Justin Patrick

Though the term might conjure images of stale coffee and late-night, candlelit discussions about the writings of Aristotle, Confucius, or Nietzsche, this is not your grandfather’s philosophy club. While calling upon history’s most famous ponderers is certainly fair game in the Basalt Library’s Philosophy Club, its roster of hipper, more contemporary topics offers broad public […]

By Justin Patrick Sopris Sun Correspondent Today’s active lifestyle consumer market is “so happening, bro,” as the saying goes. Gone are the simple days when a few companies like North Face and Patagonia supplied the world’s gear to what was then considered the nuttier segment of society, those who were ditching the standard 9-to-5 jobs […]

Standard financial advice dictates that one should spend no more than 30 percent of take-home pay on housing. Yet according to a recent housing needs analysis for the Roaring Fork Valley and parts of the Colorado River Valley, residents are collectively overspending that mark by $54 million per year. That money is not being saved […]

Scamming people is a booming business, and unfortunately it’s here to stay. Although many victims do not report the crime they suffered, from the reports collected in 2018 the total damage is estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s a big business with perpetrators of all types – sophisticated, idiotic, eloquent, bumbling, those […]

The Basalt Longhorns defeated the Roaring Fork Rams 3-0 in an early season high school girls soccer game last Saturday. The first half of the game saw even play from both teams and the score remained 0-0 at halftime. But beginning in the second half the Longhorns mounted several attacks that went unanswered by the […]

450° Teppanyaki & Sushi opened its doors March 13 in La Fontana Plaza off Highway 133. The restaurant is the first for owner/chef Joey Lin and his wife, Desy, who manages the front of the house. The two bring years of experience in Japanese restaurants, most recently at a hibachi grill in Fort Collins, where […]

Carbondale’s Sean Van Horn will attempt to break the North American record for most feet uphilled on skis in a 24-hour period. The record stands at 61,200 feet, which equates to between 39 and 40 laps at Buttermilk. The event, “24 Hours Of Vert For Aspen Strong,” will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday at the […]

With great snow comes great responsibility. The Colorado Rockies have enjoyed an above average snowpack this season, which means locals and visitors alike have been recreating abundantly in the mountains. But the heavy snowfall has increased the risk of avalanche danger statewide, as well as caused transportation woes such as rockslides and avalanches across highways. […]

After an alert was issued by the Roaring Fork Conservancy (RFC) Friday afternoon, Basalt residents gathered near the banks and along bridges overlooking the Roaring Fork River to safely witness a rare natural phenomenon: an ice dam break. Massive chunks of ice — some estimated at 12 to 18 inches thick and the size of […]

At this time a year ago I was rather a miserable wretch. I had undergone a knee surgery and was hobbling on crutches and sleeping (or not sleeping) in a brace. While nature’s snow supply for the ski season would prove to be a major flop, I didn’t know that yet, and was embittered by […]