NOVEMBER 15 2009
AMERICANWAY 47
Aspen, Colorado
“I don’t know of any other resort in Amer-
ica with four distinct mountains so close
together. Literally, they’re a 10-minute
drive from each other. Ajax, the original
Aspen skimountain, is the centerpiece, and
it delivers steep, compact, and challenging
terrain. To the west, Aspen Highlands ups
thechallenge level. It’sextremely intimidat-
ing if you’re not used to steeps. Buttermilk,
a.k.a. the beginners’ mountain, is where
most of the kids like to hang out and has
one of the best terrain parks in the world.
Farthest west, Snowmass is undergoing
a major transformation and has the most
variable terrain: gentle beginner cruising
slopes to as extreme as you want and a
posh base village.
“Then there’sAspen’sculture. Thepeople
whobuiltAspenhada visionof it being the
Athens of the mountains, and today, we
don’t just have four-star restaurants —
we’ve also got culture, conferences [at the
renowned Aspen Institute], and concerts
withworld-classmusicians. TheDalai Lama
comes here regularly. If you’re not a skier,
you’ll still find something interesting. And if
your credit card is up and running, you can
find plenty of ways to spendmoney.We’ve
got everything from haute couture to funk
and thrift stores.”
Info:
snowmass.com
Expert:
JohnOates
Claim to fame:
Rock legend
of the duoHall &Oates,
which sold60million records
and had34 singles on the
BillboardHot 100, Oates
moved toAspen permanently
in the late 1980s to pursue
life as a ski bum.
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JacksonHoleMountainResort,
JacksonHole,Wyoming
“From the valley floor (eleva-
tion 6,200 feet), you jump on
the Jackson Hole tram and
climb to 10,400 feet in nine
minutes. It’s like being trans-
ported in a helicopter. I’ve
skied all over the world, and
nothing compares toJackson’s
pristine, untouched nature. In
Europe, the valley floors are
industrialized. Here, we have Yellowstone and
GrandTetonnational parks.We havewolves and
moose and (hibernating) grizzlies!
“Jackson is a perfect place to improve your
ability. A lot of people come here because they
want tobe challenged. And it’s agreatmountain
for learning to ski. The beginner area at the base
of the mountain is great for kids because there
are high-speed quads and good warming huts
and cafeterias.
“Teton Village can be as rowdy or as relaxed
as youwant. There are live shows at theMangy
Moose Restaurant & Saloon. Lodging is a mix
of condos; high-end hotels, like Hotel Terra, a
brand-new LEED-certified green hotel; and the
Hostel, the cheapest on-mountain lodging,where
a shared-bunk room costs $28 each. Town is
about 15minutes away, and there’s a convenient
public bus service. Jackson is an authenticwest-
ern ranch town, but now it has dozens of art gal-
leries and a local performing-arts center.”
Info:
Expert:
TommyMoe
Claim to fame:
An
Olympic gold and silver
medalist (in downhill
and super G, respec-
tively, in the 1994
Games) and aU.S. Ski
Teammember from
1987 to 1998,Moe
now serves as a Jack-
sonHoleMountain
Resort ambassador.
