Aspen Highlands

Best Aspen Ski Areas: Enhance your Colorado Vacation
The beautiful Rocky Mountains provide a spectacular backdrop for your Aspen ski vacation. With four distinct mountain ranges, Colorado offers some of the best skiing in the world. The Elk Mountain Range is home to two Aspen Highlands resorts: Snowmass and Aspen Highlands. These mountains offer great intermediate and advanced terrain that will satisfy any skier or snowboarder looking for a thrill. And if you’re an expert seeking steep pitches, close-to-the-ground powder, and plenty of cliffs to jump off of, then head over to Buttermilk Mountain Resort—partially owned by Warren Buffet.
How do you get to the Snowmass and Aspen Highlands Ski Areas?

Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, is about 45 minutes from the heart of downtown Aspen. They can be accessed by taking Highway 82 west and then heading north on Brush Creek Road to Snowmass Village. This is also an excellent cross-country skiing or snowshoeing area with groomed trails that lead through woods and meadows next to streams.
The town of Carbondale has an Amtrak station located at 100 West Railroad Street in Carbondale, CO, which offers daily service via the California Zephyr between Chicago and Emeryville (in San Francisco Bay Area). The front range/Denver International Airport provides access to most major airlines throughout North America and many international flights into Europe.

Where do you stay?
There are a lot of hotels and resorts to choose from in the Aspen area. Some great choices include St. Regis Hotel, The Little Nell Resort & Spa, Limelight Lodge Aspen Snowmass Vacation Rental Homes, or any one of the affordable bed and breakfasts located all over town. That offers rooms for less than $100 per night during peak ski season!

What about food?
Its European history and modern trends have influenced Aspen's culinary tastes toward health-conscious dining—undoubtedly due to the abundance of world-class athletes living here year-round, such as tennis champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf live nearby. Enjoy fine dining at downtown restaurants like The Little Nell, Maroon Bells Inn, or Silverheels. Try the Brick Oven Pizza Company on Park Avenue for brick oven pizza and paninis made with fresh ingredients and homemade bread for the more casual fare!

What makes Aspen Highlands the best skiing resort in Colorado?
Aspen Highlands Ski Area offers an unmatched challenge for expert skiers and snowboarders. With a vertical drop of nearly 3000 feet, it's one of the steepest in North America. Most of its trails are geared toward advanced to expert level, with some double black diamond slopes included!

What makes Buttermilk the best ski resort for beginners?
Buttermilk Mountain Resort is home to many popular skiing events such as “The Continental Cup”—a series that brings together top Nordic athletes from all over Europe and beyond each year during Aspen Snowmass Week. It also hosts some of the best snowboarding events in Colorado, like "The Winter X Games." Beginners will love that it is relatively flat with only a few small hills, making for an easy transition from beginner to intermediate slopes!

What makes Snowmass Ski Area one of Aspen's most popular ski resorts?
Snowmass Ski Resort sits on over 5000 acres and offers some excellent skiing for beginners through experts alike. It has gently rolling terrain, which even includes two green runs at the top. It allows skiers who don't venture many off-piste opportunities to experience fresh powder without too much effort. This resort also houses several hot spots, such as The Little Nell - famous for its fine dining options located right out of your ski boots or by numerous World Cup Biathlon races along with several other international competitions every winter season. Many families choose this area for vacation because of its ski school and the fact that it is home to several large hotels such as The Westin Snowmass Resort, Viceroy Hotel Snowmass, or Limelight Lodge.