How to Ski Aspen on a Powder Day

December 23, 2024 4 min read

Located in the Central Mountains of Colorado, Aspen is well positioned to receive snow from both storms tracking from the north and from the south. While the location of the jet stream can make or break the total snowfall for certain mountains in Colorado, Aspen is well situated to get consistent snow, although not mind-bending amounts, throughout the season.

Occasionally though, we’ll see deeep powder days. Sometimes an upslope event will converge over the Continental Divide and leave double-digit totals on Aspen Mountain. Or other times, a southerly dipping NW flow will track right up the Roaring Fork Valley and stall over Snowmass, burying the snow stake. And most days, the prevailing Westerly wind direction will gently load snow in the Highlands Bowl, piling up and providing consistent refills as you hike laps on the ridge.

Dec 10, 2021 6:15am - When the snow stake looks like this, it's time to get moving!

6:30AM: Let’s say you’re lucky to be in Aspen and it snowed overnight! The first thing to do is to check snow totals for all 4 mountains. Check OpenSnow Aspen, Aspen Snowmass official reports, the snow stake cams, and even the patrol reporting stations if you’re feeling extra.

8:00AM: If you’re not already moving you’re late! There will already be people in line at the Aspen Mountain and Snowmass base lifts. Depending on where you’re staying, your mode of transportation, and the snow totals from the night before, you can’t go wrong with starting at either mountain.

9:00AM Aspen Mountain: Depending on how much control work the ski patrol needs to do to mitigate avalanche hazard, they should be loading the Gondola by 9. If the line is only to the bottom of the stairs or already moving, hop in line. If the line is around the block, take a short walk up the hill to Lift 1A, where the line should be more manageable.

9:30AM Aspen Mountain: The powder day flow changed last year with the addition of the Hero’s Lift with new terrain and very fast laps. If Hero’s is open, see how many laps you can get there before the line gets crazy. If Hero’s is closed, take some quick laps on the upper mountain via Bell Mountain Ajax Express or Chair 6.

10:30AM Aspen Mountain: Once the lines have swelled at the upper lifts, it’s time to explore “The Dumps” skiing all the way to the base, with the option to go to 1A or the Gondola depending on how those pesky lines are doing. The Gondola is great because it gives you a chance to rest, warm up, and dry off, but you may be stuck waiting a bit longer.

11:30 AM Aspen Mountain: Everything is skied out, time to go home. Just kidding, there are so many hidden stashes on Aspen Mountain you can find powder for days! All the locals have to go to work at this point, so the lines should quiet down. Keep lapping, maybe with a short lunch break, and keep your eyes on the run status boards to see when patrol opens gated terrain like the Bonnie Bell Dumps or Bingo Glades. It might not be til the next day, but you’ll never know if you’ll get lucky and catch the rope drop on these ephemeral runs that Ski Patrol control for “crud” conditions.

Alternatively, if you love the Highland Bowl. It’s time to hop on the bus and head over to Highlands. You might’ve missed the rope drop, but this way the bootpack is already set and there’s no wallowing and no energy wasted.

I spy the Highland Bowl. Photo: Matt Power

12:00PM Aspen Highlands: With our office at the base of Aspen Highlands, we are experts at timing the bowl. If it snows a lot and is stormy and windy all day, it might not open til 1:00PM, just enough time to get 1, maybe 2, laps in. If it’s not actively snowy and windy, patrol can run their routes a little easier and the bowl is usually open before or around 11:00AM. If you’re waiting for rope drop, be prepared to redline your way breaking trail to the top, or drop in early if you can’t wait. The real pros will bring skins and AT setups, the fastest way to the top, especially if there is deep trailbreaking for the bootpackers.

2:00PM: If you’ve still got legs, there’s still skiing to be had. Find those stashes or call it day with an après session and a hot cocoa.

We are lucky to have an amazing 4 mountains to ski on any given day. There is plenty of terrain at every mountain and the world-class local transportation network of RFTA makes it easy to move between any of the four. While Aspen’s got the reputation of being the billionaire’s playground, the secret is that most of the private jet setters aren’t here to ski. That leaves plenty of quality snow and terrain for you, us, and the rest of the diehard locals.

Bottom-line, don’t let powder panic get the best of you. Respect your fellow skiers and riders, respect all closures and rope-lines (they’re there for your safety), and enjoy every soft fluffy turn!