Independence Pass is being set up for success this summer despite cuts to the U.S. Forest Service’s budget and staffing, with efforts to prioritize wildfire mitigation and response as well as secured funding in order to keep bathrooms open.
According to Independence Pass Foundation Executive Director Karin Teague, the USFS remains in a “tough place” due to the Trump administration’s reductions of the agency’s funding and consequently staffing, which have directly impacted White River National Forest operations and boots on the ground patrolling. With the upcoming fire season looking particularly bad due to ongoing drought and a low snowpack, covering what Ali Hager Hammond, director of community wildfire resilience for Aspen, called “blind spots” up Independence Pass.
“It is a priority, just given that fires don’t respect landscape boundaries and that is part of our district,” Hager Hammond said of putting a Pano AI camera up there. “Currently, it’s a blindspot.”
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BREAKING: golden retriever steals the spotlight again 🗞️✨
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Next stop: home turf. 🥍 TOMORROW!
The Aspen High School boys lacrosse team is into the Class 4A state quarterfinals after taking down No. 13 seed Ponderosa on Friday, winning 12-5 on the AHS turf.
The No. 4-seeded Skiers, now 13-3 overall, will next host No. 5 Lutheran (also 13-3) at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Aspen. The Lions are coming off a 7-6 win over No. 12 Golden in the second round.
The winner will advance to Saturday’s state semifinal in Denver against either No. 1 Air Academy or No. 9 Cheyenne Mountain. The other two quarterfinal games include No. 2 Evergreen vs. No. 7 Battle Mountain, and No. 3 Grand Junction vs. No. 6 Telluride.
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A pig deal: Piglets return after nearly a decade
Aspen Center for Environmental Studies welcomed 10 piglets to the farm family at Rock Bottom Ranch two weeks ago.
Now, visitors are invited to come watch them root in the pasture and play in the mud at the Basalt site.
“The pigs are an exciting reintroduction to the ranch after something like eight years,” shared John Middleton, director of Rock Bottom Ranch. “There’s market demand. People want local and pasture-raised pork. Also, they’re just fun to raise.”
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LOCAL’S NIGHT is back tomorrow night at Belly Up Aspen, featuring an electric lineup with DJ Lo G, Quervo and Utopia.
Don’t miss a night of local energy, great music, and community vibes.
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Well Done, You’re the Best Steak
Cut Above the Rest
According to the 2026 Best of Aspen, Snowmass & Basalt, these are the valley’s top steakhouses—recognized by locals for their standout cuts and flavor.
Winner: Steakhouse No. 316
Finalist: Catch Steak Aspen
Finalist: PARC Aspen
Your favorites, officially crowned. Discover the Best of Aspen, Snowmass & Basalt 2026 now. Head to our website to see the winners.
Driving a New Vision for Aspen Golf Club
The Golf Department and Business Services Division, along with representatives from DTJ Design, presented an update to Aspen City Council Monday on the Golf Clubhouse Area Master Plan in order to receive direction on the scale of the project for design.
The options for council recommendation varied between “updating,” meaning focusing on repairs with no increase in size, “upgrading,” meaning modernizing and adding some new amenities, and “reimagining,” meaning extensive redevelopment and growth. Updating would be the least expensive option, with reimagining presenting the highest cost.
“Our goal tonight is not to try to convince (council) of any direction — it’s actually quite the opposite,” Aspen Golf General Manager Jim Pratt said. “We just would like to get some direction.”
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SKIER LAX
Aspen High School boys lacrosse will be the No. 4 seed in the Class 4A state tournament and will receive a first-round bye on Tuesday. The Skiers' second-round home game will be Friday, May 8, on the AHS turf against either No. 13 Ponderosa (9-6) or No. 20 Crested Butte (7-8). A start time will be announced later.
Aspen finished the regular season 12-3 overall after Saturday's 18-0 senior night win over Vail Mountain. AHS had lost the game prior, falling 5-4 to Steamboat Springs on Thursday.
Should Aspen advance to host the May 12 quarterfinal, possible opponents include No. 5 Lutheran, No. 12 Golden or No. 21 Smoky Hill. The semifinals will be May 16 and the championship game on May 18 at the University of Denver.
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Bun Intended: Aspen’s Best Burger. 🍔
Winner: White House Tavern
Finalist: Ajax Tavern
Finalist: Clark's Oyster Bar
Finalist: J-Bar at Hotel Jerome
You voted. We listened. Your Valley favorites—all in one place. Head to our website to see the Best of Aspen Snowmass & Basalt 2026.
Building momentum. Aspen earns a win ahead of regionals.
The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Club hosted one of its biggest rivals, the Denver Barbarians, in a spring tune-up game on Saturday afternoon at Willits Rugby Field. The Gents won, 83-15, which followed a 36-33 win at the Denver Water Dogs on April 11.
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Right off the bat, Aspen sets the tone.
Spring playoff season is on the doorstep. Here’s how local teams stand with the postseason push ramping up.
Aspen High School baseball’s stellar spring season continued Friday with a home doubleheader sweep of Moffat County. Scores were 18-2 and 12-0 at Crawford Field in El Jebel.
The Skiers are now 13-2 overall and 7-2 in league play with a couple of weeks still to go in the regular season. Entering this week, AHS was flirting with the top five of the CHSAA seeding index in Class 3A, putting them in a strong position to host regional play next month.
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The first of its kind, right here.
First all-girls flag football game in Roaring Fork Valley played between Aspen and Glenwood
The girls flag football movement is real, and the momentum is now being felt locally. On Friday, the 10U Aspen squad hosted Glenwood Springs A in what was being billed as the first all-girls flag football game in the Roaring Fork Valley.
“These girls are blazing the trail for generations to come, and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said Wes Campbell, a coach and parent of two players in Glenwood Springs, which launched its co-ed league in the fall of 2022.
“Since then, it has quickly become one of our most popular youth programs, offering a fun, accessible and inclusive environment for athletes of all experience levels,” said Nick Adams, the athletics supervisor for Glenwood Springs Parks and Recreation. “This season, for the first time, we have enough participation to introduce all-girls matchups alongside our traditional co-ed league, marking a significant step forward in the growth of the program.”
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