top ten ski resorts

Top Ten Ski Resorts
in the United States
TP Gold's Pick

Aspen, Colorado #1 Ski Resort
Aspen, a famous Rocky Mountain town in Colorado, is a European-style ski village built in the 1960's and visited by famous celebrities.
Aspen is a spectacular world-class ski resort.

 

Aspen

Aspen in Color

Aspen in Color presents a view of Aspen and the surrounding Rocky Mountains through a collection of color photographs by local photographers, depicting one of America's most popular resorts and its setting in a dramatic natural landscape. This coffeetable book combines the images of nature from the Aspen area with photographs of the town of Aspen, characterizing nature in its many moods, and chronicling the activities of the city's residents and visitors. The photographs are arranged by the four seasons of the year. Accompanying text is by Aspen Times writer Paul Andersen.

Aspen, a famous Rocky Mountain town in Colorado, is a European-style ski village built in the 1960's and visited by famous celebrities. It is a spectacular world-class ski resort.

Other outdoor sports in this world-class ski resort include white water rafting on the Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers, biking in the Rocky Mountains, jeep trails, horseback riding, paragliding and ballooning. Some of the best trout fishing in Colorado lies near Aspen.

Aspen Mountain:
Offers legendary bumps and steeps.

Season: Late November to Late April
Base elevation: 7,945 ft./2,422 m.
Summit elevation: 11,212 ft./3,417 m.
Vertical rise: 3,267 ft./996 m.
Terrain: 673 acres/270 hectares

Trails:
Number of trails: 76
Miles/km of trails: 64 miles/103 km
Longest run: 3 miles/4.83 km
Trails: easiest – 0%, more difficult – 48%, most difficult – 26%, expert – 26%

Snow:
Annual snowfall: 300 inches/762 cm
Snowmaking: 210 acres/84 hectares

Lifts:
8 Total: 6 primary - 1 gondola (the Silver Queen Gondola goes from base to summit in 14 minutes), 1 high-speed quad chair, 1 high-speed double chair, 1 quad chair, 2 double chairs; 2 secondary – 1 quad (Little Nell), 1 double (Bell Mountain)
Lift capacity: 10,755 riders/hour

Parks and Pipes: Special Spring Jam terrain park on Little Nell in April!
Uncrowded slopes: On average, 3 people per acre/9 people per hectare

Best known for: Aspen Mountain, the flagship mountain of the Aspen/Snowmass resort complex, offers excellent intermediate to expert terrain that includes steep and bump runs

Best-kept secret: Groomed, intermediate cruising runs

Aspen Mountain opened permanently to snowboarders on April 1, 2001. New tool benches and snowboard specific vents have been added as snowboarding is integrated into the fabric on Aspen Mountain.

Location: Within the White River National Forest, in downtown Aspen

Lodging bed base: 8,000 beds at the base of the mountain; 6,000 additional beds within 12 miles

Climate in Aspen: In the valley, summer high temperatures extend into the 70's and mid 80s, with cool evenings that often dip into the 30s. Winter lows occasionally dip to minus 30 degrees, with daytime temperatures often in the 20s to 30s. The relative humidity is quite low throughout the year. Much of the area and its recreation facilities lie at higher elevations where significantly lower temperatures and more precipitation can be expected. Afternoon summer thunderstorms are common. Snow is possible at any time of year in the highest elevations. The high elevation roads and trails are often not clear of snow until mid-July.


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