Skiing Aspen

The Aspen area is quite unique. With four great mountains, all with a different character and connected by free shuttles, the options are endless. The hardest part of the day may be deciding what to ski.

Plus, the apres-ski scene in Aspen is legendary, with everything from casual, classic mountain bars to exclusive, elite clubs. Trendy, glamorous, and fashionable mixes with a bit of laid-back country.

It can also be a great place to bring kids. My parents brought me to Aspen every year from the age of 2 till 20, with most of those trips spent in ski school. There are activities, from ski and snowboard school to tubing and ice skating, to keep kids entertained, as well as more casual restaurants, especially in Snowmass, when the glitz of Aspen gets to be too much.

Quick Tips:

If you don't own skis, wait to rent until you arrive. The ski shops offer demo packages right at the base of each mountain, where you can trade in your skis every day in order to try different pairs. This is especially helpful if you are looking to buy or want to try out the latest gear. Plus, the experts and locals at these ski shops probably know more about what gear you should be on than your local ski shop or sports store does.

Best Way To Get Around:

The shuttle bus is the best way to get to the bases of each of the mountains (and also between the towns of Snowmass and Aspen). Once in either town, everything is in walking distance, and many of the ski-in/ski-out hotels and condos have their own free shuttles to the grocery store and downtown.

Flights go directly into Aspen, often with connections from Denver.

Rental Condos with the amenities of a hotel, Top of the Village is one of the best places to stay at Snowmass. Ski-in/Ski-out right near the base of the main hill, within walking distance of Snowmass Village and the shuttle to Aspen.

Condos start at around $200 per night.

The grounds include an outdoor pool and hot tub to relax.

The condos all come with grills and a washer/dryer, which is super helpful for ski vacations with endless wet socks. They even have an exercise room if the skiing isn't enough for you!

A free shuttle into town makes trips to the grocery store, or dinner, even more convenient. There is also a covered parking lot for guest cars.

Condos come with two, three, or four bedrooms, and are spacious and comfortable.

An Aspen classic, the St. Regis Hotel is synonymous with luxurious Aspen. Located in the center of town, right at the base of Aspen Mountain, the St. Regis is unparalleled in service. Staff even carries your skis to the chairlift. Obviously at a place this luxurious, there are the expected amenities including a wonderful spa, pool, and hot tub area.

The rooms are fabulous, ranging from normal rooms that are well appointed with beautiful views, to luxurious suites.

With a mountain feel, large sofas, and a beautiful bar in the lobby, it is worth coming here for a drink even if you are not a guest.

Aspen Highlands is known as the locals mountain, with the most extreme terrain of any of the four. The Highlands bowl has a true backcountry feel and must be reached by a combination of snowcat and good old-fashioned hiking. On a day with good snow, there may be nothing that beats it. With a wide-open, steep face often filled with powder, funnelling down to the steep, tight trees below, this is the ultimate.

Besides the bowl, there is a good variety of intermediate and advanced terrain here. With trees, steeps, and some moguls, there is a little bit of everything, especially if you are looking to be challenged.

Highlands is one of the smaller mountains, but the quality of the terrain is outstanding. The vibe of the mountain is much more authentic and laid-back than the other mountains. It feels more like a skier's mountain and less like a resort destination.

It is much less built-up than the other mountains, with only one on-mountain casual dining facility, but this is a part of the charm.

Elevation
Top: 11675 ft
Bottom: 8040 ft
Vertical Drop: 3635 ft
Longest Run: 3.50 mi
Skiable Area: 970 acres Snow Making: 110 acres

Runs/Trails
Beginner: 18%
Intermediate: 30%
Advanced: 16%
Expert: 36%

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%

Buttermilk Mountain has been known as the snowboarder's and the beginner's mountain. Until very recently (less than 5 years ago), it was the only of the four mountains that allowed snowboarders. This led to the development of world-class terrain parks. The X-Games are held here, a testimony to the quality of these terrain parks. If you're really just interested in working on your tricks in the park, this is the mountain for you.

This mountain also caters to those just learning to ski for the first time. It has the most beginner terrain, and no expert terrain, meaning that even if you accidentally wander off into another part of the mountain, you at least won't find yourself tumbling off a cliff. There is a great ski school here as well, making it an ideal place for a beginner to learn in a less-crowded, lower-key environment.

This is not a mountain for advanced skiers, especially considering the other three have so much to offer.

Base elevation: 7,870 ft./2,399 m
Summit elevation: 9,900 ft./3,018 m
Vertical rise: 2,030 ft./619 m
Terrain: 435 acres/176 hectares
Number of trails: 44
Miles/km of trails: 21 miles/34 km
Longest run: 3 miles/4.83 km

Types of trails:
easiest: 35%
more difficult: 39%
most difficult: 26%
expert: 0%

Snowmass Mountain is the biggest of the four mountains, and the one deemed the most family-friendly. However, Snowmass has a little bit for everyone.

Snowmass has arguably the best ski school of the four mountains, and one of the best ski schools in the country. Children and adults are divided up by both age and ability for all or half-day group lessons, and private lessons are also available.

Snowmass has also been adding to its extreme and advanced terrain in recent years. The Cirque is an old standby for open and tree skiing, with some small cliffs if you want them. More tree skiing and an additional cliff band have been opened in recent years.

The best part about Snowmass is its vastness. It has the longest vertical drop in the U.S. and covers four different peaks, all connected by chairlifts.

Most places to stay are ski-in, ski-out, making this mountain even more convenient. Snowmass also has its own town at the base, meaning everything you need, great casual restaurants, grocery stores, ski shops, etc., are all right there. If you never wanted to go into Aspen, you wouldn't need to.

The Numbers:
Vertical drop: 4,406 feet
Base elevation: 8,104 feet
Top elevation: 12,510 feet
Number of trails: 88
Number of lifts: 22
Skiable acres: 3,128
Beginner terrain: 6 percent
Intermediate terrain: 50 percent
Advanced terrain: 12 percent
Expert terrain: 32 percent