From Snow Polo to Snow Lodge, the Festive Season Kicks Off in Aspen

Each year, come wintertime, the party scenes of NYC and LA relocate to Aspen; skiers and après-skiers alike descend on the village, which is rapidly catering to meet the demands of these crowds—from new Michelin-starred dining destinations to luxury retail pop-ups to top-notch parties. This past week proved to be one of the more eventful ones—luring Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Kathy Hilton, Shaun White, Nina Dobrev, Zoey Deutch, and more.

It kicked off on Saturday with snow polo. Marking its eleventh year, the two-day event is the brainchild of Aspen Valley Polo Club proprietors Melissa and Marc Ganzi in partnership with St. Regis Aspen, and brings together renowned polo players, including Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Adolfo Cambiaso, and Jason Crowder atop their prized ponies competing for the St. Regis Snow Polo Cup. But it’s on the sidelines where the real fun is had.

Lounging in the outdoor living room setup that felt equal parts Polo Bar and mountaintop chalet were Zoey Deutch, Pom Klementieff, Anna Kendrick, and Naiomi Glasses, who tried their hand at sabrage, the art of opening a bottle of Champagne with a saber, and enjoyed cuddles with the St. Regis Aspen’s resident mascot, Kitty the Bernese Mountain Dog. With frosty glasses in hand, the crowd enjoyed a hard-fought final match that saw the Casablanca Polo team (led by Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Hilario Figueras—the son of polo fixture Nacho Figueras) take home this year’s win. The team, along with their fellow competitors, could be found later that evening celebrating their victory at the town’s buzzy nightclub, The Sterling.

Sunday night also saw guests traipsing in heels through the snow to the Ajax Mountain gondola to reach AspenX Mountain Club. The newly-opened mountaintop members club opened its doors for Max Mara, who tapped Tina Craig to host a dinner celebrating ten years of the brand’s often imitated, never duplicated teddy coat. Nicky Rothschild Hilton and Kathy Hilton emerged from their gondola sporting teddy coats and fuzzy earmuffs to join a coterie of their pals, including Tina Leung, Ashley Benson, Jamie Tisch, and Delfina Blaquier Aurora Figueras, both fresh from the snow polo field. Cozied up in corner sofas overlooking the Elk Mountain Ridge, partygoers enjoyed fondue and eyed the Max Mara teddy bear sculptures dotted throughout the room, with many planning to pocket one or two before the evening’s end.

Tuesday brought the launch of a collaboration between Snow Lodge, the sister destination of Montauk’s Surf Lodge, and Whitespace, the winterwear brand led by snowboarder extraordinaire Shaun White, who designed this year’s Snow Lodge staff uniforms and shoppable merchandise. The closing of the long winter weekend kicked off with Paul Wesley serving up hot toddies made with his own Brother’s Bond Bourbon while Nina Dobrev snapped photos of guests on her personal Leica camera. Ever the consummate host, Snow Lodge proprietor Jayma Cardoso later surprised guests with rounds of caviar and Champagne on a light-up Dom Perignon beverage cart.

“Starting Whitespace has given me a new purpose within the sport,” White told guests as they took their seats. “I’m able to mentor the careers of upcoming riders, while also developing products that could change the future of the sport. We’re only two seasons in and the feedback has been incredible, and seeing our products on the mountain today makes me so proud of what we’ve done in such a short amount of time. In the future, I see our products being used at the Olympics, by the best of the best, as well as the beginner rider that’s been introduced to the sport for the first time.”

Earlier in the day, the gold medal-minted White had offered guests including Justin Beiber, Kendall Jenner, Isabela Merced, Michael Trevino, and Inanna Sarkis first-time snowboarding lessons, transforming the gathering into an après ski—or perhaps après “board”—celebration of sorts, with the cocktails and caviar taking precedence over dinner; a fitting finish to a marathon of merrymaking in the Colorado mountains.