The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Aspen Highlands' summit reaches 11,675 feet, dropping 3,638 vertical feet to a base at 8,038 feet across 144 runs spread over 1,040 acres near Aspen, Colorado. Terrain splits 65 per cent expert, 23 per cent intermediate and 12 per cent advanced, with no beginner-rated runs. Average annual snowfall runs to roughly 240 inches. The resort carries Ikon Pass and Mountain Collective affiliation. Five lifts, including three quad chairs and two double chairs, serve the mountain.
Aspen Highlands is best known for Highland Bowl, a legendary hike-to expert zone that has become one of the most celebrated pieces of extreme terrain anywhere in North America. With 65 per cent of its runs rated expert, Highlands carries the most demanding terrain profile among the four Aspen Skiing Company mountains.
Colorado Ski Hall of Famer Whip Jones founded Aspen Highlands in 1958, developing it as an independent mountain distinct from the Aspen Skiing Company's original Aspen Mountain operation. The Aspen Skiing Company eventually assumed ownership and operation of Highlands in 1993, bringing the mountain into the same four-peak portfolio as Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk and Snowmass.
Under Aspen Skiing Company ownership, now held by the Crown family of Illinois, Highland Bowl received significant lift-served access development, transforming what was once purely hike-to terrain into a considerably more accessible, though still genuinely demanding, expert zone. Adult daily tickets run from 189 to 259 US dollars, with a dedicated Highland Bowl access ticket available.
3,638ft
Vertical
144
Runs
1,040 acres
Skiable
20ft
Annual snow
Ikon / Mountain Collective
Pass
The Terrain
144 runs across 1,040 acres skiable
Aspen Highlands spreads 144 runs across 1,040 acres skiable of terrain. It leans expert at 65%, with 111 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
144
runs
144 runs across 4 grades
Beginner0 runs · 0%
Intermediate33 runs · 23%
Advanced17 runs · 12%
Expert94 runs · 65%
Time it right
When to visit Aspen Highlands
The 2025-26 season at Aspen Highlands ran from 14 December 2025 to 29 March 2026, a roughly fifteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 240 inches. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather and Highland Bowl's typically later seasonal opening.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Highlands' heavily expert-weighted terrain. As an Ikon Pass and Mountain Collective resort, Highlands draws serious, experienced skiers specifically seeking Highland Bowl and the mountain's demanding overall terrain profile, distinct from the more beginner-friendly Aspen mountains.
Highland Bowl access typically depends on favourable avalanche conditions and seasonal timing, meaning the bowl's opening can vary considerably within a given winter. School holiday periods bring some visitation, though the resort's overwhelmingly expert-weighted terrain keeps its visitor base skewed toward experienced skiers throughout the season.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Under continued Crown family ownership since the Aspen Skiing Company assumed operation in 1993, Highlands continues building on more than six decades of history since Whip Jones' 1958 founding. Highland Bowl's legendary status remains central to the mountain's seasonal identity.
Season 2025 - 2026
14 Dec 2025
Opens
29 Mar 2026
Closes
105
Days open
20 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Aspen Highlands, and where to stay
Aspen Highlands sits near Aspen, Colorado, with a base elevation of 8,038 feet and a summit at 11,675 feet across a 3,638-foot vertical drop over 1,040 acres. This setting places Highlands within the broader Aspen ski area cluster, offering spectacular views toward the Maroon Bells.
Aspen itself offers extensive luxury lodging, dining and shopping within a short drive of Highlands, giving visitors access to the town's considerable amenities. The broader Roaring Fork Valley surrounds the area with additional recreation and some of Colorado's most photographed mountain scenery.
Colorado State Highway 82 provides access to Highlands from Aspen and the broader region. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled highway is regularly maintained given the area's status as a major ski destination. Free shuttle services connect Highlands to downtown Aspen and the other three mountains.
Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, within a short drive, offers direct flights from numerous major US cities, making Highlands and the broader Aspen area genuinely accessible for fly-in visitors seeking the mountain's legendary expert terrain.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Aspen Highlands, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Aspen Snowmass Marks 80th Anniversary With $3.75 Throwback Lift Tickets
Aspen Snowmass turns 80 this December, and it's marking the milestone with $3.75 lift tickets on the anniversary itself - the original 1946 price. A discounted long weekend, $19.46 dining specials, lodging deals up to 46 percent off, and a season of anniversary programming round out the celebration across all four mountains.
17 Sept 2026
Doppelmayr Group Posts 9.1% Revenue Growth in 2025/26, Passing 1.3 Billion Euros
Doppelmayr closed its 2025/26 business year with revenue up 9.1 percent to 1.3 billion euros, driven by projects including the Big Sky Explorer Gondola, Deer Valley's Mayflower East Village Gondola, and the first TRI-Line installation at Hoch-Ybrig. Headcount grew too, with the ropeway manufacturer now employing almost 4,000 people worldwide.
16 Sept 2026
Hintertux Glacier Replaces 40-Year-Old Gondola to Tuxer Fernerhaus
Hintertux Glacier is retiring its 40-year-old gondola to the Tuxer Fernerhaus. The replacement carries 10 people per cabin instead of four, with seat heating and nearly 40 percent more hourly capacity. Doppelmayr's new line opens at the end of October 2026, right as the glacier's high-altitude terrain becomes accessible again for the new season.
16 Sept 2026
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aspen Highlands Lift System
Aspen Highlands runs five lifts: two double chairs and three quad chairs, serving 144 runs across 1,040 acres, with the resort's legendary Highland Bowl reached via a combination of lift access and hiking. This lift network supports one of the most expert-heavy terrain profiles of any major American ski resort.
The mountain's infrastructure developed independently under founder Whip Jones from 1958 before the Aspen Skiing Company assumed ownership and operation in 1993, bringing Highlands into the same four-mountain portfolio as Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk and Snowmass.
The quad chairs carry skiers toward the upper mountain and the approach to Highland Bowl, where a further hike is required to access the bowl's considerable expert terrain, a genuinely demanding combination that has built Highlands' reputation among serious skiers. The double chairs serve the mountain's more moderate intermediate and advanced terrain lower down.
Under continued Crown family ownership of the Aspen Skiing Company, investment has supported this five-lift network and the associated Highland Bowl access infrastructure. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects are not confirmed in available resort information. Highland Bowl's combination of lift access and hike-to terrain remains a defining feature of Highlands' identity.
5lifts across 2 types
3
Quad Chairs
2
Double Chairs
Aspen Highlands lift system
Aspen Highlands is served by 5 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Aspen Highlands intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.