I do not know if the city of Aspen, CO has a slogan indeed, I would give them “Aspen – a place to get a high fashion, or just to get high… and yes you can ski here too!” Polina (my daughter) was there on an extended work assignment, had a large apartment all for herself, so I decided to use an opportunity, take few days and visit this exclusive resort.
Getting there and orientation.
Aspen has an airport located just a few miles from the city center and from the slopes, but if you are on the East Coast it is a convenience only if you fly in on a personal jet (and a lot there do), otherwise if you take a commercial flight you need to connect at a regional hub – Salt Lake City on Denver which kind of defies the purpose. On the other hand, just find a cheap direct fare and fly to Denver, then rent a car there. That was my plan. I found Delta flights that were widely available and as a medallion member bet on a complimentary upgrade. My bet worked – I was upgraded to First Class both ways, and even though Delta domestic first means just a bit larger seat and free food I gladly took it since it was free.
The flight arrived in Denver on schedule, I picked up my ski luggage and hopped on a shuttle bus to a car rental.
I ignored a sales pitch offering me an upgrade to a four-wheel or SUV (for extra money of course) – you are absolutely don’t need it. All Colorado ski resorts connected to Denver airport by the well-maintained I-70, and unless it is a severe snowstorm a regular front-wheel sedan will do, and if it is a severe snowstorm don’t drive the mountains no matter what car you have. Avoid driving to the slopes on the weekend mornings and returning on the afternoons, when hoards of local day-trippers head to or return from the mountains, and if you are flying back from Denver on Sunday afternoon, you are at risk to stuck in traffic and miss a flight.
Aspen is the farthest of Colorado ski resorts, it takes 3.5 hours to drive there but the road scenery is beautiful especially after the Vail pass, and it is definitely worth the effort. Once in Aspen, park at a municipal garage at Rio Grande Plaza and forget about your car during the stay. The parking rate is only $10 per day. Everything is either within walking distance or reachable by a free bus including an airport and all ski areas. Since everyone using a free bus, it lessens demand for a taxi and Uber, so the service is sporadic, allow extra time if you do want to call a cab.
I arrived at Aspen in the late afternoon, settled in Polina’s apartment, and had some rest after a long travel day. In the evening we went to town. Amazing how many boutiques can fit in a half of a square mile that is a size of a downtown Aspen.
The ambiance however changed since Colorado legalized weed in 2014. Everyone who is anyone in the fashion world still has a store there, but they now share space with quite a few dispensaries and cannabis co’s.
I arrived on the last day of X Games that Aspen hosts annually in January. Fancily decorated storefronts, occasional buyers inside, and a crowd of 20’s something, high to the eyeballs, cheering their sports heroes or just hanging out was the scene of the day. I need to say though that Aspen is very safe, it may get loud sometimes but the order rules, none causes troubles, and in bars and weed shops anyone who even remotely looks younger than 40 is asked to show an ID.
X Games.
It is a fantastic experience – thrilling, exciting, energetic, and totally free. It takes place at Buttermilk ski area about 15 min from Aspen center by a free bus. I arrived on the last day of the games in time for men’s halfpipe final. That’s the sport that Shaun White “The Flying Tomato” once dominated, earned two Olympic gold medals, crashed in Sochi, then came back to win the third gold in Pyeongchang. At these games, he was in the commentators’ booth.
The scene was very festive – a young crowd filled completion venues as well as numerous concerts and sponsor’s presentations that took place in the area. The fan zone was crowded, but with a little patience, Polina and I made our way to the front line to see the athletes and sports celebrities up close and personal. The general admission was free but to get to concerts and/or to VIP zone you need to buy a ticket. The halfpipe competition ended around 8pm, and we faced a choice either to stay for snowmobile freestyle or to have a dinner, a dinner won, and we returned to the city.
Dining, Shopping, and Accommodation.
I did not really visit stores but figured that having countless boutiques concentrated in just a few blocks made a shopping (real or window) a major occupation for people who did not come here to ski. I stayed at Polina’s apartment and could not review any hotels from inside. St. Regis and Hyatt are there as well as other chain and non-chain properties. Hotel Jerome on Main Street looked charming and was nicely lit at night.
Despite high style shopping and accommodation dominance, I found Aspen’s dining scene mediocre at best. We had three dinners – the first night was at Meat and Cheese, and the name is pretty much the menu.
You get family style boards with cold cuts and main courses that you share with your party. We had an assortment of meats and cheeses and Korean beef. While you can never go wrong with brie, cheddar, prosciutto, and soppressata, the beef was a bit dry.
On the second night, we wanted some fish, but the closest to the seafood restaurant we could find was Kenichi Sushi. The place was packed and fully booked, but Polina knew someone there, and we got two seats at the bar. That was the best dinner, but pricy too. Three rolls, two sushi, a wagyu steak to share and few drinks set up back $250.
The third was the Italian restaurant Aquolina, we stuck with traditional choices – mussels and pasta.
A few words about a budget. Aspen sticker price tag may be shocking but with some preparation and cleaver choices you can make your trip surprisingly affordable. A night at a ski-in ski –out hotel at a high season can run $500 and more but you can accumulate and use hotel points and free night certificates, and there are Airbnb and private vacation rentals available. The city has a supermarket, pharmacy, convenience stores, and many take-out places so there is no need to dine out every day. The face value ski pass is astronomic $159 per day, but there are some options. You can find significant discounts on sites such as Liftopia and Working Advantage if you order and pre-pay in advance, and there is a multi-day and partial day (start skiing after 12 noon) discounts at the Aspen ski ticket office or website.
Skiing.
Yes, Aspen ski ticket is expensive, but skiing is superb! There are four mountains in the area which you can ski with a single pass. Ajax is the closest to the city, you can actually walk from the downtown to a gondola, but the skiing is a bit rough and recommended to advanced skiers only.
Snowmass is the best mountain with miles of excellent wide trails for all levels. It is also the best place to learn how to ski, the ski school offers classes and clinics for all abilities. It is, however, the farthest mountain from Aspen – a half an hour bus ride. Halfway between Aspen and Snowmass is Buttermilk – this mountain is more for freestylers but has some easy and intermediate trails too. It is rarely crowded. The last but not least is Aspen Highlands – about 10 minutes from the downtown, this mountain appeals mainly to powder-loving skiers.
While the city of Aspen has the largest population and the best après-ski, Snowmass and Aspen Highlands also offer accommodation and amenities. Most of the hotels are in Aspen, The Ritz is in Aspen Highlands, and Westin is in Snowmass. There are no hotels near Buttermilk as far as I can say. From the transit center at Rubey Park in downtown Aspen, there are free and frequent buses to all ski areas as well as points of interest in the city, Snowmass and Highland villages, parking lots and the airport.
Note that buses tend to be crowded heading to the mountains in the morning and returning between 3 pm and the lifts closing time.
I skied for two days and could not get enough. I wished I could stay longer but had to return to New York. I left the early morning and met a spectacular Rocky Mountains sunrise driving east on I-70. The trip was short but sweet – good buy Aspen hope to see you soon again!