Five Reasons We Love Aspen
With the Winter X Games kicking off today it only seems appropriate to dedicate a little bit of time to one of America’s most beloved and celebrated ski towns – Aspen, Colorado. You might not be able to make it to the winter sports competition that spends each January making a pit stop in Aspen, but there’s plenty of reasons to hop on your scooter with your best friend, and follow the salmon of Capistrano to this skiing Mecca in the midst of the state any time of year.
Life at Altitude
The town of Aspen sits at 7,908 feet, and the greater Aspen area is home to seven 14ers, which reference a mountain exceeding 14,000 feet in elevation. The Maroon Bells (North and South) constitute two of these peaks, along with Pyramid, Capitol, Castle, and Snowmass in the Elk Mountain Range and La Plata, situated nearby over Independence Pass, making for incredible backcountry skiing and hiking, and jaw-dropping vistas.
Different Resorts
While the town of Aspen anchors the whole valley, four separate mountains are all close by for skiers and snowboarders to choose from. Buttermilk, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, and Aspen Mountain are all based within the area, with Snowmass being the largest of the four, boasting 3,332 skiable acres and 4,406 feet of vertical rise.
Hitting the Town
Aspen’s nightlife has always been a storied part of the town’s culture, and plenty of longtime locals can testify to the “first chair, last call” kind of philosophy that residents typically embody. Case in point – the Belly Up, one of skiing’s most noteworthy spots for live music. While the Belly Up only opened in 2005, it’s quickly become a top stop for artists from around the world, with tickets for the venue’s shows quickly selling out.
X Games
One of the town’s biggest events, X Games is spending its 15th winter in Aspen as countless athletes. sponsors, skiers, snowboarders, and partiers converge on the ski town. Obviously a stop to see some incredible athletic performances, the event has also become celebrated as a spot to see live music and take in the party atmosphere of the competition in its full glory.
Celebrity Status
Sure, we’re not all interested in celebrity sightings above powder days, but strolling the streets of Aspen is often the place to see and be seen for celebrities on their ski-town vacations. Aspen’s holiday season saw the likes of Mariah Carey, Heidi Klum (with ex-husband Seal) and a few Kardashians, among others, stop through town for a taste of the storied ski town.
