Aspen Snowmass
3,342 acres, 98 runs near Aspen. Aspen Skiing Company's largest mountain, family destination, Ikon Pass.
Season 2026 - 2027
Opens
26 Nov 2026
Closes
11 Apr 2027
Days open
136
Annual snow
230in
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Aspen Snowmass's summit reaches 12,510 feet, dropping 4,393 vertical feet to a base at 8,117 feet across 98 runs spread over 3,342 acres near Aspen, Colorado. Terrain splits 48 per cent intermediate, 30 per cent expert, 17 per cent advanced and 5 per cent beginner. Average annual snowfall runs to roughly 230 inches. The resort carries Ikon Pass and Mountain Collective affiliation. Twenty lifts, including ten quad chairs and one six-person chair, serve the mountain alongside one double chair, two gondolas, four surface lifts and two t-bars.
Snowmass is the largest of the four mountains within the Aspen Skiing Company portfolio by a considerable margin, and its scale and terrain variety have made it a genuine family and destination-skiing counterpart to the more specialised Aspen Mountain and Highlands. Its considerable 4,393-foot vertical drop ranks among the largest of any American ski resort.
The Aspen Skiing Company, founded in 1946 by Friedl Pfeifer, Walter Paepcke and their partners, opened Snowmass, then known as the Snowmass-at-Aspen Ski Area, in 1967, more than two decades after the company's original Aspen Mountain operation. This later development gave the company a considerably larger, more varied fourth mountain to complement its original downtown-adjacent terrain.
Aspen Skiing Company ownership has remained with the Crown family of Illinois since the mid-1980s, following the company's 1977 sale to Twentieth Century Fox. Snowmass continues to anchor the broader Aspen Skiing Company portfolio as its largest and most family-oriented mountain. Adult daily tickets run from 189 to 259 US dollars.
4,393ft
Vertical
98
Runs
3,342 acres
Skiable
230in
Annual snow
Ikon / Mountain Collective
Pass
The Terrain
98 runs across 3,342 acres skiable
Aspen Snowmass is the largest of the four Aspen mountains, covering 3,342 acres (1,353 hectares) across 98 runs. The base is at 8,120 ft (2,474 m) and the summit reaches 12,510 ft (3,813 m), a vertical drop of 4,390 ft (1,339 m). Intermediate runs dominate at 48%, with 30% expert, 17% advanced and 5% beginner. Snowfall averages around 230 inches a year. The mountain divides into several sections: the Big Burn, the Cirque, High Alpine, Sam's Knob and Elk Camp. Each has its own character, from gentle cruising to steep hike-to terrain.
The Big Burn is known for its widely spaced trees, the legacy of a forest fire in the 1880s, while Elk Camp, served by an eight-person gondola, offers plenty of trails and a short hike to Long Shot. Head to High Alpine and on to Hanging Valley for the steeps and deeps, and look to the Cirque for terrain overlooking the resort. Burnt Mountain Glades have a backcountry feel. Fanny Hill and Assay Hill are wide, easy green circle slopes beside Snowmass Village, with a four-person chairlift on Assay Hill. Snowmass suits mixed groups, families and strong intermediates, and experts will find enough steeps to keep busy for several days.
Terrain split
98
runs
98 runs across 4 grades
Beginner5 runs · 5%
Intermediate47 runs · 48%
Advanced17 runs · 17%
Expert29 runs · 30%
Time it right
When to visit Aspen Snowmass
The 2025-26 season at Aspen Snowmass ran from 28 November 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly nineteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 230 inches. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions across Snowmass's varied terrain and considerable 4,393-foot vertical drop. As an Ikon Pass and Mountain Collective resort, Snowmass draws substantial family and destination visitation, distinct from the more specialised, expert-focused character of sister mountains Aspen Mountain and Highlands.
Snowmass's considerable scale and variety continue to support strong visitor capacity during peak weekend and holiday periods, aided by extensive on-mountain village amenities. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given the resort's varied terrain across beginner through expert skiing and considerable base area infrastructure.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Under continued Crown family ownership of the Aspen Skiing Company, Snowmass continues building on nearly six decades of history since its 1967 opening. The mountain's considerable scale and family-oriented character remain central to its role within the broader Aspen Skiing Company portfolio.
Season 2026 - 2027
26 Nov 2026
Opens
11 Apr 2027
Closes
136
Days open
230 in
Annual snow
The record
Historical snowfall at Aspen Snowmass
Daily snow reports at Aspen Snowmass go back to 2025, 2 winters on the books. Open the record to compare winters, lifts and piste.
11 in
Snowiest day
5 Dec 2025
15 in
This winter · 2026-27
so far
124 in
Typical winter
average of complete seasons
Winter totals
in
Past wintersThis winter
Getting there
Getting to Aspen Snowmass, and where to stay
Aspen Snowmass sits near Aspen, Colorado, with a base elevation of 8,117 feet and a summit at 12,510 feet across a 4,393-foot vertical drop over 3,342 acres. This setting places Snowmass within the broader Aspen ski area cluster, though with its own dedicated village and base area.
Snowmass Village provides substantial on-site lodging, dining and shopping directly at the mountain's base, giving Snowmass a genuinely self-contained destination-resort character distinct from the other three Aspen mountains. Aspen itself lies within a reasonable drive, offering additional amenities.
Colorado State Highway 82 provides access to Snowmass Village 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 Snowmass 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 Snowmass and the broader Aspen area genuinely accessible for fly-in visitors from across the country and internationally.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Aspen Snowmass, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Wolf Creek Opens on Halloween Weekend as Colorado’s Early Season Gathers Pace
Colorado’s early-season dominoes keep falling. Arapahoe Basin opened on Wednesday, Keystone follows on Friday, and now Wolf Creek is joining in on Saturday 31 October, just in time for Halloween. A storm on 23 and 24 October left 20 inches of natural snow in the San Juans, and three lifts will turn from 9:00 am, covering about 30% of the mountain. Expect rocks, unmarked obstacles and open water, but also Local Appreciation lift tickets at $73 for adults.
30 Oct 2026
Keystone Resort Opens for 2026/27 With More Than Two Miles of Skiing
Keystone is next. After Arapahoe Basin claimed the first chairlift skiing of the season on Wednesday, Keystone opens on Friday 30 October at 9:00 am with more than two miles of snowmaking-built terrain on Schoolmarm and Silver Spoon, plus free donuts, coffee and a live DJ. Last year the order was reversed, when Keystone squeezed in a three-hour afternoon session to beat A-Basin by a day. Snowmaking has been running since 15 October.
29 Oct 2026
Beaver Creek Installs 16 Automated Snow Guns on Birds of Prey Ahead of Record World Cup
Beaver Creek is getting ready for the biggest Birds of Prey ever, and this time it is not leaving the snow to chance. Crews started making snow on 27 October with 16 newly installed automated guns on the lower third of the course, after last December’s warm spell forced a downhill off the schedule. Seven races across two weekends run from 3 to 13 December, the most the course has hosted since its 1997 debut, and the guns start themselves whenever the weather allows.
29 Oct 2026
Arapahoe Basin Opens First for North America’s 2026/27 Ski Season
Winter has officially started in North America, and it is one blue run long. On Wednesday 28 October, Arapahoe Basin fired up the Black Mountain Express at around 10:30 am after a surprise announcement just hours earlier, becoming the first major North American resort open for 2026/27. Cold nights, a dusting of natural snow and a lot of snowmaking made it happen in the resort’s 80th winter. More terrain is promised as the snow guns keep running.
28 Oct 2026
Sulden am Ortler Pushes Its Season Start Back a Week to 7 November
Sulden am Ortler has called off its 31 October opening. The South Tyrol ski area has pushed its 2026/27 start back to Saturday 7 November, citing current weather and snow conditions and saying it will use the extra week to get the slopes in the best possible shape. The season is still scheduled to run through 2 May 2027. Elsewhere in Europe, around a dozen areas are already open, led by Sölden’s 30 kilometres of groomed runs.
28 Oct 2026
Pinheiro Braathen Wins Sölden Giant Slalom Opener by 0.48 Seconds
Two days at Sölden, two races decided by a hundredth somewhere on the podium, and one very quick Brazilian. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen led from the first run to win the men’s World Cup opener by 0.48 seconds, with Loïc Meillard second and Marco Odermatt third. River Radamus charged from 15th to fourth on a rutted course, and Britain’s Freddy Carrick-Smith banked his first World Cup points. Braathen still hasn’t lost a giant slalom since Olympic gold.
25 Oct 2026
Alps Snow Forecast: Up to 64 cm Headed for the High Glaciers as the Snow Line Drops
The Alps are about to swap mild, sunny October weather for something far more wintry. A cold front arrives Tuesday, and SnowStash forecasts have Monterosa Ski out in front with 64 cm over 14 days, ahead of Blatten Belalp (55 cm) and Verbier (43 cm). The snow line should fall below 2000 metres by Wednesday night, and glaciers across Switzerland, Italy and Austria are in line for the best of it. The wind will have a say too.
20 Oct 2026
Four Dead After Avalanche Near Ski Portillo in Chile
A large avalanche struck near Laguna del Inca adjacent to Ski Portillo on Saturday afternoon, killing four people and injuring four others. The group were day visitors mountaineering in the backcountry after reportedly being warned about elevated avalanche risk by resort staff.
18 Oct 2026
Aspen Snowmass Lift System
Aspen Snowmass runs twenty lifts: one double chair, ten quad chairs, one six-person chair, two gondolas, four surface lifts and two t-bars, serving 98 runs across 3,342 acres, the largest terrain footprint of any Aspen Skiing Company mountain. This extensive network has developed since Snowmass's 1967 opening, more than two decades after its sister mountain, Aspen Mountain.
The considerable scale of this later development reflects Snowmass's role as the Aspen Skiing Company's largest, most varied mountain, built to accommodate substantially more terrain and skier volume than the company's original, more compact Aspen Mountain operation.
The ten quad chairs and two gondolas distribute the considerable skier volume across Snowmass's varied terrain, spanning the mountain's full 4,393-foot vertical drop, among the largest of any American ski resort. The double chair, surface lifts and t-bars provide additional capacity across beginner and lower-mountain terrain.
Under continued Crown family ownership of the Aspen Skiing Company, investment has supported this extensive twenty-lift network. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects are not confirmed in available resort information. Snowmass's considerable lift infrastructure remains central to its role as the largest and most family-oriented of the four Aspen mountains.
20lifts across 6 types
2
Gondolas
1
6-Person Chair
10
Quad Chairs
1
Double Chair
2
T-Bars
4
Surface Lifts
Aspen Snowmass lift system
Aspen Snowmass is served by 20 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 Snowmass intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.