With my husband, Zach, during the busy summer event season. Photograph by John Reidy.

I’LL NEVER FORGET meeting my first Olympic crush. I was l0 years old, living in Georgia; my chlorinated hair shined slightly blonde-green from long hours in the neighborhood pool. My dad took me to a swim meet to witness speedster Dara Torres in action. Just a young teen at the time, she was the fastest US female sprinter (today, at age 42, she’s still making Olympic history), and I idolized her. I’d sleep in my Speedo and listen to “Eye of the Tiger” before meets. Carb-loading consisted of finger-dipped Jell-o powder before I’d hit the blocks, serious fuel to knock off the competition. As I stood behind her lane, my nerves set in. I mustered a shaky hello and told her I hoped to be as fast as her one day. She flashed a huge grin, asked what my best event was, and signed my swim cap. Elated, I swam with that cap until it ripped in two.

With the 2010 Vancouver Games around the corner, I’m reminded that Olympic dreams create a universal bond. With this, our Fashion and Adventure Issue, we celebrate the road to the Olympics with some serious homegrown talent. From the late Andrea Mead Lawrence, an Aspenite and 1950s skiing phenom, to today’s Gretchen Bleiler and Casey Puckett, our powder days have long inspired golden dreams. In February, US Snowboarding will fine-tune its tricks and turns on Buttermilk Mountain before the Games begin. And whether your ambitions are simply to learn to ski or ride, hammer Highland Bowl or tackle new backcountry terrain, Aspen is base camp for life-changing personal bests.

Our athletes, however, aren’t the only Aspen stars making history. This season marks the 120th anniversary of the Hotel Jerome, town’s approachable yet glamorous crown jewel. Writer Cindy Hirschfeld takes us back through time with an intriguing retrospective of the storied hotel. And true to form, our pages don’t skimp on style. With cover stunner Molly Sims, scene-stealing winter looks and profiles on town’s top designers, we keep your winter wardrobe in check.

Here’s to Olympic-size dreams, and another fantastic season. See you on the mountain!

ERIN LENTZ

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