Spring skiing is upon us, and this week brought Aspen/Snowmass snow worth getting psyched about. I don't know if there's anything better than sunny, bluebird skies on a spring day, with fresh powder under your board. There's still time to take advantage of great skiing and riding, as well as exciting on and off mountain events.

Local rider Red Rainey rippin’ in the fresh powder.- J.Swanson

Aspen, CO - This Friday, head out to downtown Aspen for a star lit blockparty, the annual CORE Party. The event will take place on the corner of Galena Street and Cooper Avenue, is free and open to the public. So whether you're visiting for the weekend, or live the Aspen dream year round, come out and celebrate the resurgence of Spring. The festivities will include a thirst quenching beer garden, an exhibit at the Aspen Art Museum and an 8 pm performance by headliners, Railroad Earth. This New Jersey based bluegrass sextet is sure to have you dancing in the streets.

Ready for the ultimate mountaineering challenge? Registration is still open for The Power of Four Mountaineering Race, Saturday, March 3, 2012. This physically and mentally demanding race challenges competitors to conquer a course stretching across Buttermilk, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands and Aspen Mountain, gaining over 10,000 vertical feet. If you think you're up for the four-stage challenge, snag a teammate or two, and sign-up for the race. If the full-course seems to be a bit out of reach, consider the half-course race, which covers covers stages three and four.

M.R. 2011- Jeremy Swanson

Music lovers, listen up! Thursday, February 16th, the Belly Up Aspen is bringing you an EXCLUSIVE screening of RE:GENERATION, accompanied with a performance by two of the documentary's DJ protagonists, The Crystal Method. The documentary tells the story of five of todays most popular, electronically rooted DJ acts as they collaborate, remix and reinvent the sounds of five time-honored styles of music. This is an amazing opportunity to check out RE:GENERATION which is only screening February 16th and February 23rd in extremely limited locations. The Belly Up Aspen is taking the event to the next level, concluding the evening in the company of The Crystal Method for an exclusive Q & A session about the documentary.

Being healthy starts from the inside out, and during these cold winter months, we often find ourselves feeling a bit sluggish or worn down. It's easy to load up on warm comfort foods during the snow season, but out of proportion, these carb and starch heavy meals don't always provide the balanced diet we need to keep our immune systems strong, and bodies in tune. For this week's blog post, I want to share with you a smoothie recipe, handed down to me from my friend Nora, that's power packed with kale, cacao, brazil nuts a hint of cayenne and more. This blended smoothie is a sure fire way to keep your body healthy, and your taste buds happy all winter long.

Ingredients

The Belly Up Aspen brings the heat during these frosty winter months by inviting jam genre veterans, moe. to the stage for a guaranteed rockin' good time. This Thursday, February 9th, the five piece band with over 20 years experience, will take the stage at 9:00 pm, and give Aspen a proper dose of jam.