Remember 1994’s Dumb and Dumber when Lloyd suggests a trip to Colorado? Lloyd: “Some place warm, a place where the beer flows like wine, where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I’m talking about a little place called Aspen.” Harry: “I don’t know, Lloyd; the French are assholes.” Priceless, but if that’s the extent of your Aspen knowledge then you might be in the same IQ bracket as Lloyd and Harry because it’s one of the world’s great ski resorts.
1 | Stay
The Little Nell was a no-brainer even before last year’s refurb. Sited at the foot of Aspen’s best home run, its excellent Element 47 restaurant, in-house art gallery, 20,000-bottle wine cellar, heated outdoor pool and ski concierges make it the dream ski hotel.
2 | Lunch
Gwyn’s High Alpine wins the gourmet gongs but for St Anton-style partying and Continental fare, head to Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro. This former ski patrol hut serves Alpine classics and Champagne chilled in a convenient snow drift.
3 | Dine
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s empire has a foothold here, and while Matsuhisa Aspen doesn’t deviate far from the proven modern Japanese with Peruvian touches, that’s no bad thing. Order rock shrimp tempura with butter ponzu and a carafe of Hokusetsu Daiginjo sake.
4 | Shop
LA brand Aether’s aim is to create mountain wear so stylish it works just as well in the city. Its new Voyager jacket is a case in point, and available alongside hi-tech base layers and more at its outpost on East Cooper Avenue.
5 | See
The shrine in the woods dedicated to Woody Creek resident Hunter S Thompson. In 2005, his ashes, housed in fireworks, were blasted over Aspen. (There are also shrines for Michael Jackson, Bob Marley and Elvis Presley.)
6 | Do
Tackle the Highland Bowl. Accessed by a 30–40-min uphill hike, this is the definitive powder skiing in Aspen. Choose your descent route wisely, as some slopes involve a 45° incline best left to accomplished skiers, but the 4,000ft-plus vertical descents are well worth it.
7 | Party
End your Aspen evening at Belly Up, the tiny but brilliant live venue where some of the world’s biggest names have entertained an up-for-it crowd of just 450. Over the past year, it’s presented Steve Aoki, LCD Soundsystem, Deadmau5 and Adam Sandler(!) on its somewhat eclectic bills.
8 | Avoid
A Segway tour of the resort. Tourists on two wheels are terrorising cities across the planet and the reprehensible trend has reached Aspen. No drama, though, because you’d never stoop so low, right? Right?
9 | When in…
“Skin” up Buttermilk Mountain at full moon. Not a reference to Colorado’s recent legalisation of marijuana, but rather “skinning”, where special bindings allow you to ski-tour uphill. At the summit, join locals for a bourbon before skiing by moonlight (though most also use a head torch) back down to town. Magical.
10 | Why now?
Schneetag is Aspen’s unofficial season finale, where fancy-dressed teams of four compete to propel home-built themed craft down a slope and across (ie, straight to the bottom of) a shallow icy pond, urged on by baying crowds in retro ski gear and more fancy dress. Great fun, and this year it’s set for 8 April.
Get there
BA flies direct daily to Denver; then it’s a three-and-a-half-hour drive to Aspen.
