out by Regis’ own students. 

KRCX recently got some news attention thanks to 9News. The local TV station ran a piece about the band Queen’s first U.S concert, which was held in the Regis Field house in 1974. Regis has hosted many big-name concerts over the years, including Jimi Hendrix, Hall and Oats, and The Kinks, to name a few. 

With a lot to live up to, the new team at KRCX is becoming more and more involved around campus and is proud to be the official sound of Regis. In the future, expect to hear KRCX outside the student center, the dorms and around campus. So, remember to tune in to KRCX.org and support your local radio station. 

12 Years of Inspiring Regis Students Through Botany

By: Joshua Lenahan, Practicum Reporter

A classroom full of students learning about plant taxonomy is normally the last place one would expect to find enthusiasm and laughter, but in Introduction to Botany, taught by Catherine Kleier, Ph.D., it’s just another Tuesday morning. As a National Geographic Explorer, and 2015 Colorado Professor of the Year, Kleier’s enthusiasm and infectious love for nature stretches far beyond the classroom. 

Kleier’s achievements during her 12 years teaching at Regis include being named the 2015 Colorado Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. However, one of her proudest achievements was receiving a National Geographic Waitt Foundation grant in 2011, which allowed her to travel to Chile to explore a rare alpine cushion plant called Yareta. 

Botany was not a priority for Kleier during her undergraduate years. She studied Biology and also enjoyed taking humanities courses such as Classics and Film Studies. Her interest in botany wasn’t sparked until she took a plant class her senior year at the University of Colorado Boulder. She then took a few additional botany classes after she graduated before returning to Boulder for more classes, and then headed to the University of Oregon in Eugene for graduate studies in plant taxonomy. Kleier later attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology.    

Research has taken her across the globe. Her dissertation work in the Andes mountains of Chile was inspired by her love of alpine cushion plants, which she became acquainted with during her time in Colorado. She’s now one of the leading researchers of the Yareta plant. 

“Good teaching is supported by good research,” Kleier said.  

During her time in Colorado after college, Kleier was a trip leader for an outdoor adventure company, where she led teenagers on hiking and backpacking trips in the mountains. It was during these summers —hiking and backpacking in the Colorado wilderness— that she realized she wanted to become an alpine ecologist.  

Kleier believes students can learn from her own late introduction to botany. Her journey to graduate school began with curiosity, but she lacked a clear path toward what she wanted to do or be. She followed her newfound love for botany to see where it would take her, and it led to more academic schooling. Never did she expect her interest in botany to lead her to where she is today – a professor at Regis. Her interest in teaching began as a teacher’s assistant at the University of Oregon. She combined her desire to teach with her appreciation for research, and that’s when she decided to pursue her doctorate at UCLA. 

“It’s important to me that students understand that you don’t always know what it is you’re going to do,” Kleier said.

Discovering your career in this organic manner, rather than setting on a path before understanding it well, is what Kleier brings into the classroom. She recommends being open to learning and changing one’s mind.  

Her students appreciate Kleier’s teaching style. 

“She introduced me to a side of nature that I take with me everywhere I go,” said Noah Garcia, a student in her botany class. “She opened me up to a new appreciation of my surroundings that I never thought I would see before.”  

Kleier’s extensive work in botany evolved alongside her passion for the outdoors. As an avid hiker, her love for the outdoors finds its way into her classrooms.   

“I find when we give attention to nature, it’s very fulfilling. You’re celebrating it and it can be a hobby that is not consumptive,” said Kleier. 

She believes that students introduced to botany learn to appreciate nature wherever they are. Beyond that, it’s a healthy hobby that anyone can enjoy. 

“To be more familiar with your surroundings makes you feel at home wherever you go,” Kleier said.

Kleier’s love of nature and the outdoors resonates with her students. 

“Dr. Kleier has deepened my interest in my already existing passion for the outdoors,” said Nicole Linkowski.

Other students shared similar sentiments. And many could quote a Kleier motto: “Botany isn’t rocket science; it’s much more complicated.” 

Botany is an endless and joyful pursuit, Kleier believes, and one worth sharing with the world. It’ll always be needed and relevant. 

"You can’t climb mountains forever, and you can’t ski black diamonds forever, but you can botanize forever," said Kleier, who, incidentally, does all three.

So, what’s next for Kleier?  

She wants to learn more about genetics, molecular biology, astronomy, and basically all things outdoors. She’s working on another course, in addition to her book/video course, “Plant Science: an Introduction to Botany.”In 2020, she plans to visit New Zealand on sabbatical to research plants. 

A mom, botanist, mentor, and inspiration to many, Kleier proves that botany is much more than a science class; it’s a class about life. She exemplifies how passion can stick with someone for the rest of her life and blossom into a relationship with nature worthy of sharing with the world. 

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Skiing Loveland Pass

By: Joshua Lenahan, Practicum Reporter

As I drive up Loveland Pass after a snowstorm, the mountains in every direction are scattered with carving “S” patterns from top to bottom. About a mile up the pass, a wide sweeping turn is bustling with rad dudes and dudettes walking with skis and boards. In the parking lot, hot dogs are being grilled, people are hanging around their cars, dogs are running around, trucks are picking people up – the stoke level is high, some might say.

If you’re unfamiliar with Colorado ski culture, it probably looks more like a snowy football tailgate, but as you talk to folks, you begin to realize they’re at the pass for the same reason: unlimited, deep, fluffy, snow. And the skiing is free.

As a group of about a dozen or so toss their gear into the back of a truck and pile themselves in, they get ready for the 10-minute ride to the top of the pass. 

Hitchhiking Loveland pass is the easiest and most accessible backcountry skiing near Denver. 

One of the highest mountain passes in the world and at the Continental Divide, Loveland Pass is consistently open during the snowy season – and a significant hub of activity after a snowstorm. 

Sitting on the side of a truck bed, I hear seasoned ski bums talk about skipping work, “escaping the wife,” and reminiscing of winters past. I turn my attention back to the mountains, semi-trucks with chained tires drive past, routing around the Eisenhower tunnel. White-knuckled tourists in rental cars navigate the snow-covered roads. 

At the top, I hop out of the truck and am instantly engulfed in white mountains. Clicking into a pair of beat-up, center-mounted park skis, I am not exactly ready for 2 feet of fluffy powder, but I am complaining either. 

After making a few passes and stopping to catch my breath, I was greeted by the faint swishing sound of a fellow skier in the distance, a dog barking at its owner skiing down the mountain, and even the soft sounds of falling snow. The blissfulness of the mountain is a good distraction from the potentially dangerous terrain below. 

Steep cliffs litter chutes and gullies and are countered by wide-open powder fields on different lines. The variety of the terrain makes it welcoming to more than expert skiers; its terrain and easy accessibility is a fitting introduction to aspiring backcountry skiers.

This same easy accessibility means Loveland Pass draws inexperienced and unprepared skiers into potentially risky avalanche areas. Most Loveland Pass novices stick with someone who knows the area to stay safe. It can be a dangerous place and should be treated as such. There’s no lodge at the bottom with amenities or First Aid gear. You ski here at your own risk. 

The risks don’t stop those who ski it, and it’s a pretty popular place during a decent snowstorm. 

Loveland Pass is a fun getaway from the long, early season lines at neighboring A-Basin. The pass provides a fun change of pace with loads of options. 

Next time you find yourself on the pass, don’t forget to pick up a friendly hitchhiker. We get cold, and appreciate the ride.