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Aspen Snowboarding, Snowboard Rentals, Snowboard Outfitters and Ski Shops
Aspen is one of the premiere ski towns in North America. Yes it has glamour, money and celebrities, but it also has an interesting history, both in skiing and mining, and boasts great skiing on four separate mountains.
The challenging terrain and man made facilities are what really draw snowboarders to this place. At the moment, Aspen is North America's best kept secret. It doesn't yet carry the notoriety amongst snowboarders that fellow Colorado resorts like Vail and Breckenridge. Read on to find out why we rate Aspen amongst the best snowboarding resorts.
If you are after free-riding terrain in Aspen the places to head to are either Aspen Mountain or Aspen Highlands.
Halfpipes: Your lift ticket at Aspen will give you access to two of the world's best Superpipes. One is located at Buttermilk and the other at Snowmass. Both pipes are shaped by the Bombadier Half Pipe Grinder 17 (designed to create 17 foot walls). Each pipe is perfectly manicured a few times a week and neither get trashed because they are so infrequently used by local riders. These pipes are a great place to ride without feeling intimidated by local "pros".
Snowboard Parks: Buttermilk boasts the world longest snowboard park at over 2 miles. The park is accessed by a high speed detachable quad chair. The first half of the park is very tame with about 15 to 20 basic rails and a handful of very small table tops. Once you finish this park you are lead straight into the X games standard Superpark which comprises of about 15 pro-rails mounted on the top of table-top styles booters. These rails are not for the faint hearted and the park is climaxed with a sex change rail located on the top of a 15 foot spine. Jump-wise, the superpark offers at least 5 table tops ranging between 40 to 55 foot in length, each of them well built and positioned with long steep landings and sharp takeoffs.
Aspen Region Facts
Dining: +++++
Apres-ski/nightlife: +++++
Other activities: +++++
Aspen Skiing Company, P.O. Box 1248, Aspen, CO 81612
Area code: 970
Ski area phone: 925-1220
or (800) 525-6200
Snow report: 925-1221 or
(888) 277-3676
Toll-free reservations:
(800) 262-7736 or 925-9000
Fax: 925-9008
E-mail: info@aspensnowmass.com (ski info); or info@stayaspensnowmass.com (reservations)
Internet: www.aspensnowmass.com (ski area); or www.aspenchamber.org (visitor information); or www.stayaspensnowmass.com (lodging)
Bed Base: 7,750; 13,050 within 10 miles
Nearest lodging: Slopeside, hotels, condos
Resort child care: 8 weeks and older
Adult ticket, per day:
$82 (06/07), good on all 4 hills.
Aspen Mountains, Elevations, Aspen Skiing and Snowboarding Facts and Info
Aspen Highlands Facts
Summit elevation: 11,675 feet
Vertical drop: 3,635 feet
Base elevation: 8,040 feet
Number of lifts: 5—3 high-speed quads, 2 triples
Snowmaking: 14 percent
Skiable acreage: 1,010 acres
Uphill capacity: 6,500 per hour
Parks & pipes: None
Expert: ++++
Advanced: +++++
Intermediate: ++++
Beginner: +++
First-timer: ++
Aspen Mountain Facts
Summit elevation: 11,212 feet
Vertical drop: 3,267 feet
Base elevation: 7,945 feet
Number of lifts: 8—1 gondola, 1 high-speed quad, 1 high-speed double, 2 quads, 3 doubles
Snowmaking: 31 percent
Skiable acreage: 673 acres
Uphill capacity: 10,775 per hour
Expert: ++++
Advanced: +++++
Intermediate: ++++
Not recommended for beginners and first-timers
Buttermilk Facts
Summit elevation: 9,900 feet
Vertical drop: 2,030 feet
Base elevation: 7,870 feet
Number of lifts: 9—2 high-speed quads, 3 doubles, 4 surface lifts
Snowmaking: 25 percent
Skiable acreage: 435 acres
Uphill capacity: 7,500 per hour
Parks & pipes: 2 parks, 1 pipe
Expert: +
Advanced: ++
Intermediate: ++++
Beginner: +++++
First-timer: +++++
Snowmass Facts
Summit elevation: 12,510 ft./3,813 m
Vertical drop: 4,406 ft./1,343 m
Base elevation: 8,104 ft./2,473 m
Number of lifts: 21 (lifts and gondolas)
Snowmaking: 22 percent
Skiable acreage: 3,132 acres/1,267 hectares
Longest Run: 5.3 miles/8.5 km
Parks & pipes: 3 terrain parks and 1 beginner pipe
Expert: ++++
Advanced: +++++
Intermediate: ++++
Beginner: +++
First-timer: ++
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