Snowmass usa
Review of snowboarding and skiing in Snowmass USA.
Snowmass Ski Holiday Facts
Established in 1945 the American ski resort Snowmass lies at 3813 metres altitude in the Colorado region of the American Rockies. With the highest lifts and ski slopes above 2500m Snowmass ski area is snow sure. Over ? snow cannons ensure artificial Snowmass snow making covers ?km of ski trails, which equates to around 5 of the ski slopes. The nearest airport transfer to Snowmass (USA) is Denver at a distance of 354km or approximately ? minutes driving time. Snowmass ski season runs from November to April.
SNO-man says
Located 12 miles (18km) from Aspen and sharing its lift pass, Snowmass offers 95% ski-in lodging and free postcards and stamps to anyone wanting to write home about their experiences on North America's longest half-pipe. In 1997 the installation of a high altitude surface lift to access the powder filled bowls of the Cirque, previously only available with the aid of a snowcat or a hike, gave it the highest lift in the USA and the biggest lift-served skiable vertical in the country (taken from Big Sky Montana). The lift operates 60 - 75 days of the year accessing terrain suited to intermediates or experts. The idea of the limited access is to prevent over-exploitation of the terrain and a surface lift can operate in the windy conditions that are sometimes present and which could stop a chair.
alpine downhill runs to ski in Snowmass USA
Beginner Trails
 ? runs ?km |
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Intermediate Trails
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Advanced Trails
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Expert Trails
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Snowmass Resort & Holiday Info
| Beginners learning to ski |  |
| Intermediate Skiers | |
| Expert Skiers | |
| Snowboarders | |
| Apres Ski | |
| Family friendly | |
| Snowsure | |
| Ambience | |
| Value for money | |
| Ski Pass Prices (adult 6 day) | $402 - $516 |
Traditional Ski Village / Purpose Built Ski Resort |
| Ski Resort Opens | Nov 2011 |
| Ski Resort Closes | Apr 2012 |
| (snow conditions often influence resort opening & closing) |
Ski Area Snowmass Mountain
| Downhill Ski Runs | 237km |
| total length of Snowmass trails |
| Longest lift serve Run | 8.5km |
| longest piste or trail reachable by ski lift |
| Ski Slope Orientation | N, S, E, W |
| direction Snowmass ski areas face |
| Top Altitude | 3813m |
| top station of highest ski lift |
| Bottom Altitude | 2473m |
| bottom of lowest ski run |
| Resort Altitude | 2473m |
| centre of Snowmass ski resort |
| Vertical Drop | 1343m |
| total descent from top lift to bottom piste |
| Skiable Vertical | ^v 1343m |
| can include extra hike up which may be possible above top lift - stat used by some resorts to con us about true "vertical drop" which is lift-served |
Skiing in Snowmass
Skiing Snowmass you'll enjoy 91 pistes and trails and that means approximately 237km of ski runs. Snowmass lifts number 24 with the capacity to uplift 34497 skiers up the mountain per hour. The longest ski run in the American ski resort of Snowmass is over 8.5km long.
Snowmass Ski Area
Snowmass ski area has ?% beginner ski runs or nursery slopes, ?% intermediate, ?% advanced ski slopes and ?% for expert skiers - the most difficult Snowmass piste is the ?km Gowdy’s and AMF run, with a steepness/slope angle of 40%. You can't ski Snowmass after dark.
Snowmass for skiing gets 3 stars out of 5 overall
Snowmass Apres Ski
The apres ski Snowmass scene and off-slope or "non-skier" activities include:
20 apres ski bars 10 restaurants 0 bowling 0 night club 0 cinema 1 billiards / pool 0 games room 1 concert 0 indoor swimming 0 outdoor heated pools 0 saunas 0 hot tubs 0 solariums 0 masseurs 0 indoor ice skating 0 outdoor ice skating 0 indoor sports centre 0 indoor tennis 0 squash racquetball 1 sleigh rides 1 ballooning 0 horse riding 0 prepare winter walks 0 climbing 1 golf 0 fishing 0 museum 0 library Plus these additional apres ski facilities Art Galleries (45), Back Country Skiing, Ballooning, Concerts, Curling, Nature Tours, Silver Mine Tours by Underground Train, Snowcat Tours, Speed Skiing, Theatre (3) , Wildlife Interpretive Center, (Facilities such as Indoor Swimming Pools in many Hotel.
SNO-man says
Besides the on-mountain favourites of skiing and snowboarding, there are numerous high-altitude activities offering guests an opportunity for 24 hours of fun. Ranging from guided naturalist/snowshoe tours and cross-country skiing to biathlon and sledding there is always plenty to fill the 17 hours until the lifts re-open.
The naturalist guided tour provides a general overview of the wildlife including some animal tracks spotting and discussions on winter habitat and diet while the 2-hour snowshoe tour not only helps improve fitness and allows time for some leisurely sightseeing, it will also give an insight into the mountain ecology and loca flora and fauna.
Aspen Snowmass maintains the largest system of free, groomed nordic trails in North America with trails ranging in difficulty from beginner to expert. The groomed trails at the Snowmass Cross Country Centre connect into this vast system. The Centre also has this area's only biathlon range. Combining the skills of marksmanship and cross-country skiing the range is open to beginners and experienced biathletes. Children should be at least 7 years old and under 18's should be accompanied by an adult.
For added convenience guests may trade a day of their Aspen/Snowmass lift pass for a day at the Snowmass Cross Country Centre. An unforgettable Aspen adventure would be a sleigh ride which could be either horse or dog powered. Sleigh rides take you into the Maroon Bells wilderness area - widely regarded as the most photographed peaks in North America. Dog sledding is a 2-hour trip which includes a complimentary 4-course lunch. Horse drawn carriage rides are also available through downtown Aspen.
The more adventurous can try a tandem paragliding trip on Aspen Mountain, no experience is necessary.
Snowmass for apres ski gets 3 stars out of 5 overall
More Snowmass Snow Ski Area and Resort Information
Snowmass resort - ski Snowmass by any other name
The American ski resort of Snowmass ski resort is also known as Snowmass Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, Snowmass, Tiehack and has the following common misspellings:
Snowmass ski area has ski slopes which face N, S, E, W
The direction which the various Snowmass ski slopes face can make or break your skiing or snowboarding holiday. If you want to guarantee good snow and ski conditions, you should choose a resort with ski slopes which face the right way for the time of year you're travelling.
- In the coldest winter months of January and February you need a ski resort with some sunny south facing ski slopes, so your days on the snow doesn't feel like a polar expedition. Conversely, in the warmest spring skiing months of March and especially April, a ski resort with some cool and shady north facing slopes will ensure you're not skiing on slush, but benefitting from best late season snow. The best ski resorts have ski areas and slopes which face in all directions so that you're guaranteed greating skiing whatever the weather. Snowmass ski resort has ski slopes facing N, S, E, W.
Snowmass for snow gets 4 stars out of 5 overall