A Long Weekend in Aspen, Colorado
A Little Place Called Aspen
Aspen is a dream for skiers and influencers alike. We were at the same après-ski with some Colorado Broncos and a midday lunch on the hill where Diplo was hanging out. It was my first time in Aspen and definitely will not be my last.
Day One: Fly into the Aspen airport
Denver has short flights to Aspen numerous times a day and it’s well worth the money to fly straight there instead of driving the four hours on I70 from Denver. We took a taxi from the airport, but there are free and frequent buses that will take you close to anywhere in Aspen.
A huge highlight of the trip was our stay at Hearthstone House, a bed and breakfast with an excellent location. It’s inexpensive compared to most other places of value in the town of Aspen and is walking distance to the Shadow Mountain lift and the bus stop. The design of the place is Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired, with a cozy, welcoming vibe and kind staff. Their handmade breakfast was next level and they offer a wine and cheese happy hour every day.
Even just walking around the town of Aspen is time well spent, so we explored the majority of it on foot, stopping in the various stores and deciding where to eat. Our taxi driver, who is a local and former restaurant owner in Aspen, recommended J-Bar, Matsuhisa, Aspen Public House, Casa D’ Angelo, Ajax Tavern and Zane’s Tavern. We didn’t get to all of them in our time there, but we did our best. We decided to make our first stop Zane’s Tavern to acclimate ourselves to the ski bum culture of Aspen. We then happened upon Aspen Tap House and stopped in for the first of three times in four days.
Day Two: Skiing Aspen Mountain, aka Ajax
Aspen Mountain is steep, featuring only black and blue runs. Because of this, there aren’t many beginners on the mountain and it isn’t as crowded as Snowmass. We skied all the mountains in Aspen Valley minus Buttermilk, as they were setting up a majority of it for the X-Games and we don’t ski park. Paul is a retired park rat and I just fall when I jump off anything bigger than a foot on skis. We had dinner at Meat and Cheese, a low-key wine and cheese bar with a killer menu. We stopped into Aspen Tap House again and our nightcap was at the ever-famous and popular J-Bar in Hotel Jerome. We got seats at the bar because it was a Thursday, but it filled up fast and remained full throughout the weekend. J-Bar is a classic, dimly-lit hotel bar with an elevated feel and a must-do in Aspen.
Day Three: Skiing Snowmass
We walked the two blocks to the bus station to catch the Snowmass bus and spent the whole day on the mountain, only stopping for lunch at Lynn Britt cabin. The mountain is large and has terrain of all skill levels. We were able to ski most of the mountain on the first day but decided to come back the following day to ski the rest. After taking the bus back to change, we returned to Snowmass village to eat at Il Poggio, an Italian restaurant in the Snowmass Mall area.
Day Four: Skiing Snowmass
Another full day at Snowmass and back to Aspen in time for dinner at the seemingly very popular Mexican restaurant, Mi Chola. They play loud hip hop music and attract a young, lively crowd. The margaritas were strong and the place was so fun. A few of the Colorado Broncos were hanging out by the bar and seemed to be stationed there for the night. We then ventured off to Silver City Mountain Saloon, a little underground bar beneath an outdoor store. Our final stop of the night was our dearly beloved Aspen Tap.
Day Five: Skiing Aspen Highlands
We woke up early and caught the bus to Aspen Highlands. It ended up being our favorite mountain because of the consistent difficulty of the runs, good snow, and short lift lines. We skied for a few hours and returned to Hearthstone House to pack. Before we left for the airport, we got lunch at Silverpeak Grill and gelato at Paradise Bakery, which always had a line out the door. Multiple bus lines stop at the airport and they’re free, so we opted to take the bus.
Overall, Aspen was wonderful and I would love to go back soon. There is always so much going on and the town is lovely. Not to mention, the people watching is phenomenal.