Avant Ski | Aspen Mountain Guide

ASPEN "AJAX"

Overview

Trail Guide

Aspen

Mountain Guide

Size / Elevation

Peak: 11,212 ft | 3,418m
Vertical Rise: 3,267 ft | 996m
Base: 7,945 ft | 2,422m
Total Area: 675 acres |
(2.7 sq km)

Terrain Overview

Mountain Range: Elk Range, Rockies

76 Trails

Peaks

Aspen peak (11,212 ft)

Base

Gondola Plaza

On Mountain Dining

2 locations (see our guide)

Lift Stats

Uphill Capacity: 10,755 ppl / hr

6 Main Lifts

1 Gondola (Silver Queen)
1 High Speed Quad
1 High Speed Triple
2 Quads
1 Double

2 Secondary Lifts

1 Lift (gondola) to access peak from base

Terrain Mix

Aspen Ski Guides

Set directly above the heart of downtown, Ajax is convenient, fun and challening. Enjoy long runs from top to bottom by lapping the Silver Queen Gondola. There are steep fall lines and gladed areas on all three ridges. Its easy for intermediates and experts to stay together.

Top Trail Picks

Our team of experts has skied them all. Here are some of our favorites in each category.

Trail Name

Description

Area / Getting There

Groomer

Ruthie's

Wide slope, ideal for warming up and prefecting your turns

Directly under the Ruthie's Lift

Natural Halfpipe

Copper Bowl

Gully between Gent's Ridge and Bell Montain makes for a natural halpipe

At the Base of the Gent's Ridge Chair, from the top take Copper to Lazy Boy and connect

Practicing

Buckhorn, Dipsy Doodle

Take laps on these shorter groomers and perfect your technique

From the top of Ajax Express, take laps and alternate a few different routes

Bumps

Northstar

Slightly less steep portion of Gent's Ridge with a nice strech of moguls

From the Sundeck, stay to your skier's right and follow 1&2 Leaf directly to Northstar

Speed

Aztec

Test your speed at the site of the annual International Women’s Downhill

Ruthies; From the top of Ruthie's, exit to the rigth and follow Summer Road to Aztec

Glades

Back of Bell (#1 and #2)

Our favorite face of Bell Mountain, also east facing, often filled with powder, and lots of Aspens to navigate

Backside of Bell Mountain; From the peak follow Silver Dip to Ridge of Bell and lookout on your right

Steep & Deep

Walsh's

Powder and moguls pile up on this short, steep stretch of east facing terrain, pause at the bottom to marvel, then gather some speed for uphill traverse out on Lud's Lane

From the Sundeck, stay to your skier's right and follow 1&2 leaf and lookout on your right

Fresh Powder

Perry's Prowl, Last Dollar,
Cone 1

These tend to be longer and less tracked than than the runs higher up the ridge and closer to the F.I.S lift

The Dumps; Exit F.I.S. to the right and stay long International to find your optimal point to drop in

On Mountain Dining Recommendations

Aspen has two locations for on mountain dining. The Silver Queen Gondola enables a convenient meal at the Base or even a venture into town. The Sundeck, at the top, has it all - views, cafeteria style food and a warming fire. Bonnie's, mid-mountain, is known for its pancakes at breakfast, chili for lunch, and its two-tiered sundeck on Bluebird days.

Bonnie's

Locals and tourists alike love this cozy spot. It’s easy to relax, warm up and bask in the sun here. Everything is homemade. Start the day with oatmeal pancakes and coffee. At lunch, the white bean chili is popular. The apple strudel is legendary (the manager picks 90 cases of Roma apples from a local farm to ensure its fresh all season long).

Sundeck

This stunning location at the top of the Mountain is easily accessible from the Silver Queen Gondola and operated by the Little Nell. The food is cafeteria style, standard ski fare - soups, pizza, stir-frys. Re-energize with a coffee from the Lavazza Coffee Bar and warm up by the large rock fireplace.

Shlomo's Deli & Grill

This Jewish Deli with a 30-year history in Aspen re-opened at the Base of the Silver Queen Gondola in 2016. Great for a stop at all hours of the day. Grab breakfast before going up, come down to the base to warm up with some Matzoh Ball Soup, re-fuel with a sandwich, or stop by for après ski with the DJ.