The oldest Aspen ski resort is on Ajax Mountain. It all began for this place in 1947 when the longest lift in the world at that time was perched upon its slopes. This destination has only bettered itself with age. It is not the place for the beginner, really. About half of its slopes for intermediates and the rest are for experts. This is the ideal place to visit if you have some able skiers mixing with some novices who want either to challenge themselves or just feel like they are challenging themselves.
Next door to this Aspen ski resort is the Aspen Highlands. This hill has half expert runs as well, but offers more for the beginner. This is the kind of place you could spend days, with over 130 runs to its name. The Highlands might have derived their name from the 790 acre spread and the 3645 foot vertical. Good thing you don't have to walk or rope-tow your way to the top! There are three high speed quadruple chairs and one triple chair to take you where you want to go.
If beginner skiing or snowboarding is what you're after, then big doesn't necessarily mean better. The 420 acres of Buttermilk Mountain have been designed to facilitate two types of people: Snowboarders and Starters. Considering the relative newness of the snowboard trend, there are a lot that are both. This Aspen ski resort has the longest terrain park on the globe, stretching over 2 miles and containing over 25 rails. If you are going to strap a single board to your feet on this trip, you've got to hit the Buttermilk.
The fourth main Aspen ski resort is actually 12 miles from the city itself. Snowmass is over 3000 acres of winter pleasure. Reaching 4500 feet into the sky, the Snowmass has 84 runs, many of which can take as long to get down as it takes to drive out from the city. If you plan to hit this hill a lot you may want to find an inn closer to the area. Of course, when you are debating which of these hills to spend most of your time at, the proximity of them all to one another makes the lodging choices less crucial.
The good news about all these choices is that you can get lift passes which allow you access to all four resorts. The amount of research you put into your preparations can really help make your holiday go smoother, but it's nice to know that you pretty much can't go wrong.
