An internationally-known Mecca for the rich and famous, these four Aspen resorts are world-class, but often take a backseat to their base city, nearby Aspen. Today, the year-round town is filled with glitzy boutiques, salons, bars, high-end restaurants and luxury homes and condos, making it one of the classiest mountain towns in the world. As an actual town and not just a resort, Aspen has every imaginable service available, great night life, a variety of entertainment options and excellent dinning. It's not just the after-ski atmosphere that is unparalleled though, nearby Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, and Buttermilk resorts, all within 12 miles of each other, offer up world-class skiing on diverse terrain with excellent conditions, attracting ski buffs from all over the world.
Snowmass is larger than all three other resorts combined, coming in only 2nd to Vail in the state and one of the top 10 in the country. With a new wind-powered surface lift to the top of the Cirque summit, a scooped-out area previously only reachable by hike or snowcat, Snowmass now has the longest vertical drop in the United States. The most extreme terrain at Snowmass is in the Hanging Valley Glades, including steep chutes and countless drops. The Cirque summit is also highly recommended for snowboarders. The Big Burn trail is legendary for cruising and spans an entire side of a mountain dotted by just a few spruces. Snowmass has three terrain parks perfect for snowboarders: Little Makaha, Midway Intermediate and Pipeline, ranging in appropriateness for all freestyle abilities and skills. It has all the bumps, boxes, rails, rollers, banks and pipes a rider could hope for.
21 lifts including 6 surface lifts and 15 chair lifts.
87 runs - 6% beginner, 50% intermediate, 44% expert. Longest run is 27,984 feet.
65 km of Cross Country trails.
Mountain Statistics: 4,406 feet vertical drop, 12,510 feet summit elevation, 3,100 acres, average annual accumulation 300 inches.
Fifty-some years after cranking up its first chairlift, Aspen/Snowmass remains the soul of winter sports in America. And, the skiing and riding here is only getting better: Snowmass is undergoing an ambitious renaissance that will result in quicker lifts, a new base village, an amazing children's center and much more. Topping out at 12,510 feet, the Cirque lift is the highest in the U.S.