Ranking ski areas this good eventually becomes a little ridiculous. I have called Aspen Highlands…read moremy favorite of the four Aspen Snowmass mountains, and on pure terrain, especially Highland Bowl and Deep Temerity, I understand why I said it. Still, all four earn five stars from me for different reasons, and forcing them into a rigid hierarchy misses what each one does so well. Ajax makes perhaps the strongest case that technical skiing and an effortless overall experience can coexist. What makes Ajax singular is its position directly above the town of Aspen. You walk from the street onto the Silver Queen Gondola, climb thousands of vertical feet, and spend the day skiing sustained fall lines that deliver you right back where you started. With its remarkable setting, vibrant energy, and almost comical wealth, Aspen remains unlike anywhere else on Earth; I also understand why its excess wears on some people. The Little Nell and the other hotels at the base are second to none, while downtown sits close enough that the transition from ski boots to normal life feels almost absurdly easy. Beneath all that polish, Ajax is a serious skier's mountain. There are no beginner runs, and its steep vertical layout favors strong skiers who enjoy bumps, glades, and terrain that keeps asking for attention. The fast gondola makes full mountain laps remarkably efficient, and the compact trail pattern keeps the day moving. I like technical skiing, so the mountain's directness suits me: ride up, choose a line, and ski hard all the way down. Late in the day, the lower face often drops into shade, firms up, and can get icy enough to demand real concentration. Some visitors step onto the Silver Queen because it is beside their hotel and discover several hours later that convenience does not make the final descent forgiving. Ajax has a funny way of humbling people who came mainly for the town, which may be healthy in a place surrounded by so much luxury. I go in with my eyes wide open and genuinely enjoy the focus that the mountain demands when conditions get firm. Finishing a run on Ajax is part of the magic. After clicking out, you can head to Ajax Tavern, walk downtown for a meal, or stop at a bar. The shops and even a dispensary are right there, so the end of the session can take whatever shape you want. If you rent, Aspen Snowmass can transfer your skis between its mountains, while the excellent bus network makes the entire area remarkably easy to navigate. Summer deserves equal billing in any review of Aspen. The weather is beautiful, the pace is gentler, and outdoor life fills the valley. Crowds thin, prices ease somewhat, and the fresh alpine air remains every bit as restorative. People often say that locals come for the winter and stay for the summer; after experiencing both seasons, I understand exactly why. Ultimately, Ajax is one of the best ski areas in the world, full stop. Its sustained terrain, immediate town access, and slightly intimidating late-day personality give it an identity all its own. Highlands holds a special place for its Bowl and Deep Temerity, and Ajax earns the same five stars through a completely different combination of terrain and place. Every visit feels like a privilege, and I never leave Aspen without feeling lucky that I got to spend time there.

Buy your ticket in downtown Aspen at the foot of the mountain, $40 round trip…read more Even when busy, the wait is short. The trip up gives you an eagle's view of the ski runs, and amenities along the way. The Aspen Ski Deck is a restaurant atop the mountain, with fantastic views, an outside and inside area (lit fireplace when cold outside), a bar and a choice of food at separate food stations. The bartenders are fantastic, super friendly and polite; and can make whatever drink you like. Aperol Spritz appears to be a crowd favorite. The only downside is that the food is self-serve.

Legendary. This mountain has something for everyone. It's big, lots of runs. This is my second…read morevisit to Snowmass. Both trips were I. March, 2 years ago I got some fresh powder this year it was spring conditions. I was able to hit all 4 resorts in 1 day, Snowmass, Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands, and Ajax. Snowmass is amazing. I will be coming back.

We enjoyed our time at snowmass. We came at the end of the season & the weather was pretty good…read more All of the employees that we came in contact with were helpful and nice. Trying to figure out where to go for our lessons was a little confusing but we found it with assistance. Our instructor, Cyndi, was very friendly and helpful in teaching us how to ski. We enjoyed our lunch at the cafeteria. It was packed but we found seats and got our food quickly.

Stayed in Salida with some friends and went to Monarch mountain for MLK weekend in January. We…read moreended up getting a Monarch ski pass this year, and it's now our third time that we've visited. I really love Monarch! It has a local, small town feel. It's not a huge mountain, but none of the runs are ever too busy nor were the lift lines ever more than a three minute wait. The parking is close enough that it's a quick walk to the base regardless of where you end up parking (Even if you go to the overflow parking up top, you can ski down to the base). I also appreciate that the food and drinks aren't exorbitantly expensive - they have ~$5 slices of pizza and ~$8 beers (even on tap) which in today's world is pretty unheard of at a resort! Definitely one of my favorite smaller local mountains.

Had an amazing experience here! Took the whole family for snowboarding and skiing lessons! PARKER…read morewas super great!! Kind, educational, and encouraging!! We appreciated how clean and family friendly the resort was. No too busy this time of year either!

I had a blast here at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. This is a beautiful place to visit that is an…read moreexcellent spot for hiking, biking and skiing. I have been skiing my whole life and have had Crested Butte on my list to ski for some time. I am glad that I finally made my way over here to ski their slopes. Crested Butte Mountain Resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts. My buddy and I have Epic Passes and chose to ski here this past winter. This resort is geared toward intermediate to expert skiers as there are lots of blue and black runs. Overall, we had good snow and a fun weekend. We started our day off by taking Red Lady Express Lift from Base Area. We spent a lot of our time hitting the intermediate runs off of Paradise Express Lift. We eventually hit some black runs off of Silver Queen Express Lift. We didn't do it, but Rambo run is the steepest tree-defined ski trail in North America with a 55-degree pitch. That run looks insane. Crested Butte Mountain Resort opened in 1960. We stayed in town near the base of the resort and had a lot of fun. We were able to walk to the lift from our hotel. Crested Butte is a former coal mining town that is a popular tourist destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Mount Crested Butte is in the heart of the Elk Mountains and sits over 9,000 feet above sea level. The town is named after its iconic 12,168-foot mountain peak. You can see the peak while you ski from almost anywhere on the mountain.

Crested Butte Resort is an awesome skiing destination. It is set up well and relatively easy to…read morenavigate around the entire resort from the Front Side (the Base Camp area) to the lifts/terrain on the back side (Paradise Express, East River, Teocalli) as well as the Ten Peaks area! Approximately 40% of skiing trails are marked as Double Black Diamond Extreme, so if you're looking for the most challenging terrain, then this is the place for you! But even if you're not an "advanced expert," then there are still plenty of runs that you can take it easy on... or that will push you to keep on learning and getting better! Of all the Vail Resorts, I feel like the Crested Butte team was the friendliest and most welcoming. Definitely try to plan your trip to Crested Butte for when they're getting some fresh powder, as most of the runs will be even more enjoyable! *****FIVE STARS*****

We went mid-February for a ski weekend with friends; unfortunately the snow was pretty abysmal…read more(very low snow base) but the resort itself was fun! We got the Monarch pass this year, which allows us three days at Sunlight. The mountain is pretty small, only 3 lifts I think, but it's a nice small-town family vibe. The prices are great too - $99 for weekend lift pass and something like $49 for weekday? Some of the runs were very skied out though and we had to be cautious of rocks/trees popping out - they did a good job with caution signs to alert for obstacles on the trails. There was a small lodge at the base with food and drinks which was very affordable as ski resorts go - $5 fry basket and $8 beers on draft! Would do another weekend here.

Visited with family who are late beginner to early intermediate skiers…read more First, a description of the resort. This is a small resort only 3 lifts. We arrived on a big snow day, and there were lines at the lifts. However, I have been to more crowded resorts in California where I live, so I thought the lines were ok. They moved fast but the lifts stopped often because of people falling off at the start or end. And about the lift, they move fast at the start and end. So be ready. They can be challenging for beginners. Hold on tight because they do swing you around quite violently at the start and I almost slipped off because there was a sheet of ice on the first lift we took and the swinging was quite vigorous. I disliked them a lot. The snow was great. There aren't that many green runs but the greens were fun with varied terrain, which were a good challenge. We did one of the blue runs which was pretty challenging for my party. The green runs had really great views especially those from the top of the mountain. We didn't have lessons but we saw many people lined up for lessons. We stayed for 2 days. But if we had stayed for 3 we might have gotten bored due to the limited number of green runs. Only one restaurant, so bring your own food if you don't want to wait to order, then wait for your food. There are lockers available which you rent via a kiosk. There's a QR code but it doesn't work. They are quite expensive: $10 for a small one that fits one backpack and $15 for a large on that fits 2 backpacks. We fit 5 winter/hiking boots in them, with space to spare for water bottles, sweaters, beanies etc. We saw lots of folks leave their stuff under benches, along the walls too. I think the restroom situation was fine as well. Didn't have to wait that long for restrooms. In fact, most of the time I didn't have to wait. There is a restroom right at the top of the mountain too. If you want skis, you can rent them at the resort, or at their shop in downtown Glenwood Springs. We opted to rent from the shop in downtown. There will be a separate review on the ski rental from their shop. Second, about getting there. You can drive. Or, you can take the shuttle which leaves from selected hotels in the area. As well as from the downtown Sunlight Ski and Bike Shop location at 8:30 and they will do more runs if there are more people needing it. Pick up is at 2:30 and 4:30 but they will add another one at 3:30 if it is a busy day. There's space for your skis and boots and poles etc. The shuttle drivers are amazing. They dropped us off at our hotel even though it's not "on the scheduled list". But they can pretty much pick you up and drop you off anywhere in and around Glenwood Springs. For this season they are free but they are working to get a system which you use your ski tickets to tap in from. Forget about Uber/Lyft. They don't exist here. And the only other taxi operator is apparently very expensive. Much better way to get up the mountain than driving after a snowstorm. We saw a car flipped over on the way up... If you do drive, there is a shuttle that takes people to the lower parking lot so you don't have to trek down. We had a great time at Sunlight Mountain. It may not have the most modern amenities nor the best runs, but the people were really friendly and helpful and it's not a complicated resort. The other plus is the ski shuttle which really made it much more convenient to get around with our skis. While I note that skiing is an expensive activity, Sunlight Mountain has really good pricing. Even better than my local California resorts and the snow is better. But due to the limited number of green runs and older ski lifts, I took one star off.

Under-rated and too easily dismissed by experienced skiers. Have travelled to Aspen four times in…read morethe past several years and only on this trip visited Buttermilk. Accessed by (complimentary) town bus about 10 minutes from downtown Aspen the vibe is easy. Home to the X-Games and the half-pipe etc. still visible President's Day weekend. Staff friendly, lifts efficient - their are a variety of routes for beginner, intermediate and expert skiers. I experienced the group lessons for three days (to rediscover my ski legs) and found the quality of tuition excellent (ask for Bob Morse or his opinion on whom to learn with). Ultimately I spent five days skiing the resort and enjoyed it immensely - the ease with which I could build familiarity enabled me to focus on technique and the relatively light number of skiers meant the runs were not crowded. Interestingly I spoke at length with instructors who made the point that Buttermilk seemed to be where they had their fondest memories. The Cliffhouse at the summit serves some great food - if you are not skiing I noticed snow-shoers making their way up by foot or buying a lift ticket to go dine and enjoy the views of neighboring Highlands.

It's a lovely mountain if you are a new or learner…read more Not much in the way of advanced terrain here. Short groomers. Some fun spots to dip into the trees or small sections of bumps. 5 lifts and a terrain park. Lots of ski school lessons for kids and adults. Ski school sucks up a lot of lift capacity. CliffHouse lodge on the summit is nice for lunch. Lower base buildings are new and fresh and clean. Shops. Food. Booze. Gear. Aspen priced so look away! Lots of entitlement here. Lots!! I think this would be a great place for an easy powder day. Nothing special here.

This place reminded us of our ski co-op in Reno, Nevada. It's quaint and small, but has everything…read moreyou need without the crowds or pretentious fur coats. Shoot, they even have a microwave if you want to bring your own cup'o'soup or popcorn. We loved it. The weather conditions were pretty tricky, but the place itself was worth our drive. We have been skiing at Copper Mountain all week on our 3-day reciprocal pass, but on days where the conditions aren't as ideal, we check out other mountains locally that are free for us as well (with our reciprocal pass from AZ Snowbowl). Cooper is on the list in addition to Loveland and Copper. They have a pretty spacious parking area for a small resort and all the terrain you need. The most impressive part is the bunny hill-- it has one of the longest magic carpets we've seen in awhile. It allowed our daughter to finally kick the lease and gain her confidence. She spend the rest of our time at Copper skiing greens all on her own. I attribute that to Cooper! If you're all about the 'gram and just want to post that you've skied Breck, Keystone, Vail... this won't impress. But, if you want to ski a pretty decent mountain on a budget and are cool with eating at their Irish Pub or bringing your own picnic basket, you will love this place. We're happy we made the drive.

Stopped here on the way home from Glenwood Springs to Denver for a few runs - loved the family feel…read moreof this place! Tickets were affordable, and felt very local feels. The day passes were very reasonable. The mountain is fairly small, but we got in a nice few runs in on the backside of the mountain.

Our family has been going to RRR for 35 years. I highly recommend this resort for families and…read morefishermen. Super clean, comfortable and the grounds are a great hangout. Very quiet and relaxing place with friendly owners and staff. If you don't like this place then the problem is most likely you.

I stayed at the Rockey River Resort this July for the first time and I loved it! It is a great…read moreplace with a very friendly environment and prime river access for those of you who like to fish. Not only were the cabins very clean and comfortable, but the owners (Dani and Rob) were readily available to let us know what was going on in the area during our stay. They told us about some free concerts and pointed us toward some great hikes. I would definitely recommend it!

Had a wondeful weekend skiing here! This was my first time in Aspen and it did not disappoint. The…read moregondolas were awesome and fast! The place is huge and theres so much to ski and do! I havent skiied in ten years so i started with some much needed practice on the bunny slopes. Brenda at the rental shop was awesome and helped me get the perfect rental skis & get the right boots. Hopefully I can make it back here in the next few years to ski again!

If it weren't for gouging the locals who work for the Aspen Ski Company and the locals who ski it,…read moreit'd be a decent place. But Aspen is all about money over affordability. So, for the first time in 32 years, I'm considering finding another mountain to ski, even though it's 45 miles away.