Aspen Highlands facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aspen Highlands |
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Summit of Aspen Highlands and the backside of the Highland Bowl from Buttermilk Mountain
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 Aspen Highlands
Location in Colorado
Aspen Highlands
Location in the United States
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| Location | Pitkin County, Colorado, United States |
| Nearest city | Aspen, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 39°10′52″N 106°51′23″W / 39.18111°N 106.85639°W |
| Vertical | 3,638 feet (1,109 m) |
| Top elevation | 12,392 feet (3,777 m) |
| Base elevation | 8,040 feet (2,450 m) |
| Skiable area | 1,010 acres (4.1 km2) |
| Runs | 118 total 0% beginner 23% intermediate 12% advanced 65% expert |
| Longest run | 3.5 miles (5.6 km) |
| Lift system | 5 total (3 high-speed quad chairs, 2 triple chairs) |
| Terrain parks | 0 |
| Snowfall | 300 in/year (7.62 m/year) |
| Website | http://www.aspensnowmass.com |
Aspen Highlands is a popular skiing mountain located in Aspen, Colorado. It's well-known for its challenging terrain, especially the famous Highland Bowl. Many skiers consider the Highland Bowl to offer some of the most exciting and fun skiing in the state! The Aspen Skiing Company is in charge of running Aspen Highlands.
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History of Aspen Highlands
Aspen Highlands was started in 1958 by a local Aspen resident named Whip Jones. He developed the land into the ski resort we know today. In 1993, Whip Jones gave the resort to Harvard University, his old college. Harvard later sold the resort to a developer from Houston, Texas, named Gerald D. Hines for $18.3 million. Eventually, Aspen Highlands became part of the Aspen Skiing Company, which operates several ski areas in the region.
Exploring the Mountain
Aspen Highlands is most famous for its expert-only skiing areas, especially the Highland Bowl. Even though the mountain opened much earlier, the Highland Bowl wasn't fully opened for skiing until 2002. Most of the mountain's ski runs flow down from a narrow ridge that extends from Highland Peak.
Mid and Lower Mountain Trails
The middle and lower parts of Aspen Highlands have wide, rolling trails that are great for intermediate skiers. These trails wind through thick forests of lodgepole pine trees. At the very bottom of the mountain, you'll find the Thunderbowl. This is a large, steep intermediate run often used for ski competitions. The lower mountain also has tough expert runs like Lower Stein, Golden Horn Woods, and The P-Chutes. These areas are reached by the Exhibition and Thunderbowl lifts.
The Merry-Go-Round restaurant is a central spot in the mid-mountain area. It has a big deck that faces south, perfect for sunny days. This restaurant is also where the main chairlifts on the mountain connect. The Cloud Nine lift takes skiers to intermediate and difficult runs. It also leads to Scarlett's, a challenging run full of moguls. At the top of the Cloud Nine lift is the Cloud Nine Bistro, which offers amazing views of the Maroon Bells. As of December 2017, Aspen Highlands changed its trail map. It no longer shows any beginner terrain. This change encourages new skiers to visit nearby mountains like Buttermilk or Snowmass.
Upper Mountain Adventures
What really draws many skiers to Highlands is the dramatic summit of the mountain. This area is just above the tree line. The upper mountain is mostly served by the Loge Peak high-speed quad lift, which starts at the Merry-Go-Round. The ridge coming down from Loge Peak (the highest point you can reach by lift) has only one intermediate run called Broadway. This run follows the ridge.
On the right side, as you ski down, is Steeplechase. This area has long, steep terrain, with some runs dropping at angles of up to 45 degrees! Further down, you'll find the Olympic Bowl. This area has steep slopes both in open spaces and through trees. From the summit, skiers are greeted with incredible views of the Maroon Bells, Pyramid Peak, Hayden Mountain, and the famous Highland Bowl.
The Legendary Highland Bowl
Since 2002, the Highland Bowl has been the most special part of Aspen Highlands. Most of its terrain can only be reached by hiking from the top of Loge Peak. However, a snowcat can help by taking you part of the way, cutting the hike by a third. When you include the hike-to terrain in the Highland Bowl, Highlands' total vertical drop for skiing increases to 4,342 feet (1,323 m).
The Highlands ski patrol keeps a close eye on the Bowl. They perform avalanche control to make sure skiers are safe. The Bowl mainly faces east, looking towards Aspen Mountain. Generally, the best snow is found in the north-facing G-Zones. The B-Zones face east and go down the middle of the bowl from the 12,382 ft (3,774 m) summit of Highland Peak. The Y-Zones face south and are the steepest, with slopes as steep as 48 degrees! You can ski these without hiking. Before the Deep Temerity lift was built in 2005, skiing down the Highland Bowl meant taking a long, flat path called the Grand Traverse to get back to the Loge Peak lift. The Highland Bowl also lets you access the very steep and avalanche-prone backcountry Five Fingers Bowl from its summit.
On March 31, 1984, three ski patrol members, Chris Kessler, Tom Snyder, and Craig Soddy, were doing avalanche control work in Highland Bowl. They set off explosives, but an avalanche unexpectedly occurred. Sadly, all three lost their lives. A special monument was built in their memory near the top of the Loge Peak lift. There are also ski runs named after them: Kessler's Bowl, Snyder's Ridge, and Soddbuster.
Terrain Directions
- North-facing slopes: 50%
- West-facing slopes: 15%
- East-facing slopes: 35%
New Skiing Areas
Just before the 2005-2006 ski season, the Aspen Skiing Company finished building a new lift called "Deep Temerity". This $2.7 million project made it much easier to get back from the bottom of the Highland Bowl, the Temerity glades, and Steeplechase. The Deep Temerity lift added 180 acres (0.73 km2) of new terrain for the 2005-2006 season. It has the potential to open up even more, possibly 270 acres (1.1 km2) of new terrain in the future. This will push Aspen Highlands' total skiable area to over 1,000 acres (4.0 km2).
Aspen Highlands in Movies
Aspen Highlands was used as a filming location for the bowl skiing scenes in the 1993 movie Aspen Extreme.
Images for kids
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The Lower Olympic run, from the top of the Cloud 9 chairlift
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The Highland Bowl, view from Aspen Mountain
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View of Pyramid Peak from Highlands
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Aspen Highlands Steeplechase run
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Highland Peak
