FLT CREW OF HS125 DESCENDS ON DBL TRANSITION TO ILS RWY 26 AT RIL WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative

5 NM SE OF DBL (RED TABLE) VOR AT 17000 FT IN IMC CONDITIONS WITH MODERATE ICING AND WITH THE ASE (ASPEN) ARPT BELOW MINIMUMS; WE ADVISED ASE TRACON THAT INSTEAD OF HOLDING OVER DBL WE INTEND TO CONDUCT THE ILS RWY 26 INTO RIL (RIFLE) AND ARE REQUESTING THE DBL TRANSITION TO THE APCH. UPON RECEIVING TRACON CLRNC AS 'CLRED VIA THE DBL TRANSITION TO THE ILS RWY 26 COURSE' AND 'EXPECT FINAL APCH CLRNC SHORTLY' WHILE OVER THE DBL VOR; WE JOINED THE RTE AND BEGAN A DSCNT TO COMPLY WITH THE STEP DOWNS OF THE TRANSITION. UPON PASSING THROUGH 16000 FT; THE ASE TRACON CTLR ADVISED US TO STOP THE DSCNT AT 16000 FT. WE INQUIRED AS TO THE PREVIOUSLY ISSUED CLRNC AND HE STATED THAT IT WAS A CONFUSING CLRNC AND HE SHOULD HAVE STATED THE ALTITUDE PORTION OF THE CLRNC. WE WERE CLRED VIA THE TRANSITION; BUT WE WERE AWAITING THE ALTITUDE CLRNC...FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY A 'CLRED THE ILS RWY 26 AT RIL CROSS SOCKY INTXN AT OR ABOVE 13100 FT -- SWITCH TO ADVISORIES IS APPROVED.' WE CONTINUED THE APCH; AND COMPLETED AN OTHERWISE UNEVENTFUL FLT. I CONTACTED THE ASE TRACON CTLR TO SEE WHAT THE SITUATION THAT HAD TRANSPIRED REALLY WAS ALL ABOUT. HE REITERATED THAT THIS WAS A CONFUSING CLRNC BECAUSE OF A TECHNICALITY THAT ONLY A 'LOCAL' WOULD KNOW. IT APPEARS THAT THE AIRSPACE N AND NW OF DBL (RED TABLE) VOR BELONGS TO ASE TRACON 'ONLY IF LNDG ASE' HOWEVER; THE MOMENT THAT WE STATED WE WERE DIVERTING TO RIFLE THE AIRSPACE BELONGS TO DEN ARTCC AS IN SHOWN BY THE FREQUENCY ON THE APCH PLATE. ALTHOUGH ASE TRACON WAS WORKING US IN; THE AIRSPACE BELOW 17000 FT WAS NOT HIS TO OFFER AND THEREFORE REQUIRED HIM TO CONTACT DEN ARTCC VIA LAND LINE TO GET THE APPROVAL. AS A RESULT OF US ATTEMPTING TO COMPLY WITH THE TRANSITION AND INITIAL APCH SEGMENT CROSSING RESTRS HE GOT AN '#@* CHEWING' FROM DEN ARTCC WHICH IN TURN TRICKLED DOWN TO US. IN THE FUTURE ASE TRACON SHOULD ALWAYS STATE 'MAINTAIN XXX FT AND CLRED VIA THE DBL TRANSITION TO THE ILS RWY 26 COURSE' AND THEN STATE 'EXPECT FINAL APCH CLRNC SHORTLY.'