Aspen Mountain (also referred to as "Ajax") is the flagship mountain, rising directly out of the town of Aspen. With the most elaborate dining and lodging on mountain and off, this is the most luxurious of the four mountains. Celebrities and the well-off abound, and fashion is equally important as ski form.

Aspen mountain, however, is not for the beginner skier. There are no green trails (the easiest rating), and much of the mountain is on narrower trails, often covered with moguls.

This can be a good thing, however, if you are a good skier. There is an abundance of challenging terrain, especially if your cup of tea is trees or moguls.

The major drawback of Ajax, however, is that is shaped like a funnel, with most of the trails ending up in one general area. This leads to slightly longer lines than the other mountains, and the end of the day can be treacherous.

Trails:
easiest – 0%
more difficult – 48%
most difficult – 26%
expert – 26%

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.