ASPEN, Colo. — From behind the wheel of a kart decked out with snow tires and ice screws, you can whip, zoom and drift across a frozen lake in Aspen.
Aspen Ice Karting is a pop-up ice kart rental facility on the frozen Kodiak Ski Lake. The relatively shallow lake freezes each winter, and the company sets up a course to welcome visitors to try their hand at racing on the ice.
Visitors can drift, fly, and maneuver around the ice track, which is in the shape of a key — it has a wide turnaround on one side and sharper turns on the other. The five CRG frame karts have 12 HP Brigg and Stratton engines, which are strong enough to send you flying 45 to 50 mph on the sub-zero straightaways.
“They’re fast and you can full-throttle haul on these things,” said employee Kait Mushet. “You can drift, you can really play around with them. They’re so much fun.”
Kiko Trincado and his wife Yvette Trincado are cofounders for the company.
“He comes up with crazy ideas: ‘Hey, what about running go karts on the ice commercially?’” Yvette said.
While the season is short — it only lasts a few months — more than 1,000 people have raced across the lake. That roster includes some large names from the racing world, such as Lucas di Grassi, the winner of the first-ever Formula E race, and four-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon, Yvette said.
While it’s not a super smooth ride, it is a super fast one.
“You never knew you could have that much fun in a tiny car,” Yvette said.
Come the warmer months, the lake is popular for water skiing. But right now, the ice is about 16 inches thick.
The Aspen Ice Karting pop-up is located at 401 Tree Farm Drive, El Jebel across from Whole Foods Market. It’s about 25 minutes by car from Aspen and Snowmass and is open 9 a.m.-2 p.m. seven days a week until the ice melts. Reservations are required and a 10-minute ride costs $49 and a 20-minute ride is $90. For more information, call or text 970-404-0633 or 970-404-0665 or email info@aspenicekarting.com.