As we readied for our ski weekend to Snowmass Village, a pop up selfie den made its way onto our itinerary. Our tween got pretty excited about it. I have to admit that I had my doubts. But The Collective Snowmass is a really impressively designed entertainment and art hub.
I will also admit that I didn’t really “get” the concept of The Collective until experiencing it. They bill themselves as a community hub and gathering place. While that is accurate, they are really so much more. It is a place for exploration, inspiration, fun and likely in non-Covid times connection too.
There’s a unique and delicious restaurant. An open room next to the restaurant serves both as restaurant seating, and also a place for events. The evening after dining at MixSix we explored a holiday market in the very same space.
There’s a game room, that is also a hands on art gallery. It was somewhat reminiscent of our favorite art experience in Santa Fe, Meow Wolf, just on a much smaller scale.
The pop up Selfie Lounge was very cool. But it was also where we spent the least time because everything else was so much fun.
Ultimately, The Collective Snowmass provides a vibrancy to the Snowmass Base Village.
MixSix Restaurant
The Collective Snowmass is home to a unique restaurant, MixSix, serving, yes, mixes. Confusing? It was to me. But maybe it shouldn’t have been. During non-Covid times guests mix and match up to six seasonal ingredients cooked from scratch every day into a delicious and healthy bowl.
During our visit there was no mixing and matching on your own. But all of us LOVED our choice of pre-selected mixes. Think: ginger miso salmon, crispy chicken, red quinoa, sesame broccoli, soy mushrooms, Tokyo mix, kimchi. That was the chef curated choice that we couldn’t resist.
This fast-casual dining concept by award-winning Aspen chef Martin Oswald features the best recipes from his 35-year culinary career. Here you will find unique flavors in a satisfying, healthy meal at very reasonable prices.
The Collective Game Lounge
When we made our online reservations for the Game Lounge, I thought it would be a sort of arcade. I was partly right. But it was a bit of a Meow Wolf immersive art experience housed in an arcade.
Color is splashed throughout. Here you can play ping pong on a shimmering table of signs that throws off your game. Or, you can attempt to play ping pong in a large metal tube. These make the oversized foosball table and extra large Jengo game look easy.
Colorful art is dispersed throughout. It is our understanding that during non-Covid times you can even play music on the walls.
Our kids didn’t join us. But my husband an I sat down and brought back childhood memories with a game of Pac Man. Wow, how technology has changed. Pac Man sure can’t turn corners very fast anymore,
I went in thinking that our family would be ready to leave after a few minutes. But we used up our entire hour long time slot. And, the kids didn’t even really play the the games in the video corner.
Snowmass Base Village Ice Skating
Often ice skating rinks are put in as a part of a development plan and not well thought out as to the operations. Not so here. Ice skating is a part of The Collective Snowmass. It is free and there is lots of entertainment scheduled on the ice too.
The Snowmass ice skating rink is open daily from 12 pm to 9 pm throughout the winter. Friday nights Game of Stones, a popular curling series happens most Friday nights December through February. Saturday night is disco night at the ice rink.
There are also ice shows and friends with you orbs that make regular appearances. I think you have to see that one to understand it. But the kids seemed to really love them.
We just happened to see a birthday congo line on the ice returning from an ice cream outing one night.
The Collective Snowmass Deck
Here’s where I’ll give kudos to the developer. All of Snowmass Base Village boasts outdoor decks with fire pits. Lots of fire pits. It is beautiful and functional. It makes hanging out outdoors in the Colorado winter fun. The fire pits can warm you up, or they can serve to roast S’mores.
We stayed at the Limelight Snowmass during our visit. And, their deck full of firepits was the best of all. But don’t worry. You can easily enjoy any of these decks with the purchase of a drink or food from either MixSix or the Limelight Snowmass.
Events at The Collective Snowmass
While we were visiting just before the holidays we had the opportunity to stop by a holiday market featuring local artists. Looking at the event calendar there also looks to be lots of live music and bingo.
Of course, as we’ve already talked about, there are plenty of fun events on the ice skating rink too from disco nights and curling to an orb show.
Have you visited Snowmass? We were pleased by the recent redevelopments and thought that the base village had just so much vibrancy to it. The skiing was pretty awesome too. Tell us what you thought in the comments below!
