Snowmass Puts Up Two Lifts In Its Upper Reaches
Two new replacement lifts, an overhaul of a famed mid-mountain rest stop, and tweaking of on-mountain eateries highlight what's-new at Aspen Snowmass.
At the four-mountain complex, the upper mountain of Snowmass (3,309 a., 4,406 vert.) got the most attention this summer. Skiers and riders have always liked to escape the lower-mountain madding crowd to challenges up where the forests thin out at 11,000-plus feet elevation.
First, the Elk Camp area -- long a quick-access blue run mecca on far skier's right -- gets a chairlift upgrade. The 30-year-old Elk Camp high-speed quad adds a couple of seats to reduce waiting time at the busy junction fed by the hard-working Elk Camp gondola.
In conjunction with this new chairlift, summer crews put a larger deck onto the Elk Camp Restaurant with retractable walls to accommodate weather differences.
Next, an existing platter becomes the Cirque T-Bar to provide laps on Snowmass' only above-treeline terrain. Hourly capacity is expected to more than double.
The Cirque Bowl tops out at 12,510 feet, the highest point on all of Snowmass, and the new lift adds capacity for those who make laps before diving down the Cirque ravine and headwall -- home to some of the resort's most gnarly black diamond runs.
On the other side of the mountain, skiers and riders getting off the Big Burn chairlift will get to check out the total renovation of the popular mid-mountain Ulrhof. When completed next season, the Ulrhof will expand to 600 seats with a new bar and lounge level. Until then, a pop-up will revitalize the venerable Spider Sabich Race & Picnic area to handle hungry visitors.
Otherwise, things have been pretty quiet at the other three mountains in the Roaring Fork Valley. The mothership Aspen Mountain (675 a., 3,267 vert.), now in its 79th year, is resting on the laurels of the new mountain top Hero's terrain, while Buttermilk (470 a., 2,030 vert.) regulars have settled into the total remake of the base area. And, steep-and-tall Aspen Highlands stands as stoic as ever.
A single day or season ticket covers skiing and riding at all four mountains, and Aspen Snowmass remains a seven-day partner with Ikon Pass.
