Sinanation

What to expect: Before I actually went there I thought Aspen was a compact, single, ultra posh ski resort. I was mistaken. Although a tiny Aspen is there with a handful of challenging short ski slopes and a really nice village, there is so much more to explore. Consider the name Aspen as the roof to a massive family of mountains consisting of Aspen, Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands and Snowmass.  When it comes to shopping and dining, Aspen is a wonder, but for skiing you have to try Snowmass and Aspen Highlands. Aspen has the most luxurious hotels and Aspen Highlands has none. Instead Highlands has the largest private mansions. In addition to more affordable ski in/out hotels, Snowmass, as its name suggests, encompasses a huge mass of winter wonderland with the best variety of slopes. It is highly recommended that you visit all of these mountains while you are there. The transportation between the three is free. You can take the free shuttle from multiple stops spread around each mountain. They run all day until midnight. The interval is usually 45 min and it takes approx. 20 min. to get from one mountain to the other.

Getting there: Fly to Denver and then either drive or fly to Aspen. Flight from New York to Denver takes 6 hours. Driving will take 4 hours from Denver to Aspen and flying will take 45 min. Bear in mind that although the flight from Denver to Aspen is short, it is highly likely that the flight will be delayed or even canceled because of strong winds.

Where to Stay: We chose to stay in Snowmass at the Stonebridge Inn. It was a great decision for us because we were there to ski. Aspen would have been a more expensive, relaxing and wining & dining spot. Stonebridge Inn is almost a ski in/out resort. The rooms are nice and the breakfast is great. You will have to wear your ski boots and shoulder the skis to walk 5 minutes to the slopes. The Silvertree Hotel, which is right on the Fanny Hill slope, is also recommended. If you are looking to splurge, go for the St. Regis or the Little Nell in Aspen.

Recommended Slopes:
Snowmass: Slot, Dallas Freeway, Sheer Bliss
Aspen Highlands: Mushroom
Aspen: Buckhorn, Midway Road, Ruthie’s Run, Summer Road, Gentelman’s Ridge & Jackpot (if you like the big challenge)
Buttermilk: Jacob’s Ladder

Where to Eat:
Save most of the dinners for Aspen.
Snowmass:
Lunch: Sam’s Smokehouse, Gwyn’s High Alpine
Dinner: Village Steakhouse at the Wildwood Lodge
Aspen Highlands:
Lunch: Loge Peak
Aspen:
Lunch: Sundeck
Dinner: Rustique, Matsushisa, Campo De Fiori, Pacifica Seafood, Kenichi. Please refer to the “Eat in Aspen” article for more details.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 09:30 and is filed under CITY GUIDE, Ski - Americas, Skiing & Ski Resorts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.