At the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship, Three Days of Rollicking, Snow-Filled Festivities 

With no fewer than 70 prized ponies and 30 of the world’s best polo players descending upon Aspen Valley, both locals and seasonal visitors were out en masse for three days of festivities to ring in the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship, which took place just before the holidays. It began at (where else but?) the St. Regis Aspen, where the hotel’s Chefs Club played host to a Midnight Supper. The table teemed with luscious Maestro peonies and sprays of pheasant feathers, selected by event designer Bronson van Wyck, that eventually became impromptu accessories for most guests.

“Velvet and cashmere and feathers and tartan look warm and they feel warm, and warm is what the Midnight Suppers are all about,” van Wyck announced at dinner before attention turned toward the kitchen, as the troupe of chefs, flown in from Conca del Sogno on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, popped bottles of Prosecco to craft a traditional sgroppino dessert cocktail. “Feathers have the added advantage that in a pinch you can actually wear them, and I see more than one guest adding a few to her hair or her décolletage. Naturally, we encourage this, just as [wife of St. Regis founder John Jacob Astor] Mrs. Astor would’ve done.” With match play slated for the next day, most of the players on hand (including Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, and the number one ranking American player, Nic Roldan) opted for a nightcap at the nearby Caribou Club before turning in.

The next day, refreshed and dressed to the nines in what could only be described as Aspen chic (fur, fringe, and boots made in every exotic skin known to man), spectators filled the grandstands and the St. Regis VIP tent. Inside, the hotel’s Red Snapper cocktails and tumblers of Royal Salute whiskey remained fan favorites. Guests included polo-world fixtures like Aspen Valley Polo Club proprietors Melissa and Marc Ganzi, who together remain a driving force behind much of the glamorous sport’s extensive ecosystem, and Rebel Wilson, who counted these few days as her first introduction to the sport. “I’m having a fun time with lots of fun people,” she told Vogue. “There’s something about it, with the snow and the horses and it being Christmastime, it’s sort of magical. It’s like a movie set, and apparently Nacho [Figueras] is going to give me a polo lesson since they want me to play next year, but that might be overestimating my skills.”

On the field, the debonair Mr. Figueras wooed his fans as the captain of the St. Regis team, alongside Jason Crowder and Julien Reynes, although they were ultimately bested by the Richard Mille team, composed of Edouard Pan, Pablo MacDonough, and Louis Jarrige, which took home this year’s top title. “This is one of my favorite events because the spectators are so close to the action,” Figueras told us, pausing periodically to take selfies with fans. “So it’s a great way to introduce people to polo, and I’m thrilled to have captained the team again this year. You know, Aspen is one of my favorite places to play polo and one of my favorite cities to visit, and I often spend Christmas with my family here at the St. Regis.” This year, however, his holiday respite would take place on his family’s farm in Argentina. After that, he’ll continue his travels to spread the word on the Ignacio Figueras Collection, his new line of fragrances inspired by his favorite international polo destinations. Appropriately that day he opted for his Aspen scent, with notes of black pepper, mandarin, and tree moss.

With trophies collected and the Champagne sprayed, guests decamped to the newly opened W Aspen. Civilized rooftop cocktails and caviar, set against a mountainous skyline and a roaring firepit, soon unraveled into an all-out dance party in the hotel’s lobby bar, where the polo players and their patrons raised over $2 million for the Aspen Valley Hospital. “I grew up in this valley, so this event is particularly special to me,” Marc Ganzi told us. “This is our fifth year producing this event, and I think it’s our best year so far.”