Snowmass Village, Colo., (May 31, 2019) – June kicks off summer in Snowmass, featuring two new events, Ride the Rockies (June 11-12) and Mini Meet (June 24-28), as well as showcasing returning favorites such as the Snowmass Rendezvous Craft Beer Festival and new beer tasting dinners, Cochon 555’s Rustic Grind & Heritage Fire, Snowmass Demo Days, the Snowmass Rodeo, Snowmass Free Concert Series, and much more.

“June is a fantastic time to be in Snowmass,” says Rose Abello, Tourism Director, Snowmass Tourism. “The mountains are lush and green, while the snowcapped mountains provide a stunning backdrop. We look forward to kicking this summer off strong with Ragnar Trail and the Snowmass Rendezvous Craft Beer Festival, both back again this summer for their seventh and fourth years, respectively. We are also thrilled to welcome first time events Ride the Rockies and Mini Meet to our spectacular valley.”

Snowmass June Event Lineup: 

Snowmass Rendezvous Craft Beer Festival & Beer Tasting Dinners – June 7-8: Kick off Snowmass Rendezvous Craft Beer weekend on Friday, June 7th, with a series of Brewer’s Pairing Dinners at restaurants around Snowmass Village. Dinners include Aspen Brewing Company at The Artisan at The Stonebridge Inn; Crooked Save, Odell Brewing Company, Roaring Fork Beer Company, and Boulder Beer at Slow Groovin’ BBQ; and Odell Brewing Company at the Limelight Snowmass. Friday also includes the new, free Snowmass Rendezvous Launch Party at Base Camp Bar & Grill. Join the brewers featured in the festival for a meet & greet, live music, and beer and food for purchase.

Then on Saturday, enjoy a weekend of craft beers and live music in at the Snowmass

Rendezvous Beer Festival & Concert, featuring 30+ Colorado craft breweries from all over the state. New this year is a series of VIP tastings in Snowmass Base Village before the Grand Tasting. The festival concludes with the first concert of the Snowmass Free Concert Series, featuring Brent Cowles and Heavy Diamond Ring.

Ragnar Trail Snowmass – June 7-8: The Ragnar Trail Snowmass, a team trail running race, descends upon Snowmass Village for the seventh year. Teams rotate through all three loops, ranging from easy to difficult, in a test of endurance and perseverance, showcasing spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, wildflowers, and Snowmass Village. The 24-hour continuous race culminates at the Ragnar Village finish line in Snowmass Town Park.

NEW – Ride the Rockies – June 11-12: The annual Denver Post Ride the Rockies celebrates 34 years this summer with a stop in Snowmass Village. The non-competitive event is open to cyclists of all ages and provides riders the chance to experience the stunning vistas and diverse terrain of Colorado. The 2019 event marks the first time Ride the Rockies has passed through Snowmass. Locals and guests are invited to volunteer for the event during the ride’s stop in Snowmass.

Cochon 555’s Rustic Grind – Thursday, June 13: Rustic Grind, a fun preview to Heritage Fire, returns to Snowmass for its third year, featuring wood-fired grills loaded up with heritage-breed proteins from animals raised with safe, honest methods on family farms in Colorado. Complementing the Snowmass Free Concert Series, featuring pop-reggae/rock group Saranation, smoky fare is paired with premium tipples and artisanal wines.

Cochon 555’s Heritage Fire – Saturday, June 15: Complementing the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, Heritage Fire takes place in Snowmass Base Village and is an annual wood-fired, meat-laden feast featuring chefs and farmers working together to spotlight traditional outdoor cooking techniques. An outstanding collection of wineries, breweries, craft distillers and more than 40 notable chefs and butchers cook 3,000 pounds of heritage bread animals in celebration of breed diversity and family farming.

Elk Camp Gondola, Snowmass Bike Park, Lost Forest Opening Day – June 21: The Elk Camp Gondola opens for daily summer operations on June 21, giving guests access to the Lost Forest, Snowmass Bike Park, and miles of hiking trails and scenic views. Last summer, Snowmass’ on-mountain summer operations opened the $10 million Lost Forest, including a new Breathtaker Alpine Coaster, a Canopy Run Zipline Tour, a Treeline Trial Challenge Course and a Rugged Ascent Climbing Wall. New this year, a net/play structure has been added to the challenge course for smaller children. Additionally, the weight limit for the challenge course has been lowered to 50 pounds. Lost Forest is open daily from 9:00am- 4:00pm, June 21-September 2, as well as Friday-Sunday only, September 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, 27-29, and October 4-6.

Three new bike trails are scheduled to open this summer in the Snowmass Bike Park, bringing Snowmass’ total hike and biking mileage to over 90 miles of offerings. The first of the new trails is ranked as an extremely difficult freeride trail, similar to the feel of the popular Valhalla trail, and extends .7 miles along bikers right of Valhalla. The second trail covers a mile of terrain to bikers left of Valhalla and is classified as a more difficult freeride trail. The third trail extends off of Viking for .7 miles and is ranked as a more difficult single track trail. This summer also sees a rebuild of Vapor trail from the top of the Elk Camp Chairlift to the French Press junction.  Open daily from 9:00am – 4:00pm, the Snowmass Bike Park is also open until dusk on Tuesdays, July 2-August 13, for extended play. On these Tuesdays, a Late Arrival Ticket begins at 2:00pm.   

NEW – Mini Meet – June 24-28: Enjoy a week-long fiesta of Mini Coopers! Mini clubs from East and West converge in Snowmass to showcase all things colorful and Mini. The week includes a car show from 8:00am-1:00pm on Tuesday, June 25, showcasing different varieties of Mini Coopers, which is free and open to the public.

Snowmass Demo Days – June 29-30: Snowmass Demo Days returns for its fifth year to give mountain bike enthusiasts of all ages the opportunity to demo this season’s hottest products over the span of a two-day bike fiesta. Guests can ride on the newest Snowmass trails on the latest equipment. The event is free, although a donation to Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association (RFMBA) to support local trails is encouraged. A lift ticket is required for Snowmass Bike Park gondola access. Vendors include Cannondale, Niner, Why Cycles, Royal, Zen Bikeworks, Scott, Cima and many more.

On-going June Events

Snowmass Rodeo – Wednesdays, June 12-August 21: The Snowmass Rodeo celebrates 46 years of operations this summer, making it one of the longest continuously running rodeos in Colorado. The Snowmass Rodeo takes place on Wednesday at 7:00pm, rain or shine, throughout the summer.

Snowmass Free Concert Series – Thursdays, June 13-August 22: On 11 consecutive Thursdays and two bonus Saturdays (June 8 and July 13) throughout the summer, Snowmass hosts a weekly free concert series on Fanny Hill, showcasing genres of music ranging from reggae, to soul, to funk, to rock. 2019 marks the 28^th year of the Snowmass Free Concert Series.

Fridays on the Mall – Fridays, June 21-Augut 23: Kick off the weekend on the Snowmass Mall with live music from local bands and Aspen Music Festival & School musicians, extended business hours, local artisans, food & drink specials, and more.

For more information on Snowmass’ June event lineup, please visit www.gosnowmass.com/events.

About Snowmass Village, Colorado – A renowned winter playground and vibrant summer community just 9 miles from Aspen, Snowmass consistently ranks as one of the best ski areas in the world. For 2019, Ski Magazine named Aspen Snowmass the #1 “resort of the year” in the West. Snowmass offers guests incredible views of mountain vistas, in addition to 2.8 million adjacent acres of wilderness, open for activities and exploration. Snowmass offers a wide variety of outdoor activities, 30+ restaurants, 95 percent slopeside lodging, shopping, unique special events and music – all year round. For more information and a complete calendar of events and activities, please visit: www.gosnowmass.com.

Snowmass Tourism Media Contact: Sara Stookey Sanchez, Public Relations Coordinator, Snowmass Tourism, 970-922-2285 or sstookey@gosnowmass.com.

###