Are you the kind of person who would like
to be out in the open and be doing something than staying cooped up indoors? In
summer it does not matter. What about winter time? It will be freezing cold and
one has to be all bundled up to stay warm. All around you see people shovelling
snow off their driveways and walkways. Not to worry. Ski resorts are your ideal
destinations to make vacations and holidays during the winter fun!
So, what is a ski resort in the first place?
A ski resort is a resort that has been
designed and developed to ski, snowboard and host various other winter sports.
To facilitate the sports, these resorts are generally located in mountainous
areas, usually in the outskirts of a town or a village.
In North America, these resorts have skiing
as the main stream activity. Apart from ski trials there are supporting
services like hotels, restaurants, rentals for renting skiing and other sport
equipments and the ski – lift system. The ski – lift systems are used to
rapidly transfer people to the top of the slopes. Chairlifts are very common
among them. For shorter slopes like the ones for beginners, they use rope tows.
For larger ski areas aerial trams and gondolas are used. In some resorts, you
could even avail lodging on the slopes themselves. You could ski out and back
in, right to your door!
Is Skiing the only sport on the resort? No.
Snowmobiling, sledding, horse drawn sleds, dog sleds and ice skating are also
available. Not only that, you have local entertainment like theatres, cinema,
clubs and cabaret. For aiding tourists and guests, ski patrols come to the
rescue of injured guests and have basic first aid facilities. They also ensure
order in the resort and dismiss nuisances.
What does Aspen
offer?
Aspen boasts ‘The power of four’. With four
peaks named Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen highlands and Buttermilk, tourists
are promised the times of their life.
Getting here
The nearest airports are Aspen/Pitkin
County airport (ASE, 3 miles from Aspen, 6 miles from Snowmass), Eagle County
Regional airport (EGE, 70 miles from Aspen and Snowmass), Denver International
airport (DIA, 220 miles from Aspen and Snowmass), Grand Junction Regional
airport (GJT, 130 miles from Aspen and Snowmass), Colorado Springs airport
(COS, 270 miles from Aspen and Snowmass).
There are free shuttle services between the
four mountains from 8 in the morning to 4:30 in the evening. Rubey Park on
Durant Street is the starting point for shuttles within Aspen downtown. There
are scheduled and chartered services available at airports to your lodging. It
is advisable to book the services prior to arrival.
For novices and
beginners
There are ski and snowboard schools that
have trained professionals who are more than willing to build confidence, help
you understand the terrain and guiding you to ski and snowboard. They also help
you know other things on the resort. The programs are designed for tourists of
all ages and abilities. The lessons are designed for 100% satisfaction, risk
free adventure.
Staying and Lodging
There are many lodges, resorts and
condominiums and clubs to make the stay stellar. Be it economical accommodation
or ultrachic hotels, there are hotels and resorts of all kinds. You have on the
slope lodging and ski in and ski out gondolas. Child care and tree house
adventures are available for kids. They can spend their time happily here when
the adults are taking a respite.
Lifts tickets and equipments
As for the lift tickets they are
categorised for kids, adults and the youth. You could purchase the tickets
seven days in advance and get 10% off. In addition to this you could add rental
equipments to this purchase.
Rental equipment stores are
available for adults and children. For those who want to make outright
purchases, there is also a D&E retail store.
Happenings
There are events and activities that
happen here to make it lively. Music festivals, culinary and art experiences,
the Aspen Ideas festival which is an Aspen original and signature events mark
the calendar almost every day.
The Meeting is an event that offers
all the biggest and best ski and snowboard movies of the year. Along with this
there is a fashion show, industry conference and other fun activities in which
snow sports film makers, athletes and industry insiders take part.
The Power of Four race series is a
premier race series that tests the limits of elite and recreational athletes.
Apart from this there are mountain bike races, trail races. Ruggerfest and
Aspenfest are in town events that steal the show too.
The Numbers
Ajax Statistics
Vertical Rise: 3267 feet
Skiable Terrain: 675 acres
Peak Elevation: 11212 feet
Base Elevation: 7945 feet
Annual Snowfall: 300 inches
Number of Lifts: 8
Number of Trails: 76
Snowmass Statistics
Vertical Rise: 4406 feet
Skiable Terrain: 3010 acres
Peak Elevation: 12510 feet
Base Elevation: 8104 feet
Annual Snowfall: 300 inches
Number of Lifts: 20
Number of Trails: 83
Aspen Highlands Statistics
Vertical Rise: 3635 feet
Skiable Terrain: 714 acres
Peak Elevation: 11675 feet
Base Elevation: 8040 feet
Annual Snowfall: 300 inches
Number of Lifts: 4
Number of Trails: 115
Buttermilk Statistics
Vertical Rise: 2030 feet
Skiable Terrain: 420 acres
Peak Elevation: 9900 feet
Base Elevation: 7870 feet
Annual Snowfall: 200 inches
Number of Lifts: 7
Number of Trails: 43
Whether you are an expert or a
novice, if you love the snow and you like being on the move, you could try the
one of the top ski resorts in North
America - Aspen
