United States · up to 3771 m

Aspen Highlands

Four mountains, one silver-boom town, and America's most storied ski culture.

Bonvo Score

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137

Marked runs

135 named

72.6 km

Total slopes

Lifts

1305 m

Vertical drop

3771 m

Top elevation

2466 m

Base elevation

Blue 2.7 kmRed 25.3 kmBlack 43 km

The story of Aspen Snowmass

Aspen was a silver-mining boomtown of 1880s opera houses and grand hotels before the crash of 1893 nearly emptied it — then skiing arrived after World War II, when 10th Mountain Division veterans returned to the valleys they'd trained in. Aspen Mountain opened in 1946 with what was then the world's longest chairlift, and the town reinvented itself as America's definitive ski resort: equal parts athletic, intellectual and glamorous, home to the Aspen Institute and a music festival as famous as its moguls.

The skiing spreads across four distinct mountains on one pass. Aspen Mountain (Ajax) rises straight from downtown with relentless expert terrain and zero green runs; Aspen Highlands is the connoisseur's hill, crowned by the hike-to Highland Bowl at 12,392 ft; Buttermilk is the gentle learning mountain that doubles, improbably, as the permanent home of the Winter X Games; and Snowmass is the giant, with more than 4,400 ft of vertical and terrain for every human alive.

Après ranges from champagne on sun decks to dive-bar shot-and-beer — often on the same block. No American resort mixes high and low culture with such confidence.

Great for expertsGreat for luxury seekersGreat for culture seekersGreat for families

Signature runs

Highland Bowl

A 30–45 minute ridge hike from the top lift opens 270 acres of steep, perfect pitch — the best inbounds bowl in Colorado.

Walsh's (Aspen Mountain)

Ajax's signature double-black shot toward the valley — steep, fast and in full view of the gondola.

Hanging Valley Wall (Snowmass)

Snowmass's wild side — cliffs, glades and powder stashes far from the groomer highways.

Big Burn (Snowmass)

A vast, open intermediate face born of an 1879 forest fire — cruising at its most expansive.

Local tips

◆Free snowcat tows run to Highland Bowl's gate on busy days — save your legs for the descent.
◆Ride the Silver Queen Gondola at Ajax and ski the Ridge of Bell moguls when the sun softens them mid-morning.
◆Buttermilk in January = X Games; go watch the superpipe finals free under the lights.
◆The Highlands' Cloud Nine cabin lunch is legendary — and legendarily rowdy by 2 pm; book the early seating.

Did you know?

Aspen Mountain opened in 1946 with Lift-1, then the longest chairlift in the world.

Buttermilk has hosted the Winter X Games every year since 2002 — the longest X Games residency ever.

Aspen's 1880s silver mines briefly made it one of the richest towns in the American West before the 1893 crash.

Mountain records

Longest run

Robinson's Run

1.8 km · 359 m vertical · Black (advanced)

Steepest sustained pitch

B-Fore

max 98.3% gradient · 362 m · Double black (expert)

The 10 best runs at Aspen Highlands, scored

Every run is scored 0–100 from its real shape — vertical drop, length, how well its steepness fits its difficulty class, and flow (flats and uphill sections cost points). How the Bonvo Score works →

167
Temerity
1.1 km · 509 m drop · avg 45.2% · Excellent
Black
267
South Castle
891 m · 516 m drop · avg 57.3% · Excellent
Black
366
Kessler's
861 m · 500 m drop · avg 57.1% · Excellent
Black
464
G-2
989 m · 411 m drop · avg 41.1% · Excellent
Black
564
Mushroom
1.1 km · 510 m drop · avg 44.3% · Excellent
Black
664
Left Fork
1.3 km · 364 m drop · avg 28% · Excellent
Black
764
Soddbuster
777 m · 452 m drop · avg 56.5% · Excellent
Black
863
Red Onion
1.6 km · 298 m drop · avg 18.9% · Excellent
Red
963
South Fork
1.3 km · 351 m drop · avg 27.6% · Excellent
Black
1063
Lucky Find
788 m · 427 m drop · avg 53.4% · Excellent
Black

All 135 named slopes

Slope	Difficulty	Length	Vertical	Avg gradient	Score
Temerity	Black	1.1 km	509 m	45.2%	67
South Castle	Black	891 m	516 m	57.3%	67
Kessler's	Black	861 m	500 m	57.1%	66
G-2	Black	989 m	411 m	41.1%	64
Mushroom	Black	1.1 km	510 m	44.3%	64
Left Fork	Black	1.3 km	364 m	28%	64
Soddbuster	Black	777 m	452 m	56.5%	64
Red Onion	Red	1.6 km	298 m	18.9%	63
South Fork	Black	1.3 km	351 m	27.6%	63
Lucky Find	Black	788 m	427 m	53.4%	63
Exibition	Red	1.5 km	292 m	19.5%	62
Garmisch	Black	725 m	408 m	54.3%	62
G-4	Black	683 m	369 m	52.8%	61
G-0	Black	840 m	355 m	41.8%	61
St. Moritz	Black	741 m	366 m	48.7%	61
Be-One	Black	597 m	368 m	61.3%	60
White Kitchen	Black	551 m	358 m	62.2%	60
G-6	Black	618 m	359 m	57.4%	60
G-8	Black	592 m	362 m	60.3%	60
G-5	Black	621 m	360 m	57.6%	60
Riverside Drive	Unrated	1.6 km	297 m	17.9%	59
Apple Strudel	Red	1.2 km	231 m	19.7%	59
Grahamster's	Black	533 m	335 m	60.9%	59
Memory Lane	Red	1.1 km	259 m	24.1%	59
Scarlett's Run	Red	905 m	254 m	27.5%	58
Gunbarrel	Red	930 m	262 m	27.6%	58
G-3	Black	572 m	299 m	52%	58
Boxcar	Black	506 m	305 m	58.1%	58
Grand Pr	Red	875 m	247 m	27.4%	58
Prospector Gulch	Red	1.1 km	203 m	17.6%	57
Mosh Pit	Black	482 m	283 m	56.6%	57
Whip's Veneration	Black	513 m	270 m	51.4%	57
Canopy Cruiser	Black	651 m	274 m	40.5%	57
Hyde Park	Black	638 m	264 m	40.6%	57
Hot Y's (Y-3 to Y-8)	Black	604 m	272 m	43.5%	57
Hayden	Red	768 m	215 m	27.7%	56
Ozone	Black	459 m	313 m	65.9%	56
Hines-Sight	Black	454 m	269 m	56.6%	56
Y-12	Black	491 m	266 m	53.2%	56
Kandahar	Red	741 m	178 m	23.8%	55
Ballroom	Black	415 m	247 m	58.2%	55
Flip's Leap	Black	405 m	240 m	56.4%	55
Middle Fork	Black	649 m	199 m	30.6%	55
Pyramid Park	Red	658 m	160 m	23.7%	54
Golden Horn	Red	594 m	178 m	29.6%	54
Deception	Black	401 m	201 m	47.4%	54
G-1	Black	422 m	203 m	47.7%	54
Wine Ridge	Red	525 m	161 m	29.3%	53
Heather-Bedlam	Red	560 m	175 m	30.5%	53
Moment of Truth	Black	459 m	175 m	36.9%	53
Park Avenue	Red	1.7 km	225 m	13.3%	53
Hot Y's (Y-3 to Y-8)	Black	387 m	181 m	45.3%	53
Upper Stein	Black	415 m	159 m	37.3%	52
Jerome	Red	498 m	129 m	25.8%	52
Separator	Black	383 m	147 m	36.7%	52
Steep 'N Deep	Black	378 m	268 m	66.9%	52
Full Curl	Black	347 m	232 m	66.3%	52
Aces & Eights	Black	267 m	166 m	60.3%	52
Riverside Dr.	Blue	629 m	127 m	19.6%	52
Lower Golden Horn #2	Black	373 m	165 m	44.1%	52
Bob's Glade	Black	311 m	137 m	42.3%	51
Face of Olly	Black	467 m	123 m	25.9%	51
Moment Chutes	Black	283 m	137 m	45.6%	51
Lower Golden Horn	Black	288 m	145 m	48.4%	51
Nugget	Blue	996 m	160 m	15.8%	51
Bob's Glade	Black	303 m	135 m	41.6%	51
G-3	Black	339 m	122 m	34.8%	51
Sherwood Forest	Black	407 m	108 m	25.3%	51
Aeroble	Black	240 m	152 m	60.6%	51
Robinson's Run	Black	1.8 km	359 m	20.1%	50
Meadows	Red	1.3 km	318 m	23.6%	50
Limelight	Black	285 m	94 m	31.5%	50
Memory Lane	Red	358 m	98 m	26.1%	50
Audacious	Black	178 m	114 m	56.8%	50
Boomerang	Black	300 m	107 m	35.7%	50
Thunderbowl	Red	405 m	95 m	22.5%	50
Deane's	Red	545 m	175 m	31.8%	50
Jerome Bowl	Black	343 m	99 m	28.2%	50
Boomerang Woods	Black	258 m	106 m	38.4%	50
Jugs Hill	Black	270 m	103 m	37.5%	50
Golden Horn Woods	Black	238 m	102 m	40.8%	50
Smuggler	Red	246 m	73 m	29.1%	49
Willy's	Black	227 m	71 m	28.6%	49
Alps	Black	242 m	74 m	29.7%	49
The Wall	Black	169 m	88 m	50.5%	49
Golden Barrel	Red	249 m	68 m	27.1%	49
Epicure	Black	186 m	91 m	45.3%	49
Suzi Q	Black	243 m	94 m	37.4%	49
Sherwood Forest	Black	321 m	77 m	23.8%	49
Suzi Q	Black	231 m	93 m	37.1%	49
P-Chutes #2	Black	186 m	92 m	46%	49
Spring Time	Black	200 m	75 m	33.4%	49
Epicure	Black	209 m	98 m	43.8%	49
Upper Jerome	Red	197 m	53 m	26.5%	48
I-70	Black	176 m	61 m	30.6%	48
B-Fore	Black	362 m	257 m	68.4%	48
Jerome	Red	181 m	49 m	24.6%	48
Kessler's	Black	124 m	61 m	49%	48
Lucky Find	Black	144 m	54 m	36.2%	48
Upper Robinson's	Red	617 m	130 m	20.8%	48
Thunder Bowl	Red	530 m	182 m	33.1%	47
Le Chamonix	Black	143 m	46 m	30.7%	47
Why Not	Black	148 m	73 m	48.6%	47
Face of Oly	Black	105 m	31 m	24.6%	47
Broadway	Red	883 m	173 m	19%	47
Jerome Bowl	Black	118 m	37 m	29.7%	47
Kandahar	Red	129 m	29 m	19.1%	47
St. Moritz	Black	110 m	48 m	38.5%	47
Powder Bowl	Black	682 m	167 m	23.8%	46
Lower Stein	Black	593 m	158 m	26.3%	46
Red Onion	Blue	115 m	11 m	8.4%	46
Riverside Dr.	Blue	136 m	13 m	8.5%	46
Broadway	Red	723 m	146 m	20.2%	45
Troyer's Trail	Red	197 m	63 m	31.3%	45
Cakewalk	Blue	475 m	55 m	11.6%	45
Jerome Bowl	Black	272 m	56 m	20.2%	44
Nugget	Red	464 m	51 m	10.8%	43
Kandahar	Red	137 m	38 m	23.5%	43
Red Onion	Blue	168 m	18 m	9.9%	42
Deane's	Red	273 m	97 m	35.2%	39
Thunderbowl	Red	314 m	121 m	37.1%	36
G-3	Black	60 m	17 m	23.1%	36
T-Lazy Catwalk	Red	1.3 km	95 m	7.3%	35
Why	Black	181 m	110 m	54.9%	35
Prospector	Red	440 m	45 m	8%	32
Midway	Red	476 m	54 m	7.8%	29
Troyer's Trail	Blue	193 m	62 m	31%	29
No Name (Highlands)	Black	1.5 km	286 m	19%	23
Separator	Black	291 m	28 m	9.4%	22
P-Chutes Road	Black	381 m	28 m	6.8%	17
P-Chutes Road	Black	182 m	13 m	5%	17
Grand Reverse	Black	950 m	88 m	9%	16
Bear Hollow Road	Black	373 m	30 m	7.1%	15
Grand Reverse	Black	1.3 km	136 m	9.9%	11
P-Chutes Road, Separator	Black	10 m	3 m	10%

Lifts at Aspen Highlands

5× chair lift

Lift	Type	Length	Rise	Seats	Ride time
Exhibition	Chairlift	2.6 km	582 m	4	9 min
Loge Peak	Chairlift	2.0 km	490 m	4	8 min
Cloud Nine	Chairlift	1.4 km	341 m	4	5 min
Thunderbowl	Chairlift	1.2 km	437 m	3	9 min
Deep Temerity	Chairlift	990 m	520 m	3	7 min