A place that we hold close to our hearts, and know like the back of our hands, we were extremely excited to bring our children back to Aspen. With Theodore now 10 and Eva 7, we were now able to make the most of the experience.
In all of the three decades of visiting Aspen, this was our first time staying ski in/ski out at Snowmass. For the ages of our children, I would do it again. In the past six years since our last visit, Snowmass’ evolution has really come to life. Base Village’s accommodation has grown to rival the scale of both Whilster and Vail. Providing so many modern condo options, with a variety of child friendly restaurants, Snowmass has become arguably the best value family friendly ski destination in North America. With a ski school resourced by an endless number of pros right at your doorstep, and 90% of properties in Snowmass being ski in/ski out, Snowmass is hard to beat for convenience.
We based ourselves at ski haus charm of the Timberline Condominiums, just above the Snowmass Mall. Situated on the side on Fanny Hill run, we could sleep in each morning, then ski down to ski school at lesson time, and come in for a break when needed. Timberline’s service was exemplified by their friendly and helpful staff. Not only do they offer a free airport transfer service upon your arrival, but their complimentary shuttle service around town, to restaurants or to collect some groceries from the supermarket, or on couple of afternoons pick up from ski school when the children were feeling tired, is something you cannot put a price on. The Edge Restaurant and Bar located on site, with traditional alpine inspired cuisine and an excellent kids menu is so convenient after a big day of skiing. The cheese fondue is a must!
The Aspen/Snowmass ski school offers world class instructors who know the mountains well. Our children enjoyed their lessons so much, that they begged us for more. Included in the price is a delicious lunch at one of the multiple on-mountain restaurants and plenty of hot chocolate stops along the way. Theo and Eva started as competent Blue and Green run skiers finding their feet again after an 18 month break from snow. After a couple of weeks Eva was charging down black runs with speed and Theo was shredding powder ladened double blacks keeping up with his expert father.
The most notable improvement since our last visit was the vast improvement in skico’s on-mountain dining experiences. Be it Elk Camp, High Alpine, Ullrhof or Up 4 Pizza, you will find a variety of freshly made, health conscious options to satisfy ski-drawn hunger. Undoubtedly though, our highlight was experiencing the refurbished Sam’s at the top of the Village Chair and the Knob. Overlooking Pyramid Peak and watching snowstorms roar in from down valley, indulging in Sam’s fine-dining modern Italian insta-worthy cuisine with a perfect matched bottle of Californian vino was sure complimented with some spectacular views.
