Photography by: Tony Prikryl

Ted Davenport

Rising Stars of Aspen

Who’s Next: Nine passionate, young risk-takers who are making their mark in the community as Aspen’s upcoming generation of movers and shakers.

Who’s Next: Nine passionate, young risk-takers who are making their mark in the community as Aspen’s upcoming generation of movers and shakers.

THE SMITH FAMILY
Colby Smith, Colby June Jewelry
Contrary to how most jewelry designers learn their craft—painstaking hours of instruction—for Colby June Smith, all it took was one class in San Miguel de Allende during a four-month stint in Mexico after graduating from Aspen High School. Her intrigue with organic jewelry design endured, and during college at Lewis and Clark, Colby spent the summers in Hood River, Oregon teaching art camps for children. A few years later, armed with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology, and her 30th birthday beckoning, Colby’s dad passed away, jolting her awake and keenly aware of where her true passions lay—making jewelry that mirrors the landscape in which she was raised. In July of 2007, Colby rented a studio in the Saw (Studio for Arts and Works) in Carbondale and began making her jewelry full time. As if diagnosing her own temperament, Colby describes her delicate gold and sterling silver collections as, “organic, understated, and minimalistic, all inspired by Colorado’s nature.” Therefore, in keeping with her philosophy of keeping her jewelry so an aspect of it is still an art form, each piece has Colby’s personal hand-hewn stamp—which will one day be priceless.

Bridger and Coulter Smith, Architect and Developer
Like any good partnership, local brothers Coulter and Bridger Smith compliment each other’s design/build dedication with opposing passions and talents. Bridger’s knack is decidedly creative, and the 28-year old Coulter mines numbers for their joint projects as part of his finance business, Falcon, Inc. But Coulter also speaks French from a year spent in France in 1993, plays hockey on a local team, and can’t stop dreaming of windsurfing.

Coulter’s practicum for number crunching started when he moved back to Aspen after graduating with a degree in finance from CU Boulder. “Originally, I came back to help my father [Chris Smith] establish estimating software for his Aspen Earthmoving business,” Coulter says. “But then I started to love it here again.” In short order, Coulter became the Operations Manager for Aspen Earthmoving while scheming with Bridger the details of their aforementioned cabin. The week Bridger and Coulter were ready to break ground, the family got word of the sudden tragic passing of their father, Chris. “We were going to build the cabin with our dad,” Coulter says, of the project now nearing completion. “Because there is tons of backcountry skiing, hiking, snowmobiling, and it’s just a great place to escape.”

Bridger and Coulter quickly stepped up to take over their father’s development projects. Coulter began overseeing all of the finances for The Wilds, their cabin, and a new project in the west end. “What we want to focus on is having designers and contractors working through the process together rather than separately, and being a green as we possibly can.” We bet that living, working, and playing together as brothers might have had a particular influence on that philosophy. Chris, you should be proud.

Jennifer Hayes, Owner of The Sweet Life
“We are an indulgent place,” says Jennifer Hayes, the 33-year old founder of The Sweet Life, a comfort food and sweet shop haven in Snowmass Village. The concept was born in Telluride, where Jennifer was living during an impromptu corporate-life hiatus from a lofty gig at [ital]Time[ital] magazine. 9-11 hit, and so did her conscience, whisking her away to a proverbial one-year mountain rest stop. “When I look back, I can’t believe I just did it,” she says. The problem? After growing accustomed to exotic sugar dens on every block in New York City, Jennifer was parched for her own mountainside sweet shop. So, in 2003, she started one and named it The Sweet Life.

Five years later in the fall of 2008, Jennifer opened the doors for the Snowmass Village location, and expanded into a two-level shop to include comfort food. “We wanted to create an environment where you feel good, comfortable, and relaxed.” Jennifer’s claim to fame? The Sweet Life is Tom and Kate’s favorite candy shop.

Valerie Yaw, Principal at Bluegreen landscape architecture firm
Let’s be frank—not many plant varieties grow at 8,000 feet. You’ve got to be innovative. Enter Valerie Alexander Yaw, Principal at Bluegreen landscape architecture and design firm in Aspen. “Aspen is one of the highest communities in the country, so we have to have a willingness to explore options and creatively conceal the fact that you only have 5 plants to work with,” says Valerie.

That’s probably why the Indiana native’s seven-person firm has won prestigious awards like the 2007 ASLA honor award for their Asian-inspired Zen Captured design. “Most residential clients appreciate art in landscape, and I think that’s why they turn to Bluegreen,” says Valerie.

Valerie is no community slouch either. Upon moving to Aspen after graduating from the University of Oregon, Valerie dived head first into the local community, becoming a member of the City of Aspen Community Garden board; the founding chairperson of the Roaring Fork Conservancy River Stewards; and a member of Aspen's Historic Preservation Commission. Let us just say that innovators, and environmental curators like Valerie are the reason we can all look outside in Aspen and be continually inspired. 

Ted Davenport
Ted Davenport is every mother’s dream child—graduated from DU with a business degree, dates a lovely girl, and lives by a code of ethics highlighted by kindness and respect learned from his older brother, Chris. He’s also the new face of freeskiing as he fuses a pro career with one of the most harrowing sports alive today—BASE jumping. “BASE jumping has a feeling of survival—you’re at top of cliff thinking, ‘this could be my last 60 seconds and I’m totally ok with it.’ And, in fact, I love it,” says the 28-year old. Why, we asked? “Because I’m doing what normally would not be possible.” Kids these days….

Ted attributes his raw and unbridled passion for skiing and risk to his three older siblings, Kate, Ashley and Chris. “My sisters were the talented ones,” he says. That was, until the winter of 2004 when the now 28-year old topped the already stacked freeskiing world by winning the Colorado Freeride series, then went on the following year to secure Aspen Skiing Co and Obermeyer sponsorships; film with Warren Miller and TGR; and win the 2005 European Freeskiing Championship in Verbier. Then the injury maelstrom hit. In 2006, Ted broke his foot severely when he hit the wall of a 1,300-foot cliff in Chamonix, France while BASE jumping. Two surgeries and a year later, he crashed his snowmobile and blew out his knee. Now fully recovered, Ted is on a mission to do more, bigger, and more complex jumps. To date, his most illustrious accomplishment was sailing off the 4,000 ft north face of the Eiger in Switzerland—the same face his brother Chris skied the spring prior. “There’s no looking back. I’m gonna jump forever.” Sorry mom.

Travis McLain
Travis McLain epitomizes passion in action with a flare for the urban design aesthetic. The 29-year-old Aspen native has buried himself in the snowboard culture for over a decade competing, coaching, commentating, being a proprietor, and freeriding. In 1996, Travis high-tailed it to Innsbruck, Austria to compete in the Snowboarding World Cup circuit, X-Games and other top-shelf competitions. After dominating with finishes of silver in the World Cup in Solden, Austria in 1998, and a gold in the 2001 X Games Bordercross, Travis’ pro snowboarding career ended abruptly in 2002 when he blew out his knee competing at the US Open in Vermont.

Some in Travis’ place would sulk. Rather, he turned his energy to unveiling Aspen’s first mall-side destination dedicated solely to the skate and snowboard culture: Radio Boardshop. In the fall of 2006, Radio’s doors flew open, and the local hipsters flew in. Today, Radio sells the hottest urban lifestyle trends, holds summer skateboard camps for all ages, exhibits different artists’ work each month like Alex Verron and Axel Geittmann, and donates to handfuls of local charities.

When not swinging hugs to local Radio fans, Travis is coaching the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club snowboard team, buying another pair of Nike’s to add to his 100-pair collection of the rarest production runs ever, or jetting to Argentina to freeride. But he always comes home to the place he loves most because, “There is no place like Aspen that has the huge mountains we do to ride, and as much culture, great places to eat, killer music fests, and amazing art museum that we do here,” he says. “And I still get to snowboard every single day the mountain is open.” As if you needed another excuse to be jealous of Travis.

Christy Sauer
To say Christy Sauer has had a big year is a colossal understatement. The 33-year old Assistant Development Director at the Aspen Art Museum ran the grueling 100-mile Wasatch 100 trail running race, then summited Ama Dablam, a 22,349-foot dramatically sculpted peak in Nepal’s Himalaya. “Two things I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do in my lifetime, I did in this last year,” she says excitedly. Since the Denver native arrived in Aspen in ’99, she has skied 33 of Colorado’s 54, 14-thousand-foot peaks, and is gearing up to race in her 9th Grand Traverse in April—an athletic prowess only few can claim.

But Christy tips the scales in other ways as well—by handling every detail having to do with membership, donations, special events, and spreading the fine-art word of the Aspen Art Museum throughout the community. “Aspen has the most amazing access to everything— mountains, fashion, culture, and private [art] collections,” she says. “You can get your fingers into everything here.”

Aside from enduring profound physical endeavors and chaperoning world-renowned artists around town, Christy’s priority is working on a self-motivated project called the AM Contemporaries—a group of young local professionals and art lovers who have the opportunity to spend time during private receptions with internationally-recognized artists.  “It’s a way to get younger people into the museum and teach them about the contemporary art world,” says Christy. Now if only Christy taught people how to find 40 hours in every day like she does.

Kathy Fry
For Kathy Fry, being the Human Resources Manager at Design Workshop isn’t just about recruiting and hiring for their 10 national offices, “It’s about connecting with each of the employees on what they want to do with their careers,” she says. “Then balancing it with their personal goals to help them succeed in their lives.”

A mid-western girl with a voracious mountain appetite, Kathy moved to Aspen from Cincinnati, Ohio in 1997 after visiting Aspen with a friend. “I woke up in the morning, opened the blinds and decided I was moving to the Valley,” she says. A year later at 23 years old, she was perched in an HR Manager position at the Aspen Club where she stayed for seven years prior to Design Workshop.

But Kathy is in the Valley for more than her career—giving back to the community and human connection are two deeply-rooted personal philosophies. Case in point: Kathy has run two marathons to benefit Challenge Aspen, raising $4000 for each, and recently participated in the Roaring Fork Leadership Program. As for what keeps Kathy here year after year, she says, “The people in Aspen are here for so many different reasons, and they stay here because they love this valley, the connection they have to this environment and what the community offers.” It’s not bad living in the place you love most in this world.

Max Taam
Few people can boast that they’re Lance Armstrong’s riding buddy, without meaning they’re on rollers in their living room watching Lance win the Tour on another continent, but Max Taam can. The 26-year-old mega-lung phenom rides most days with Lance when he’s in town. He has also been wowing local Aspen cycling fans with his casual approach to top-five finishes in endurance races like the Leadville 100 and the 12 Hours of Snowmass. Note: Lance was on Max’s team for 12 Hours of Snowmass. “We won,” says Max, with a snicker. Why are we not surprised?

The Ithaca, NY native moved to Aspen in 2005 after spending his high school and CU Boulder athletic career pulling paddles in crew. “It was great training,” he says. A sporadic cyclist in college, Max only began seriously road and mountain bike racing when he moved to Aspen in 2005. In three short years, his resume has compounded to include domination of the local town series; fourth then sixth place finishes in the Leadville 100 in ’07 and ’08, respectively; top five finishes in all local uphill races he’s entered; two Grand Traverse Finishes; and, of course, being Lance’s riding buddy.

What does Max do in his free time? When not ski patrolling on Aspen Mountain in winter, he’s riding the rollers at home, bearing the elements in downvalley winter rides, or skinning up Aspen Mountain before work. “This year I’m trying to balance more training for biking with skiing,” he says. “I’d like to take my racing as far as I can while being able to patrol and ski. I can’t picture anything better for now.” Neither can we, Max. Now go make Lance proud.

Matt Axtell
To an outsider, Matt Axtell doesn’t fit the classic profile of an Aspen local. The 29-year-old founder of Axe Trucking in Carbondale worked full-time through high school (read: a rarity), would rather spend the frosty winter months in flip flops and surf trunks deep sea fishing for marlin in Hawaii (again, a rarity), and has built three successful companies in five years flat. Need we say more?

Started in 2003, Matt has single-handedly built Axe Trucking from one truck to over 20 trucks and trailers that do everything from backfilling foundations and major landscape projects in the Roaring Fork Valley, Rifle and Vail, to heavy hauling for oil and gas fields in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and the Western U.S. “Its fun to actually have something that I created, to watch it grow, and now I see all of my trucks up and down the valley,” Matt says.

When not hauling, dumping, or surfing wake-side behind his boat at Ruedi Reservoir, Matt is also building a real estate empire, starting with the industrial acreage that’s home to Axe Trucking, more land at Willits, and building a house on the Ranch at Colter Creek on Missouri Heights.

But when asked about the coolest thing about his life right now, it didn’t have to do with business or trucks or boats. “I started a scholarship in memory of my brother, Danny, seven years ago that goes to a ski racer every year,” he says humbly. “We give the Danny Hawk Axtell Scholarship to a skier with a genuinely good-hearted attitude.” Apparently, big hearts beget big hearts in the Axtell family.

Ryan Johnson, Project Manager Viceroy Resort
Ryan Johnson does not typify the classic 24-year old living in Aspen. A spirited recent graduate from Harvard, Ryan is driven by a personally-mandated pledge to play a committed role in the community. When he moved to Aspen two years ago, he didn’t anticipate that meant he could strike a balance between a high-profile career in real estate development and creating community poetry programs to satisfy his passion for writing. “When I moved here, I realized that I loved it far more than I could have imagined and began to search for ways to start my career right here in the valley, rather than moving out beyond the valley,” he says.

A Stony Brook, NY native, Ryan is currently the Assistant Project Manager at Related WestPac. He oversees both day-to-day construction and cost tracking, and champions the LEED certification process for the multi-million dollar Viceroy Hotel. In his short tenure in the valley, Ryan has also created a bonafide poetry scene by helping to found the Aspen Poets Society, The Aspen Live Poetry Night at the Hotel Lenado (co-sponsored by the Aspen Poets Society and the Hudson Reed Ensemble), and the Aspen Sidewalk Chalk Poetry Day coming up in June. He also does readings at local bookstores. But when asked why he has chosen Aspen, he doesn’t give the expected answer regarding Aspen’s beauty. It’s about the balance it affords its community. “One of the most encouraging things about Aspen is the opportunity available to young people,” he says. “Young people with unique and interesting ideas are respected and cultivated here, and the community not only cherishes fresh ideas but when they see a true commitment attached to those ideas they are willing to support in any way possible.” Like we said, not a typical 24-year old.