Ski hop for lorful settg when X Gam, Gay Ski Week town |

Contents:

• ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK
• THE STORY OF ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK
• 10 GAY SKI WEEKS AND WTER PRI CELEBRATNS
• SKI HOP FOR LORFUL SETTG WHEN X GAM, GAY SKI WEEK TOWN
• GAY SKI WEEKS: COLOR THE SLOP
• ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK TO WELE FAI NEXT MONTH
• GAY COLORADO TRAVEL GUI

ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK

Some might say ASGW (Aspen Gay Ski Week) was and is the first form of LGBTQ+ Pri Aspen.

Fd out why Condé Naste lls “The alpha and the omega of gay ski weeks.

THE STORY OF ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK

Aspen Gay Ski Week. Aspen Gay Ski Week (AGSW) is the olst annual, week-long gay ski event the natn. A mol for other gay ski weeks, AGSW offers a unique vatn experience the scenic and historic mounta town of Aspen, Colorado.

10 GAY SKI WEEKS AND WTER PRI CELEBRATNS

Aspen Gay Ski Week is also the annual fundraisg event for AspenOUT, a lol non-prof and 501C3 anizatn foced on anti-bullyg and tolerance. Wily regard as the top ski statn for LGBTQ travelers, Aspen Snowmass livers wh four mountas of terra, imprsive après ski, smopolan rtrants, world-class hotels, and the annual exuberance of Gay Ski Week—the natn’s biggt (and longt nng) on-snow pri event. Gay Ski WeekLearn moreAmeri's longt-nng Gay Ski Week is packed wh activi om morng to late to the night.

Takg place every January, Gay Ski Week clus events like drag bnch, group ski days, daily cktail gathergs, après pool parti, edy shows, dance parti, a drag para down the slop of Aspen Mounta, and so much ’t make to Gay Ski Week?

History of Gay Ski WeekIn 1977, lol John Bch and gay ski club lears om Chigo, Los Angel, and beyond fally phed to secure space rtrants and public plac while visg Aspen. Their goal was to acmodate and celebrate a wir range of visg gay ski clubs—and the rult was the official start to the longt-nng Gay Ski Week Ameri.

SKI HOP FOR LORFUL SETTG WHEN X GAM, GAY SKI WEEK TOWN

Gay Ski Week is the anizatn’s largt fundraisg event every January, but the anizatn hosts shows, muny iativ, parti, programmg, and events year-round. Plan Your Trip Now Gay Ski WeekA full week of parti, live mic, edy, great dg and — of urse — skig and ridg on Aspen Snowmass' famo terra. Arguably the biggt party of the wter season, Aspen Gay Ski Week has matured.

GAY SKI WEEKS: COLOR THE SLOP

It was the party culture of the ’70s clashg wh old-fashned unacceptance that led to the formatn of a nonprof to n Aspen Gay Ski Week and e as a force for good the muny. Durg the , a group of lol men had started regularly hangg out wh gay visors om ski clubs around the untry.

By 1977, the rnns beme more official, wh each club hostg parti their ndos on different nights for a week January, and the lol ntgent throwg the wele as liberal as Aspen was, beg gay public wasn’t universally accepted (hence the ndo parti)—a realy that spurred Jon Bch, one of Aspen Gay Ski Week’s founrs, to advote for gay rights after gettg trouble for dancg wh another man at a lol bar. In 1979, Bch and other lol supporters had reason to celebrate when Aspen beme the first municipaly Colorado to pass an anti-discrimatn policy for gays and lbians. Boulr and Denver followed Aspen’s example, but 1992, Colorado voters passed Amendment 2 to the state nstutn, which revoked gay protectns and prohibed any new on om beg enacted at lol and state levels.

ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK TO WELE FAI NEXT MONTH

Women celebrate Aspen Gay Ski Week at the base of Aspen Mounta 2022. This anti-gay policy triggered a wispread and effective boytt of Colorado tourism, particularly pafully felt Aspen, where Gay Ski Week had bee a major wter event and talyst for gay tourism year-round. A legal challenge ensued, and shortly after the US Supreme Court led that Amendment 2 was unnstutnal 1996, Aspen Gay Ski Week was fold to a new 501c3 nonprof: the Aspen Gay and Lbian Communy Fund (now AspenOUT) olst and largt gay ski event the untry (more than 3, 000 people are expected this year), Aspen Gay Ski Week has evolved far beyond ndo parti.

A wboy dance party at the Belly Up and boy band ver group at the Wheeler are exampl of events put on by other enti wh Gay Ski Week atten md. But as AspenOUT’s ma annual fundraiser, Aspen Gay Ski Week is much more than a good time— mak possible the anizatn’s growg mental health and tn work. Wh funds om Gay Ski Week, for example, AspenOUT provis facilators to Roarg Fork Valley schools’ gay stunt allianc (GSAs) and onle mental health trag for unselors and teachers.

“Aspen Snowmass is very clive and has always been very supportive of Aspen Gay Ski Week, not only bee ’s good for the enomy, but bee ’s good for the muny, ” says McManamon.

GAY COLORADO TRAVEL GUI

A group of skiers and hikers celebrate Aspen Gay Ski Week atop Highland Peak.

Aspen Snowmass is one of many proud sponsors of Aspen Gay Ski Week, but the pany’s support of the LGBTQ+ muny don’t stop there. And on a state and natnal level, the pany speaks out on policy—notably signg the amic brief the 2015 US Supreme Court se that legalized gay while there’s still work to be done, the progrs that’s been fostered by Aspen Gay Ski Week and the broar Aspen Snowmass muny is somethg to be proud of. In 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, the untry’s first openly gay ernor, signed a proclamatn regnizg the event’s role beg “a cril part of the fight for civil rights the LGBTQ muny Colorado and across the natn.