Snowmass Ski Resort Information
Snowmass is Aspens 4th mountain. It’s purpose built alongside the main gentle home run. Set 14 km from Aspen it is easily accessible to all of Aspens 3 other mountains via the free bus. Snowmass itself has 4 main peaks, namely elk Camp, High Alpine, Big Barn and Sam’s Knob. The village itself is very convenient as it’s mainly ski in and out.
The ski area is one of the largest in the States and also boasts the biggest vertical in the US too. Most of the slopes here are wooded although the upper slopes are more open to the elements. The lifts here are mainly fast and the occasionally slow one can be avoided with careful planning. Snow reliability here, as you can imagine is excellent.
The town itself is limited for nightlife and shopping, although we’re told that this is improving every season
Ski Line mainly has condos in Snowmass although there is a small selection of room only hotels too which are mainly ski in and out..
Après Ski in the resort of Snowmass
If nightlife is important to you, avoid Snowmass and venture on down to the centre of Aspen instead. There’s a good bar with live music at the base called Sneakeys, and a handful of good restaurants can be found in the centre which include the Il Poggio Italian and Butchs Lobster bar.
Activities off the slopes in the ski resort of Snowmass
Take the free bus into the centre of Aspen for a vast array of shops and galleries; however on Snowmass Mountain itself it’s possible to go tubing which is great fun. There’s also dog sledding if animals are your thing or snowcat rides if you’re more of a petrol head!
Some of the mountain restaurants can be reached by pedestrians if you want to meet friends for lunch.
Beginners skiing in the ski resort of Snowmass
Elk Camp peak has the best beginners run, called Assay Hill, this is also the best peak to find a beginners area which is served by three lifts. The gentle runs down from Sam Knob peak are pleasing and the ski schools have a good reputation.
Intermediates skiing in the ski resort of Snowmass
Snowmass is quite simply the best of the Aspen Mountains to ski if you are an intermediate. You will be in paradise here. All peaks have a huge variety of intermediate runs through the trees. There are long cruisy runs from top to bottom which are well groomed, but if you prefer something more challenging you could take the Long Shot which is a 5km ungroomed run from the top of the Elk Camp peak.
Advanced skiing in the ski resort of Snowmass
Steep and short, the runs here satisfy expert skiers in Snowmass, the Cirque at the top of Big Burn which is reached via drag lift is probably the steepest skiing in Snowmass with the headwall and some narrower chutes to explore.
There are 3 terrain parks in Snowmass one each for beginners, intermediates and experts which offer both a super pipe and boarder cross.
Snowboarding in the ski resort of Snowmass
The terrain parks in Snowmass cater for all levels of boarder and you can also try your hand at boarder cross here too. The slopes here will surprise and delight all levels of boarder, there’s wide and gentle for beginners and steeper chutes for the more adventurous too as well as many wooded glades in between.