Snowmass has grown from a condo and hotel village to a mountain resort town of nearly 2,000 year-round residents. It is built right along the slopes of one of Colorado's biggest ski mountains.

Though it is lumped into the Aspen experience by geography, Snowmass stands on its own as a winter destination. Snowmass ranks among the top 10 resorts in America in size, and it’s the second-largest in Colorado (after Vail). It covers more than 3,100 acres—more than Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk and Highlands combined. And thanks to a surface lift to the top of the Cirque (formerly reached by a hike or snowcat), Snowmass lays claim to the longest vertical drop in the United States, 4,406 feet. (Big Sky, MT, has a 4,180-foot vertical; Jackson Hole, WY, 4,139 feet. Now you have your apres-ski bar conversation opener.)

The Snowmass Village Mall seems to stretch forever uphill with shops, restaurants, bars and skier services, but all are handicap accessible and if you are so inclined you can use hotel and public elevators (at 8,606 feet, you’ll soon know why we added this). The resort has started construction on its new base village, due for completion in 2012. Improvements in 2005/06 added a six-pack—Village Express—to replace the old Fanny Hill chair. The new chair gets to Sam's Knob in nine minutes. Sky Cab takes passengers from the new base area to the mall in just two minutes. The new Elk Camp Gondola installed in '06 runs from the base of Fanny Hill to Elk Camp in seven minutes with a midway loading and unloading station.

Hundreds of condos line the lower part of the resort, and about 95 percent of the lodging is ski-in/ski-out. It doesn’t get much more convenient than Snowmass. A note to those staying in a ski-in/ski-out condo: Make note of where you are before you head down to the lift for your first run. We had a heck of a time knowing where to cut off from the ski run to our unit in a sea of brown condos at the end of the day.

Tip: Day skiers who want to avoid crowds and parking hassles can drive or take the shuttle to Two Creeks base at the south end of Snowmass. Here parking costs $12, but it's well worth the convenience of a small base area. From here Two Creeks lift hooks up with the lift system.

Snowmass Ski Resort Facts:

Summit elevation: 12,510 feet
Vertical drop: 4,406 feet
Base elevation: 8,104 feet

Expert: ++++
Advanced: ++++
Intermediate: +++++
Beginner: +++
First-timer: ++

Dining: +++ (at resort)
+++++ (in the region)
Apres-ski/nightlife: ++ (at resort), +++++ (in the region)
Other activities: +++

Address: Aspen Skiing Company, P.O. Box 1248, Aspen, CO 81612 or Town of Snowmass Village, P.0. Box 5010, 51B Elbert Lane, Snowmass Village, CO 81615
Area code: 970
Ski area phone: 925-1220 or
(800) 525-6200
Snow report: 925-1221 or
(888) 277-3676
Toll-free reservations:

(800) Snowmass or
(800) 766-9627
Fax: 920-0771
E-mail: info@aspensnowmass.com (resort); or info@snowmassvillage.com (town)
Internet:
www.aspensnowmass.com (resort); or www.snowmassvillage.com (town); or www.stayaspensnowmass.com (lodging)

Number of lifts: 23—1 gondola, 6 high-speed quads, 1 quad, 1 triple, 1 high-speed six-pack, 1 six-passenger pulse gondola, 4 doubles, 6 ski/snowboard school lifts, 2 platter pulls.
Snowmaking: 6 percent
Skiable acreage: 3,128 acres
Uphill capacity: 31,080 per hour

Parks & pipes: 3 parks, 2 pipes
Bed base: 6,000 rentable units
Nearest lodging: Slopeside, condos and hotels
Resort child care: Yes, 8 weeks and older
Adult ticket, per day:
$82 (06/07)