The wind cuts through the high alpine valleys, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth

Aspen —The wind cuts through the high alpine valleys, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth. It’s early morning, and the light is thin, gray, and cold. This is the kind of weather that makes you check the forecast twice before you head out the door.

Last week, folks around here were reading about exactly that kind of shift. The Aspen Times tallied the most-read stories on their site from Sept. 14 to 21, and the list offers a snapshot of what’s on the community’s mind.

At the top of the list is a story about St. Mary’s Glacier, a Colorado landmark that has melted amid a record-hot summer. Jordan Lipp, a Golden resident who has been skiing the glacier for 30 years, managed to squeeze in a few short turns on Sept. 1. When he returned less than two weeks later, it was gone. Jeremy Elder, an Idaho Springs resident who lives about five miles from the snowfield, hiked up to the valley on Sept. 14 and found it barren of snow for the first time in recorded history. “I was surprised to see absolutely nothing,” Elder said. “It’s just getting hotter and hotter, and we’re seeing the direct effects here.”

The second most-read story covers the return of the X Games to Buttermilk Ski Area for its 26th season. The event, scheduled for Jan. 29-31, will kick off the X Games League’s inaugural winter season. There are major changes this year: instead of individual competitions, four teams consisting of five men and five women will compete against each other. Jeff Hermanek, senior director of live events for X Games, detailed these shifts at a Tuesday Board of County Commissioners meeting. Tickets went on sale Monday, with a three-day general admission pass starting at $159.

Dining out is also on the radar, with the third story highlighting four Aspen restaurants featured in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Colorado. This is the first-ever statewide selection for Colorado, listing 63 restaurants spanning 22 different cuisine types. Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the MICHELIN Guide, noted in a press release that the selection reflects the remarkable evolution of the state’s culinary landscape.

These stories — about vanishing ice, evolving sports, and recognized dining — paint a picture of a community watching its environment change while embracing new traditions. The heat that melted St. Mary’s Glacier is the same heat that makes a cold morning hike feel sharp and clear. As the season turns, the landscape continues to shift, one degree, one turn, one bite at a time.