Gus Kenworthy's Guide To Aspen
Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy heads to Aspen this week to compete in the X Games, where he hopes to repeat (or better) his 2016 performances that nabbed him silver medals in the slopestyle and superpipe events.
What makes being a master of the mountain here so sweet for Gus is that this is his home turf, too: The 25 year-old out athlete spent plenty of time in the tony resort town, having grown up in nearby Telluride (“I love coming to Aspen because it’s like a glamorous version of a trip home.”)
Below, Gus let us in on some of his favorite places to hang when he’s not competing. And be sure to tune into "Snow Days," all this week on Logo.
355 S Monarch St
“This is the hotel that I stay at during the X Games. It’s got a pretty lobby and underground parking—it’s really hard to find parking in Aspen! It’s got a really nice pool in the back with multiple hot tubs around it." [ed. note: It’s also a host hotel for Aspen Gay Ski Week, and the website has an LGBTQ tab.]
Hyman Avenue Shopping
“Near the hotel, there are a bunch of shops on Hyman Avenue that have different, cute stuff, collectibles and galleries too. Aspen has all the normal shops, like J. Crew and James Perse, that aren’t unique to here but are places that I would definitely shop.”
637 East Hyman Ave
"There’s a really good modern art museum in Aspen. It’s also on Hyman Avenue. They often have these really funky installations [ed. note: including "Julian Schnabel Plate Paintings 1978–86" on view through February 19, and "Jack Pierson: 5 Shows from the ’90s," starting February 10]. There are a lot of galleries in Aspen, too. It’s fun to walk around and poke your head in."
“If I had some free time, I’d head over to the gondola. At the base there’s a tiny little ice skating rink—it’s cheap, it’s fun, and it’s beautiful. You have the mountains on three sides of you and they have little lights strung across the rink.
Then you can take a ride up the gondola—with or without your skis (just for the view). And the gondolas in Aspen are fancy. You can plug your phone in and play music that makes the ride up to the top more fun. My boyfriend and I did that last year—just rode the gondola—on a day I wasn’t competing. There’s a little lodge at the top where you can grab a coffee.”
730 W. Main St
“I’ve been going since I was a kid, after hockey games and soccer games. They have amazing barbecue and huge servings. I get a full rack of ribs when I’m there that comes with Texas toast, baked beans and a veggie like collard greens or corn. It’s definitely a sloppy-sauce kind of place. It always looks like a murder took place at my table by the time I’m done.”
303 E Main St
"It’s not necessarily specific to just Aspen... but if you feel like taking out a second mortgage on your home for sushi, Matsuhisa [located in a 120-year old Victorian house] is pretty good.”
Get the view from Aspen all this week on Logo's Snow Days. And See Gus compete in the X Games this week on ESPN.
