Right now I’m sitting on a bunch of Ski Town datasheets. I was going to do a big thread including all of them, but it would be too long so I’m just going to break it down by town over the next couple weeks.
For the purpose of this data sheet, I’m going to assume the reader is planning on skiing/snowboarding during their visit. Traveling to Aspen solely to run game is something I simply can't recommend.
ASPEN:
Aspen is a world class, high end ski town without counterpart in North America (even Lake Louise/Banff, Vail, Sun Valley and Whistler don’t measure up) and has a reputation on par with the likes of Chamonix and St. Moritz. Like many high end ski towns, you’re likely to see a wide range of the ultra rich, tourists of all types, blue collar workers, and ski bums (half of which are trustifarians, half of which are actually poor ski bums).
Although small, Aspen is a great blend of people, one of the only places you’ll encounter full length fur coats and full length beards regularly. Personally I think the reputation Aspen has as an uppity, snobby town full of socialites is off the mark. While there is a contingent of old money there, the lifestyle is also very much young and vibrant. The town is full of cool history, and on a larger scale has been pivotal in the evolution of winter sports as a whole.
Girls:
Like every ski town, the ratio is heavily male. Trying to pull in a ski town is doable, but realistically it would be a bonus to your trip rather than the purpose of it. Also like many ski towns, Aspen has a seasonal population of South Americans and Kiwi’s/Aussies that work the ski resort and restaurants. My personal opinion is that your best bet is to pull girls that are also on vacation in Aspen. Small town locals generally aren’t out to bang tourists, lest they get a reputation as the town slut.
Meeting girls while skiing/boarding is a great move. Ride the singles line, and eventually you’ll share a chairlift ride with a couple cute girls, who you can meet up with later. Nice thing about Aspen is that everything is close together, so if you meet her on the mountain, the logistics around meeting up with her that night are favorable.
Opening girls on the mountain, or inside the various on-mountain restaurants bars is also a good play. It’s smooth and natural: “hey do you know how to get to XYZ trail from here?” and then transitioning into the instadate of “cool well let’s go take a run together.” Of course, it helps if you know what the hell you’re doing on skis or a snowboard.
The Mountains:
Aspen has four mountains for skiing and snowboarding: Aspen Mountain (locally known as Ajax), Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass. Cool thing here is that your lift ticket will work at any of these four mountains. So if you buy lift tickets ahead of time (which will save you money) you can make the call day-of as to what mountain you want to hit up.
Ajax: The lifts run right off the streets of Aspen proper, so you can walk to them from most hotels in town.
Highlands and Buttermilk: both require a short drive or shuttle to get to from town. Buttermilk is known as a beginner mountain, and Highlands a much more advanced mountain.
Snowmass: first timers to Aspen are likely to be fooled by Aspen's marketing that Snowmass is in the town of Aspen itself. It’s not. By car it will take at least 20 minutes to drive to Snowmass from downtown Aspen, or you can take a bus which of course will take longer. Snowmass has its own village, complete with hotels and restaurants, but I am not familiar with this area.
Getting there:
Yes, you can fly into Aspen via commercial flight. However, this is a risky move to make between December-April. The airport sits at 8,000 feet and flights are regularly cancelled or diverted due to severe mountain weather.
Your best bet is to fly into Denver, and then make the 4 hour drive from the airport. There are also shuttle companies that serve the various ski resorts, but unless you want to sit in a van for 4 hours, just rent a car. The drive is extraordinarily scenic and you'll want to pull over to take some photos a few points along the way.
Alternatively you could fly into Grand Junction, but it’s still a 2 hour drive and your options are going to be limited for inbound flights and ground transportation. Worth noting: don’t depart Aspen for Denver Airport on a Sunday. Eastbound traffic out of the mountains on Sundays is notoriously bad, and that 4 hour drive will take you 6-8+ hours, depending on the weather.
Aspen Hotels:
The main play for Aspen is to stay as close to Ajax (the main mountain) as you possibly can. Avoid staying near Highlands, Snowmass or Buttermilk, as Aspen is a 100% walkable town - no alternate transportation is required.
Sky Hotel: hip and trendy, with reasonably priced rooms. The Sky is my top recommendation for players, as the ski lifts are steps away, the outdoor pool/jacuzzi/fireplaces are nicely set up, the guest age skews on the younger side so you’re unlikely to find families staying here, and most importantly it’s home to the swanky 39 Degrees lounge, which attracts a good crowd.
Limelight: One of the more popular hotels in Aspen for the younger crowd as well as families. Rooms are nicely setup but overall this place is a little too average for my taste. Access to town and ski lifts is great, so this is still a fine place to stay.
Hotel Jerome: Off the main strip a bit, and one of the oldest hotels in Aspen. Home to the J-Bar, which is worth a visit. Rooms are old world classic. It’s a beautiful hotel, don’t get me wrong, but I would not recommend it if your goals are either women or skiing.
St. Regis: legendary luxury Aspen hotel, attracts the wealthy and celebrity crowd. Rooms start around $1k/night, so if you have the cash, go for it.
Little Nell: Another top spot in Aspen. Highly regarded, but I do not have much experience with it.
Bars & Restaurants:
39 Degrees: this is a lounge/bar at the Sky Hotel. Nicely setup with swanky decor, dim lighting and leather couches. If you have a girl bring her here. If not, this is a decent place to potentially swoop as it attracts many of the hotel guests and those from surrounding hotels.
J-Bar: legendary bar at the Hotel Jerome. Hunter S Thompson used the J-Bar as his office back in the day. It’s a few blocks off the main drag, but absolutely worth a visit.
Little Annie’s: Funky place. It’s a blue jeans and flannel shirt kind of joint, but at night the bar is packed with people. Good place for the younger crowd to swing by for drinks and cheap food.
Justice Snow’s: upscale rustic lounge is how I would describe this place. It seems to be highly regarded but I have never experienced it really popping at night.
Belly Up: live music venue that brings in surprisingly good acts; Deadmau5, Tiesto, Nas, Wyclef, Snoop, and so on.
Johnny Mcguire's: Deli, cheap eats. Great place for when you need a quick bite.
Kenichi: Dope sushi spot, but I have heard that Matsuhisa blows these guys out on food quality.
Finbarr’s: Irish Pub. Good beer list but otherwise the food and atmosphere are unremarkable.
Overall - if you spend an hour walking around Aspen, you'll have the place figured out. It's small, charming, and an ideal vacation spot for the skier or snowboarder that has some cash to play around with. The nightlife is subject to change on a nightly basis, based on any number of factors. One night things will be popping, other nights the whole town feels dead.
Go to Aspen for the skiing, the food, the scenery and the luxury; if you swoop you swoop but like I said before, it should not be the main impetus for your visit.
For the purpose of this data sheet, I’m going to assume the reader is planning on skiing/snowboarding during their visit. Traveling to Aspen solely to run game is something I simply can't recommend.
ASPEN:
Aspen is a world class, high end ski town without counterpart in North America (even Lake Louise/Banff, Vail, Sun Valley and Whistler don’t measure up) and has a reputation on par with the likes of Chamonix and St. Moritz. Like many high end ski towns, you’re likely to see a wide range of the ultra rich, tourists of all types, blue collar workers, and ski bums (half of which are trustifarians, half of which are actually poor ski bums).
Although small, Aspen is a great blend of people, one of the only places you’ll encounter full length fur coats and full length beards regularly. Personally I think the reputation Aspen has as an uppity, snobby town full of socialites is off the mark. While there is a contingent of old money there, the lifestyle is also very much young and vibrant. The town is full of cool history, and on a larger scale has been pivotal in the evolution of winter sports as a whole.
Girls:
Like every ski town, the ratio is heavily male. Trying to pull in a ski town is doable, but realistically it would be a bonus to your trip rather than the purpose of it. Also like many ski towns, Aspen has a seasonal population of South Americans and Kiwi’s/Aussies that work the ski resort and restaurants. My personal opinion is that your best bet is to pull girls that are also on vacation in Aspen. Small town locals generally aren’t out to bang tourists, lest they get a reputation as the town slut.
Meeting girls while skiing/boarding is a great move. Ride the singles line, and eventually you’ll share a chairlift ride with a couple cute girls, who you can meet up with later. Nice thing about Aspen is that everything is close together, so if you meet her on the mountain, the logistics around meeting up with her that night are favorable.
Opening girls on the mountain, or inside the various on-mountain restaurants bars is also a good play. It’s smooth and natural: “hey do you know how to get to XYZ trail from here?” and then transitioning into the instadate of “cool well let’s go take a run together.” Of course, it helps if you know what the hell you’re doing on skis or a snowboard.
The Mountains:
Aspen has four mountains for skiing and snowboarding: Aspen Mountain (locally known as Ajax), Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass. Cool thing here is that your lift ticket will work at any of these four mountains. So if you buy lift tickets ahead of time (which will save you money) you can make the call day-of as to what mountain you want to hit up.
Ajax: The lifts run right off the streets of Aspen proper, so you can walk to them from most hotels in town.
Highlands and Buttermilk: both require a short drive or shuttle to get to from town. Buttermilk is known as a beginner mountain, and Highlands a much more advanced mountain.
Snowmass: first timers to Aspen are likely to be fooled by Aspen's marketing that Snowmass is in the town of Aspen itself. It’s not. By car it will take at least 20 minutes to drive to Snowmass from downtown Aspen, or you can take a bus which of course will take longer. Snowmass has its own village, complete with hotels and restaurants, but I am not familiar with this area.
Getting there:
Yes, you can fly into Aspen via commercial flight. However, this is a risky move to make between December-April. The airport sits at 8,000 feet and flights are regularly cancelled or diverted due to severe mountain weather.
Your best bet is to fly into Denver, and then make the 4 hour drive from the airport. There are also shuttle companies that serve the various ski resorts, but unless you want to sit in a van for 4 hours, just rent a car. The drive is extraordinarily scenic and you'll want to pull over to take some photos a few points along the way.
Alternatively you could fly into Grand Junction, but it’s still a 2 hour drive and your options are going to be limited for inbound flights and ground transportation. Worth noting: don’t depart Aspen for Denver Airport on a Sunday. Eastbound traffic out of the mountains on Sundays is notoriously bad, and that 4 hour drive will take you 6-8+ hours, depending on the weather.
Aspen Hotels:
The main play for Aspen is to stay as close to Ajax (the main mountain) as you possibly can. Avoid staying near Highlands, Snowmass or Buttermilk, as Aspen is a 100% walkable town - no alternate transportation is required.
Sky Hotel: hip and trendy, with reasonably priced rooms. The Sky is my top recommendation for players, as the ski lifts are steps away, the outdoor pool/jacuzzi/fireplaces are nicely set up, the guest age skews on the younger side so you’re unlikely to find families staying here, and most importantly it’s home to the swanky 39 Degrees lounge, which attracts a good crowd.
Limelight: One of the more popular hotels in Aspen for the younger crowd as well as families. Rooms are nicely setup but overall this place is a little too average for my taste. Access to town and ski lifts is great, so this is still a fine place to stay.
Hotel Jerome: Off the main strip a bit, and one of the oldest hotels in Aspen. Home to the J-Bar, which is worth a visit. Rooms are old world classic. It’s a beautiful hotel, don’t get me wrong, but I would not recommend it if your goals are either women or skiing.
St. Regis: legendary luxury Aspen hotel, attracts the wealthy and celebrity crowd. Rooms start around $1k/night, so if you have the cash, go for it.
Little Nell: Another top spot in Aspen. Highly regarded, but I do not have much experience with it.
Bars & Restaurants:
39 Degrees: this is a lounge/bar at the Sky Hotel. Nicely setup with swanky decor, dim lighting and leather couches. If you have a girl bring her here. If not, this is a decent place to potentially swoop as it attracts many of the hotel guests and those from surrounding hotels.
J-Bar: legendary bar at the Hotel Jerome. Hunter S Thompson used the J-Bar as his office back in the day. It’s a few blocks off the main drag, but absolutely worth a visit.
Little Annie’s: Funky place. It’s a blue jeans and flannel shirt kind of joint, but at night the bar is packed with people. Good place for the younger crowd to swing by for drinks and cheap food.
Justice Snow’s: upscale rustic lounge is how I would describe this place. It seems to be highly regarded but I have never experienced it really popping at night.
Belly Up: live music venue that brings in surprisingly good acts; Deadmau5, Tiesto, Nas, Wyclef, Snoop, and so on.
Johnny Mcguire's: Deli, cheap eats. Great place for when you need a quick bite.
Kenichi: Dope sushi spot, but I have heard that Matsuhisa blows these guys out on food quality.
Finbarr’s: Irish Pub. Good beer list but otherwise the food and atmosphere are unremarkable.
Overall - if you spend an hour walking around Aspen, you'll have the place figured out. It's small, charming, and an ideal vacation spot for the skier or snowboarder that has some cash to play around with. The nightlife is subject to change on a nightly basis, based on any number of factors. One night things will be popping, other nights the whole town feels dead.
Go to Aspen for the skiing, the food, the scenery and the luxury; if you swoop you swoop but like I said before, it should not be the main impetus for your visit.
