On Location: Aspen, Colorado
With over 5,600 acres of skiable terrain across its four main resorts, Aspen is undoubtedly best known for its world-class skiing and snowboarding. The reality is, however, that skiing and alpine sports aren’t all the Colorado town has to offer, as Aspen is also something of a Mecca for other outdoor activities and pursuits. So for our latest trip, we set our sights on the Colorado locale and met up with our friends at Rivian for an action-packed long weekend of fishing, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, off-roading, camping, and good old-fashioned camaraderie.
After a quick early morning flight from Los Angeles, we touched down in Denver, grabbed our luggage, and then proceeded to pick up a borrowed Rivian R1S SUV and R1T pickup. The fully-electric SUV and truck would serve as our methods of transportation for the weekend, as well as functioning as our mobile basecamps. On top of housing a set of mountain bikes, the bed of the R1T also accommodated the Stark Varg EX electric enduro motorcycle that we brought along for the trip.
With our friends in tow and our gear and two-wheelers loaded up, we pointed our Rivians west and began the journey to Aspen along the I-70 and CO-82. After arriving in town, we got a quick bite to eat before making another quick stop on Cooper Ave at the AETHERaspen brick-and-mortar store to grab a few last-minute garments and pieces of gear we’d need for our time in Aspen — a Mulholland Motorcycle Jacket for riding; a few pairs of Zermatt Hiking Pants and Dolomite Boots for our time on the trails; a couple lightweight windbreakers for transitional weather; and a few sets of Summit Sunglasses for general use on and around the mountain.
From there, we began the climb to Aspen Mountain’s “Top of the World” — a nearly 12,000-foot summit where we made our camp for the long weekend. With waning daylight, we opted to make an early dinner and then call it a night, wanting to rest up for the busy day ahead.
The next morning, we were up at the crack of dawn. After a quick breakfast, we mounted a kayak on top of the R1S and loaded up the SUV with a cooler and the reels and rods supplied to us by our pals at Orvis. Upon leaving camp, the R1S quickly proved its go-anywhere capabilities, making short work of the off-road trail that led us to the Frying Pan River just outside of Aspen.
We spent the first few hours on the “Pan” river flyfishing. Though things started slowly, the fishing eventually picked up by the early afternoon, by which time we landed a decent number of brown and rainbow trout. After some catch-and-release fishing, we then got to spend some time kicking back on the shore of the river. We ended the afternoon exploring the river in an inflatable kayak. Once we got back to camp, we fired up the grill and cooked a classic camp dinner. The night culminated in our party sitting around a campfire, sharing stories — and a few drinks.
On our last full day in Aspen, we started the morning by loading up a pair of mountain bikes into the R1T and then exploring the trails around “The Top of the World.” Not only did these trails offer some excellent riding, but they also rewarded us with some truly extraordinary views of the surrounding mountain ranges and landscape.
By the afternoon, we’d returned to camp, grabbed a quick lunch, and then traded in the mountain bikes for a Stark Varg EX. After loading the electric dual-sport into the back of the electric pickup, we made our way to Aspen's Little Annie Basin. Just like the mountain biking trails on top of Aspen Mountain, Little Annie Basin benefits from an extraordinary amalgamation of pristine trails and world-class views.
With its ample articulation, bevy of onboard storage, and adjustable built-in ventilation, our Mulholland Motorcycle Jacket proved to be the perfect garment for exploring the locale on two wheels. With the Varg EX’s only engine noise being a quiet whirling sound, the proton-powered enduro also made it that much easier to appreciate our surroundings and environment while in the saddle.
While some of our group spent time aboard the Stark, the remainder of our party opted to get some hiking in, exploring the trails and footpaths towards the top of the mountain.
After an action-packed three-day weekend, we returned to our basecamp, broke down our tents, loaded up the Rivians, and started our journey back down the mountain, and then eventually to the airport for our flight back to Southern California. Though we spent less than 72 hours in Aspen, we were nonetheless able to enjoy a generous slew of outdoor activities and pursuits — and we got to do so in one of the most beautiful and unique locales we’ve ever visited.
