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SES Text Tour Guide


JoelP

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Here is a text tour guide for the Aspen mtns for those that have been asking for information. This should give you a quick overview of each mtn and the highlights of each. If you can score a trail map before you get here or go online to aspensnowmass.com and look at the maps then this little guide should help you visualize what and where you may want to go.

Here is an overview and low down for carving.

Snowmass:

Hit the new six pack chair at the village and go to its top, this is called Sam's Knob. If Slot is groomed (immediately on your right) it's a must hit!!!!! For at least 2+ runs. It's a Black Diamond that is very very wide and probably the best Snowmass has to offer for shear thrill.

Then head to Big Burn and hit Sneaky's a long easy groomer that will just be real fun cruiser carving. If Whispering Jesse's or Mick's Gully is groomed hit it now early before the mass skiers are there. Be sure to check the boards at the lifts since they will tell you about the afternoon groomer. Snowmass holds a trail groomed roped off and then opens it at noon. It's different all the time but the boards at the lift will tell you which run it is.

Then head to the Alpine Springs chair to get a lot of intermediate groomed runs that are right under the chair and also to the skiers right there is Naked Lady that has some fun rollers. Then hit the next lift going up, called High Alpine. Getting off High Alpine go to the far skiers left across the cat walk for Upper Green Cabin. This should hold good grooming for quite awhile since it is so far away from the base area. The only thing about it is that if you want to do laps you have to take 2 chairs back to it if you ride the whole trail.

If you hit all the above you should be pretty worn out but I would suggest you start back toward the Village and have saved some energy for the Coney Glade chair. This used to have lots of traffic but now that the new six pack chair diverting everyone, this chair is less used and there is good grooming still to be had late in the day here and it is just above the Village so it's a quick shot back to the Village/Tent area.

Snowmass is huge so there is still more area's to hit for carving but that gives you a fair tour without spending to much time chair hoping or catwalk riding.

Buttermilk:

Taking the 4 man chair out of the base area you have 2 options. Either do warm up runs under that Quad or head straight over to the Tiehack section. Tiehack is on far skiers right after getting off the quad. When the grooming is done right it's the best and easiest place to get great runs in. The Tiehack chair is an old double and is slow BUT that keeps traffic to a minimal. You should only need to deal with these 2 chairs for the day. Just check what was groomed on Tiehack and just hit it as much as possible. We usually work from skiers left (Buckskin) to skiers right (Racers Edge) as the day goes and pending what was groomed. If everything gets groomed then it's truly heaven since there is plenty to go around before you all slaughter it to hell. Anything under the main Quad is just fun to lallygag and play with the terrain. The Ridge trail is a great warm up since it gets sun early and the light is great for visibilty.

If you want to go to West Buttermilk (the other lift) by all means do…but beware….it's only got one semi pitch run to it and it's at the end for about 5 or 6 turns only. That's the bottom of Larkspur. Then you have a new funky quad to take back to the top and it is kind of a pain to get back to the Tiehack lift but it is easy to get back to main Buttermilk. It's really the beginners area and is super mellow terrain.

Aspen Highlands:

Light in the morning can be funky still on Highlands. We hit it in the late morning/afternoon so the visibilty is better. The morning sun casts long shadows.

Anyway, Golden Horn/Thunder Bowl can be the widest groomed slopes that you may ever encounter. Fairly good pitch but they are so wide that in mid turn it seems like you can still see a football field of grooming ahead of you but you have to turn down the hill just to keep momentum going. You get to those by taking the chair to your far left at the base of the mtn.

If you take the chair on your right at the base, Quad, that takes you to mid mtn. On your ride up you'll see fields and fields of groomed terrain. It's all fun, mellow and still there mid day. I would suggest passing it up until later in the day since it will still be there fairly untouched. Get off that Quad go to the skiers left to the Cloud Nine Quad. If Wine Ridge and or Gunbarrel are groomed then you are in Nirvana!!!!!! wide, steep, off-cambers, just pure fun. Those runs are right under that chair. If they are not groomed, but usually at least one is, then get off the chair and go to the skiers left. You'll find mellow groomed runs that run down the ridge and through some tree groves. Be careful to not go to far and to hit the cat walk to get back to the Cloud Nine chair or you'll be going to the bottom again. If you explore around skiers right down the Cloud Nine chair you'll find some more gems.

If you go to the top, Lodge Peak chair, start your run by heading back down the ridge from where you just came from and bear off skiers right just after all the Steeplechase bumps. There are a few fun groomers down in that area.

Don't even think you'll find a groomer in the new Temetry Lift area……bumps bumps bumps and trees trees trees……

Then hit Golden Horn for the end of day fun.

Aspen Mtn.:

Get here early!!!!!! Get on the Gondola asap and do top to bottoms down Copper and or Spar Gulch. Wide and the grooming is spectacular. But always be aware that very fast skiers…downhill kamakizees….love speed runs down through these areas too. Then hit the mid mtn Ajax Express chair for a run or two and then get to Ruthies for 2 runs. Try to get all of that in before noon then head out of there to either the Milk or Highlands. Aspen can get very crowded with skiers very fast. But lucky for you all, they are late risers..unless it's a powder day… Also do not forget that if you do bottom to tops on the gondola you'll be getting over 2,000 vert per run and the Gondola only takes 13 minutes back to the top!!!!! I hope you have good legs!!!!!!

Of course there is a lot more and others can chime in but the above covers most of the highlights of each mtn. and all of it is exceptional terrain.

For bumps/trees/bowls either explore on your own or find a local because now there is way to much to get into detail on for each mtn.

Remember that there are a lot of harbooters out there between the SES and the Pureboarders. Respect everyones space.

Have fun. Be safe!!!!!

JoelP

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