Hartstein: Heaven in Aspen

Anyone who’s ever been to Aspen has either said it themselves or heard someone say it: “This place is Heaven.”

We got all kinds of expressions that echo that sentiment here in Aspen.

“My life is better than your vacation” is another not-so-humblebrag you’ll hear touted from proud Aspen locals; and they aren’t wrong. One I’d be so bold as to lay claim to inventing myself is “Heaven is at the end of a run on Ajax.” And I feel pretty good about the truth to that saying.

Well, in case you missed it, this past month, Heaven really was at the end of a run on Ajax. Literally, not figuratively.

An observant local, I noticed right around Valentine’s Day this year there was a new sign added to the map at the top of the FIS lift (Six, as the locals like to call it). Wondering to myself what that was, I simply went about my business of skiing the run. Reaching the bottom and getting back onto Ruthie’s chair lift, I looked over and noticed a big sign on what used to be Ruthie’s restaurant reading “Heaven.”

Curious, I wondered what it was, thinking to myself I would eventually wander in there to see what it was all about. A few days later, that’s exactly what I did. Finishing my same run down Ruthie’s, instead of getting on the chair, I pulled over, unstrapped and decided to venture inside and see what “Heaven” was all about.

Walking down the deck to the front entrance, I was greeted by someone that appeared to be an employee. “This thing was staffed,” I thought to myself as I went in the front door held by the staff member. Upon entering, there was what appeared to be a special VIP section to the right. My view of what was inside this area was blocked by a wall of dangling, white beads. Slightly deterred by the blockade, I went into the open part of the building. It was there that I encountered two more “employees” as well as what appeared to be cardboard cutouts of famous celebrities. I became delighted as I love cardboard cutouts, in a similar fashion to enjoying wax figures.

These cutouts were particularly detailed. I began asking questions to the employees. What is this place? What is happening here? The girl working explained that this was Heaven and that the cutouts were all dead celebrities who had made an impression on the artist during his life. “Cool,” I thought as I scanned the room.

Kobe Bryant, Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Robin Williams, Tina Turner — the list of names went on and on and on. Particularly drawn to some more than others, I got up close. Williams being a personal hero of mine, I could resonate with the artist’s desire to bring him back to life, even if only in art form.

Having looped the main room, I asked what was behind the white beads. The girl answering my questions explained, “That’s the pearly gates.” Of course! The pearly gates. Not white beads. Not a blockade. The pearly gates of Heaven. Doy! “Can I go back there?” I asked. “Sure,” she replied, and so I wondered into another part of Heaven, beyond the pearly gates.

Not having to answer to Saint Peter for my sins, I pushed the beads aside and quickly slid past the pearly gates. Behind the gates were more celebrity cut-outs and another employee. His name was Michael. Michael would proceed to fill me in on everything that was going on that I somehow seemed to miss.

First and foremost, these were not cardboard cut-outs even though they looked like it. They were actually acrylic paintings on top of Alumalite, a type of metal. Realizing they weren’t cardboard but that they really looked like it, I became intrigued and got up close. Michael was telling the truth. They were metal! But even the sides of the metal had been painted to give that corrugated cardboard look when you get into the internals of cardboard. What a clever and artistic thing to do. Make them look like cardboard. Brilliant!

Impressed by the high level of painting it took to make it look like cardboard I took a step back to further appreciate the art. Knowing now it was not a cardboard cutout but a hand-painted piece of art designed to look like cardboard, I became infinitely more impressed by the detail. And there were so many. As I looked around the room I saw, David Bowie and Gene Wilder, Pele the soccer star, and Pee-wee Herman a.k.a. Paul Rubens. Commenting about the detail led me to asking why these celebrities in general?

Michael would explain to the that the artist — Alex Israel — was from LA and that he was inspired by these people as they came up in Hollywood. He went onto explain that Alex really wanted to use this space (Ruthie’s) on the run at Ajax as the home for his exhibit because he felt it was the only place to really represent his vision of Heaven. On the side of a run on Aspen Mountain. I could relate.

Michael further explained that the reason that the celebrities were standing near the other celebrities they were positioned next to is that in Alex’s mind, these would have been fantastic conversations. Suddenly, it made sense why Sean Connery was standing next to Roger Moore at the bar. Or why Carrie Fisher was standing next to Prince.

Micheal dropped the final pearl of wisdom on me when I asked about why here? Why Aspen? What does the artist have to do with Aspen? How did he know about this place?

Michael would demystify my query by explaining that Alex had done the art for this year’s ski pass. That he had previously collaborated with SkiCo and thus knew that Ruthie’s was the only place he wanted to host his exhibit. Michael also explained that this was the first slope side, “ski-in, ski-out” art exhibit in the world! I recalled my pass from earlier this year saying “Heaven” on it but hadn’t made the connection until Michael connected the dots for me. He finished my tour saying that this was the only time these pieces would be on display and that Alex wasn’t going to sell them for profit; instead, they would be individually donated to the families of each deceased figure. Wow. What a cool gesture. Instead of selling them for money, he’s giving them to the family and the estates of those who passed as way to remember their loved ones. I was a fan.

Now understanding for the first time just what I was experiencing, I found myself glad that the exhibit was staffed and that I could have all my random questions answered. As I left the exhibit to strap in and keep riding for the day, I couldn’t help but think what a cool and fun idea this was.

Kudos to Alex for having a very clear vision of what his version of Heaven looked like. He knew which celebrities he wanted to bring back, what conversations would be interesting amongst what pairs, and that the only suitable place for an art exhibit called Heaven was at the end of a run on Ajax.

I’m glad to be a curious and observant local. I’m even more glad my curiosity brought me into Heaven — Lord knows it may be the only time I ever get to see it. Thanks to Alex Israel and SkiCo for bringing a little bit of more of Heaven to Aspen.

Are you a know-it-all? Know something Landon doesn’t? If you have a suggestion or hidden gem you’d like Landon to highlight and share with the town, email him at LandonLikeAPlaneWrites@Gmail.com.