After three days of snow polo action at the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship, fans will get a chance to party with the players for a good cause.
Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation, the designated philanthropic charity for the snow polo event, will host the „White Hot Party With The Players,“ on Friday, Dec. 20th, 6-9 p.m. at the new W Aspen Hotel. Fans will get the opportunity to meet some of the world‘s best polo players and enjoy music mixed especially for the W Aspen Hotel. General admission tickets are $200. VIP tickets are $1,000 and include perks such as Beverly Hills Caviar, bottomless champagne and other exclusive benefits. Also for sale are tickets to join British 6-goal player Malcolm Borwick for a one-hour polo lesson on polo horses on Dec. 20th at 9 a.m. at Rio Grande Park. The experience is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and limited to 10 people at $750 per ticket. To purchase tickets or browse the online auction items, go to bidpal.net/snowpolo.
Borwick is the Royal Salute World Polo Ambassador. Recently, Pernod Ricard announced a „standout new addition“ Royal Salute Snow Polo Edition, available for a limited time throughout December. „The Snow Polo Edition is a standout new addition with an extensive depth of flavour and fresh new look,“ said Royal Salute Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, who developed the limited-edition blend. „Being at the helm of the blending team behind Royal Salute, I‘m always looking for new inspiration, and snow polo has proven to be one of the richest sources yet for creativity and innovation. To capture the apposition of the intensity of the game against the graceful elegance of the backdrop associated with snow polo, it felt like the perfect opportunity to craft the very first blended grain whisky in our portfolio and I couldn‘t be prouder of the result.“ Added Borwick, „Snow polo is a spectator sport like no other with each match delivering an undeniably thrilling atmosphere, set in the breath-taking scenery of immaculate snow-peaked mountains. Royal Salute understands polo and the lifestyle it represents both on and off the field so well, it‘s an honour to be able to help open up the world of polo through the Royal Salute Polo Collection and the global partnerships it has formed over the last ten years.“
All proceeds from the party and auction benefit the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation.
Aspen Valley Polo Club, the nation‘s fastest growing polo club, has a longstanding relationship with the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation. The club annually hosts the Chukkers, Champagne and Caviar event in front of a sellout crowds and helped to raise more than $600,000 this summer for priority programs and services at Aspen Valley Hospital. The foundation‘s signature fundraising event has raised over $1.6 million in the past three years. The St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship is one of the world‘s top snow polo tournaments and only snow polo event in the U.S. In front of an expected sellout crowd and worldwide ChukkerTV audience, action begins Wednesday, Dec. 18, with qualifying games at Aspen Valley Polo Club and continues Thursday and Friday at Rio Grande Park. For the seventh consecutive year, Aspen Valley Polo Club owners Melissa and Marc Ganzi, will host the star-studded event along with polo ambassador and St. Regis Connoisseur Nacho Figueras and his wife Delfina. The event has joined St. Moritz as one of the world‘s top snow polo tournaments and one of Aspen‘s major international sporting events. It is the only snow polo event in North America, final stop on the World Polo Tour and kickoff to the holiday social season in Aspen. The snow polo tournament is a major attraction for the local community, attracts fans from all over the world, and is a major allure for the Aspen community and surrounding areas. The sport was first played on a frozen lake in St. Moritz, Switzerland, created by Swiss hotelier and polo visionary Reto Gaudenzi in 1985 and has been growing in popularity ever since, attracting thousands of spectators and top players from around the world. In addition to St. Moritz, it‘s played in winter sports communities Aspen, Cortina, Italy, Kitzbuhel, Austria, Courchevel, France and Tianjin, China. In the U.S., snow polo is held exclusively in Aspen.
Aspen Valley Polo Club had its most successful and historic summer season in club and Rocky Mountain Circuit history. The club hosted several 20-goal tournaments including the 119th USPA Silver Cup and USPA North American Cup, attracted some of the world‘s top players and had record crowds every weekend. The 20-goal World Polo League‘s Triple Crown of Polo tournament featured five teams and several top players. With the majestic 12,965-foot summit of Mount Sopris as a backdrop, Aspen Valley Polo Club is one of the busiest USPA-sanctioned clubs in the nation.
Since Marc and Melissa Ganzi founded the club in 2014, polo has increased in popularity in Aspen and surrounding cities with the club‘s offerings of various weekly grass and arena tournaments, Tuesday Arena & Asado Nights, Kidz Polo, The Polo School headed by former 8-goaler Juan Bollini, and Polo On Demand. In addition, the club offers practice sessions for teams competing in the club tournaments.
Since 2014, Aspen Valley Polo Club has had a positive impact in the area hosting kids polo camps, teaching lessons and several charitable events at the club that have benefitted local charities including the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation.
By Sharon Robb
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2019 St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship Dec. 17-20
12/17 At St. Regis Resort Aspen
8 p.m. Team Presentation/Draw and Cocktail Party
12/18 at Aspen Valley Polo Club
11 a.m. Barn tour & Blacksmith work station
11:30 a.m., Round Robin Game 1
1 p.m., Round Round Game 2
12/19 Press Day at Rio Grande Park
12 p.m. VIP Tent Opens
1:15 p.m. High Alpine Cup, playoff for fifth and sixth place.
2:30 p.m Celebrity Polo Chukker
12/20 at Rio Grande Park
12 p.m. Meet the Players
1 p.m., The Final
3 p.m. The Aspen Cup
4:15 p.m. Trophy Presentation
