Aspen is not one resort but four, including Aspen Highlands (shown here).
ASPEN
RECOMMENDED BY Chris Klug
“As a twenty-year professional snowboarder and Olympic medalist, I’ve had the unique opportunity of traveling the world on my snowboard,” Chris Klug declared. “I’ve ridden powder all over North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. I believe there’s no place like Aspen. We’ve got four large resorts in one place—this doesn’t exist elsewhere in North America. There’s incredible ski and snowboard acreage, from intermediate family-friendly terrain to black diamond X Games stuff, and everything in between. You combine all this with the cultural and culinary opportunities that Aspen has to offer and you have something very special. I’ve never seen such big-city attractions in such a small town like Aspen—there’s so many fun things to do on and off the mountain. While you often only hear about all the rich and famous people that spend time in Aspen, it’s actually a very laid-back, down-to-earth town. I think many of our visitors come to Aspen to escape the spotlight and rat race to relax and enjoy many of the same activities Aspenites are so passionate about. Most of the locals respect that.”
Though the nascent Aspen Ski Club cut a course on Aspen Mountain (which was served by massive sleds pulled up by an old mine hoist) in 1937, it would not be until after World War II that development would take hold. The war effort temporarily delayed Aspen’s development, but in the long run it fostered the resort. An Austrian named Friedl Pfeifer was training with the army’s 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale, and became enamored with Aspen and its potential as a ski mecca through the aforementioned sled lift. After the war, he enlisted the support of a wealthy Chicagoan named Walter Paepcke, who hoped to build a cultural center in the mountains. They both got their wish. What was then the world’s longest ski lift opened in 1947; in 1949, the Goethe Bicentennial was held in Aspen. The other mountains—Buttermilk, Highlands, and Snowmass—came online over the next twenty years, and Aspen’s prosperity (and élan) were cemented.
Chris shared his ideal itinerary if he only had two days at Aspen. “I’d spend one day on Aspen Mountain and one day at Highlands. On day one, I might begin with a big breakfast at Poppycock’s Café, known for its oatmeal buttermilk pancakes. Then we’d walk across the street to Gondola Plaza and the Silver Queen lift, which zips you 3,267 vertical feet over 2.5 miles to the summit of Aspen Mountain [11,215 feet] in fifteen minutes. Now that I have a day job and a family, sometimes it’s hard to get out and ride all day. With the Silver Queen right in town and the lift’s speed, I can easily go out and do four or five laps in a couple hours. I’d do a bunch of laps off Silver Queen. If it’s a good powder day, I’d head over to ride ‘the Dumps’ [e.g., Short Snort, Zaugg Dump, Last Dollar, and Perry’s]. I might also ride off of Ruthie’s lift. There were a number of mines on this part of the mountain, and you actually can ride through some of the old tailings and even over mine shafts. This area really collects the powder, and you can sometimes find soft snow here a week after the last storm. If I want to hit some gladed terrain, I like Jackpot and Bingo. When the boarding is done, I like the après scene right at the bottom of the mountain. The Ajax Tavern has fun people-watching—if you want to see some Wookie boots and fur, this is the place.
“On day two, it’s on to Aspen Highlands. I think the most unique experience at Highlands—maybe at all of Aspen—is a trip up to Highlands Bowl. From the top of the Loge Peak lift, it’s another seven hundred vertical feet up—about a thirty-minute hike. From the top, you have an amazing view out over some of my favorite 14ers—Maroon Peak [14,156 feet], Capitol [14,130 feet], and Pyramid [14,018 feet]. The Bowl itself gives you a 2,500-foot descent through what can be some phenomenal terrain. In some places, it’s a forty-five-degree [or more] pitch, but there are some easier ways down. I have an uncle and cousin from Pennsylvania that I brought up there some years back. Even though they weren’t acclimatized to the elevation, they were able to do it. They still talk about it today. It’s a world-class backcountry experience without really leaving the resort.”
There’s a thrill to be had in riding Highlands Bowl or the Dumps. But Chris finds a quieter kind of satisfaction in the huts that dot the Rockies around Aspen. “Three to five times each winter, I’ll head off to one of the huts that are spread from Aspen to Leadville, Crested Butte, and Vail. [The thirty huts, connected by 350 miles of suggested routes, are managed by the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association.] You just take a sleeping bag and food; most of the huts have heat and light. It’s great to escape for a night, to be beyond cell phones and tablets.”
CHRIS KLUG learned to ski at an early age, and at nine years old began snowboarding in Moon Boots, with the flex determined by the number of wraps of duct tape. His snowboarding accomplishments include three-time Winter Olympian, bronze medalist in Salt Lake City in 2002, eleven-time U.S. National Champion, twenty-year veteran of the Snowboard World Cup, and five-time World Cup Champion. Chris has spent plenty of time exploring mountain communities around the world and believes the best one is situated in the Elk Mountains in Aspen, Colorado. In addition to his passion for outdoor activities, Chris devotes his energy to promoting lifesaving organ and tissue donation through the Chris Klug Foundation (www.chrisklugfoundation.org). As a twelve-year liver transplant recipient himself, Chris is dedicated to giving back to help the more than one hundred thousand people waiting across the country for a second chance at life. Chris is proud to be a licensed real estate broker with Aspen Snowmass Sotheby’s International Realty in Aspen, Colorado.
If You Go
Getting There: Direct air service to Aspen is available from United Airlines (800-864-8331; www.united.com). It’s a 220-mile drive from Denver to Aspen.
Season: The four areas at Aspen open between Thanksgiving and early December, and close for the season in mid-April.
Lift Tickets: Two-day lift tickets in prime season begin at $196. Multi-day packages are available; visit www.aspensnowmass.com for details. Your lift ticket gives you access to all four mountains.
Level of Difficulty: Between Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, and Buttermilk, there’s something for everyone—including an extensive, X Game–worthy terrain park.
Accommodations: Aspen Snowmass (800-525-6200; www.aspensnowmass.com) lists the many lodging options available in town.
