Jump to content
Note to New Members ×

One day in Aspen + 2 days


rjnakata

Recommended Posts

I have  trip planned for early March  and I have one day to carve in Aspen - Saturday March 14.  This is my first time in Aspen!  Where should I go for the best carving?  Aspen, Snowmass, Buttermilk, Highlands?  Thanks!

I also have Friday the 13th and Sunday the 15th for Denver local mountains on the Ikon pass: Copper, Arapahoe, Eldora, Winter Park, Steamboat, Winter Park.  Again I don't know a thing about the carving at these resorts...all new to me.  

thanks for your insight!

Edited by rjnakata
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is good carving to be had at all 4 Aspen areas. Buttermilk has some great carving with very few people. Most of it isn't very steep but very nice. Snowmass has a lot of terrain and many different slopes to choose from. Highlands has some great carving slopes but you have to go through some less-than-ideal terrain to get to the bottom. Aspen Mountain has some carving favorites: Ruthies and Copper Bowl. 

My personal favorite is Buttermilk for the great grooming and lack of crowds. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, JohnE said:

There is good carving to be had at all 4 Aspen areas. Buttermilk has some great carving with very few people. Most of it isn't very steep but very nice. Snowmass has a lot of terrain and many different slopes to choose from. Highlands has some great carving slopes but you have to go through some less-than-ideal terrain to get to the bottom. Aspen Mountain has some carving favorites: Ruthies and Copper Bowl. 

My personal favorite is Buttermilk for the great grooming and lack of crowds. 

Wow, Buttermilk sounds great.  We're not steeps carving hard chargers (daughter and I) and like to avoid the uber skiers.  For example I prefer June Mountain, CA (smaller, less crowded, close parking, nice people, great snow) over Mammoth (mammoth).  I wish I had more days in Aspen.

 

7 hours ago, Pat Donnelly said:

Driving to CO or flying?  I-70 westbound out of Denver on Saturday a.m. or eastbound on any Sunday p.m. could be a concern. 

This is good to know.  We're riding Sunday and flying out of DEN at 8:00pm.   Should I go to Winter Park to avoid the traffic?  I was hoping to do Arapaho (?) Sunday and fly out that night.  Total newbie here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that you'll love Buttermilk. Most of the other people there are beginner skiers. Very easy to spot and avoid. The West Buttermilk lift is very mellow and very fun. Some steeper stuff is off of Tiehack lift. You can easily switch between the two. 

I have never carved Steamboat. It is about a 3 hour drive from Denver. Arapahoe, Copper and Winter Park are 1.5 - 2 hours from Denver. Of the 3, Winter Park is my preference. Eldora is closer but I expect carving is limited. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 12/17/2019 at 1:00 AM, rjnakata said:

This is good to know.  We're riding Sunday and flying out of DEN at 8:00pm.   Should I go to Winter Park to avoid the traffic?  I was hoping to do Arapaho (?) Sunday and fly out that night.  Total newbie here.

I-70 can get really busy.

WP will be just as long if not longer as Berthoud pass can be real slow and even closed if there is avalanche mitigation. Your plan of riding Aspen and leaving is probably the best one but plan on leaving around or before 2pm because it can take more than 3 hours to get down in heavy traffic.  If you leave at 4 you will miss your flight. 

Also, keep in mind that mid March is spring break time. Be prepared for busy, crazy slopes. Aspen will be better than WP/Copper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys for the great insight. The traffic is a factor I didn't really know about. 

Do you think this makes sense?:

Thurs: arrive late DEN, stay in Lakewood

Fri: Lakewood -> Copper -> Basalt

Sat: Basalt -> Buttermilk -> Georgetown

Sun: Georgetown -> Winter Park -> DEN 8:00 flight

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On Sunday if you go to Loveland one of the crew can likely set you up with a discount pass. Loveland and Winter Park are the closest to Denver. About 1 1/2 hour in light traffic. Could be 3+ hours in heavy traffic.  

At Winter Park you likely won't see any other hardbooters. At Loveland, there will likely be a crew of 6+. 

Loveland is about 10 minutes from Georgetown. 

Edited by JohnE
new info
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...