Photo by Dan Bayer courtesy of Aspen Snowmass
Aspen Snowmass launches summer operations Memorial Day Weekend May 27-29 with the Silver Queen Gondola at Aspen Mountain running from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Daily operations on Aspen Mountain will officially kick-off June 17, and at Snowmass, daily operations will commence June 23.
With the start of summer operations, Aspen Snowmass is scheduled to debut new summer enhancements, offerings and events. The top of Aspen Mountain will continue to undergo improvements with new features including a slide, log rope staircase and a refurbished obstacle course. Snowmass is expanding its bike park with three new trails, with plans to add even more trails the following summer. Also at Snowmass, the popular Farm to Table Dinners at Elk Camp will return with expanded dates and will also include late night Snowmass Bike Park Hours for riding into the evening. The event calendar will include two great events, the Enduro World Series Mountain Bike Race as well as the Stars Above Aspen community astronomy night.
Summer Operations
Aspen Mountain begins weekend summer operations on the Silver Queen Gondola Memorial Day Weekend May 27-29 as well as the weekends of June 3-4 and 10-11. Daily summer operations will officially kick-off June 17 and run until September 4. Silver Queen Gondola operation hours will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with the last ride down at 4:30 p.m.
Snowmass summer operations on both the Elk Camp Gondola and Elk Camp Chairlift will take place daily June 23-September 4 and then continue weekends through September as well as October 1. Elk Camp Gondola operation hours will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with the last ride down at 4:15 p.m., and the Elk Camp chairlift will operate from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. with the last ride down at 3:15 p.m.
Snowmass Bike Park Expansion
This year, Aspen Snowmass is working with Gravity Logic, world-renowned trail builders on three new bike trails that are planned to debut this summer. These will include a green, blue and black trail which will add seven miles to the bike park. The Snowmass Bike Park offers a network of lift-served downhill mountain bike trails that range from Valhalla, a gravity-defying world-class downhill trail complete with elements such as berms, jumps and table tops, to Verde, a gentle single-track flow trail that helps new bikers gain important fundamentals. Spanning from the top of the Elk Camp chairlift to the bottom of Snowmass Base Village, the trail system offers 2,893 ft. of vertical descent that spans over 50 miles of trails. New last summer, the Snowmass Bike Park rerouted the Vapor trail to include two new flow segments that increased the mileage from 2.9 to 3.3. Vapor is an intermediate trail that is accessed from the top of the Elk Camp chairlift and includes 1,400 feet of vertical descent as well as features such as bridges and berms.
Aspen Mountain Summer Enhancement Plan Continues
Scheduled as a multi-phase project that began summer 2015, Aspen Skiing Company began the process of improving the top of Aspen Mountain for visitors and locals to enjoy the surrounding outdoors year-round. This fall, a new slide and log rope staircase will be installed, and the obstacle course will be refurbished. Future project phases will see additional play opportunities for children and improved guest amenities centered around enjoying the alpine environment.
Farm to Table Dinners
Elk Camp restaurant, located mid-mountain on Snowmass, will continue Farm to Table Dinners on Tuesday evenings for the third year in a row. Due to popularity, the dinners will include an expanded schedule that kicks-off Tuesday, July 11 and runs every Tuesday until August 15. The culinary experience includes a free ride up the Elk Camp gondola to the restaurant where guests can enjoy locally-sourced ingredients in a farm-to-table inspired la carte dinner format with full cash bar, outdoor family activities and live music. Food and beverage options are sourced from local farmers and companies such as Crystal River Meats, Rock Bottom Ranch, Farm Runners, Woody Creek Distillery, The Roaring Fork Beer Co, Marble Distillery, Aspen Beer Co. and more. Five percent of food sales will go to Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) and The Roaring Fork Conservancy. Each organization will have representatives on site to speak about the various food and beverages.
Snowmass Bike Park Nights
In conjunction with the Farm to Table Dinners at Elk Camp restaurant, the Snowmass Bike Park will extend the park hours to stay open until dusk every Tuesday from July 11-August 15.
Aspen Snowmass Slated to Host Enduro World Series Mountain Bike Race
For the second year in a row, Aspen Snowmass will host the only U.S. stop of the Enduro World Series Saturday, July 29-Sunday, July 30. The Enduro World Series continues its proud tradition of uncovering the worlds best mountain bike destinations with its 2017 calendar. The new season will feature eight rounds across three continents, including venues in Chile, Argentina, France and the USA (Aspen Snowmass, Colo.). Aspen Snowmass has been chosen to host round five (out of eight rounds) of the prestigious Enduro World Series that will feature some of the best mountain bike athletes in the world. The two-day event will blend high altitude riding adventures mixed with some of the biggest descents and best riding in the area.
Stars Above AspenCommunity Astronomy Night
Back by popular demand, in conjunction with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) and the Aspen Science Center, Stars Above Aspen is a community astronomy night that will take place August 14 on top of Aspen Mountain. After a ride up the Silver Queen Gondola, guests will have the opportunity to gaze through telescopes, learn about the constellations and enjoy presentations from scientists. The evening will also include dinner options at the Sundeck restaurant and family-friendly entertainment.
