Aspen Airport is open all winter. Flying in summer 2027? Plan around the closure.
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Whether you feel like taking time off the slopes to rest tired legs, want to explore the area beyond the chairlifts, or you’re the family member who doesn’t ski or snowboard at all, Snowmass’s off-mountain options are vast and varied. We call it JOMO: the joy of missing out. Here are some of our favorite options for a day off the slopes.
Yes, it’s skiing, but very different from the downhill variety. Gliding on Snowmass Cross-Country Center, located at the Snowmass Golf Course, then explore the surrounding 10 kilometers of skate and classic trails. Found your passion? The Aspen Snowmass Nordic Trail System boasts 90 kilometers of free, interconnected cross-country ski and snowshoe trails from Aspen to Snowmass to Basalt.
Ever explore your favorite summer hiking trails in the winter? It’s snowshoe tours with a naturalist from the top of the Elk Camp Gondola, and several local guide services also include snowshoeing.
You need to totally relax and rejuvenate — what better way to get pampered than at one of Snowmass’s spas? The Spa at Viceroy Snowmass is the ultimate sanctuary as soon as you walk through the custom brass gate, offering Ute Indian-inspired therapies tailored to soothe the impacts of Snowmass Club Fitness and Spa, treat your skin to one of Westin Snowmass Spa experience is designed to restore your energy levels, with customizable packages including a range of massages, facials, and even lunch. Ahhhh.
While the rest of the family is skiing or snowboarding, try something a little different on the ski mountain. Channel your inner child on the Breathtaker Alpine Coaster, winding through snow bike, although ski boots and lessons are required. All should make for great stories when the family meets up at lunchtime.
Colorado’s tallest indoor climbing wall — five stories high with three lanes and glass-enclosed, in case you’d prefer to watch others’ moves from outside. Spend another hour gliding around the new ice-skating rink, in the plaza at the base of the ski area — it’s free, including skate rentals from the 1958 Airstream adjacent to the rink. Learn all about Snowmass’s fascinating pre-history at the Ice Age Discovery Center, through fossil collections and displays about the 2010 discovery of the finest high-elevation ice age fossil site in the world, where over 36,000 bones from mammoths, mastodons, and other prehistoric animals were unearthed. Take some time to visit Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass’s cultural hub, where you can take a self-guided tour of the historic campus, made up of restored buildings from Snowmass’s ranching past that now house artists’ studios; browse its gallery; and shop the ArtWorks Store, which offers a selection of unique gifts and art supplies.
Catherine Lutz is an Aspen Snowmass-based freelance writer and editor who contributes to local publications including Aspen Sojourner magazine and national magazines such as Powder and SKI.