Clockwise From Left: With Ted Turner at the Aspen Renewable Energy Day event;Kicking off the Wapiyapi Classic with Lance Armstrong and girlfriend Anna Hansen at Campo de Fiori; Spending quality time with Denver Nuggets basketball star Kenyon Martin and my daughter, Mia Sadowsky When visitors hear that I’ve been in Aspen for 37 years, they inevitably remark, “You must have seen a lot of changes.” It’s true, Aspen molts frequently, but it’s also what keeps me enticed.

The Aspen Valley Medical Foundation is building a new $120 million wing, and many new shops, eateries, clubs, and galleries are opening downtown. Cranes are again moving on projects that were delayed a few years back, yet perhaps more compelling than the new features on the town’s physical façade are the young professionals who make these businesses thrive.

We love seeing native Aspen kids landing back in town. Our new office space at Aspen Peak, perched high above downtown, is staffed with them. Some of the local beauties that model our ski fashions grew up here, went globetrotting, and returned at the top of their sports game. And several local homeboys are developing new sports, like speed winging, where you cut a paraglider in half and ski off a cliff with it. Yikes!

As part of our exciting new partnership with Aspen Writers’ Foundation, we will stage readings by world-class authors in local galleries. Furthermore, Aspen Peak is ready for its close-up, with a top-to-bottom design makeover. The rakish new feather in our cap is a coveted award from the Colorado Society of Professional Journalism, which Aspen Peak earned for our story on outgoing Sheriff Bob Braudis. Douglas Brinkley, who also penned this issue’s cover story on his good friend Johnny Depp, wrote the award-winning piece.

But the essential Aspen doesn’t change at all: favorite hikes and ski runs, close friends, and a vibrant scrum of energetic locals whose talent and commitment continually revitalize the scene. Aspen remains the ideal place to merge jock culture, haute couture, and high culture. We’re proud to continually report on our sparkling community.

Enjoy the issue.

Alexandra Halperin