The Complete Ski Resort Guide to Aspen Snowmass in Colorado
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Skiing and snowboarding can be dangerous activities, please ride within your ability levels and respect others around you
Aspen Colorado, probably one of the most Iconic ski town names in the snow world. Not far from downtown Aspen is Snowmass, the largest of 4 Aspen resorts and the one that seemed to always be my favorite. I first took a vacation to this mountain years ago driving across the country on a bus for a college ski club trip. First time in Colorado snowboarding and I was speechless. The runs seemed to go on forever and the terrain was endless.
Making the trek back here years later has been a trip, not much has changed other then new on mountain dining, and a new base area. Although Snowmass continues to make new upgrades it still has the home like feel to it, which is what makes it such a fun place to ride. Exploring this place after a snow storm is what makes Snowmass so special and unique that you’ll just have to find out for yourself.
In this post I’ll be going over how to get to the resort, where to stay for a more affordable price, where to apres’ or eat, and places to rent along with buy ski/snowboard equipment, lessons, the mountain, and of course where you should ride. Alright, lets goooo.
Where is Snowmass and how to get there
Snowmass is just over 8 miles west of downtown Aspen Colorado in the Roaring Foark Valley and part of the Elk Mountain Range. Other neighboring towns include Basalt, Glenwood Springs, and Carbondale. Since Independence Pass is closed in the winter the only way to get to Snowmass is I-70 to Colorado 82. Aspen also has a small airport you can fly into. Below I listed times and distances to Snowmass.
Denver: 196 Miles/3 hours
Colorado Springs:263 miles/4 hours
Aspen Airport: 6 miles/10 minutes
Breckenridge 135 Miles/2 hours
Where to Stay
The one downside to staying in the Aspen Area is how expensive the town is which includes lodging. However you can always stay in close towns Basalt and Carbondale if you want to save money. One of the nice things is if you stay in Snowmass, a lot of the lodging is ski-in/ski-out. So you can walk to the slopes and ride down, always loved that when riding over there. When I stayed in Snowmass, I always liked staying at the Stonebridge Inn, it has an old school feel to it with nice amenities and it is right on the mountain. I’ve also stayed at the Laurelwood Condominiums, which are Slopeside too.
Where can I get lift tickets and what pass is Snowmass on
There will be a ticket office right by the Elk gondola! Snowmass is part of the Aspen pass which is pretty expensive. If you purchase the pass in the spring it will be the best way to save money as prices will be lower. This pass will get you access to all 4 mountains including Highlands, Buttermilk, and Ajax. The positive side is with a pass this expensive it keeps the number of people on the mountain down. Included in the Aspen Pass will be the Ikon base, if you wanted to venture to other resorts such as Copper, Steamboat, or Winter Park!
Snowmass will also be on the Ikon pass for up to 7 days, which is what I use. You can venture to other Aspen resorts too, even on the same day, which I’ve done in the past.
Where to Rent or Buy Equipment
Probably some of the best rental options in the ski industry, Snowmass itself has a number of places to rent and/or buy equipment to have a fun experience on the mountain. I personally think Four Mountain Sports will have the best selection of rentals and gear located in the upper Snowmass Mall. They have an awesome snowboard shop with goggles, jackets, pants, boards, boots and bindings.
Other ski shops include Christy’s and Gorsuch. There will also be a Four Mountain Sports in the lower Snowmass Village. Make sure to book rentals ahead of time, especially if you are booking your trip during holiday periods and spring break! If you need ski boots there is a Surefoot in the Lower Village too.
Where to get Coffee/Breakfast
Not many breakfast places in Snowmass, I’m sure it will continue to grow as time goes on, but if you want food that isn’t too expensive I really like Fuel in the Upper Mall. Stop in right before you get on the mountain and grab a breakfast sandwich and smoothie! For coffee I really liked Gorsuch to be honest, which will also have some quick breakfast options too.
I would also recommend checking out the Daly Diner, next to Clarks market, right before you go up the hill to the resort. Awesome breakfast and dinner. They say, “it’s as local as it gets.”
What are some great places to Apre’s or grab dinner after being on the mountain
As mentioned above there is Daly Diner in the Clarks market shopping plaza which will also have Tasters Pizza, which has been around for over 20 years! In the upper Mall, it seems restaurants have changed over the years, but right on the mountain in the upper mall, there will be a couple good restaurants and bars to grab a drink. In the lower village there will be a Slice of Italy and Kenichi if you like Sushi. My favorite Apres’/Dinner Place in Snowmass will be Aurum! Awesome happy hour, drinks, and dinner menu. They have outdoor seating for those nice bluebird winter days. The inside also has great ambience and music, cool spot overall.
Is there much to do in Snowmass
Snowmass is pretty small, you can walk around the Upper Mall or Lower Village. The Upper Mall is older with restaurants that seem to change from time to time. Has an old school feel to it. And then there’s the lower village which is brand new, with new businesses popping up each season it seems.
If you have time, I would check out downtown Aspen for a day or even ride the resort in town, Ajax. Aspen is defiantly more upscale but there’s a really cool snowboard shop there, Radio Boardshop, and also a couple good ski shops right in town. If you like art, photography, and fashion, there will be a number of stores for that too. My favorite restaurant in Colorado will also be in downtown Aspen, Whitehouse Tavern. Awesome food, smaller menu, but great ambience inside. For busier times you’ll need to stop in and make a reservation. Because it’s a smaller space, no reservations ahead of time!.
Where can we park
There are a few free lots which are Brush Creek, Rodeo, and Buttermilk. Busses run often and are free within the Aspen area, just hop on the bus that goes to downtown Aspen. The Rodeo Lot will be the closest free lot to Snowmass with busses that run often to the resort. Just make sure to arrive early as it fills up quick! If that lot is full I would park at Brush Creek, with busses that run directly to Snowmass as well. Check the RFTA transportation website for bus schedules, especially if you don’t have a vehicle.
Don’t feel like taking the bus, there is a paid parking garage at the base of the resort, where the newer Snowmass shopping plaza is.
What about on Mountain Dining, What does Snowmass have
Aspen resorts have the best on mountain dining options if you want to treat yourself and get a gourmet hot meal. Snowmass has a number of different restaurants on mountain, with some of them being actual sit down restaurants that require reservations! Even the cafeteria style places are fancy and food options are pretty amazing. It’s like having a home cooked meal on the mountain and for the price, it’s kind of a steal.
On Mountain Restaurants that don’t require reservations, but I would suggest making one are; The Cabin, Alpin Room and Sam’s. Sam’s Overlooks the Elk Mountains, and would be an unreal place to have a meal and glass of wine. The cabin will be a good Apres’ spot from 2:30-4 pm. They’ll have some seafood, charcuterie board’s, along with salads, and different wines. Sam’s will be more pasta and Italian options with a drink menu too. Alpin Room will be right off the Alpine Springs lift.
For more casual dining check out the Elk Camp Restaurant. They have mac and cheese, rotisserie chicken, vegetables, pizza, and a full salad bar. This is where I like to go for a hot meal after riding all morning. For a classic burger, fries, and a milkshake there is Ullrhoff, which is actually being taken down and rebuilt with much more seating.
What kind of lessons does Aspen Snowmass offer and is the mountain good for beginners
Snowmass has a variety of lesson options from first timers to the terrain park, and people that like to explore more advanced areas of the mountain. I’ve been snowboarding for 25 years and from what I’ve seen, Aspen has the best instructors out there. To save money, go with a group lesson or if you want a one on one go with a private lesson.
Aspen also offers clinics and camps for different ability levels as a way to improve your skills and fundamentals and maybe meet some like minded individuals. If you have any kind of handicap, but still want to explore the mountain, check out there adaptive lessons as well.
Where is the best Beginner terrain
A lot of great beginner terrain for those who have just started or maybe don’t have too much experience with skiing or snowboarding will be off the Village Express Chairlift. There’s going to be a number of Blue and Green’s off of that chairlift! Another fun beginner area will be off of the Elk Camp Gondola.
Once you start to get comfortable, there’s a number of beginner-intermediate runs off of chairlifts; Two Creeks, Elk Camp, and Big Burn.
I heard there’s S’Mores on the mountain at the end of the day
Yep, that is one thing that Aspen Snowmass is known for, free s’mores at the base area at 3:00 pm everyday. Roast your marshmallow by one of the fires and make sure to throw the stick away!
Does Snowmass get a lot of snow
It really depends on the year, I’ve seen the Aspen area get over 400 inches in one season and less than 300 in another season. On average the mountain gets 307 inches of snow per year.
What is the mountain like and where should we ride
Snowmass is pretty large ski resort with lots of different terrain compared to the other 3 Aspen resorts. They have 3,342 acres of rideable terrain! A lot of intermediate terrain at this mountain making it great for families, however still offering some steep terrain for the more advanced skier or snowboarder. Some of my favorite areas to ride are Sheer Bliss, Cirque, and terrain off of High Alpine.
Cirque
Once this area of the mountain fills in with snow, it is pretty magical. If you like upper alpine terrain make sure you check this part of the mountain out after a nice snow storm. Looking for some nice chutes? Drop early off the T-Bar lift (which is replacing the current cirque lift) and check out AMF and Ptarmigan on the left side. If you want some easier terrain up at Cirque, check out Little Headwall for a few turns. The best way to access this part of the mountain is by getting on the Big Burn lift and the T-Bar will be right in front Up4Pizza. To Access different parts of Cirque follow the long Catwalk and this will eventually lead you to drop zones for the Headwall and Eastwall!
Just note, you should watch out for exposed rocks in this area as there is quite a lot. Takes a long time for this part of the mountain to fill in! No matter which part of Cirque you decide to ride. It will eventually funnel you into a gully called Kt Gully. There will be some fun trees as you make your way down this part of the mountain.
Kt Gully has some hidden Gems, if you took Sheer Bliss to pop over here, be cautious! There are going to be some Cliff areas. I like to just run the gully down and hit different trees spots as I snowboard towards the base.
High Alpine and Alpine Springs
Runs off High Alpine will be another steep and technical part of the mountain that is considered upper terrain. If you have the experience, I would highly recommend checking it out. To access this terrain you can either take Cirque and traverse over or do the hike off of High Alpine. Not going to lie, this part of the mountain can be a bit confusing on where to drop. Review the detailed trail map at the top of the hike for reference then make a go for it.
Drop into Possible, A steeper run with surrounding rock walls, if you keep riding you’ll get to lap through some amazing tree runs called Frog Pond Glades. These glades can fill in nicely when there is snow and seem to go on forever too.
Stay a bit higher towards Roberto’s and Headwall then drop and if you hug a sharp right, eventually there will be some awesome black and double black runs. Kind of like an open field with spread out trees (See the photo below in the middle). If you don’t feel like doing the hike there is still some great runs off of High Alpine. Head over to Sheer Bliss or Alpine Springs once you’re done lapping this chairlift.
Runs off Alpine Springs tend to be more crowded and although they are blue runs, they are just a little bit more steep. Not a bad place to ride if you’re a beginner/intermediate rider looking to get more experience. This is really the only lift where I’ve seen lift lines on busier days.
Big Burn and Sheer Bliss
If you like wide open runs, mixed with trees, that aren’t too steep, this area is for you. This part of the mountain really allows you to explore and feel like you’re on an adventure. Not that the rest of the mountain doesn’t feel like that, but for me, I always kind of feel that way when riding these two chairlifts in particular.
Wide open runs are what you will be able to ski for snowboard on when riding off of Big Burn. There’s a few tree spots to ride through as you make your way down the mountain that are worth it! On hardback bad snow days, these areas can still be fun to ride as traditional groomers.
The first photo below shows Big Burn and Sheer Bliss off in the distance with the last photo being the Sheer Bliss run. The difference between these two lifts is there will be more steep terrain off of Sheer Bliss.
Elk Camp
A more low key area on the mountain, I would say Elk Camp is best suited for the intermediate skier or boarder looking to progress. Nothing too steep or crazy on this part of the resort. It also has my favorite dining area, with essentially gourmet cafeteria food! New for the upcoming seasons is the 4 person lift is being upgraded to a 6 person lift.
If the snow is good I like to hug the fence line, left side of the run. Mostly blues off this chair, unless you do the hike.
To access the Elk Camp Chair you must first get on the Elk Camp Gondola. Kind of a process, but worth it to check this part of the mountain out. You can either take some laps off the Gondola (good area for beginners) or head to the Elk Camp Chairlift. Probably the easiest hike I’ve done on a ski resort. Take a left off the chairlift, unstrap, and you will see an area to start hiking. Once you drop, it is essentially spread out tree runs, nothing too crazy in my book.
If you do decide to do the hike just note, it’s a longer run that will take you to the base of the Two Creeks chairlift!
Elk Camp will have some easier tree runs to ride through, worth it, if you are new to tree riding and want some experience.
Elk Gondola will be blues that can be ridden down to the gondola base or take Adams Avenue to the main base area.
Two Creeks
Two Creeks is a hidden gem on the mountain, there’s a number of Aspen Trees in this vicinity. An older lift with a cafe at the very bottom, I can imagine both will be replaced eventually. The run from top to bottom is a long one that turns into a catwalk passing homes as you reach the bottom.
Village Express and Sam’s Knob
These lifts will service the main base area in Snowmass with beginner all the way up to expert terrain. I’ll usually start here to get the legs warmed up. On Powder days this is a fun area to begin the day with before exploring the rest of the mountain, runs like Fast Draw and Promenade under the chairlift allow you to really lay out a few turns. As the day progresses it will start to get skied out making natural moguls on the runs.
Sam’s Knob gets skied out quickly and is also a pretty steep in parts. However, not a bad place to ride when the snows great.
The runs from the Village Express to Big Burn chairlift are my go to for access to the rest of the mountain. Below is a catwalk that will take you from point A to B.
Runs like these below are best early as they start to get tracked out towards mid day, especially on a bluebird powder day. Couple good tree stashes too that you can sneak into then pop back onto the run.
Probably my least favorite area of the mountain, due the location and pretty far from the rest of the mountain. If you have time, explore this area, but if not, you didn’t miss too much in my opinion.
Probably the most quiet part of the mountain will be runs off of Campground. To access take the far left run (Bear Claw) all the way to the bottom of the chairlift. No beginner terrain on this lift as it will only be single black diamonds.
What are the Terrain Parks like
One of the most underrated terrain parks in Colorado, Snowmass has just about every kind of feature and jump for all ability levels, which is what I like most about this park. It also doesn’t get too crowded so you can get a lot of laps in, if the park is where you wanna ride on a nice sunny day.
Take the new high speed Coney Express lift for top to bottom park laps or take the Village Express and get off halfway for access to the Lowdown Park along with the Makaha Park. The top of Coney Express will be advanced to expert features. These are ones that require a lot of speed and skill. Makaha will be intermediate to advanced jumps and rails with Lowdown being beginner to intermediate boxes, rails, along with jumps.
Best part about this terrain park is how long it goes for, kind of reminds me of Big Bear in California.
You’ll find some nice down rails, medium size jumps, and even a mini pipe in the Makaha terrain park! I like this section for trying to progress and learn something new and challenging.
Some easy boxes and jumps can be found in the Lowdown park. Great area for learning or taking a park lesson if needed. Not that I’m an instructor, but my best advice is to start small and work your way up with what is comfortable. Parks are scary at times, but they help build your riding skills and confidence on a snowboard or skis!
Does Snowmass have good tree riding
I’d like to think there are some fun trees to ride through. So far the best ones I’ve ridden were off of the High Alpine lift, Frog Pond Glades/Hanging Valley Glades. Off Elk Camp there are trees that are fun right under the lift as well as off the hike mentioned above.
Is the mountain good for families
This resort along with Breckenridge have been two of the best resorts I’ve been to that I think are great for families. Lots of terrain that isn’t too advanced and the vibe on the mountain just has like this family friendly atmosphere to it in my opinion. Lots of on mountain dining options to sit down and take breaks with the fam along with some scenic backdrop areas on the mountain that make for great group photos.
What to Pack
Whether you plan on riding your own gear or renting equipment. I’ve listed a few items that get overlooked when packing for a ski or snowboard trip. You can find these items on Burton.com
Puffy- Gets cold in ski towns, one of the best purchases for winter weather is a puffy jacket either with real down or synthetic down. I personally like the Burton Expedition Baker down as it keeps you warm even in the negative temperatures. Not something I really wear riding on the mountain, but walking around town, going out, etc. it’s great.
Neck Warmers- I like to wear these for sun protection and when it’s cold and windy, especially on the chairlift.
Base Layers- There’s different variations in terms of material thickness and the actual material itself. So read up on what you purchase. To keep it simple I mostly rock mid-weight layers. On the coldest days I’ll wear a heavy-weight base layer and usually some kind of fleece pant as well.
Sunscreen- Even on cloudy days I would recommend wearing sunscreen due to the high altitude and more sun exposure you’ll get in the mountains.
Hopefully this post inspires you to take a trip to Aspen and ride Snowmass! If you’re interested in another family friendly ski resort, check out Breckenridge. It’s one of my favorite mountain towns and has just about every kind of riding once the mountain is fully open. Thanks for checking out the blog and I’ll see you on the next post!
