Snowy Soirees : Orange County Skiers Flock to Aspen to Mark New Year With Sports and Parties

With little or no snow in Mammoth, Calif.; Sun Valley, Ida.; Park City, Utah, and the other favored haunts of Western skiers, it was no wonder that Orange County social types in Aspen were pleased that they had chosen to celebrate the New Year in the Rockies.

Skiing conditions could have been better. Until Friday, when new snow fell, thin spots and ice patches dotted the ski trails. But through New Year’s Day enough powder covered the mountains to satisfy skiers, and at night the parties continued non-stop. Celebrity watchers couldn’t complain either. Ringing in 1987 at 8,000 feet were Don Johnson, Jane Fonda, Paul Simon, Quincy Jones, Ted Kennedy, Tom Brokaw and Jack Nicholson.

The Orange County crowd, a surprisingly large number owning homes in Aspen, cited the skiing, night life, ambiance and cultural activities among their reasons for venturing to this particular town in the Rockies. For others, Aspen proved the ideal place to round up the family.

Jim Marino, a Newport Beach resident who has a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Alhambra, said he considered the town an effective lure for his four children, ages 21 to 28, at holiday time. “If you say you’re going to Omaha, they won’t come,” he said.

Arrived Via Snowmobile

Marino admitted that he hasn’t skied in five years. One sunny afternoon, when he met his family for lunch at Bonnie’s restaurant on Aspen Mountain, he arrived via snowmobile. “At night I take the end table at the Ute City Banque (a popular restaurant) so the kids can cruise--I pick up the check. Now when I talk to God, I tell Him I want to come back as one of them,” he said.

In all, 14 shared Jim and Dee Marino’s hospitality, including offspring Jim Jr., Frank, Tony and Julia, and house guests Jan Hoagland, Marie Healy and Ethan Wayne, the youngest son of John Wayne, who reported to his recent credit the film “Thirteen Days to Glory” and a soap opera, “The Bold and the Beautiful.” At one soiree Tuesday night, the group helped celebrate a downhill ski race to benefit Aspen’s APT Foundation Winter Conference & Festival on Theatre & Film.

The race teams boasted several Orange County entrants, including Bob Younker, a real estate agent from Newport Beach, and Michael Perkins, a real estate agent from Corona del Mar. Also present at the pre-race party were Dr. Lew Shainuck, who lives in Sunset Beach, and Debbie Urich, a Newport Beach resident and precision auto racer who drives cars in formation for television commercials.

“This is the ‘Valluga Lew,’ ” said Shainuck’s wife, Michelle, introducing her husband by his exploits on “the steepest and deepest slope in the world,” Europe’s Valluga Mountain. A self-described full-time mom, she attended the party in upscale Aspen style: Valentino white mink ski jacket, custom Judith Lieber belt and a diamond choker.

Drs. Mel and Dan Reich of Newport Beach not only entered the Aspen New Year’s Ski Race, they placed fifth in the event. Mel Reich said that brother Howard had elected not to ski Aspen for the holidays.

Ron Krajian, a retired Newport Beach developer who lives half the year in Aspen, said he skies 75 to 80 days each winter. Most afternoons, he socializes at the Tippler, where skiers congregate in a crowded, boisterous crush after their last run of the day. “I’m part of the foundation here,” Krajian said.

He said Aspen offers him more to do than any other place in the world. He pointed out a few highlights at the local nightclub, Andre’s.

“Have you ever seen a disco as nice as this one in Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Sun Valley, Vale or Mammoth?” he asked. For the evening, the posh dance palace had been reserved for a private party--to be specific, John Hancock’s.

John Hancock VI, who claims as his ancestor the signer of the Declaration of Independence, had invited 300 guests to help him celebrate his 40th birthday late last Tuesday night. Hancock arrived in black tie, white aviator scarf and a woman on each arm. When asked where he was seated, he replied: “There are five beautiful ladies up there--that’s my booth.”

Took Up Residence

No wonder Hancock took up residence in Aspen after selling his firm, ACM Financial in Newport Beach.

Hancock’s guests also included Newport Beach residents Bill Lindsey and Kathleen Rose.

By New Year’s Eve, the Orange County contingent separated into various parties around town. Laguna Beach resident Jay Kuhne hosted a bash at his Aspen home and named on his guest list Balboa Bay Club tennis pro Paul Jenkins, Boyd and Sharon Jefferies, Bob Cardwell, Richard Lewis and Donna Allen.

At the $200-per-person charity shindig at the Hotel Jerome, Balboa’s Wilhelm Johnson joined Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert Lloyd, Suzy Chaffee and nearly 250 other high-rolling guests. San Clemente’s Chad Smith and Huntington Beach resident Mike Chieco, as members of the Health and Tennis Assn. of America, partied in the hotel’s Tea Room with Arnold Schwartzenegger and Maria Shriver.

Mike and Aana Perkins, along with Mike’s mother, Bev, started their evening at a New Year’s soiree hosted by Irvine’s Fleet and Nyla White, followed up with cocktails at Abetone’s Ristorante and rang in 1987 with celebrities Bruce Willis, Neil Young, Ray Parker Jr. and others at the Paradise nightclub.

The newlywed couple said that they come to Aspen often to ski and enjoy the night life with friends. “Between the parties and the skiing, you have to rest up when you get home,” Michael Perkins said.

Said Aana, over a New Year’s Day break at the Aspen Club lodge: “I’m worn out!”