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Published: February 8th 2007
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Aspen/Snowmass Skiing in Style
Aspen Snowmass Website When my friend Marley invited me to her annual ski trip in Aspen, it was hard to say no. After a little planning, we got everything situated and were headed to Aspen/Snowmass Colorado for the Superbowl weekend. A total of 13 people, mostly Marley and her new Husband Devon's friends and family. Also included were my cousin Karsten, and good friends Jay and Jason.
I had never been to Aspen and had only heard of the typical things that probably most of you think about when you hear Aspen. Those things include the skiing celebrities, the expensive shopping, the fine dining, and of course Dumb and Dumber quotes. "Where the beer flows like wine, and the woman flock like the salmon of Capistrano."
We stayed a place called Woodbridge Condos, which had 2 bedrooms, a nice kitchen and balcony, and a short ski in from the mountain. The bus system around Snowmass was excellent and got us everywhere we needed to go. Marley, Devon, and their friends were all staying at Stonebridge Inn, which was a much closer ski in/out condo near the Village. In the end, all we really needed were
beds, South Park on TV, and a hot tub filled with single women. Although the female ratio was lacking, it still felt good, especially in the 5 degree weather.
With your ski tickets, you have access to 4 mountains, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk. We were staying at Snowmass, which was the largest of the 4, so it made sense to just stay there all weekend. With 3128 acres available, 3 terrain parks, Gondolas and a 6 person high speed lift, it definitely had something for everyone.
Friday was cold and windy, but we were excited to get out and ski. Even with those temperatures, we skiied from 9:30 to 4. Our only mistake was having 2 drinks at lunch which made the 4 of us a little tipsy as we strapped back into our skis. We managed to have a good day by ourselves, as some of the other crew didn't ski due to the cold. 😊
Saturday, we got up early again and hit the slopes. The temperatures were 20 degrees warmer and sunny. It was a great day no matter what run we hit. We ate lunch early again and hit some runs up
on Big Burn, Sheer Bliss, a run called Naked Lady, and even hiked up half mile hill to get to the longest run on the mountain, Long Shot. After climbing up to Long Shot, we collapsed to catch our breath. 12000 feet, ski boots, and deep snow will definitely take it out of you. This 5.2 mile run was unbelievable and well worth the hike. At the end of the day, we were ready for some fine dining in Aspen. That night in Aspen, we ate a nice restaurant called Pinons. The wine list was extensive and their menu was well stocked with lamb, market price steaks, and terrific soup. We finished with some nice desserts and a small heart attack when the bill finally arrived. 13 people, 1800 dollars, and 1 happy waitress later, we were off to another bar.
Superbowl Sunday was our last day of skiing, and due to our soreness started a little late. We again took some great runs and had a great time pushing our muscles to the point of cramping. "Will someone please stop soon" We again hiked up the Long Shot run and laughed as we crawled up to the 1/4
Nathans jump
And yes, I landed it. of the way down sign. As we hit a few jumps and got some great pictures, we finished up and headed over to Marley's condo where they had set up a large projector on the wall to watch the Colts and Bears. Marley had also made up some wonderful White Chile, so we were set to enjoy the game and the commercials. After the Colts won me $150 from Vegas, we played some Euchre, or as Jay called it, Hooker. Marley broke out her 2nd Rum cake which was awesome, I want some as I write this blog. We said our goodbyes and left Top Gun headquarters to pack and get ready to leave in the morning.
Sidenote: (Over the weekend everyone had Top Gun nicknames, and at one point the song "Danger Zone" was transmitted over the walkie talkies while we skied down.)
As the weekend trip ended, we will look at Aspen/Snowmass in a new light. The stereotypes of a snobby ski town were abolished and the reasonable lift ticket prices, great food, ski in/out condos made the trip a definite repeat trip situation.
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Mike
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Aweseome
Hello Nathan, As always, your travel blog continues to impress and paint a wonderful picture of life on the road. Nice pictures and excellent story. I would write more but I am still in shock over the restaurant tab. -Mike