Aspen, CO March 7 to 9, 2025

Friday, March 7 Buttermilk
Our drive from Copper to Glenwood Springs was uneventful although left turns on main road once in town required long waits due to heavy traffic coming down the valley. We had a very good dinner at top-rated tripadvisor restaurant along the river. I was not sure where to ski and after about an hour drive with some traffic at many of the traffic lights, then heavy traffic at last light past airport just before Buttermilk took almost an hour. (I later heard there were major delays getting into Snowmass due to an accident.) The parking to take buses to other Aspen areas was full, but we got into last row of parking for Buttermilk where Shaun White Snowboard League was having inaugural event. (When we left they had parked vehicles on sidewalks and anywhere else they could fit one.) We loaded Summit Express about 920 and Lucia and I skied one of the many perfectly groomed runs which she enjoyed and she also enjoyed that top of Summit Express was lower elevation than base of Copper. Photo taken from Summit Express.

While she took a bathroom break before resuming skiing, I went up Summit, then skied powder on Tiehack side for 7 laps. It was not deep as Buttermile and Ajax reported 4” vs. 12” at Highlands, but there were not many people skiing it so it lasted. Tiehack powder.

Lizzi's Run on edge of Javelin in Tiehack
Best powder was along left edge of Javelin although Timber Doodle Glades also held some untracked. Lucia and I met up again at the base of West Buttermilk Express which tops out at 9,990’ - 180’ higher than Summit. I skied blue Teaser to get there but couldn’t find entrance to black Little Teaser. I did find some untracked along left edge. Lucia liked that she could ski the run under the chair, but was OK skiing Teaser with me. At the top when leaving area, we were surprised to find self-serve free hot apple cider (and water) dispensers.

After another Summit lift lap, we skied Buckskin and Magic Carpet past some $5M+ houses to Tiehack base so she could see the arched footbridge over the Maroon Creek. We did another couple of laps on Summit, doing all of the skier-cross instead of ducking rope into as we had on a previous lap and once almost ending up on way to Tiehack again. But we avoided it by taking almost flat Sterner Catwalk, which was bordered by snow-covered shrubs that looked like blooming dogwoods to me.One more photo of Lucia at Buttermilk.
We went into Pacifico area at base where Lucia got a hat for filling out form. I got a Pacifico cozy with my $9 beer and enjoyed the four Pacifico girls. Next photo is view of some of Highlands including the Bowl from Buttermilk. Quit before 2 with 21.4K

Friday, March 7 Aspen Mountain (Ajax)
I moved because I wanted to check out the new Hero lift and area, and only having 3 days and four Aspen ski areas I had not been to for a long time. After downloading app to pay for parking, it hung when I tried to use Apple Pay for the 2 1/2 hrs. I thought I’d ski. Instead, while in gondola, I loaded credit card and paid for the 2 hrs I now needed. I missed the Hero lift which closes at 2:30 by 7 min. I skied a couple of Ajax Express runs, rode FIS to ski Ruthie’s and then rode Ruthie’s and skied some powder in trees and along edge of big moguls on Red’s Rungetting back to Ajax Express. I had time for one more quick run down Blondie’s before loading Ajax again and skiing some of Sunrise/Sunset on the shoulder of Bell Mountain.

I could have loaded Ajax again, but maps on lift safety bar said it and all other lifts closed at 3:30 except FIS closed at 3:45 and I wanted to ski one of the dump runs. But FIS was closed so I skied to Aspen base where I was surprised to see gondola was still loading. So instead of getting a less than 700’ vertical on my last lift, I had 3250+’ and made the best of it. I skied Northstar into Gentleman’s Ridge and found some shaded powder along left edge and in steep drop to right, then a lot more in sunny Chute #3.

Previous photo taken at 4:04 PM. Next one taken at 4:06 PM
I quit at 4:10 with 11.9K. Lucia and met up behind Mollie Aspen as both of our maps led up to an construction zone. They had a good bar menu. We split citrus chile shrimp and an order of sliders. 3-9 at the bar, but only 3-5 at bar tables. $6 Coors and $16 glass of Albarino.

Going to hit snowmass?

Tomorrow is Snowmass, then driving to Moab. Today I took shuttle to Highlands, caught 2nd chair and hiked the Bowl for probably my last time. My wife stayed at Buttermilk. We had light traffic from Basalt to Buttermilk and found a space in shuttle part of the parking lot. Lucia had late start (9:30) at Buttermilk. I rode Cloud 9 and Loge Peak skiing groomers. Kessler's, my first Deep Temerity lap.
Next time up Loge I skied Kessler’s to Deep Temerity, probably the longest sustained steep run of my trip so far. Snow was deep, chopped up powder with some bumps. Next time up I skied Hyde Park into Kiss This to Deep Temerity.
At the top, I got in line for the snowcat that takes you up 220’ of the ~850’ climb to Highlands Peak. The cat started loading later than scheduled 10:30. I caught 2nd cat and unloaded at about 11. It took me about an hour to climb to 12,350' start of Be One which map says is 45 degrees at the steepest and a sustained 40 degrees, the steepest line in the Bowl besides the Hot Y’s. After Bo One, I traversed into shaded trees on the right side of the bowl a couple of times for some steep powder shots, but never found longer lines as Paul Kulas did last time I was in area. View of hike, peak and bowl before cat arrived. My hike may have been slowed by checking heart rate on my Garmin watch. It would drop to 100 with a longer break but would quickly climb into the low 130s after not very many steps.

Line behind me before cat started loading. There were many children in line. I shared Deep Temerity with guy whose 11 year-old skied it.

View of Maroon Bells and other peaks from near where I stopped climbing.

Be One starts about 40' below the peak. 2nd picture is top part of Be One.

This is coming out of trees below bowl on the shady right.

After hike, skiing the bowl and exit, I stopped at base of Deep Temerity for water before going up and skiing a couple of groomers. Next time up Loge, I skied Why Not in Olympic Bowl area. I returned to the area dropping in between No Name and Deception finding some good snow both in the sun and deep shade although there were some rocks to be avoided towards the bottom. No Name to right.

I skied to the bottom on blue, then black part of Robinson’s Run. After riding Exhibition again, I tried to find Robinson’s again to take photo of sign for friend whose last name it is but missed it. I did one more top to bottom fast lap (9 minutes) to catch 2:15 shuttle back to Buttermilk after 20,420 vertical. Both Lucia and I took naps before friends, who live on other side of highway in Basalt, joined us for wine in sitting area of our room then dinner at the Tipsy Trout, which was a short walk from our lodging.

Deep Temerity has to be one of the best lifts in North America for serving terrain with consistent steepness? Nice pics of the bowl too. I doubt I'll ever get a chance to do it sadly. I should have made the effort when I was last there in 2020.

Sbooker said:

I doubt I'll ever get a chance to do it sadly

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I did it 3x at ages 58, 61 and 62, the second of those with Tseeb. All of them took about 45 minutes, so maybe Tseeb is slowing down a tiny bit if it took him an hour at age 69. Not that much considering the verticals he’s racking up on this trip.

After all 3 of my times I took a long lunch and only skied groomers the rest of the day.

So as far as the hike is concerned sbooker has many years ahead if his altitude sensitivity is comparable to ours. In all of our cases we spent a full week sleeping in Colorado at 8,000+ feet before attempting Highlands Bowl. This is my most important recommendation for anyone considering it.

The other caveat is the skiing itself. Wide open sustained 35-40 degree slopes need to be in your comfort zone. If they are not, you don’t want to be skiing them after a hike like that.

I doubt i could do this anymore. 6 years breathing construction dust dud me in...

Tony Crocker said:

I did it 3x at ages 58, 61 and 62, the second of those with Tseeb. All of them took about 45 minutes, so maybe Tseeb is slowing down a tiny bit if it took him an hour at age 69. Not that much considering the verticals he’s racking up on this trip.

After all 3 of my times I took a long lunch and only skied groomers the rest of the day.

So as far as the hike is concerned sbooker has many years ahead if his altitude sensitivity is comparable to ours. In all of our cases we spent a full week sleeping in Colorado at 8,000+ feet before attempting Highlands Bowl. This is my most important recommendation for anyone considering it.

The other caveat is the skiing itself. Wide open sustained 35-40 degree slopes need to be in your comfort zone. If they are not, you don’t want to be skiing them after a hike like that.

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I meant it’s not likely I’ll be in Colorado anytime soon unfortunately. The exchange rate makes traveling to the US less appealing than other nations for the time being.

Snowmass, Sunday March 9
We parked in Town Park (former Rodeo lot) and were quickly shuttled to Snowmass. We loaded Village Express not much after 9 and skied Sunnyside to Big Burn that went up. We skied Sneaky’s and stopped for photo where run makes 90 degree turn.

I next went into Campground area and should have quit and turned at Sam’s Knob chair, but was enjoying the very fast steep groomer and went to bottom and rode slow Campground chair that stopped at least 4 times (one was a few minutes). At top of Sam’s Know I skied to and rode Sheer Bliss, then had about a 10 minute line for the Cirque Poma. Line never went down all day or I would have taken Lucia above 12.5K to ski blue Rocky Mountain High. I stayed close to the boundary line going to Hanging Valley and probably skied what is on map as Lower Ladder, maybe cutting into Valley Valley from some untracked in trees where it flattened. Top of most steep faces required caution for a couple (or more) turns as rocks were showing.

I took long exit road to Alpine Springs chair which had ~10 minute singles line that could have been less if all chairs were filled. I then rode and skied High Alpine 3x; first doing the two black groomers, The Edge (which Lucia could have done) and Showcase, then skiing more challenging bumped Reidar’s. Lucia and I got together at bottom of Sheer Bliss that we would ride and ski 3x, first skiing Whispering Jesse. Then we skied Sheer Bliss run with me dropping off into Garrett Gulch which got tiring due to big bumps in long confined gully. Our last lap was Sneaky’s then continuing past Sheer Bliss base to Adam’s Avenue which goes past $5+M homes and crosses Fanny Hill just above where we loaded 2:20 bus. SkiTracks counted over 27K. Monday we are taking day off from skiing after 12 in a row for me and 8 for Lucia, her first days of the year. Today we will be going to Arches National Park then staying at Springville, UT before going to Snowbird for 4 days/nights.


We stopped in Fruita at closed CO Welcome Center. Bathrooms were open and heated and there were signs on doors saying No Sleeping and No Living. Then after stop at gas station and last big CO liquor store, we got to UT128 with a lot of daylight although part of the road in Colorado River canyon was already shaded. Spectacular road that is less than 10 minutes longer than shortest route to Moab.

Didn't realize how close we'd be getting to very remote La Sal Mountains


A couple of 5400 pixel wide panoramics. First is Lucia on Sneaky's.


View from just off UT128. The last couple of miles before Moab are also very scenic with road between CO river and canyon walls.

Snowmass is a great mountain isn’t it? How were crowds in general? Whenever I’ve been there (including holidays) most lifts have been ‘ski on’. The only negative is the difficulty lapping the Hanging Valley. Even The Cirque requires two lifts.

Crowds not bad. Looked like the Town Park may have filled, or gotten very close to it, but they have dirt overflow that did not get used.

The only lines I experienced were ~10 minutes on Cirque Poma that I rode early and line never went down, and about that long for unmanaged singles line on Alpine Springs that was sending up some less than full chairs. Lucia and I passed up Big Burn that had short line before 10 to go up Sheer Bliss, but it does not open until 10 and Lucia needed a bio-break so we skied all the way to the Village.

Snowmass is a great mountain with new snow. Without new snow, there is limited expert terrain besides High Alpine lift which has been lengthened and upgraded to HSQ since I first skied Snowmass on College Ski Club Trips in the 80s. While there are short steep drops into Garrett Gulch and longer runs from Sam's Knob into Campground, the black runs past Longshot are best with new snow as is Big Burn.

Was there last year..if I lived there...That would be my go to place.