That sunny evening we moved on to Snowmass, 15 minutes down the valley, stopping at the rodeo. But this wasn't just any rodeo, this was the Snowmass Rodeo – with lots of well-Cuban-heeled cowboys and girls sporting Kemo Sabe hats and designer sunglasses. 

Snowmass, a renowned winter playground just 9 miles from Aspen consistently ranks as one of the best winter ski areas in the world and has 95% slopeside lodging for a true mountain escape experience. 

Stepping inside the Viceroy in Snowmass, Colorado, feels exactly like what you'd expect from a luxury hotel. The valet happily takes your car keys, a bellhop grabs your bags, and someone ushers you to a reception desk where friendly faces welcome you to the luxury property.

If Independence Pass is open, you're in luck — one of the most stunning journeys in Colorado lies ahead, where rugged landscapes fly by as the road soars to 12,000 feet over the Continental Divide before tapering off toward Aspen with Snowmass Village just to the west. 

Snowmass was ideal for me, an intermediate snowboarder. There was plenty of terrain to explore, and for a full day, I rarely lapped a ski run. Instead, I breezed through empty lift lines and carved fresh tracks across the mountain.

When it comes to ski resorts and wintery adventures, the mountain towns in Colorado have an embarrassment of riches. Growing up in New Jersey, my family would drive nearly five hours to ski the resorts of Vermont. Sometimes my dad would pile us in his van and do a 10-hour round trip in a single day....

Finding peace in Colorado amidst upheaval.

For the past 50-plus years, our colleagues at SKI magazine have invited readers to weigh in on the best ski resorts—because no one’s as passionate as a skier praising their favorite hill. These ranked highest.

For our 38th annual Reader’s Choice Awards, voters weighed in on their favorite ski resorts in North America—including the US and Canada. Colorado once again dominated the US side of ski resorts this year, with 11 making our top 30; and three of the four mountains at Aspen Snowmass making the t...

In western Colorado, about nine miles northwest of the city of Aspen, is the town of Snowmass Village, home to the Snowmass Ski Area, which opened in 1967. Historically, the town has been sleepier than glitzy Aspen. But recently, a phased $1 billion Snowmass Base Village development—a slopeside pr...

While the Rocky Mountains are justly famed in the winter for world-class skiing and snowy peaks, the lesser-visited months of autumn are some of the mountain range's most beautiful as the leaves in the valleys turn from green to gold. A marvelous perch from which to witness nature's vibrant transfor...

Readers voted these mountain properties as the best in Colorado in our annual "World’s Best Awards" survey for 2024.