Colorado School me on a little place called Aspen....

[dbostedo]

How is the drive time and difficulty from (the far side of) Basalt to the Aspen resort mountains?
Aspen areas themselves don’t seem to have any lodging for normal prices, but Basalt has a few.

Some folks drove or bussed in for the Gathering a couple of years ago from Basalt, and I don't think it was much trouble. But there is some rush hour traffic to deal with during the week, especially if it's snowing.

That said, there are a couple of cheaper hotels/hostels in Aspen... the St. Moritz and Tyrolean I believe. If you get a hostel type room it can be under $100 a night. Regular rooms are a lot more.

Also, there are usually deals to be had at Snowmass for hotel rooms under $200 a night... for instance, here's one almost slopeside for $137/night in mid February from Hotels.com :

https://www.hotels.com/ho414597/?q-...=7&q-room-0-adults=2&YGF=14&MGT=7&ZSX=0&SYE=3

 

[Slim]

Some folks drove or bussed in from Basalt, and I don't think it was much trouble. But there is some rush hour traffic to deal with during the week, especially if it's snowing.

That said, there are a couple of cheaper hotels/hostels in Aspen... the St. Moritz and Tyrolean I believe. If you get a hostel type room it can be under $100 a night. Regular rooms are a lot more.

Also, there are usually deals to be had at Snowmass for hotel rooms under $200 a night... for instance, here's one almost slopeside for $137/night in mid February from Hotels.com :

https://www.hotels.com/ho414597/?q-...=7&q-room-0-adults=2&YGF=14&MGT=7&ZSX=0&SYE=3

Thanks!

Unfortunatley, we have 2 families with kids, so we are looking for a house/condo, so we can relax and cook our own meals. They are older kids now (8 and up), so it doesn’t have to be ski-in/ski-out anymore, but rather not a hotel room.

 

[dbostedo]

...we are looking for a house/condo...

In that case, if you haven't already done it, I'd search these sites well :

http://www.homeaway.com (which should be the same listings as http://www.vrbo.com)
http://www.airbnb.com
http://www.flipkey.com

 

[Lofcaudio]

Basalt is where I usually stay. The drive is very easy and usually takes 20 minutes if the traffic isn't too heavy. Buttermilk and Highlands are the easiest to get to from there. Basalt also has a very nice little downtown area with some great places to kick back and relax.

Highlands used to have free parking for vehicles with more than 4 passengers. If so, that is super-convenient because the lot is right there at the base. Otherwise, I would park at the free lots (Rodeo at Snowmass and the Intercept Lot for Aspen Mountain). Buttermilk also has free parking right at the bottom of the mountain. There is a little bit of schlepping that must be done, but it's actually one of the easier resorts to get around.

 

[Tony]

How is the drive time and difficulty from (the far side of) Basalt to the Aspen resort mountains?
Aspen areas themselves don’t seem to have any lodging for normal prices, but Basalt has a few.

Basalt is where I usually stay. The drive is very easy and usually takes 20 minutes if the traffic isn't too heavy. Buttermilk and Highlands are the easiest to get to from there.

The last couple of times I skied Aspen, I stayed with friend in El Jebel which borders Basalt (on the far side). I think 20 minutes is very optimistic as traffic was always heavy going into Aspen. Traffic usually came to a stop at the middle or before the Aspen end of the airport and was slow the rest of the way.

You could get to the Rodeo lot in Snowmass from Basalt in about 20 minutes, but be careful in the early morning and in the evening as there are some shady spots that can be icy. And you would have to decide if remote parking will work for you as quickly moving your family and ski gear to a shuttle could be problematic. When I skied Highlands and Ajax during the Gathering, I parked at Buttermilk and caught shuttles from Highway there.

 

[ADKmel]

Leave early, 7-715- the drive was 20-30min if we left at 730 was 40+ minutes, Ditto on be careful for slick spots (and FLYING Buses on the inside lane!)
We parked at Elk Camp Free w/4 or more (Snowmass) and did use the pay garage by Snowmass base (was 30$/day- 5 of us was very reasonable)
Bus service Mt to Mt is great.
There is "Ski Valet" that will take your skis to where ever you are skiing the next day too (I didn't use so not sure of the $)

 

[UGASkiDawg]

If you are just going for the skiing then Basalt is great. Leave the unit at 7:10 and the drive into town should be 20-25 minutes. I'd bite the bullet to pay to park at one of the base areas wherever I was skiing. If you can swing it and take advantage of it then staying in Aspen proper or Snowmass (and catching the bus to town).is a blast. Aspen is fun town but with youngish kids you probably aren't going to take advantage of it so Basalt is the better choice.

 

[Slim]

If you are just going for the skiing then Basalt is great. Leave the unit at 7:10 and the drive into town should be 20-25 minutes. I'd bite the bullet to pay to park at one of the base areas wherever I was skiing. If you can swing it and take advantage of it then staying in Aspen proper or Snowmass (and catching the bus to town).is a blast. Aspen is fun town but with youngish kids you probably aren't going to take advantage of it so Basalt is the better choice.

Yeah, our “town activities” are usually limited to dinner out once or twice and a visit to a swimming pool once.

 

[Ken_R]

The Castle Creek Bridge is being fixed right now and being the primary entry/exit point for Aspen proper traffic has been pretty bad. The detour is pretty slow too since it goes through Aspen's residential areas. Hopefully this work is all done come ski season.

 

[LowPressureKarl]

^^
Supposed to be complete 10/31.

Basalt’s nice, but I would look for a VRBO in the lower Snowmass Village. Woodbridge, Seasons Four or Snowmass Mountain Condos.
Free parking, free shuttles/bus till 2am.

 

[kitchener]

^^

Basalt’s nice, but I would look for a VRBO in the lower Snowmass Village. Woodbridge, Seasons Four or Snowmass Mountain Condos.
Free parking, free shuttles/bus till 2am.

I'm starting to look at where to stay myself -- same week as Slim mentioned, arriving Sunday Feb 17, skiing Monday through Friday, and departing Saturday, the 23rd. Just me and my ski-buddy cousin Wayne (thus far). Why do you recommend the above accommodations?

And a general question for all. I've read through this thread as I weigh staying in town versus perhaps slopeside at Snowmass. Wayne and I are less après skiers and more the types to ski bell to bell, enjoy a pitcher of beer afterwards over some there-I-was stories, then usually out like a light before 11 pm. And non-cookers. If we stayed in town, are the bus stops everywhere so we're not walking 15 minutes every morning from wherever we'd be staying to hop the bus to Snowmass? Or, given the above M.O., would we be better staying up at Snowmass someplace really convenient to the lifts, and busing into town?

I'm sure we'll take the advice of trying Snowmass, Ajax, and the Highlands our first three consecutive days, then returning to our favorite(s) for the remaining two. Is Ikon our be$t bet, lifts-wise?

Aaron

 

[Jed Peters]

@kitchener if you're doing a buddy trip--you should stay in town. The shuttles and busses are really really easy. In town you don't need a shuttle, just your two legs.

I ski pretty darn hard, and don't go bell to bell. And I'm in "better than average" shape.

For me, having a family, there are two kinds of ski trips--buddy trips and family trips.

Family trips are more about the family, ease of everything, and making sure that the family has the conveniences of it all. For a family trip I would FOR SURE stay at Snowmass.

For a buddy trip, I wouldn't have changed a thing staying in town at the bottom of ajax. Perfect location. super convenient and accessible to the three mountains.

Also, I'm a pretty decent skier, and I still skied Buttermilk for an afternoon. Great groomers and cruising runs.

 

[kitchener]

I should have mentioned, I've never skied the Aspen area before (if it wasn't obvious in my post) -- so we're not headed there with the intent of focusing on one area. So that said, as an example, if we stayed as you suggest in town at the bottom of Ajax, for the day(s) we do want to head to say, Snowmass, what's the schlep time look like?

Forgive a stupid question (I haven't actually looked at the maps, yet) -- are the ski areas interconnected on-mountain (a la Alta/Snowbird)?

 

[Jed Peters]

I should have mentioned, I've never skied the Aspen area before (if it wasn't obvious in my post) -- so we're not headed there with the intent of focusing on one area. So that said, as an example, if we stayed as you suggest in town at the bottom of Ajax, for the day(s) we do want to head to say, Snowmass, what's the schlep time look like?

Forgive a stupid question (I haven't actually looked at the maps, yet) -- are the ski areas interconnected on-mountain (a la Alta/Snowbird)?

Honestly? Ajax, in town. Right there.

Buttermilk, 5-7 minutes? Maybe?

Highlands, 10 minutes? Maybe?

Snowmass, 20? At the most?

Mountains are not interconnected but you can literally look at the three in town from the others. Like, they're RIGHT there.

I would ski them all. Why not? They're all fun in their own right.

We did snowmass the day it snowed all day and had 10" the night before. There were two accidents on the road to the resort. Honestly the shuttle ride didn't feel like it was long AT ALL...maybe 20 minutes at the most?

We did Ajax for the morning, lunch in condo, buttermilk for an hour and a half in the afternoon. Then next day did Highlands. Then did Snowmass, then Highlands again. Everything was right there close and didn't ever feel like we had to "go out of the area" to get to skiing. Everything pretty much felt like it was "just aspen".

 

[dbostedo]

Forgive a stupid question (I haven't actually looked at the maps, yet) -- are the ski areas interconnected on-mountain (a la Alta/Snowbird)?

No - they're separated by valleys. Here's a shot from the website panoramic cam showing, from left to right, Aspen Mountain (Ajax), Highlands, and Buttermilk. Snowmass is on the far right but you can't see it real well - you're kind of looking at it on-edge. Ajax comes down right into the middle of town.

I should have mentioned, I've never skied the Aspen area before (if it wasn't obvious in my post) -- so we're not headed there with the intent of focusing on one area. So that said, as an example, if we stayed as you suggest in town at the bottom of Ajax, for the day(s) we do want to head to say, Snowmass, what's the schlep time look like?

Here's a map with the bus stops in red (at least where Google thinks they are)... Rubey Park near the lifts is the main bus interchange. If you're not in ski boots, everything is easily walkable. In boots, it's mostly walkable, but that can get old quickly. The closer you are to the lifts, the more expensive the place is, in general. (Check out the Little Nell webpage sometime.)

 

[Crank]

I stayed in town last time and would look at Snowmass instead. Better IMO for a friendly village and plenty of spots for après ski brews. Better ski hill than Ajax. Should be easy to bus from there to town and other areas.

I found the town of Aspen to be beautiful, but not a great place to hang out in. Pricey, more shopping than anything else. Just my opinion.

 

[Tricia]

I stayed in town last time and would look at Snowmass instead. Better IMO for a friendly village and plenty of spots for après ski brews. Better ski hill than Ajax. Should be easy to bus from there to town and other areas.

I found the town of Aspen to be beautiful, but not a great place to hang out in. Pricey, more shopping than anything else. Just my opinion.

This ^^^

 

[Muleski]

@kitchener, I would read the whole thread. I'd also use the search function.

You're going to get a range of opinions. Such as Snowmass is better skiing than Aspen Mtn {Ajax}. Or Snowmass has better "après".

I have family in Aspen, and have had family there for 50+ years. So, we do have some local knowledge. Personally, if I were vacationing there, where I would stay is entirely based on how much you are willing to spend. We stay with family and friends, either in "the core" of downtown Aspen, or in Old Snowmass {not the ski base}. I would say in Aspen, as close to Ajax as my budget allowed. My wife and I love walking the "city", grabbing a coffee after skiing, etc. We are not into après as a sport. In fact I'm trying to remember when lines like "Where is the best place to après? " actually entered ski vocabulary. If I were to stay in the core, I'd cook in some nights, and eat out others. You can find anything for food. Burgers on up.

If my group included families with small kids, I WOULD stay at Snowmass. If the kids were older and strong skiers, I'd probably stay downtown, as for me, that is the real Aspen. I hear of families who spent an entire week at Snowmass, and had a GREAT time. But they really didn't spend a week in Aspen.

Yes, Aspen CAN cost a fortune, but it does not need to. I've posted on that, here, before. The public trans system is great, and there are "a lot" of Uber cars.

I prefer the skiing at Highlands and Ajax to Snowmass. But, all four mountains are fun skiing....including Buttermilk. These days we often skin up Buttermilk at sunrise or sunset. Lots of fun. Our daughter then heads to work at Highlands.

Hard to go wrong anywhere, and I'm offering a different opinion. If you do stay at the base of Ajax, it will be significantly more expensive than staying out at Snowmass. Either way, I'd start with Airbnb, VRBO, etc. You can find some deals. But get on it NOW.

Have fun.

 

[sbooker]

I should have mentioned, I've never skied the Aspen area before (if it wasn't obvious in my post) -- so we're not headed there with the intent of focusing on one area. So that said, as an example, if we stayed as you suggest in town at the bottom of Ajax, for the day(s) we do want to head to say, Snowmass, what's the schlep time look like?

Forgive a stupid question (I haven't actually looked at the maps, yet) -- are the ski areas interconnected on-mountain (a la Alta/Snowbird)?

The bus system is super easy and pretty quick. We skied a morning at Buttermilk one day and grabbed a quick bite to eat on the way to the shuttle and ate on the 15 minute journey to Snowmass. Skied Snowmass for the afternoon.
I would second (third?) staying in Aspen itself if you’re not taking kids. The town has a great vibe - it would be a pity to miss that as it’s all part of the experience.
I would recommend doing Highlands on your third day so you’ve had a chance to adjust to the altitude. Hiking the bowl first day would be a bit more difficult I think.
You’re going to have a blast.

 

[kitchener]

No - they're separated by valleys. Here's a shot from the website panoramic cam showing, from left to right, Aspen Mountain (Ajax), Highlands, and Buttermilk. Snowmass is on the far right but you can't see it real well - you're kind of looking at it on-edge. Ajax comes down right into the middle of town.

View attachment 54947




Here's a map with the bus stops in red (at least where Google thinks they are)... Rubey Park near the lifts is the main bus interchange. If you're not in ski boots, everything is easily walkable. In boots, it's mostly walkable, but that can get old quickly. The closer you are to the lifts, the more expensive the place is, in general. (Check out the Little Nell webpage sometime.)

View attachment 54948

Something tells me I'll be looking at this bus map a lot as I start to zero in on where to stay. Thanks Dave.