Description: Ajax Mountain was right next to our hotel, the
Aspen Club Lodge so we naturally started out there on our first day. And stayed the rest of the day. It's a challenging mountain with steep grades, but a lot of fun. One striking thing was the relatively low number of snowboarders -- I ski, so I'm not sure why, but apparently the terrain on Ajax is less board-friendly than on other nearby mountains. I didn't mind!
As I mentioned, the lodges are amazing - really high quality in every way, from huge, 360-degree fireplaces to wonderful gourmet food, and beautiful architecture. The nicest lodge is probably the Sundeck at the summit, which of course does have a deck that by midday you can relax on, warmed by the sun even in the winter.
Another really nice feature of Ajax is the gondola - about a 15-20 minute ride up to the summit, nice and toasty warm. And once you're up, you can stay up toward the top half or third of the mountain and ski there all day, taking the Ajax Express high-speed quad to the top and skiing down any one of dozens of trails.
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