mountain livin'
Sunlit hills surrounding the Bells
Maroon Bells looks great in every season
See what I mean?
Aspen in the summertime is so lush and beautiful
Rio Grande Bike Path near Willits
Aspen on the cusp of Autumn
Fall foliage on Aspen/Ajax Mountain
Fall foliage in full effect
Penny Hot Springs/Hippy Dip
Hot Springs at Avalanche Ranch
Ruedi Reservoir
Rafting on the Roaring Fork River with Kiwi Adventure Ko
Bart going backwards off a 6 foot drop in an inflatable kayak with a popped bottom—yikes!
Cotton candy skies in Snowmass Village
Sunset views from the Aspen Mountain Sundeck
Snowmobiling on the backside of Aspen/Ajax Mountain
Deep pow!
Warming up in Barnard Hut
Ride with us on the Alpine Coaster!
Snow-tubing comes as a bundle with the coaster
Aprés Ski at Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro
Highland Bowl Summit: 12,392 ft
Snowmass days
Cross Country Skiing to Pine Creek Cookhouse
The view from our house in winter
Late Dusk
Aspen has been such a wonderful change of pace from New York City. We get to spend so much more time outside and being active and these particular Rocky Mountains surrounding us offer beauty through every season.
While the start of Spring signifies the end of ski days and beginning of our beloved off-season (aka epic travel plans), it also marks the beginning of better hikes, abundant sunshine, and the greenest pastures I’ve ever laid eyes on.
When gathering images for this post, I realized nearly all of my summer photos were from our numerous hiking adventures (which you can see in great detail here). Easily my favorite season here, we spent most of our first summer hiking, biking, camping, and on the water (rafting, kayaking, or SUP-ing). The hike to Crested Butte and in July was the hike of a lifetime—sunrise over the bells, verdant hills, and wildflowers everywhere.
Autumn is also a great time for hiking and camping, but the chill in the air and the (most) colorful fall foliage make it welcome sweater weather. We opted for long drives on back roads and a stunning hike to Conundrum Hot Springs.
One lift ticket or season pass provides access to four world-class mountains in Aspen and neighboring Snowmass Village. My personal ranking of the mountains goes Snowmass—Highlands—Aspen/Ajax—Buttermilk, although there is good fun found on each. Snowmass is the highest and largest of the mountains and has my favorite tree runs of all time. Highlands has the Bowl for those experienced and courageous enough to make the hike. There are also less crowds unless you find yourself at Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro, one of the wildest Aprés Ski experiences a person could have. Aspen/Ajax is a local’s favorite, known as “the best square mile in skiing” and is usually crowded with world-class skiers. Buttermilk is home to the Winter X-Games and also, as the lowest-elevation mountain, a great mountain for beginners. Still, there is good fun for experienced skiers over on the Tiehack side of the mountain, especially considering how few people you’ll have to share runs with! Winter also allows for snowmobiling, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, “skinning,” and for those not as athletic or adventurous, there’s also snow-tubing, alpine coaster-ing, hot spring dipping, and plenty of spa experiences to choose from.
On an average day, I begin with a session at my favorite pilates studio—Tonic Method and a hike up/run down Smuggler Mountain, getting a few laps in on my snowboard in the winter, and enjoying more scenic and challenging hikes all over the valley in the spring, summer, and fall. When the hunger hits, I might be enjoying a meal at Jing, Spring Cafe, Matsuhisa, or Clark’s.
