Aspen Highlands

Ask where the locals ski in Aspen, Colorado and they’ll tell you its the Highlands. Aspen Highlands Ski Resort is a common choice among the many ski areas in Colorado for those who want to develop their skills a little further. With plenty of chances to enjoy your own fresh pocket of powder, Aspen Highlands tends to be ‘uncrowded’, covering 700 acres of some of the best terrain in the region.

The Highlands offers two high speed quads which allow quick and easy access to the ski area’s summit, Loge Peak. From the top, be sure to enjoy the marvelous views of the entire Maroon Bells Wilderness and the Elk Mountain Range. Offering 112 trails, Aspen Highlands is more of a spine than a mountain. Forty-seven percent of the trails are expert rated, with outstanding mogul runs, which makes it a ‘locals’ favorite. Beginners and intermediate skiers find trails to their liking on the lower half of the mountain, and the chairlift ride to the summit is well worth the time.

Contrary to popular belief, Aspen Highlands is not just a skier's paradise. Aspen Highlands is well worth visiting during the summer season. Summer activities abound here. Featuring a nine-week live music series, an outdoor movie theater, lawn bowling leagues, outdoor weekly market, and monthly street fairs, Aspen Highlands has something for everyone.

• Emphasis on advanced & intermediate skill levels
• 47% of trails are Expert
• Year-round activities & events
• Special 1 day advanced backcountry program
• 2 high-speed quads to the summit

Aspen Mountain

Sitting on top of the town of Aspen is Aspen Mountain, also known as Ajax. The views from Aspen summit are incredible, from the town to the surrounding White River National Forest. Getting to the ski resort is incredibly convenient for guests staying in town, although the high priced lift tickets tend to deter some visitors to the surrounding ski areas.

Aspen Mountain claims 3,267 feet of vertical drop, and is known for its die-hard mogul runs and steep terrain. The runs vary from intermediate to expert, and there are no beginner runs on this mountain. There are 7 lifts and one uniquely designed gondola, for your convenience in reaching the summit. Snowboarders have been welcomed at Aspen Mountain since 2001, although Aspen Mountain is home to a skier-only terrain park. Skiers from around the globe come to enjoy an assortment of the region’s best moguls, jumps and steeps. No other mountain in the country offers this level of world class skiing.

Aspen Mountain boasts 673 skiable acres and a vertical drop of more than three thousand feet. 30% of the runs have been designated as "expert". If you're an experienced skier this is definitely the place to visit on your next ski vacation.

• Intermediate & advanced only – no beginner trails
• Skier emphasis (although snowboarders are welcome)
• 3,267 fee of vertical drop
• Easy access from downtown Aspen

Buttermilk

Buttermilk Ski Resort is Colorado’s best resort for those still learning to have fun on the snow. It is the home of ESPN Winter X Games through 2012, and was voted #1 by Transworld Snowboarding Magazine Reader’s Poll for best pipe and park. For 60 years, Buttermilk has built its legacy on wide-open and gently rolling trails that cater to beginners and families. With perfectly groomed slopes and gentle powder trails, combined with a great ski/snowboard school and a 22-foot superpipe, the legendary terrain in this park make Buttermilk a secret gem.

Designed with the beginner in mind, Buttermilk’s terrain spans from the beginner to intermediate, but still offers fun for the more advanced skier and boarder. That’s what makes this mountain a great family ski resort. The beginner and intermediate skier can take a day of lessons, or even spend the day in one of the terrain parks set up especially for ski and snowboard school. The more advanced skiers can explore some of the most extensive terrain parks in Colorado, or seek out hidden stashes of powder on the more difficult runs. The superpipe and Winter X Games slope-style course should be enough to keep you busy. The Winter X Games park has over 40 jumps and 25 rails.

Just 3 miles away from Aspen, Buttermilk Mountain is easily accessible to all visitors in the area. Rentals and lessons are available at the resort and there are a handful of eateries on site as well. Come enjoy a beginner's and jibber's paradise in Aspen, Colorado.

• Ideal for beginners & intermediates
• Terrain park with 40+ jumps, 25 rails
• Easily accessible from downtown Aspen
• 113 projected open days annually

Snowmass

Snowmass Ski Resort is nestled in one of the most prestigious and beautiful communities in the west, Snowmass, Colorado. The area is among the top ski resorts in the world, and hosts world class, year round fun, drawing vacationers from all over the globe. Snowmass is the second largest ski resort in Colorado, and boasts 3,128 acres of terrain, 23 lifts, 90 ski trails, and has an average of 300 inches of snow each season. The terrain is 6% beginner, 50% intermediate, 12% advanced, and 32% expert. This resort is renowned for its wide, groomed runs, and its trails are often not busy.

This small, very private village, with international appeal, offers an assortment of classy winter recreation and exciting summer fun activities for the whole family. After an exciting day of skiing on Snowmass Mountain, choose from dozens of first-class restaurants and shops to enjoy in the evening. With so many options, there is something for every taste imaginable, and you’ll find just what you want at Snowmass.

Snowmass Ski Resort is one of the most accessible resorts in the Rockies. It is conveniently located about 9 miles from the airport, with close to 150 nonstop and connecting flights per week. Scheduled charter services are also available

Aspen Snowmass features

• Only 9 miles from the airport
• 2nd largest ski resort in Colorado
• • 94% intermediate or above terrain
• Dozens of restaurants & shops surrounding area