X Games brings all hands on deck
The event inspires largest upper valley police presence of the year, Pitkin County deputy says
Aspen Times
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
With X Games coming to Aspen this weekend, police, businesses and hotels have their work cut out for them.
The events, running Thursday through Saturday, will bring an influx of sponsors, spectators and athletes, requiring city and county police to show out in numbers. The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, in particular, will see its biggest night of the year as the events are under their jurisdiction, according to Pitkin County Chief Deputy of Operations Parker Lathrop.
But Lathrop expects they will manage the challenge.
“We have those moments of excitement. But overall, when it comes to the event itself, we’ve been very fortunate. I think most people come to enjoy (it),” he said. “Obviously, they’re always the outliers, but overall, it’s been a very positive experience for us. For the public, as well.”
The venue recorded nearly 16,000 attendants who scanned into the event last year on Saturday and Sunday, according Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office data.
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During the three-day event last year, they recorded over 22,000 vehicles traveling upvalley on Colorado Highway 82. The county made 185 traffic stops outside of the event and on Highway 82 in either direction of Buttermilk, issuing 11 tickets, and arresting seven people.
Lathrop said they generally see an increase in minors illegally consuming alcohol on X Games weekend.
Local bars and restaurants will also see an uptick in business.
Zane’s Tavern server and bartender Libby Smith said she’s getting out of town before the people begin pouring in.
“I’m leaving the valley. I’m going to see Billy Strings in Denver,” she said, adding, “People don’t know how to act; they come here, and they treat it like a playground. It’s a bunch of kids, and they don’t tip, and they aren’t polite.”
She said, however, the influx of people is good for the local economy.
“But for the restaurant industry, our sanity, it’s not good,” she said.
Hotels will fill with sponsors, attendees and leisure travelers, attracting a solid customer base when domestic skiers aren’t normally traveling, said Eliza Voss, Aspen Chamber vice president of destination marketing.
As of Dec. 31, 80% to 85% of hotel space in Aspen was already booked for the X Games dates.
With the influx of people to the events, traffic is directed to park at the Brush Creek Park and Ride lot because there is no event parking on-site, according to Lathrop. But the 400 paved parking spaces of the lot filled by noon on Saturday of last year’s X Games, according to Sheriff’s Office records. Once full, drivers may park in Aspen or Snowmass and bus to the event.
This is the second year X Games has started to charge general admission tickets, a policy spearheaded by X Games, not Aspen Skiing Co., according to SkiCo, spectators could attend the competitions for free in the past.
But SkiCo will offer 500 free tickets to local highschoolers at the venue each day of the event on a first come, first served basis.
Friday and Saturday general admissions tickets are sold out. Thursday general admission tickets can be purchased for $58 on the X Games website.
Though he doesn’t know how attendance will change with the recent change in ticket policy, Lathrop said charging admission for the events could improve attendees’ behavior.
“Usually, when someone’s paying to attend something, they want to remember it,” he said. “They want to enjoy (it).”
