Aspen Highlands, though part of the larger Aspen Resorts network (along with Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, and Buttermilk), is somewhat removed from the glam and glitterati found in this Mecca of winterized chic. Quite simply, Aspen Highlands is all about skiing, and because of that it’s the locals' favorite, and it’s consistently ranked as one of the most challenging mountains in the United States. Highland Bowl alone is worth the price of the lift ticket, delivering truly epic Rocky Mountain skiing. In 2008-09, Aspen Highlands added 18 acres of skiing and riding in the Deep Temerity area of the mountain between Hyde Park and Mushroom Chutes called Canopy Cruiser, complimenting the 2005 1,000-vertical-foot expansion that included the Deep Temerity lift. Then there’s the Olympic Glades for fabulous tree skiing and the area nicknamed Steeplechase, with a series of demanding double-black freefalls carved into the mountainside.

Unlike Aspen Mountain, which caters only to intermediates and above, Aspen Highlands also has a number of entry-level slopes—a series of green circles and runs below Merry-Go-Round. But the mountain lends itself to discovery; The trail map is a serpentine maze; a tight-turn run may lead you into a wide, aspen-flanked boulevard bordered with entries into a narrow, tree-lined avenue, a dense bump run, or a gentle groomer. Stick within your skill levels, and Aspen Highlands will win you over. It may even inspire you to ramp up your carving abilities by taking an inviting, if difficult, slope your next run down the mountain. Best of all, unlike other Aspen mountains, you’ll typically see less than 1,000 fellow skiers

Aspen Highlands, though part of the larger Aspen Resorts network (along with Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, and Buttermilk), is somewhat removed from the glam and glitterati found in this Mecca of winterized chic. Quite simply, Aspen Highlands is all about skiing, and because of that it’s the locals' favorite, and it’s consistently ranked as one of the most challenging mountains in the United States. Highland Bowl alone is worth the price of the lift ticket, delivering truly epic Rocky Mountain skiing. In 2008-09, Aspen Highlands added 18 acres of skiing and riding in the Deep Temerity area of the mountain between Hyde Park and Mushroom Chutes called Canopy Cruiser, complimenting the 2005 1,000-vertical-foot expansion that included the Deep Temerity lift. Then there’s the Olympic Glades for fabulous tree skiing and the area nicknamed Steeplechase, with a series of demanding double-black freefalls carved into the mountainside.

Unlike Aspen Mountain, which caters only to intermediates and above, Aspen Highlands also has a number of entry-level slopes—a series of green circles and runs below Merry-Go-Round. But the mountain lends itself to discovery; The trail map is a serpentine maze; a tight-turn run may lead you into a wide, aspen-flanked boulevard bordered with entries into a narrow, tree-lined avenue, a dense bump run, or a gentle groomer. Stick within your skill levels, and Aspen Highlands will win you over. It may even inspire you to ramp up your carving abilities by taking an inviting, if difficult, slope your next run down the mountain. Best of all, unlike other Aspen mountains, you’ll typically see less than 1,000 fellow skiers spread across 1,028 acres of skiable terrain.

Where: On Maroon Creek Road, which climbs up the valley between Aspen Mountain and Buttermilk, 200 miles from Denver, via I-70 and Colorado 82.