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Aspen, USA

By Felice Hardy | on May 1, 2012 | 2 Comments
Ski Resorts
Aspen, Colorado | Welove2ski

Aspen town. © Jeremy Swanson/Aspensnowmass

The Stats

Altitude: 8,200ft

Top Lift: 12,510ft

Ski Area: 5,246 acres of terrain

Adult Lift Pass: $385- $594 for six days

site Official Site | site Ski Map | site Webcam

In a Nutshell

The quaint Victorian streets of neat redbrick houses are more reminiscent of Dickensian Chiswick than cool Colorado. And if money’s no object, then Aspen is the best resort for intermediate skiers, bar none. It’s one of the best for beginners, too. And the slopes are never crowded.

Essential Advice for the Perfect Trip

The skiing in Aspen is awesome. Make no mistake about that. And there’s some glorious scenery too. In fact, Aspen’s list of ticks is one of the longest we know.

In the boom years of the early noughties, the town seemed to be getting ritzier, and more conservative, with every passing minute. The days when gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson ran for the job of sheriff, on the Freak Power ticket – when Aspen was a by-word for fresh ways of thinking and living – seemed long, long gone. The place seemed poorer for it.

But we all know what’s happened to the American economy since then – and Aspen hasn’t been immune from the effects. We wouldn’t wish economic misfortune on anybody – but one positive side-effect has been the fact that the resort seems less frenetic and more welcoming once more. You can even eat more cheaply – by sitting at the restaurant bar and ordering bar food: slightly smaller portions but otherwise exactly the same quality.

It’s been said that it’s easier to buy a Picasso than a pair of socks in Aspen, since art galleries outnumber the more humdrum clothes stores by three to one. Certainly the designer boutiques are still going strong, ranging from Prada and Ralph Lauren to chic sportswear outlets. As a result, the town’s vintage stores, Replay Sports (+1 970 925 2483), Susie’s on the Alley and Susie’s Limited (+1 970 920 2376) are goldmines for when it comes to finding second-hand designer goods.

Changes at Snowmass

A big change in recent years has been the redevelopment of Snowmass – the ski village set at the bottom of its own mountain, eight miles west of Aspen. A billion dollars were spent, and Snowmass got new ski-in, ski-out lodging, as well as new bars, restaurants and shops. In some respects, it rivals Aspen as a base to explore the combined Aspen Snowmass ski area – but only if you’ve got children in tow, or you really can’t be bothered riding the free bus system. If you’re looking for the character which has made Aspen famous, you need to stay in the town itself.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the quality of the skiing. Just looking at pictures of the Highlands groomers makes us yearn to ski them again. The same goes for the open, gladed trees under the Big Burn Chair on Snowmass, and Ruthie’s – the breaktakingly long run down the middle of Ajax. These runs are only ever (slightly) busy over Christmas, New Year, and President’s Weekend (mid-February) – and it’s hard to think of a better place for intermediate skiers to build their confidence, and push their skills to the next level – provided they’ve got a healthy holiday budget.

Continue Exploring Aspen

  1. Guide to the Mountain

    Guide to the Mountain
  2. Where To Stay

    Where to Stay
  3. Where to Eat

    Where to Eat
  4. Where to Learn

    Where to Learn
  5. Where to Party

    Where to Party

The Loveometer

Where to Ski Loveometer 84% | Welove2ski

We Love

We Hate

tick The surroundings of Old West architecture and stunning mountain peaks.
tick The fact that – except over the peak weeks – the slopes are more or less deserted.
tick The groomed trails on Highlands – the best place in the world for high-speed carving.
tick Buttermilk – it’s very nearly a private mountain for beginners.
tick Highland Bowl – home to some of the steepest in-bounds skiing in North America.
tick The free bus service. Aspen’s skiing may be split between four sites, but the buses run so frequently it doesn’t matter.
tick The bar menus: significantly discounted and widely available.
cross The hike up to Highland Bowl. It’s steep, and it’s at 12,000ft. Don’t even try it unless you’ve been here for at least four days.
cross The fact that many of the cheaper hotels have been converted into second homes and fractional ownership apartments.
cross The high prices.
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Author Description

Felice Hardy

Felice is one of the three editors at Welove2ski and contributes on skiing to a range of publications, including The Evening Standard, The Guardian, Conde Nast Traveller, Tatler, Harpers Bazaar, Country Life, BA Highlife and House & Garden. She started skiing at the age of three. She also enjoys hiking with her dogs and mountain biking in the Alps.

2 Responses to “Aspen, USA”

  1. Avatar

    May 16, 2015

    martin bright Reply

    Hi Felice. Love the website and keen to try and add where I can in terms of ski pass info, ski hire etc. With free skiing for kids, Aspen is more affordable and you can ski 7 or 30 days now at one rate! More importantly we are trying to promote our excellent catered chalet options in Aspen, Snowmass, Breckenridge, Keystone, Winter Park, Steamboat, Heavenly, Vail, Beaver Creek, Park City so any help appreciated. We are pretty unique and have glowing reviews from ALL customers!!

    I mostly agree with your comments though on Aspen, I have never experienced any snobbiness in 20 years of going there! Always been very friendly and as regards expense there are many bars and eateries that buck the trend and given you can still get a fab burger and fries at the 5 star Jerome for a tenner (April 2015 prices) with a beer for 5 USD. I would say that’s a veritable bargain, though apres ski at the Nell can be a tad pricey!! The Micro brewery offers great beer and Jimmys is still awesome for a fillet steak and at £25 for a steak meal – again I don’t think thats over the top. Staying too anywhere from the end of March sees a massive drop in prices though there are still great and affordable options everywhere in Aspen and Snowmass.

    Kind Regards and keep up the good work

    Martin Bright
    Americanskiholidays.com

  2. Felice Hardy

    May 18, 2015

    Felice Hardy Reply

    Great to have your feedback Martin. It’s only the flights from Europe that are expensive – North America is good value once you get there!

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