Saturdays in Aspen: fresh powder + a beautiful dinner with the St. Regis Polo Team

PHOTO: Holiday sweets at the Christmas Tree lightening at St. Regis Aspen (c) Sery Kim

Yesterday Aspen really outdid itself with an exquisite Saturday. I woke up to more than a foot of fresh snow meaning my morning of ski runs down Aspen Mountain were as perfect as one could get. Many MANY thanks to my terrific ski instructor Mark Smith who made a day of skiing in tremendous snow but little-to-no visibility positively fabulous -- and also to Obermeyer for outfitting me for another year.

Mark is not just patient but he has a real teacher's heart where he tells you things not for the sake of making you feel bad about what you are doing but to, first and foremost, affirm what you did right, and then pick one thing for you to improve on. Then, once you have improve that one thing, he gives you another helpful tip and so-on-and-so-forth so that by the end of the day you have really honed each element of what makes a skier great. It always helps the confidence not to be stripped down for your lack of skills but to build upon the fundamentals one block at a time. ruly I am quite thankful for Mark's kind, yet smart, spirit and recommend anyone who wants to become a double-diamond black skier to go ski with him -- also he's super good at taking your photos while you ski down fresh blue trails!

PHOTO: Me skiing the blue runs at Aspen Mountain, thanks Mark Smith for the great photo!

PHOTO: Me skiing the blue runs down Aspen Mountain, thanks for the great photo Mark Smith!

After a fun morning, Mark said I was "awesome" and had "tremendous form," which made me happy to hear. I like to do things just right -- and the above photo really captured the real action of skiing. Too bad I had to do work that afternoon or else I could have skied more that day. Oh well. Guess I will just be coming back for more!

PHOTO: Dinner with the St. Regis Polo Team

I headed back and after an afternoon of working in Aspen I joined my friends for a lovely dinner put together by the St. Regis team. Bountiful winter palate seemed to be the theme, as well as a beautiful dessert bar. I wasn't too hungry because I had stopped by at 5:00 pm for the Christmas tree lighting the St. Regis Aspen does each year for the Aspen community. In addition to singers and Santa, there is an enormous dessert display and some of the best hot chocolate you will ever have. I filled up -- and then some -- before dinner so by the time I actually sat down, I really did not have enough space, i.e. a large enough stomach, for all the goodies!

PHOTO: Dessert bar at the St. Regis Aspen (c) Sery Kim

Of course, I managed to get some sweets in as well as enjoy the company of friends. The St. Regis Aspen has been absolutely packed during my time here. I don't know whether it is just the hustle-and-bustle of the holidays, the sheer quantity of people coming for the events, the general stress of the individuals working here who are trying to cop with the volume of people, but no one really smiles in the front lobby. I think I've had one person smile at me my entire stay which is super unusual for the St. Regis hotel group.

PHOTO: Photo booth (c) Sery Kim

In fact, it wasn't until the dinner that I actually felt the real quality of the St. Regis spirit which, for me, is always the service staff. Everyone was super friendly and helpful, AND everyone smiled. Now that is what I expect from the St. Regis!

PHOTO: My dessert plate (c) Sery Kim

Overall I had a wonderful day and I am so grateful to be here with the St. Regis Aspen. I've had the best time and am appreciative of the warmth here. I will be back, for sure!