Mountain Review: Snowmass
MOUNTAIN SCORE
NOTE: This page only covers Snowmass, one of four mountains in the Aspen/Snowmass complex. Also see our Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands, and Aspen Mountain reviews.
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
8
Snow:
8
Resiliency:
8
Size:
9
Terrain Diversity:
8
Challenge:
8
Lifts:
6
Crowd Flow:
9
Facilities:
6
Navigation:
8
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
1-Day Ticket: $189-$204
Pass Affiliation: Ikon (excl. base pass), Mountain Collective
On-site Lodging: Yes
Aprés-ski: Extensive
Closest Cities: Aspen proper (15 mins), Denver (4 hrs)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Striking, expansive footprint
Diverse terrain for all abilities
Considerable lift-serviced vertical drop
Widespread on-mountain facilities
High-speed lifts in most areas
– Cons
Lift logistics at the main base
Most demanding expert lines hard to find
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 16
Trails: 98
Beginner: 5%
Intermediate: 48%
Advanced/Expert: 47%
VIDEO
Mountain Review
Spanning more than 3,000 acres across several distinct mountain areas, Snowmass is the largest, most diverse resort in the Aspen conglomerate. The resort aims to offer a top-of-the-line experience across all categories, attracting some of the most moneyed, critical clientele in the world. After experiencing the full mountain, it’s hard to argue they haven’t succeeded.
Snowmass enjoys the same high-quality snow present at other Colorado resorts. Accumulation isn’t quite as light as that in some Rockies microclimates, but frequent storms and strong preservation result in powdery conditions throughout much of the core season. Early-season snowmaking allows Snowmass to offer a reliable opening date and consistent cover on the overwhelming majority of its groomed footprint.
No matter your ability level, it’s hard not to find something to like about Snowmass. Across its considerable footprint, the resort features terrain from mellow groomers to difficult steeps. Snowmass has pretty much everything you might expect from a ski resort, including tree-defined trails, glades, and bowls, across a variety of elevations and mountain faces. Given the scope of the resort, visitors will likely need at least a few days to cover every mountain area.
Snowmass’s beginner footprint is limited compared to terrain of other difficulties, but the mountain isn’t a bad place to learn. First timers should head up to the Elk Camp Meadows learning area, a bunny hill unique in that it’s located mid-mountain. This area features a dedicated chairlift and magic carpet, and it’s physically siphoned off from harder trails carrying more experienced visitors. Snowmass’s other bunny hill, Assay Hill, is a good progression slope from Elk Camp. Outside the learning zones, novices will find a handful of green runs in lower-mountain areas.
It’s not every day you can find intermediate terrain that truly stands out, but Snowmass delivers. The resort specializes in distinctive, moderately-sloped cruisers that can be found across all mountain areas. That being said, several blue runs are on the steeper side and would likely be blacks at other resorts (and some go ungroomed for quite awhile). Notable intermediate areas include the near-treeline Sheer Bliss and Big Burn as well as the lightly-gladed Elk Camp. If it’s nice out, the two intermediate trails off the Cirque summit offer an incredible high-alpine environment and the best panoramic views at the resort.
While it’s one of the only blue trails in North America that requires hiking to get to, Long Shot is a must-do for all Snowmass visitors—this five-mile run leads guests through an exhausting but rewarding intermediate adventure. It’s hard to do this trail the same way twice, with several different open and gladed paths across the entire descent.
Snowmass also delivers superb terrain for experienced visitors looking for a challenge. Notable single-black experiences include the groomed, steep bombers and challenging mogul runs at Sam’s Knob, the tight, demanding glades at Big Burn, and the brief above-treeline bowl section of High Alpine. With the exception of a few below-treeline runs that are probably overrated for challenge, all of Snowmass’s double-black runs exist in the high-alpine Cirque and Hanging Valley areas. All of these trails are extremely steep, and many contain hidden obstacles such as rocks. The majority are defined by rock walls rather than trees. The most challenging lines require executing extremely specific turns or mandatory straight-lining, although you really need to know what you’re doing to find these.
Due to the high altitude, people may find themselves struggling to exert energy in upper-mountain areas. Visitors should use extreme caution when attempting anything risky for the first time here.
Snowmass has it all terrain-wise, and that includes terrain parks. All of the resort’s freestyle features are serviced by the lower-mountain Village Express, with most being lappable by the much more direct Coney Glade high-speed quad. These parks—designed with progression in mind—stand out with large jumps and a halfpipe. They also boast features such as boxes, rails, and wall rides.
Snowmass sustains an unmistakably ritzy vibe across its bases and some mid-mountain restaurants. That being said, pockets of serene, isolated terrain exist across the massive footprint. Snowmass’s vertical drop extends over 4,000 feet, and the outermost reaches feel truly removed from the world. High-elevation areas offer striking views when it’s nice out, with some of Colorado’s tallest, most distinctive peaks visible from the resort boundaries. Lower elevations feature several trail-side condos, but except directly around the main base, they’re not overly built up.
Upscale lodges can be found across every resort area, with sit-down restaurants and outdoor fire pits at some. Food quality and value vary across each facility, but the former is generally very good and the latter is broadly lacking. It’s always possible to find indoor seating somewhere at Snowmass, but the very popular Elk Camp venue reaches capacity during peak times. Despite the fancy on-mountain restaurants, there are still a few quaint benches to enjoy a home-packed meal.
With the exception of the bunny hills, nearly every Snowmass area sees service from detachable, high-speed lifts. Most visitors will enter Snowmass from one of two lifts at the main base—the Elk Camp Gondola or the Village Express six-pack. Both of these lifts are incredibly long but get you decently high up on the mountain. That being said, these lifts don’t provide the most direct access to some mid- and upper-mountain resort areas, and at the beginning of the day, they can see long lines. Unfortunately, the loading areas for the two lifts are not within sight of each other, so if you’re stuck in a long line for one of them, it’s tough to assess the situation for the other.
Upper-mountain areas are easier to lap thanks to shorter, more direct lifts. However, it takes limited hiking to conveniently access some Hanging Valley trails (the hikes can be avoided with a ride up the much more indirect Cirque platter). Additionally, these and several other runs off the High Alpine lift require riding the Alpine Springs lift as well in order to lap the area. The lower-mountain Campground double—Snowmass’s sole advanced-only chair—is the only slow lift servicing terrain outside of learning areas, although it’s shorter than it looks on the trail map.
Speaking of the trail map, it’s wildly not to scale in some places. But otherwise, Snowmass is relatively intuitive to get around for its size. The resort benefits from its base-centric setup, making it hard to end up in the wrong general area at the end of the day. The indirect lower-mountain lift network makes for some high-consequence intersections, but clear signage with lodge and lift directions helps substantially in these situations.
The one place that’s arguably annoying to reach is the Snowmass Mall. While most resort areas naturally filter down to Snowmass’s base village, the Mall is a few hundred feet up from here. From the bottom of the resort, the only direct way from the base to the Mall (since Snowmass’s other lifts extend quite a ways up before practical unloading is possible) is the Sky Cab gondola. If you need to get back to the Mall at the end of the day (and many people will, as the buses back to free parking load here), don’t end up in the village—the Sky Cab can generate long lines as everyone tries to get out through this limited capacity pulse gondola.
Getting There
Along with the other resorts in the Aspen conglomerate, Snowmass is considerably further from Denver than many competing Colorado ski areas. Most visitors will find it more convenient to fly directly into the Aspen/Pitkin County airport, which is a very short drive from Snowmass Village; however, flights tend to be very pricey. The resort is about four hours from the Denver airport with no traffic (avoid weekend AM drives into the mountains to beat the traffic), and a number of shuttle services exist.
Lodging
A wide variety of upscale accommodations exist near Snowmass, including in mountain-side Snowmass Village and the nearby town of Aspen. Several on-site luxury hotels and condos offer ski-in/ski-out mountain access, while others are a short walk from the base. Aspen proper is about a 20-minute drive from Snowmass, and a wide variety of hotels, condos, and home rentals can be found in the small, charming city.
If you plan on driving to Snowmass for the day, complimentary parking is incredibly inconvenient. The free lot is several miles from the base, and visitors will have to rely on a shuttle bus to get to and from the resort. The Snowmass bus depot is not in an easily visible area, so visitors will need to be careful to remember where they were dropped off.
Aprés-ski
Thanks to a lively village and the nearby town of Aspen, Snowmass is hard to beat aprés-wise. Bars just off the slopes and in Snowmass Mall offer happy hour deals and great post-skiing vibes. In Aspen proper, just about everything exists, including bars ranging from casual to lively, clubs with live music, and fancy restaurants.
Verdict
Not only is Snowmass the best mountain in the Aspen conglomerate—it’s good enough that many won’t even feel the need to visit the other three mountains—but it’s arguably the best in Colorado. The resort may not stand out at everything, but its relative few weaknesses mean pretty much everyone will have a good time here. Snowmass’s only real downside is its price—ticket costs are steep, as are the lodging in the surrounding area and convenient parking. But you get what you pay for, and during the core season, it’s hard to leave here disappointed.
