At 673 acres, Aspen Mountain is not even one-fourth the size of Snowmass, but every acre is infinitely rideable. The mountain scenery is sublime—better, even, than Telluride or Crested Butte. This is a mountain for expert riders who respect and even revere a pristine Alpine playground. There are no beginner trails and scant few true intermediate runs. But if you have good skills, the mountain is replete with bumps, steeps, natural halfpipes and terrain features perfect for riders.

If you measure the quality of your riding by the perfection of the “esses” and the depth of the trenches you leave behind, Buttermilk is the place for you. Buttermilk has numerous constant-pitch, top-to-bottom fall line, groomed runs ideal for laying out one perfect carve after another. Larkspur can be one of the most fun carving runs on the mountain, but you’ll go into the trees on either side if you don’t keep your turns tight. Carve Larkspur nonstop, top to bottom and we guarantee you’ll be high-fiving your buddies. The mountain gets interesting over on Racer’s Edge and Javelin; they’d probably be rated blues on other mountains, but they’re labeled black diamonds here. These runs get groomed and they’re steep enough to force even advanced riders to concentrate on working their edges. Cutting down from Tiehack Parkway are the Ptarmigan and Timber Doodle Glades. Here’s where intermediate boarders can learn to ride in the trees. The terrain is steep enough not to stall out, yet the trees are spaced far enough apart to learn. There also are a lot of runs at Buttermilk with gully-like sides that riders of all ages can swoop up and down, such as Bear.

Highlands attracts riders who are interested in riding blacks and double-blacks. While the resort’s quick to point out they actually have more green and blue terrain than black, if intermediate cruisers or a great terrain park is what you’re looking for, you’ll be happier at Snowmass or Buttermilk. Highlands is where advanced and expert riders go for steep on big powder days. Get ready for a spectacular descent in the 12,500-foot Highland Bowl, 100 or more turns in champagne powder up to your waist—or higher. Your best bet is to do it your first time with a guide who has ridden it several times before. The new Deep Temerity triple chairlift means no more heinous traverse back to the lift.

Parks and pipes
The wild side of Buttermilk is the top-to-bottom Playstation 2 Crazy T’rain Terrain Park. Nearly 2 miles long, it features 30 rails and the only 15-foot superpipe in the four Aspen mountains. It’s geared towards intermediates and better. At the bottom of the park a gigantic kicker allows tricksters with huge, and we’re talking huge, air skills to put on a show for everyone at the base area. Hopefully, there’s an ambulance standing by.

Highlands doesn’t have a halfpipe or terrain park; however, Prospector Trail is known locally as Grommets Gulch and is a natural halfpipe.

Just a few yards away from the Sundeck restaurant on Aspen Mountain, former competitive skateboarder and snowboarder Othello partners with Aspen Skiing Company to teach rail riding in Othello’s Rail Riders. Camp attendees learn how to get on a rail properly, how to balance and land, what not to do, tricks and terrain park etiquette. The camp also has a hut with video games, music, records and DVDs. Reservations are required; call the ski and snowboard school. For a long cruiser that forms a wild natural halfpipe, there’s Spar Gulch, which cuts a steep “V” down the heart of the mountain to the patio of The Little Nell.

Here's information about Snowmass.