Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ASPEN SKI TIPS
With four sublime mountains to choose from there's no way you can ski all the terrain on offer in a few days, but
if you follow our lead, you'll find your bliss wherever you ski.
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Snowmass
With something for everyone and the most terrain in Aspen, Snowmass is the best all-round choice.
The best beginner run is
Assay Hill
. It's short, typically free of crowds and sloped perfectly for newbies. Access
it via the Assay Hill lift or the Elk Camp Gondola. The top intermediate choice is
Sneaky's
. Offering sweeping
views of the Roaring Fork Valley, this wide-open cruiser is the perfect blue groomer, and those looking for a chal-
lenge can ski into powder and trees on either side of the run at anytime. Access it with the Sheer Bliss or Big
Burn lifts. Any run in the
Hanging Valley Headwall
will suit the adrenaline set. Make the 10-minute hike to the
top of Headwall and head down Roberto's to Strawberry Patch where you can often find fresh powder. It's ac-
cessed via the High Alpine lift. There are also three terrain parks here.
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Aspen Mountain
Accessed from town, this is the only mountain with no beginner terrain. It can get crowded,
so expect bumps. Intermediate skiers and riders will dig
Ruthie's
, a wide-open groomed run with sweeping
views. This is the same terrain skied by Women's World Cup racers late November/early December each year
when the FIS Women's World Cup comes to Aspen. Local tip: stay skier's right at the top of Ruthie's and you'll
head into the Jerry Garcia Shrine, accessed from the FIS and Ruthie's lifts.
Walsh's
, on the other hand, is for ex-
perts. It is steep, deep and breathtaking (visually and physically), with jaw-dropping views of Independence Pass.
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Aspen Highlands
You know all those amazing promo shots of beautiful people joyfully hiking atop an exposed
snow-covered ridge with skis hoisted on one shoulder and incredible alpine scenery in the background? That's
here. Although there are some beginner and intermediate runs here (
Apple Strudel
, accessed by the Exhibition
lift, and the groomed
Golden Horn
run to Thunderbowl), the Highlands is all about extreme skiing in the stun-
ning hike-to Highland Bowl: expect chutes, vertiginous drop-offs and glades. Try
G-4
for a steep, deep, tree run
and
Hyde Park
for one of the longest bump and tree runs you've ever taken. It's accessed by Loge Peak and
Deep Temerity lifts, then hop a free snowcat ride part-way or just hike it.
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Buttermilk
Buttermilk beginners head to
Westward Ho
via the Summit Express and West Buttermilk Express.
The Summit Express and Upper Tiehack lifts take intermediate skiers to the blue runs at
Buckskin
, and the best
advanced terrain is
Buttermilk Park
, starting on Jacob's Ladder. This is where you can ski/ride the same hits and
22ft superpipe as Shaun White, Peter Olenick and all your favorite X Games athletes. You read that right: this is
one of the venues for the Winter X Games.
Winter Sports
Aspen Mountain
( 800-525-6200;
www.aspensnowmass.com
; lift ticket adult/child $117/82; 9am-4pm Dec-mid-Apr)
The
Aspen Skiing Company runs the area's four resorts - Snowmass (best all-around choice
with the longest vertical drop in the US), Aspen (intermediate/expert), the Highlands (ex-
pert) and Buttermilk (beginner/terrain parks) - which are spread out through the valley
and connected by free shuttles.
Both Aspen and Snowmass are open in summer (lift ticket adult/child $28/11; mid-June
to September) for hiking, mountain biking, scenic rides and other and kids' activities.
SNOW SPORTS