Early one morning not long ago, a United Airlines customer service agent whisked into the break room at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport and flung open a community fridge.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo we have any eggs in here?\u201d she asked aloud, to a gaggle of ramp workers struggling to warm up and dry out after an hour of shoveling slush so heavy it felt like wet cement. This wasn\u2019t a random question; one fellow employee is a farmer who deposits stacks of cartons weekly for paying colleagues.<\/p>\n
It was sometime around 6 a.m., and the airport restaurant, Jedediah\u2019s, had run out of the breakfast staple. Its daily delivery was delayed due to a raging storm, possibly the same one that sent a massive avalanche cascading across I-70 at Ten Mile Canyon. The airport would end up canceling nearly all pending flights, drawing a zoo of frustrated travelers until dusk.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, yeah! The truck normally shows up at 4:30; it didn\u2019t show up until 9 or 10 a.m.,\u201d says cashier Hector Alba weeks later, when I ask about that fateful morning. \u201cWe had to run across (Highway 82) to Roxy\u2019s for eggs and all kinds of stuff. It\u2019s been crazy, all these delays and people, too busy!\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019re chatting by the soda fountain on Saturday at 5:45 a.m., during a rare quiet moment before the onslaught. Coffee is brewing, and hash browns sizzle on the grill. When I return just 20 minutes later, customers are lined up seven deep, and the formerly deserted dining room is half-full of diners seated at tables and chairs.<\/p>\n
Jedediah\u2019s sole line cook on duty glides between the stovetop and prep counter, draining bacon grease and wrapping breakfast burritos. I can tell by the way he hustles that I should probably grab a Snickers\u2014it\u2019s gonna be awhile before he\u2019ll be free to talk. Outside, snow swirls relentlessly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be like this all the way until 10; then there\u2019s about a one-hour break to prepare for lunch,\u201d says Alba, who also tends the joint\u2019s five-seat bar. \u201cThen 11 (a.m) all the way to 2 p.m. is busy. Weekends are busier. If there are delays, it gets really busy. I\u2019m waiting for vacation: Puerto Vallarta for a month and a half. I went there last Wednesday\u2014no, Thursday. There was a storm, so I couldn\u2019t get out of Denver.\u201d<\/p>\n
While epic snowfall spells bliss on mountain for skiers and snowboarders, the service industry folk who cater to them are maxed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a wild winter, we\u2019re all wiped out. And for some reason it\u2019s always storming on my shifts,\u201d says Jim \u201cRosebud\u201d Rose, of Bonnie\u2019s Haulers, the snowcat grocery delivery and trash removal operation that services the homey restaurant on Aspen Mountain. Though Rosebud yearns for solid sleep, he does appreciate the cool conditions. Not that he has much energy left after strenuous shifts running supplies up and trash down the mountain, with frequent vehicle breakdowns and consistent \u201ccan\u2019t see s\u2014\u201d visibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people have been in a bad mood because it\u2019s such a rough year,\u201d he continues. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work. I have a great picture of the boys shoveling like 10 feet of snow off the roof at Bonnie\u2019s. (See photo, opposite.) The skiing\u2019s good, though.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been more crowded\u2014hard to say if it\u2019s because of the Ikon Pass, but there are definitely more people from out of town. You can tell by the way they ski! Some locals have this attitude that nobody\u2019s supposed to be here, that they should have the mountain to themselves\u2026but\u2026this is a business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, back at the base, Shlomo\u2019s bar manager Mark Taylor takes a brief break from mixing margaritas on the patio. Under a tent, DJ Kevin Joyal is dropping delicious ear candy to a swelling crowd. Sunday Funday full send: imminent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say \u2018over it,\u2019 but fatigued,\u201d offers Taylor, a South Africa native, comparing his sophomore season in town to last year\u2019s lame snow show. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen so much snow in my life! Doesn\u2019t matter what career you\u2019re in, it\u2019s been a long winter, especially for restaurants. (But) it\u2019s the Aspen lifestyle: If you\u2019re not partying you\u2019re skiing. If you\u2019re not skiing, you\u2019re working. It\u2019s a continuous cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
No doubt, Shlomo\u2019s patio is an afternoon hot spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of our biggest apr\u00e8s was during a blizzard,\u201d says Taylor, who credits Shlomo\u2019s efficiency to a new crew and recent business model revamp. \u201cOur prices are very competitive. The locals are supporting us, and we want to support the locals. We run out of everything every weekend, which is a good problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aspen\u2019s steady stream of powderhound visitors dig it, too. \u201cOur craziest moment: A group of guys from New York\u2014about 60 to 80 of them\u2014bought every bottle of Champagne we had,\u201d Taylor continues. \u201cImagine 15 girls on top of the bar, and three or four guys handing out bottles, shooting corks at each other. Trying to work with Champagne in your eyes \u2026 it\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tommy Tollesson knows the feeling, as general manager of Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro on Aspen Highlands for many a wine-soaked winter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been our strongest season but challenging because in March we haven\u2019t had a lot of weekends with patio days,\u201d Tollesson says. \u201cAs much as we all love the snow, it\u2019s been tough on our deck. That\u2019s 100-plus seats. People will still sit out there in a blizzard, but we sell more seafood towers when it\u2019s nice (weather).\u201d<\/p>\n
Naturally, the cozy on-mountain cabin has been packed nonstop. \u201cIt\u2019s quite possible we\u2019ve done fewer people, but that they\u2019ve been spending more money,\u201d Tollesson adds. \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morale is high and staff issues are scant at C9 this season. \u201cEveryone is grateful, after last year, that we actually have had a snowy winter,\u201d Tollesson explains. \u201cIt\u2019s been the best season I\u2019ve experienced, us working as a team. Part of the benefit is a ski pass, so when you have a day off, it\u2019s a good day!\u201d<\/p>\n
As the indisputable Aspen legend known as the 2018-19 Winter Season wanes, service industry workers look forward to closing it down. Rosebud plans to buzz up to Utah and Wyoming on a soul-refreshing road trip. Tollesson will jet \u201cwherever my wine project\u2014Entourage\u2014takes me: Hamptons, Nantucket, L.A., South of France.\u201d<\/p>\n
Similarly, Taylor will seek seashore. After so much cold, he quips, \u201cI need some beach and sun in my life!\u201d<\/p>\n
Amanda Rae is stoked for spring shredding, yet ready to fly away! Send travel intel to: amandaraewashere@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n