Getting There from Denver
You're likely starting your drive from Denver, CO (most people fly in here, but you can also fly into Grand Junction for a slightly shorter drive). During the winter, Independence pass highway closes down, so you will have to take I-70 which is a longer drive to Aspen, closer to 4 hours. I highly recommend starting your drive before the weekend Denver ski madness, aiming to leave on a weekday during the day or after work hours (7pm). If you have a flight to make in Denver on the return, then you need to safely allocate a day or plenty of extra hours of driving. The ski traffic is the main reason I moved out of Colorado; it can easily (and often does) turn a 1.5 hour drive into a 4-6 hour drive due to heavy snow/low visibility which causes accidents, bad drivers sliding out, avalanches on the highway, etc.
This Aspen map has my summer items as well and my summer Aspen guide can be found here.
Before you Go + Packing
Be sure to have your IKON full pass (not just the base pass since Aspen isn't covered on that). Make sure to review any blackout dates that might conflict with your travel dates (e.g., holidays, etc.).
I use this adorable padded ski bag for traveling with my skis to make sure they are safe, especially if i'm flying with them, but also for roadtrips. It fits all my ski clothing layers, gloves, hats, and helmet too! Make sure to clean them before you put them back in, it wont damage the bag's interior, but it helps keep rust out. I try to also do a storage wax at the end of every season! REI offers this for free for members at the end of the ski season!
Ski Gear Collection
Where to Stay
Yes, it is expensive, but no it's not impossible to ski one of the best resorts in the world! I like to reserve my hotels way ahead of time, usually in the summer or early fall and just pick 2-3 random weekends in February or March (this is usually when you'll have snowstorms that have hit the mountain to sufficiently cover the base). Make sure they are fully refundable so you can cancel the ones you don't go to if the snow ends up being bad that weekend (unless you're traveling from far away then this doesn't apply to you).
I highly recommend staying in Snowmass Village. One year I was staying in downtown Aspen and took the free city bus to the resort (we got up early to get first chair since it was a snow storm) and the bus after us ended up sliding out and they shut down the road to the ski resort due to the snow storm. We had just made it in time and we had the entire resort to ourselves that day due to the road being closed for majority of the day. If you're in the village you don't have to worry about missing your ski runs due to inclement weather and/or road closures; also parking becomes a non-issue which is always a bonus! If you're traveling with a large group, you can stay in Carbondale to reduce costs.
If you don't mind spending, then you should opt for a place with positive reviews and a free cancellation policy and just book it way ahead of time. For a group of 4-6, I'd recommend this condo and if you book early enough the Mountain Chalet Snowmass is an affordable pet-friendly option!
Despite the negative reviews, I stayed once at this dog-friendly, affordable, ski-in/ski-out and had a really positive experience. It was convenient and I could check on my dog and walk her halfway through the day! The hotel was nothing fancy, but it was located inside the ski village, dog-friendly, and much cheaper than everything else.
I've also stayed a little further out from the ski resort in downtown Aspen which has its advantages if not everyone is a skier in the group. I stayed at St. Moritz Lodge which was affordable and had a nice hot tub! This place was so snowy and cozy, perfect for working remotely while skiing during the week!
Skiing on the Mountain
There are 4 resorts that make up skiing in Aspen: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. Expert skiers may enjoy the smaller resorts like Aspen Mountain or Aspen Highlands. buttermilk has a huge superpipe, but it also intended for beginners, while Snowmass has it all!
Snowmass mountain still remains my favorite ski mountain in the world, and i've skied all around in Colorado, Utah, California, Washington, Canada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Switzerland! I consider myself an intermediate to advanced level skier, and the blue runs are really long and challenging, but they're also wide and empty since Aspen is such a trek from Denver! You avoid all of the crowds that you find at resorts like Breckenridge, Winter Park, and Copper. Snowmass also has the longest ski run in Colorado called "Long Shot!". I'm a beginner when it comes to tree runs, so this place is perfect for me to have some widely spread out trees and powdery snow! I really can't rave enough about how much I love it here.
If you really want a challenge, you can skin up and ski down for free at Snowmass! Our uber driver one of the nights we were there said she does this with her kids. That's a huge no for me, but maybe a yes for others!
I did really enjoy the views at Aspen Highlands ski mountain. This one can be accessed via the Aspen town, so it's definitely worth checking out if you're staying in the downtown Aspen area. It's smaller and the trails are more narrow, so i didn't really enjoy it, but the views made it super worth it. I recommend this place on a "bluebird" sunny day because you can take great photos at the top with the backdrop of maroon bells and other peaks in the distance.
Skiing with the Dogs
In the winter, Snowmass ski resort lets you take your dogs on the gondola for a ski run right after they close for the day! This was my dog Sora's first time downhill skiing. I got her this skijoring harness (size small for 32lbs Shikoku-ken) so she could safely run beside me! This was truly a once and a lifetime experience for me and my pup and I was so excited to finally get the opportunity to share one of my favorite sports with her! We went during the super bowl, so there were no other dogs on the trail which was awesome.
In the winter, Aspen transforms their golf courses into cross country ski runs! You can also cross-country ski from the Aspen Nordic Visitor Center. They have tons of trails (if you have a reactive dog, just be aware there are off-leash trails, muzzle your dog if you're concerned!). You can rent XC skis for pretty cheap for the day (~$35) from the nordic center. They just barely fit into my yakima sky box 16 rooftop carrier so I could transport them between the trails. You can also rent skis beforehand from REI in Denver, but i'm not sure how much you'll save there unless you plan to go a lot!
Hiking
You have to be careful in the winter here due to avalanche risk in the mountains. Please be safe and check conditions online before you go anywhere. If you're looking for something on the drive, Rifle Falls is somewhat on the way and turns into a beautiful frozen waterfall in the winter!
