VAIL'S #1
Yet again, Vail secured the #1 ranking in SKI Magazine’s Top Ten North American... [more]
Aspen/Snowmass The Grande Dame
Aspen has enjoyed fame and glory for well over 100 years. When its hills were laden with silver, the town became the largest silver-producing district in the country. A quick 1890s inventory found 12,000 people, four schools, six newspapers, three banks, a hospital and a flourishing red light district.
Then, as fast as fortunes were made, they were lost, when silver prices plummeted. Aspen limped along as a ranching community until the mid-1930s. Swiss ski racer Andre Roch was commissioned to survey the mountain for possible development as a ski area. Aspenites built a 10-passenger "boat" tow powered by a mine hoist (10 cents a ride) and cut Aspen's first trail — the now famous Roch Run.
As early as 1941, Aspen's first national downhill and slalom championships were held. Friedl Pfeifer, an Austrian ski instructor on furlough from World War II 10th Mountain Division training, skied Aspen, and vowed to return to develop it into a world-class ski resort. He and Walter Paepcke collaborated on Aspen's first chairlift, opening in 1946, together with Pfeifer's ski school.
Fast forward to 2002. Aspen is the quintessential winter (and summer) resort, attracting the rich and famous to the town's extraordinary boutiques, galleries, restaurants, historic hotels and luxurious mountain amenities. Aspen also attracts serious skiers looking to log thousands of vertical feet on the big mountain's legendary, steep runs.
Enter Snowmass, Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands, offering sweet alternatives for those not quite ready for prime time Aspen (although Highlands is known also for its epic steep stuff).
Down-valley a bit is Snowmass, with its sequestered village, and a mountain that is a cruiser's delight. Its terrain feels like inbounds backcountry, and boasts the longest lift-served vertical rise in the United States — 4,406 feet.
Aspen Highlands, between Aspen and Snowmass, recently unveiled its new ski-in/ski-out village. With its restaurants, shops and residential neighborhoods, it offers the chance to live along the slopes famous for their untamed character, colorful past and maverick image..
Aspen's Silver Queen gondola takes you two-and-a-half miles to the summit of Ajax Mountain in 18 minutes (a far cry from its single-seater chairlift in the 1940s). You can spend the day going up and down the mountain on skis, and now, on snowboards — a total departure for Aspen, one of Colorado's last hold-outs for a skiers-only mountain. For a radical experience, climb aboard a snowcat to ski the untouched powder in Aspen's backyard
But, there's more. You don't have to be an alpine skier or snowboarder to enjoy any of the mountains here. Snowshoe tours are offered at both resorts in conjunction with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, and conducted by naturalist guides. Aspen's tour starts at the top of the mountain (following your gondola ride), and is an easy walk along 11,000-foot Richmond Ridge on the backside of Ajax (Ajax and Aspen Mountain are synonymous). Tours at Snowmass follow a secluded, off-trail loop through the woods at Two Creeks. Along the way, mountain ecology, flora and fauna are explored and explained
Cross-country skiers, those into classic and skating disciplines, will find 65 kilometers of trails at Aspen/Snowmass — the largest groomed Nordic trail system in North America.
Families love the fenced sledding hill at Snowmass, as well as the dog sled rides there. Twelve eager huskies (some Iditarod veterans) pull two-person, handcrafted wood sleds across snowfields, over rivers and ski trails, and to four-course wild game lunches at Krabloonik, a 100-year-old log cabin restaurant.
What would a winter resort be without horse-drawn sleigh rides? Draft horses laden with sleigh bells take you through stunning alpine valleys.
For a true adventure, try paragliding above the slopes of Aspen. USHGA-certified tandem pilots take you off Walsh's or Ruthie's Run for the most exciting 15 minutes of your life.
Like life a bit more tame? Hot air balloon rides give you the thrill of a bird's eye view without the adrenaline rush of paragliding.
Snowmobile tours take you into the nooks and crannies of the Aspen valley backcountry. Guides know their way; you just enjoy driving a machine of your own.
You can also practice your ice-skating on indoor or outdoor rinks; of course, rental skates are available.
To pamper yourself, Aspen-style, indulge in the luxurious massages and beauty treatments at the acclaimed Aspen Club, Snowmass Club, and tranquil Aspen Meadows Health Club.
Down valley, in Glenwood Springs, dip into the world's largest outdoor hot springs pool; float under the stars in 90-degree water, surrounded by snow-covered peaks.
When your legs turn to noodles, and it's time to exercise your mind and spirit, the culture of Aspen takes center stage. The internationally renowned Aspen Music Festival, which delights summer visitors, also presents an Artist Recital Series, November through April, and a winter concert series. Prepare to be entranced
The Anderson Ranch Arts Center, formerly a turn-of-the-century cattle and sheep ranch, turned its historic barns into studios, set up a gallery and inaugurated an informal workshop program. Today, this year-round visual arts community holds public functions each week.
What was originally the first hydroelectric plant west of the Mississippi is home to the 23-year-old Aspen Art Museum, and open to the public to showcase its rotating exhibits.
For 20 years, Aspen Filmfest presented new American independent films, international films, premieres and tributes. Past screenings have included "Shakespeare in Love", "Life is Beautiful" and "Central Station". Christmas holiday screenings of this year's surprises are planned.
The only professional ballet company based in the Colorado Rocky Mountains is the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. A holiday performance of The Nutcracker and other winter programs are scheduled.
Be sure to check out the schedule of dance, theatre, music and comedy slated to appear at the historic Wheeler Opera House. Past acts have included Lyle Lovett, "Stomp" and Jewel.
Summer in Aspen/Snowmass
The stunningly snow-covered mountains and valleys in winter unveil in summer to reveal tapestries of green, wildflowers, and in fall, golden aspens illuminating the hills.
Hiking tours on Aspen Mountain follow the same routes as snowshoe tours in winter. Instead of snow-covered forests, you'll walk through meadows carpeted in flowers of every color. At Snowmass, ride the Burlingame lift to mid-mountain and enjoy a game of disc golf, hike the trails, or walk down the hill. For those more serious hikers, the fourteeners around Aspen oblige.
Fish for famed rainbow trout on the Roaring Fork River. Get your fill of whitewater excitement in a raft or kayak on the nearby Colorado, Arkansas or Roaring Fork Rivers. Bike the roads in the valley and mountain bike in the hills. There are even downhill bike tours for every ability, beginner to expert.
Golf courses in the Aspen/Snowmass valley have won more awards than you can shake a club at. In addition to the challenging layouts, the courses are encircled with drop-dead gorgeous views of Maroon Bells, Mt. Sopris and
Mt. Daly. With golf drives traveling 10 to 15 percent farther than at sea level, you'll feel as though you can reach the mountain peaks.
Tour the Compromise and Smuggler Mines to see where miners first discovered silver deep in the mountainsides. Then, allow the Aspen Historical Society to show you the ghost towns of Ashcroft and Independence, and get a feel of what life was like in very rustic log structures.
As much as the Aspen Valley draws you out of doors, its cultural offerings bring you into its haven for the humanities. More than 100,000 summer visitors flock to The Aspen Music Festival in its 2,050-seat elaborate music tent. For nine weeks each summer, the festival presents 150 musical events and concerts. Afternoon rehearsals, where you can listen in on conversations between the conductor and the musicians, may be enjoyed for a fraction of evening concert prices.
In addition to the plethora of cultural opportunities mentioned above — Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Aspen Art Museum, Wheeler Opera House,
Aspen Filmfest and Aspen Ballet Company — the Aspen Writers' Foundation sponsors programs for readers and writers of all ages, and Theatre in the
Park produces classical and new works, integrating local and national talent.
Jazz Aspen at Snowmass is dedicated to the performance and preservation of jazz and American musicians. The June and Labor Day festivals attract the top names in jazz, as do the free concerts throughout the summer.
Aspen and Snowmass
