Aspen Snowmass App – Bigger Rewards

The updated Aspen Snowmass App now allows users to access all of the information and functionality of the ticket office all in the palm of their hand. The App helps guests purchase lessons and rentals; gives access to express lift-ticket reload; assists in ordering food and beverage items from select on-mountain restaurants; helps sign digital waivers; gives access to App rewards and Passholder Benefits, like friends and family vouchers; and provides access to Lesson FastPass, Rental FastPass, and Aspen Card QR codes. This all supplies an easy way for guests to have less points of contact while visiting Aspen Snowmass and maximizes a guests time spent on the hill. The Aspen Snowmass App will serve as the in-resort information hub while offering favorite features from years past including tracking skier days and bowl laps, snow reports, weather updates, parking lot status and more

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2020 and 2022 U.S. Alpine Tech Championships

Aspen Snowmass — in collaboration with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (AVSC) — will host the 2020 and 2022 U.S. Alpine Tech Championships at Snowmass and Aspen Highlands. Tech Championships include the disciplines of men’s and women’s slalom, giant slalom and parallel slalom. The last time Aspen Snowmass hosted a U.S. Alpine Tech Championships was 60 years ago, but ski racing runs deep in the Roaring Fork Valley, as the resort not only hosted the first World Championships outside of Europe in 1950, but has been a continuous stop on the World Cup circuit for both the men and women. Aspen also hosted the 2017 Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals.

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The Mountain Collective Adds Big Sky & Niseko United

The Mountain Collective™ heads into the 2020–2021 season adding five new destinations to its roster — Chamonix, Grand Targhee Resort, Panorama Mountain Resort, Sugarloaf, and Sun Peaks Resort. With the addition of these destinations, 2020–2021 passholders will receive two days at each of the collective destinations, including Aspen Snowmass, bringing the total ski days available to 46 days at 23 unique destinations. In addition, extra benefits available to Mountain Collective passholders include exclusive lodging deals and a complimentary, one-year Protect Our Winters membership, and a no-questions asked refund policy.

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The Ikon Pass

The Ikon Pass is the new standard in season passes, connecting skiers and riders to some of the most iconic mountains across the globe with access to 44 premier ski and ride destinations. Aspen Snowmass is pleased to be a part of the pass product with 7-day combined access when purchasing the Ikon Pass (no black-out dates), and 5-day combined access when purchasing the Ikon Base Pass add-on (black-out dates apply). Additionally, all 2020–2021 Premier Adult, Chamber, Senior Passes include a complimentary Ikon Base Pass.
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New Big Burn Chairlift Continues a Renaissance at Snowmass

This summer, Aspen Snowmass replaced the Big Burn lift on Snowmass with a new six-passenger, high-speed chairlift as the old lift had reached its ‘operational lifetime.’ The new $10.8 million chairlift will have a ride time of almost seven minutes and is another substantial investment on the long list of recent improvements that have taken place at Snowmass in recent years. The new state-of-the-art Direct Drive chairlift will contain 89 chairs on the line, which will align with similar capacity to the old Big Burn Chairlift for the time being.

The Snowmass renaissance has seen the likes of a new on-mountain restaurant called Sam’s, a modern Italian concept, as well as the significant Snowmass Base Village (SBV) development, which includes the build-out of a new Limelight Hotel Snowmass, a large Four Mountain Sports rental/retail store, an ice skating rink, The Collective Snowmass community building, and new restaurants and shops. In the last six years, Snowmass has also seen the addition of the Breathtaker Alpine Coaster (open during the winter months), as well as upgrades to the High Alpine zone, which included a high-speed quad, as well as a complete renovation of Gwyn’s High Alpine restaurant.

This past spring, Aspen Snowmass sold the old Big Burn lifts with all proceeds going to the Aspen Snowmass employee funded and run Caring for Community Fund. The proceeds totaled $20,000 and were distributed amongst local non-profits that assist in times of need with things like safe and affordable housing, counseling, food aid, legal assistance, healthcare and job training resources. rich-text

Reimagined High Alpine and Alpin Room Restaurants on Snowmass

Aspen Snowmass introduces the new High Alpine and Alpin Room restaurants, an evolution to the legacy of Gwyn’s, a longtime Snowmass favorite. Diners will experience some of the tradition and favorites from years past, in addition to a newly envisioned take on mountain dining. Under one roof, skiers have the option of eating at two distinctly different restaurants with expansive deck seating, a large wood-burning fireplace, a wrap-around bar, and multi-level seating walled by large windows. High Alpine continues the tradition of market-style food and beverage options with various stations serving freshly prepared pizza, homemade soups and stews, fresh salads, grilled burgers, and more. The new Alpin Room sit-down restaurant pays homage to the ski culture of the Alps and introduces a new menu that draws influence from the great mountain dining traditions of the French, Swiss and Austrian Alps. Lunch starts with French onion soup, lobster salad, or the “Tartiflette,” a fondue like combination of cheese, potatoes, and smokey bacon. Entrée plates then move toward the chicken schnitzel with frise salad, duck confit with leek spätzle, or a vegan sweet potato curry. House-baked desserts top off the meal with options such as black forest tart or cinnamon carrot cake. An extensive wine list, beer options and cocktails complement the new menu. Alpin Room will also be open for breakfast. As in all of the Aspen Snowmass mountain restaurants, High Alpine and Alpin Room provide food choices that are sourced from a local network of sustainable farmers and partners. rich-text

Snowmass Base Village DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES

Located at the base of Snowmass Ski Area in the heart of Snowmass Village, Colo., the Snowmass Base Village (SBV) development is a $600 million mountain-resort development, currently the largest under construction in North America. The first phase of construction was completed fall of 2018 and included the new Limelight Hotel Snowmass, ski-in/ski-out residences, a new Four Mountain Sports rental/retail shop, public events plaza with ice-skating rink and fire pits. As construction continued, last winter saw the debut of The Collective Snowmass, a hub for community events featuring a new restaurant, called mix6, and MoxiBar, offering après ski options, as well as a large Game Lounge and community space for hosting events from local organizations. The latest phase of the project includes the continued opening of the new One Snowmass, which includes ski-in/ski-out residences, and additional retail and dining options with staggered openings such as JÜS Snowmass, King Yoga Studio, Eye Pieces, Alux Spalon, StraightLine Studio, Sundae Artisan Ice Cream, GiGi’s Market and the Snowmass Medical Care Clinic. For more information about the Snowmass Base Village development, visit www.allinsnowmass.com.
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Snowmass Snowmaking Expansion

In addition to the Aspen Mountain snowmaking project, the teams at Snowmass are implementing further snowmaking capabilities on the ski runs Lodgepole and Lunkerville. The approximate 28 acres of additional snowmaking will provide more reliable early season skiing and riding in the Alpine Springs zone on Snowmass. Like Aspen Mountain, the new automated snowguns are more energy efficient. The automation reduces the energy used to start-up and shut-down the snowguns and automatically adjusts the amount of water being used based on the air temperature and humidity.

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SAM'S SMOKEHOUSE UPDATE

New last season, Aspen Snowmass introduced Sam’s, an Italian restaurant located at 10,620 feet at the top of Sam’s Knob on Snowmass. The popular restaurant offers a modern Italian concept with sweeping views of the Elk Mountains and a sophisticated but lively food experience. The $2.5 million remodel delivers an open bar area, live-action kitchen, fireplace with relaxed seating and a stylish deck. An added slipper room greets diners with the option to remove ski boots and slip into a pair of comfy slippers. Pasta is made in-house daily as will the restaurant’s artisanal bread. Sam’s features a curated wine list and signature cocktails such as the negroni spritz. Quick-serve and grab-and-go breakfast options are available daily at 9am from the Italian-style coffee bar.
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Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center: Remodel of Check-In Space

The Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center is a multilevel, approximate 16,000 square-foot childcare and ski school facility in Snowmass Base Village. The facility is the main access point in Snowmass for both childcare and children’s ski school with rentals, childcare and ski school all under one roof. The first of its kind in the ski industry, the Treehouse brings the great outdoors inside with Colorado-themed playrooms such as the Butterfly Room, the Trout Haven Room, the Beaver Lodge room as well as a multi-layered climbing room for exploration. This summer, the remodel will change approximately 4,000 square-feet of the interior on the check-in level with the goal of better flow, expediency and guest experience for children’s Ski & Snowboard School registration. Ultimately, the remodel will help both kids and parents get out on the hill faster and enjoy more time on the slopes.

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Expanded Snowmass Bike Park Trails

Snowmass Bike Park added 4 new trails during 2019, expanding our park to over 20 miles of purpose built, lift served downhill trails, with direct access to the surrounding Snowmass trail network with 70+ miles of singletrack ranging from high alpine tundra to desert sagebrush. New additions to the park include a freeride double black trail (Gonzo), an intermediate freeride trail (Trail 6), a technical black trail (Trail 9) and a technical blue trail (Trail 8). rich-text

Lost Forest

Aspen Snowmass opened Lost Forest during summer of 2018, greatly enhancing Snowmass mountain’s summer operations with a canopy ziptour, a treeline challenge course, alpine coaster, a climbing wall, multi-use gathering sites as well as expanded hiking and biking trails. Tickets are available for purchase.

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Expanded Snowmaking on Top of Aspen Mountain

The teams at Aspen Snowmass implemented further snowmaking capabilities at the top of Aspen Mountain this summer, which will now provide top-to-bottom skiing and riding on a man-made surface. The new snowmaking encompasses approximately 20 acres of terrain on Silver Bell, One and Two Leaf and upper Copper. From there, skiers and riders can connect to other trails such as Deer Park, Spar Gulch and Little Nell, which already have snowmaking. Approvals are in place for an additional 32 acres of snowmaking to be built on Aspen Mountain in the future.

This marks the first time that the flagship mountain will have snowmaking from top-to-bottom. The terrain will be serviced with 28 new state-of-the art automated snowguns, which use approximately 40 percent less energy than snowguns from 20 years ago. The project also includes an additional 3 million gallon storage pond located at a similar elevation to the current storage pond near the base of the Gent’s Ridge chair. Storing water up high makes the process of pumping to the top much more effective and contributes greatly to the energy efficiency of the new snowguns. rich-text

The Little Nell Remodel and 30th Anniversary Celebration

The Little Nell is Aspen’s only Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond, ski-in/ski-out hotel located just steps from Aspen Mountain. Recently, the illustrious hotel underwent an interior renovation of the living room, lobby and the après-ski bar called Chair 9. The renovation, which took place Spring of 2019, created a modern, art-centric aesthetic from international renowned design firm Champalimaud. Simultaneously, Ajax Tavern, a ski-in/ski-out restaurant located inside The Little Nell, was renovated by Rowland + Broughton, an architecture and interior design firm based out of Aspen/Denver, which resulted in brightening the bistro interior and upgrading the patio. In Thanksgiving 2019, The Little Nell will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Commemorative events and happenings will take place throughout the 2019/20 winter season in honor of the 30th anniversary.

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Sundeck Roof Replacement

This summer, the Sundeck restaurant, located at the top of Aspen Mountain, underwent a new roof maintenance project, which allows for better snow management and upkeep during the winter. rich-text

New Fort Frog Children’s Play Structure under Construction at Buttermilk

A new wooden, frontier-style fort is under construction in the woods of Buttermilk. The kid’s play structure will include lookout towers, a jail, a swinging bridge, a snowball launcher, a turbo twister slide and more. The fort was named after Greg Fortin, a long-time ski instructor at Buttermilk in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and is a memento to his legacy. The newly constructed fort will debut this winter.
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Stage V Prinoth Snowcat

Last season, Aspen Snowmass tested PRINOTH’s new Stage V snowcat, one of only two in the United States, for grooming ski runs. Stage V standards require the world's most aggressive pollution controls on poisonous carbon monoxide, harmful particulates as well as smog-forming and planet-warming oxides of nitrogen. Just as important, the new snowcats are more fuel-efficient and allow the operator to increase performance thanks to intelligent features. PRINOTH chose Aspen Snowmass for pre-market testing because of its longstanding environmental commitment and sound business relationship. This season, Aspen Snowmass will begin turning over its older fleet by adding four new Stage V snowcats. rich-text

Willits Center Workforce Housing

Set to open spring of 2021, the Willits Center represents Aspen Snowmass’s commitment to doing business sustainably. The 53,000-square-foot building will add 138 beds to Aspen Snowmass’s workforce housing portfolio, which is critical to maintaining staff in one of the most challenging housing markets in the United States. Despite that need, Aspen Snowmass chose to deed-restrict eight of the building’s 43 units for non-Aspen Snowmass employees in Basalt, with a priority given to childcare providers. The $18-million project received no public subsidy, and will be powered on 100 percent electric energy. The building’s 80 kW rooftop solar will contribute to the renewable baseload. The Willits Center proximity to the Roaring Fork Transportation Association’s (RFTA) bus system will also help alleviate the region’s traffic and congestion issues. All employees will receive free bus passes, and Aspen Snowmass will pay for the installation of a WE-Cycle bike share station to make getting to the bus stop even easier. rich-text