If you’re lucky enough to live near (or can travel to) Aspen Snowmass, then it’s never too early to plan your end of season trip.
Because the best end of season party we’ve been to is at Aspen Snowmass. Bonus: it’s a great deal to get to ski a mountain on the cheap(ish) that’s otherwise super expensive.
Steph and I are pretty serious skiers. You’ll usually find us in an uphill hike, couloir, or mandatory drop-in. But when spring hits and the powder has turned to corn, it’s time to pull out the little skis and head to the party and the after-party. It’s time for apres, one piece ski suits, beach chairs, and loud music. And for us, Aspen Snowmass is the place to do it.
We’ve been to a lot of end of seasons on a lot of mountains including Snowbasin, Alta, Mammoth, etc and while they all have some kind of celebration, most are limited to a small live band or pond skim for the few remaining locals. Our home mountain, Whistler, is great but the season basically just ends with just a sad “Thanks for a great season” sign. Colorado on the other hand does end of season right.
Why you should go to Aspen Snowmass
Are you one of those people who prefer skiing for the vibes and culture? Does the idea of dying in deep snow immersion or hucking yourself off a cliff hold no appeal? Then Aspen Snowmass is for you. The runs are easy, the vibes are plentiful, the party is bangin’. There are topless (male) DJ’s and beachballs as well as pond skimming and free flowing alcohol. Basically it’s a little piece of decadent European skiing.
Even though I’m the opposite kind of skier (you’ll find me deep pow run in the back bowl anyday) I think this is something everyone should do at least once. Grab a couple of hopefully free whisky shots and ski in a t-rex costume. Or bring shorts and sign up for a pond skim.
Skiing at Aspen Snowmass
In spring, you’re not here for the expert level skiing. But Aspen snowmass is a great mountain if you’re not into that. 95% of the mountain’s lodging is ski-in ski-out and the runs are wide open, just the right steepness not to have to pole but not too steep for beginners, and perfectly groomed each morning. Even the expert runs aren’t all that expert-y. This is skiing on easy mode.
You can get a great view of Maroon Bells and enjoy the easy endless and empty spring carving while you pose for nice pics for the socials.
Apres and on mountain eats
On the mountain, we went to up4pizza which advertises that it’s the highest elevation pizzeria in the USA. I’m not sure why you’d advertise that because baking works better at sea level. Regardless, Steph got their famous wood-fired cookie and thought it very much lived up to the hype.
For apres, the upper village where the mall is was the place to be.
Where to stay in Aspen Snowmass
95% of Aspen Snowmass’s lodging is ski in ski out (although the actual ski-in/out part gets a little sketch around closing time) and the prices get much lower during spring, so you should stay on mountain if you can. Most of the housing that isn’t stratospherically high priced is on the older side but also mostly newly renovated and clean. We had no issues with the average priced condo/timeshare we rented, which was in the Laurelwood. The only thing really telling the age of the condos is the lack of in-suite laundry (a very big deal if you’re on a long ski trip).
Aspen Snowmass Village
Aspen snowmass has one of the best villages I’ve ever seen, on par with Whistler and Vail, as expected. The village is separated into two parts, the base and the mall/upper village, and you get between them via a pulse gondola which is pretty unique and very cool looking. There are fires going everywhere and free smores in the upper village from 3-5, where they give you the marshmallow, chocolate, and graham crackers, and you make it yourself over one of the fires. Steph was a huge fan of this.
At season end, when we went, a lot of shops were closed and the village was pretty empty. On the other hand, the upper village was still very bumping which is no surprise as that’s where the housing is. I would avoid all the restaurants on mountain unless you are feeling very lazy. The town is much better from a food perspective. We tried the crepe shack and the acclaimed sushi restaurant on mountain and it was just serviceable while being quite expensive for what it was.
Where to eat in Aspen
The nearby town of aspen has a lot of great restaurants but two of our favorites are ironically outposts of other cities.
Clark’s Oyster Bar, originally from Austin, is great especially for the 3-5pm happy hour where the restaurant is empty and seating is easy to get. The oysters are great even though you’re in the mountains and the service is impeccable. We didn’t get the oysters the first time we were there so this time we went all out and got the whole menu. All the oysters were great, very fresh with a wonderful texture and that hint of ocean brine I love.
Home Team BBQ, originally from South Carolina is authentic BBQ and probably the best BBQ restaurants you can find in a ski town, though I’m happy to be corrected. We’ve had the specialty dry rub smoked wings with Alabama white sauce, the brisket, the chicken cracklings, and the ribs. All were amazing, especially the cracklings.
Aspen is also home to a really great kitchen store.
Parking
Everything at Aspen Snowmass is pay and usually expensive, and parking is no different. If you are staying on mountain and get in before your check-in time, be prepared to pay upwards of $40/day for parking. Once on the mountain, you can register your vehicle for free parking in the upper lots.
If Aspen feels a little too expensive
Glenwood springs is not too far away and is a very cute little resort town that is much more affordable. We walked around town and ran into a pierogi truck and stopped in at the Pullman restaurant, a very good restaurant that feels set in the early 00’s (in a good way). The pierogis, which seem to be a theme in town, were excellent, as was the pasta, oysters, beer selection, and the daily special dessert which was a bombolini.
Facts
- Avg 300″ of snowfall per year (Compare to ~400″ for Whistler or 550″ for Alta)
- 3342 acres of skiiable terrain (Compare to 8171 acres for Whistler or 2614 acres for Alta)
- 20 lifts
- Base elevation: 8110ft
- Summit: 12510ft
- Vertical drop: 4440ft
- On the Ikon pass (full pass only)
Things to do when you’re not skiing
Even if (or especially if) you don’t ski, Aspen Snowmass is definitely the place to be. You can take the gondola up in a cute ski outfit and enjoy the party anyway as it’s right at the top of the gondola, no skiing needed. You can’t say that about a lot of other mountains where the party is somewhere deep in the hill. Whistler’s pond skim, for instance, is at the base of the alpine lodge and there is no way to get there without at least a blue run.
Hope you get out there before the season ends!
Mike
