Aspen Mountain

It’s the mountain, 65 acres and all, that first put Aspen on the map back in 1947. A piece of trivia, the resort offered black-diamond skiing right off the start. “Ajax,” which it’s nicknamed, has remained a solid favorite among new and veteran shredders. The ski resort, about three miles south of Aspen (the old silver mining town), is located on Aspen Mountain’s northern flank. It is a little more out of the way compared to other resorts in the state but you won’t regret doing the 1 ½ hour drive from Eagle County Regional Airport, or spending about four hours in the car if you’re coming from Denver.

The might of Ajax

Aspen Mountain belongs to the golden quartet of American skiing along with Buttermilk, Snowmass, and Aspen Highlands. Starting out from Aspen Mountain, you have Aspen Highlands, followed by Buttermilk and Snowmass (which is the biggest resort). There’s a free shuttle bus that serves the four of them. Ajax is comparatively small but mighty: 64 miles of runs, including a variety of steeps, former World Cup-runs, bumps, and gladed powder stashes. Plus it’s a resort where the sun shines a lot, featuring on average 91 sunny days. Compared to the average for U.S. ski resorts, which is 67 days. January, in particular, is good for that beginning of the season goggle tan with 21 days of D-vitamin inducing rays.

Stellar reputation

Aspen Mountain doesn’t really focus on green runs, in fact there is none. Rather, the challenging terrain draws hordes of die-hards, year after year back to its moguls runs (e.g. Face of Bell), black diamonds and expert-only double-black diamonds. Via Ruthie's chairlift, you can access Ruthie’s Run, which has played host to both World Cups and the local Roch Cup. Want to work those quads? Copper Bowl and Spar Gulch will prove whether or not, you’ve got legs made of steel.