Aspen Snowmass Ski Guide: Aspen Mountain, Highlands, Buttermilk, Snowmass

Aspen Snowmass is four ski areas on one lift ticket: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass, all run by the Aspen Skiing Company in Pitkin County, western Colorado. Together they give a single trip expert bowls, a renowned learning mountain, a ski-in town with Victorian streets and a vertical drop of more than 4,400 feet at Snowmass.

Aspen Mountain: the gondola from town

Aspen Mountain, known locally as Ajax, is the original. Lift-1 began running on 14 December 1946, and in 1950, only its fourth season, Aspen hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships — the first held outside Europe. Today the Silver Queen Gondola, opened in 1986, rises straight from downtown to the Sundeck at 11,212 feet (3,417 m).

The mountain has a vertical drop of 3,267 feet (996 m) over 673 acres. There are no green runs at all: the terrain is groomers, bumps and steep glades for intermediate and expert skiers. Snowboarders have been welcome since April 2001, after a long ban. For the 2026–27 season, Aspen Mountain is scheduled to open on 26 November 2026 and close on 18 April 2027.

Snowmass: the big mountain

Snowmass, about nine miles (14 km) from downtown Aspen in the White River National Forest, opened on 17 December 1967. It is larger than the other three areas combined: 3,362 skiable acres, a summit at 12,510 feet (3,810 m) and a vertical drop of 4,406 feet (1,343 m).

Its 94 trails run from gentle cruisers to steep expert lines, served by 16 lifts including three gondolas. The longest run, Longshot, is 5.3 miles (8.5 km). Three terrain parks and a superpipe make it the main freestyle hub. Snowmass Village has its own slopeside lodging, a good choice for families who want to walk to the lifts.

Aspen Highlands and Highland Bowl

Aspen Highlands, founded in 1958 just outside town, is the locals' favourite. It covers 1,010 acres with a 3,638-foot (1,109 m) vertical. Its signature is Highland Bowl, fully opened in 2002: skiers hike from the top of Loge Peak to Highland Peak at 12,392 feet (3,777 m), and a snowcat can shorten the climb by about a third. Including the hike, the skiable vertical reaches 4,342 feet (1,323 m).

After the bowl, the Cloud Nine Bistro at the top of the Cloud Nine lift looks straight across to the Maroon Bells, two of Colorado's most photographed peaks.

Buttermilk: learning terrain and the X Games

Buttermilk, also opened in 1958, is the gentlest of the four: 435 acres, a 2,030-foot (620 m) vertical and a summit at 9,900 feet. About 35 percent of its 44 trails are rated beginner, and the Hideout at the base is a play-and-learn area for children aged two and a half to six. Buttermilk is also the home of ESPN's Winter X Games and their famous terrain park.

For a mixed group, the easy plan is lessons at Buttermilk, intermediates on Snowmass, experts at Highlands or Ajax, and a meeting in town for the evening. Use our ski-trip planning framework to compare bases, and our five ski-season ideas for goals beyond collecting runs. Lift-ticket prices and schedules are on the official Aspen Snowmass site.

Related reading

• Twelve North American Ski Destinations: Terrain and Trip Planning

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