{"id":2454452,"date":"2020-02-12T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=320760"},"modified":"2020-02-12T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T12:00:00","slug":"meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Rippin\u2019 Hotdog: A Snowmass trivia team, friend group and lifestyle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6020816653323\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-320760-472\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | The Rippin\u2019 Hotdogs trivia team compete in a round about movies at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10.563876651982\">\n<p><strong>The Rippin\u2019 Hotdogs trivia team compete in a round about movies at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Rippin\u2019 Hotdogs trivia team compete in a round about movies at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Adele La Roche sports a Rippin\u2019 Hotdog hair bow that she made herself at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10.575107296137\">\n<p><strong>Adele La Roche sports a Rippin\u2019 Hotdog hair bow that she made herself at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-1-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Adele La Roche sports a Rippin\u2019 Hotdog hair bow that she made herself at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-2-1024x702.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | A Rippin\u2019 Hotdog trivia teammember draws the team\u2019s mascot onto the top of their trivia sheet at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10.617760617761\">\n<p><strong>A Rippin\u2019 Hotdog trivia teammember draws the team\u2019s mascot onto the top of their trivia sheet at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-2-1024x702.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-2.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-2-1024x702.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A Rippin\u2019 Hotdog trivia teammember draws the team\u2019s mascot onto the top of their trivia sheet at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-3-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | The Rippin\u2019 Hotdog trivia team thinks of an answer for one of the clues pertaining to movies at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10.61328125\">\n<p><strong>The Rippin\u2019 Hotdog trivia team thinks of an answer for one of the clues pertaining to movies at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-3-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-3.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-3-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Rippin\u2019 Hotdog trivia team thinks of an answer for one of the clues pertaining to movies at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Dawdler, the Rippin\u2019 Hotdogs trivia team\u2019s unofficial mascot, sits on a bench at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.96296296296296\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12.518518518519\">\n<p><strong>Dawdler, the Rippin\u2019 Hotdogs trivia team\u2019s unofficial mascot, sits on a bench at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-4-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-4.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/hotdog-svs-021220-1-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Dawdler, the Rippin\u2019 Hotdogs trivia team\u2019s unofficial mascot, sits on a bench at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When it comes to the name \u201cRippin\u2019 Hotdog,\u201d its origins are up for debate, but most agree the locally coined term stemmed from an evening screening of \u201cHot Dog\u2026The Movie\u201d about a year ago at the New Belgium Ranger Station in Snowmass.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhen we sort of stumbled into the Rippin\u2019 Hotdog name we just sort of said, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s our new name for sure,\u2019\u201d said Matt Fersch, one of the founding members of Rippin Hotdog, the trivia team his roughly 15-person friend group competes as and lifestyle it lives by. \u201cIf Rippin\u2019 Hotdog is about anything, it\u2019s about being open to the community\u2026 everyone out there having fun on the mountain is a rippin\u2019 hotdog.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Fersch and his friend group officially became Rippin\u2019 Hotdog about a year ago. But for over two years, the group has made it a weekly ritual to meet up for the Ranger Station\u2019s Tuesday trivia night and has been a family, or as Fersch says a \u201cwolf pack,\u201d of friends for a decade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s structured fun,\u201d Fersch said of their weekly trivia night tradition. \u201cAs adults when we get older its harder for our schedules to line up and this and that, but we know at least once a week one of your friends is going to be there at trivia waiting to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">At the Feb. 4 trivia night, this fun-focused spirit was evident. The station was packed with patrons and trivia competitors, including the Rippin\u2019 Hotdogs, who met each question with intense focus and each break with casual conversation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When asked how the hotdogs met, team member Lexy Mirante said most were all rookie ski instructors for Aspen Skiing Co. about 10 years ago, bonding over skiing and working together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Some of the hotdogs are still with Skico and others have moved on to other jobs in and out of Snowmass Village, but Mirante said most have stuck together and grown to become family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe celebrate all of the holidays together and even when we think we\u2019re sick of seeing each other, we\u2019ll hang out multiple times a day, skiing or biking together then going out for dinner later,\u201d Mirante said. \u201cIt\u2019s really special to have that close of a friendship with that number of people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But even though the Tuesday trivia nights are more of an excuse to meet up than anything else, Mirante and other hotdog members said it wouldn\u2019t be the team\u2019s preferred hangout of choice if it weren\u2019t for trivia host Elliott Audette.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Audette is credited for the revival of the Ranger Station trivia night after its former host moved away from the village a few years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Up until winter 2018 when he stepped up to host, Audette said he had been a weekly trivia competitor, often playing on the team that rivaled Rippin\u2019 Hotdog, though they weren\u2019t known by that name at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI guess you could say we started out as sort of enemies or rivals, but once I started hosting I really got to know them and we\u2019ve become great friends,\u201d Audette said. \u201cIt means so much to me that they show up week after week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As the Ranger Station trivia host, Audette said he aims to create a fun, non-intimidating and welcoming atmosphere that all locals and visitors feel they can be a part of.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He hopes to keep the weekly trivia at the Ranger Station going for groups of regulars like those with Rippin\u2019 Hotdog, and even has goals of expanding the game night to other village locations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think it\u2019s important to have community connectors like game nights, live music and open mic nights and think this is a nice little tradition once a week where people know they can meet up and have fun,\u201d Audette said of trivia night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt really is more about having fun than the trivia. \u2026 It\u2019s half-comedy, half-trivia and I don\u2019t think anyone ever leaves disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As for Rippin\u2019 Hotdog, they hope to see the weekly trivia continue at the Ranger Station as well, and have dreams of turning Rippin\u2019 Hotdog into a local, lifestyle ski brand everyone can get in on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Adele La Roche, the hotdog member who came up with the team design and logo, runs its social media, and crafts stickers, T-shirts and other themed items out of her village home for the group, said the brand is just a dream at this point, but that the longtime friends are adamant about sharing their Rippin\u2019 Hotdog-spirit with the rest of the village community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt started off as more of a joke to begin with but then it got a bit more serious,\u201d La Roche said. \u201cAnyone can be a hotdog with us and carry our values of having fun and protecting winter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\"><a href=\"mailto:mvincent@aspentimes.com\">mvincent@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/meet-rippin-hotdog-a-snowmass-trivia-team-friend-group-and-lifestyle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Rippin\u2019 Hotdogs trivia team compete in a round about movies at the New Belgium Ranger Station in the Snowmass Village Mall on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Buy Photo Adele La Roche sports a Rippin\u2019 Hotdog hair bow that she made herself at the New Belgium Ranger Station [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2454452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 16:12:12","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2454452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454452\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2454452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2454452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2454452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}