Aspen Highlands Ski Resort

Nice village on way to Maroon Bells. Had a superb macchiato and croissant at the Ritz Carlton before boarding 30 minute bus ride up the mountain to the lake. Tough hike to Crater lake and well worth it.

Pretentious and expensive had lunch $35 for a burger and beer. Wife ordered a Philly and a side of chips $60. The chips were terrible. Hard and stale. Ps the fries were okay but not the best. The golden retriever next to us had great time with the fries. It is just not worth the price. Guess it is ski season pricing. No wonder there was barely anyone either here.

The view at Maroon Bells is beyond breathtaking. I think my picture do not do justice to it. We made our way there by booking the shuttle tickets online and we drove up to park at the garage for USD42/entry day. From there the shuttle ride is about 30 mins with great view and narration of the view that you are looking. Arriving at drop off is only a mere 5 mins walk to the lake and the view of Maroon Bells in all its glory. Awesome. You can choose to take hike on the various trails available.

Top 3 favorite mountains AND overall resort in America! The terrain on Highlands was amazing. I was skiing through waist deep snow on highland bowl. One of the best hikes out there! Aspen is truly one of thr greats

This mountain has a really interesting layout as it is linear and follows a long ridge. I love the variety of runs, and the pictures are perfect for snowboarder wants to go fast and just have a blast. The highlight for me was hiking the ridge and dropping down into their bowl. Phenomenal snow even 3 days after a storm.

Awesome ski resort. Enjoyed many ski runs. Had one great powder day. No lines at the lifts.

While they have a VERY GOOD, bus system, it is not so easy to figure out and I feel the website does a poor job advertising the Buttermilk -Highlands shuttle as well as the Carpool discount. Skiers Mtn , very few snowboarders BONUS, if we get the chance to return will ski here on the wknd, other spots weekday. Nice to see that they have cubbies and backpack hooks. Was not bourgeois, actually had a cool 80’s vibe… The pic, Sunday MAR 2, early afternoon

Skied the Aspen Highlands on the last weekend of the ski season. Not all of the expert terrain was opened. The snow wasn't great either unless you stuck to the groomers, but I did recognize how fast, narrow, and beautiful this mountain is. There are also tons of great tree and steep expert level skiing here as well. We haven't tried Buttermilk yet (it's mostly beginner terrain and park skiing), but we can all say that Snowmass, Ajax, and the Highlands are how we would rank the Aspen Snowmass mountains. All three mountains are tons of fun, making Aspen Snowmass our favorite ski area in the country, everything considered.

I recommend that everybody goes up to Aspen Highlands and rides the tram all the way up or whatever they call it. Try to get on the red one as it has Bluetooth capabilities and you can play music all the way up to 16 minutes to the top of the mountain. The ride is smooth even when it's windy. When you get to the top I recommend trying the food at the restaurant it's fresh and the service is spot on.

Great mountain in the Roaring Fork valley! Excellent steeps and bumps. Grooming and snow has gotten better and better. Haven't feature more than a handful of people in the lift line for many years (albeit I don't ski on holidays). The crown jewel of any trip to Highlands is a is a well deserved schüss down Highlands Bowl. See you soon Highlands!

Highlands is an outstanding mountain...gorgeous views, short lines, lots of terrain and full of blues and blacks. Great skiing mountain for intermediate and expert level skiers (not a good choice for beginners). We visited during Winter/Christmas Holiday and never waited in line for more than a few minutes. Stunning views from virtually every trail, good eating choices and the locals seem to prefer Highlands over Snowmass or Aspen. We skied it as a family of five and loved it and cannot wait to return!

Wow! The level of inefficiency here is unbelievable. We were trying to get to Maroon Bells, and now you have to buy tickets to get there. Well the first shuttle is at 8:05 and the ticket office opens at 8... when you have over 50 people how do you think that works? Not very well! Maybe try opening a little earlier, like 6 am, when the line starts to form.

Advanced terrain, and a good amount of young people and snowboarders. Came here for half a day on a recent trip to the Aspen area, and it was a good experience. The mountain is pretty small, so I pretty much did most of the blue runs in one afternoon. There were no lift lines. I encountered a fair number of 20s and 30s people on this mountain unlike Ajax which was mostly people over 60. There were also some snowboarders on the mountain. Not alot of kids, and most people seem pretty advanced in skill level. My friends wanted to do the party at Cloud Nine, unfortunately, the weather wasn't very good the day we went, so there was no deck party at all, and also no champagne. The deck is actually very small and didn't seem like a party spot. I only heard stories from other people that it does get crazy. Overall a very nice mountain, nice long empty runs, and good advanced terrain.

Aspen Highlands was a good resort, although a bit small so I only spent about half a day here snowboarding. The snow quality was pretty decent, and the mountain went up quite high. The runs weren't super memorable, but they were fun.

So Kevin Hagerty is the head of guest services at this mountain and needs to learn what customer service means. My friend had his skis stolen at the mid mountain lodge and Zach the manager there was extremely empathetic and helpful and sent us down the mountain to talk to guest services. That's where we met Kevin who said they never have theft and its on individuals to look after their gear. We asked if they had a ski check at that lodge and he said no and they will never have a ski check there in the future cause they don't have theft. We said is there anything you can do to help the situation and he said 'why is it our responsibility to help you?' Kevin, If you go to an access restricted club and have things stolen, someone will at least help you. And try to do something to alleviate a terrible experience. You did nothing and went out of your way to be an a hole. Thanks for a terrible customer service experience from the leader of all services. Not leadership I think your management team would appreciate.

As far as just Aspen Highlands Mountain, it's a great locals mountain, LOVE Cloud 9 Bistro for drinks & Champagne popping/spraying lol, skiing in the Highlands Bowl, how it's never crowded, and No lift lines, Ever! It's My Favorite of the 4 mountains in Aspen for sure. ----------------------------------- As far as Aspen as a Whole, everyone knows Aspen is 5-Stars...the town, the restaurants, the nightlife, the people, all 4 mountains. It's all Top Notch, and the best Ski Resort Town in the Americas (both North and South), in my opinion. Even skiers in Europe, South America and Japan know Aspen. Most skiers rate ski resorts on just the mountain (extreme level) and snow. I'm different. I rate ski resorts as an Overall Package...the mountains, snow, amenities (lifts, rentals, food on mountain), apres ski, crowds and what the people are like, nice restaurants, bars/clubs/nightlife, higher-end lodging with outdoor hot tubs, etc. I'll admit, I don't go skiing just to ski, I go for the food and nightlife too, and well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like to be pampered while I'm at it, lol. Going up and down the mountain to just ski, packing my own lunch, and just having a few beers back at the room while smoking pot is not my thing, as it is with most skiers, especially ski bums, lol. So, given that, for me, the Best Ski Resorts in the World are: 1. Verbier, Switzerland 2. Aspen, Colorado 3. Chamonix, France 4. St. Anton/Lech, Austria 5. Cortina, Italy 6. Zermatt, Switzerland 7. Ischgl, Austria 8. Whistler, Canada 9. Bariloche, Argentina 10. Niseko, Japan And Yes, I've been to almost every major ski resort in the World - 22 West Coast, 17 East Coast, 9 in Europe, 6 in Canada, 4 in South America and 2 in Japan. So, as you can see, I love Aspen! And if there's any place you should ski at least once in your lifetime, it should be here! Just my opinion.

The considered the locals mountain and the least touristy, if that's even possible. Has some of the most challenging terrain in the area on the upper part of the mountain and of course the Highlands Bowl, but has plenty of intermediate terrain on the lower part of the mountain to keep everyone but total beginners entertained. Has free regular bus service into town and other areas, though the bus into town can get extremely crowded at about the time most people are leaving the mountain (3-4PM). Great dining and drinking options on mountain and at the base with a nice après scene happening (do check out Cloud 9, and do make reservations).

Loved my time at Highlands so much and it was probably in part due to the season's heavy snowfall and the fact that it was closing weekend. I was a little anxious about the party scene (since I heard it gets rowdy on the last weekend), but it honestly didn't negatively impact our experience. We made our way towards Cloud 9 around 3pm and enjoyed the festivities for a solid 15 min before skedaddling outta there. The party at the base was also insane - akin to a music festival. Otherwise, I never waited in a lift line and we often felt alone on our runs. If you're up for the challenge, I would highly recommend hiking the bowl (it's about a 40-50min hike) and taking a run down. It was such an adrenaline rush and the perfect capstone to our trip. We got luck in that a cat took us about a quarter of the way up but my friends have been before and did not get that luxury. As expected, the food is a bit overpriced on the mountain although we banked on our packed lunches everyday. Can't wait to return next season!!

"Because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain." - Jack Kerouac Do like Jack says and hike the bowl, you won't regret it.

Aspen Highlands is our friend's favorite in Aspen. My husband liked it too but I think it was too early in the season because not all runs were open and the coverage on the runs that were open weren't great. There were still spots where nature was still poking through. I think the mid-mountain Cloud Nine Bistro and Highlands Alehouse had something to do with their opinion. They also had Ambassadors at mid-mountain giving out free hot cider and Cliff Bars. This mountain has easy trails as well but we went up the Exhibition lift and then to Cloud Nine lift and Loge Peak lift where there were some nice runs. Next time we'll come later in the season for better snow. Another great note if you drive here, parking is free for HOV 4 +!

Aspen Highlands is where (in the summer), you can catch the bus to the Maroon Bells. Aspen Highlands has shops, food, and drinks. Great place to hang out in the summer, but I imagine it'd be really awesome during ski season, too!

By far the best mountain out of the four in Aspen. I just went over Christmas and felt like I ruled the mountain while snowboarding and skiing down those pristine slopes. Good god, it's like God took the milky white smoothness of a woman's supple breasts and plied them into the powdery smooth slopes of Highlands. I went to Snowmass, Buttermilk and Ajax over the period of a week as well, but I enjoyed Highlands the best. If you want to truly feel like you one a mountain, get in there!

As much as I hate the fru fru-ness of Aspen, I have to give it to the highlands as a decent mountain. There are some nice steep runs and you can find some pretty solid mogul lines if looking. It isn't that crowded, after all everyone's partying too hard to get up before noon if at all during daylight hours.

Our 1st day @AH this season was nothing short of phenomenal! Caught the last CAT ride up to Highland Bowl and was awestruck! A huge Thank U to the ski patrollers we rode up with & who helped me w/my skis. We only hiked 1/2 way since it was our first time and close to 3pm. Firm hard pack is how I would describe it; we really need snow! So glad to have done what I never thought I could. Great quote at Loge Peak lift.."There is no perfect moment; find a moment and MAKE IT perfect!" Not sure who the author is, but I loved it!

Fun mountain - it would be great on a powder day! Not as much terrain as snowmass, there are definitely some steeps here, and quite a few mogul runs if you are into that. No lines and not crowded at all. i think we had to stand in line once during the day. This is more of the "locals' hill as compared to the other mtns in Aspen

Favorite mountain of the 4 mountains in the Aspen-Snowmass resort. Even on a Saturday, the mountain was not crowded. The locals told us this was the local's mountain and all the tourists go to Aspen or Snowmass. Fun terrain with lots of blues and blacks. On one of the lifts up, we sat with a ski instructor. She told us about the epic bowl, but even for her it's a 27 minute hike to the top.

I was told by a local that we couldn't claim that we had actually DONE the Highlands until we had survived the bowl, so while I am generally averse to hiking while snowboarding (hey, that's what lifts are for!), I mentally prepared myself for a trek uphill followed by some tree/rock dodging. However, when my friend's telemark boot strap broke as we were in line for the first lift, plans changed... this is a small base area that seems to place a higher priority on glitz than utility, so while the staff was friendly they were totally unable to help her get any new tele gear and she had to settle for renting a snowboard. Considering she hadn't ridden in two years she wasn't as motivated to off-road in the bowl... and I clearly wasn't feeling the need to do it on my own, so alas, by local standards my experience here doesn't count. Still, we had a fabulous day here! It's definitely a board-friendly mountain in terms of layout with a lot of nice cruiser runs. It also has some of the best views I've seen anywhere, especially in the picnic point area, so make sure to bring your camera! At the end of the day everyone settles in for apres at the restaurant right at the base, and predictably, a lot of the discussion revolved around who had done the bowl and who hadn't... Sigh.

Nothing could be better than skiing your home mountain. Except for if that home mountain is in Aspen! I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to ski all over the world and I have skied some amazing places. But lapping Highlands bowl on a powder day with my parents or friends is something that is just priceless. When it is sunny hanging at the top to say hi to all that are looking to take a break before heading down. For the avid skier the best thing about Aspen, lift lines are non existent compare to other resorts. If you are looking for a world renowned party try Closing day here. There is another party daily here but that one you will have to find out for yourself.

Almost completely deserted for our entire stay, Highlands is my favorite mountain by far. There is no shortage of beautiful views anywhere around Aspen, but my personal favorites were while skiing around the Highlands. The Ritz property at the base is wonderful. I believe the Lodge Peak is the highest elevation of all the lifts around Aspen. The Cloud 9 restaurant here is excellent. The skiing is great for intermediate blue level skiers.

Highlands is a great, no bullshit mountain. It's laid out in a pretty peculiar way, along a sloping ridge down the middle of the resort. The weird thing is you don't really ski from the ridge to the valley below, rather you head down until you hit the boundary rope then traverse back towards the sloping ridge. Get it? It's funky. Anyhow, the Highland's Bowl experience is not to be missed. Take the lifts up to the summit, then ski around back and hop on the snowcat. The cat will take you along the ridge until it becomes too narrow to go any further, than you're on your own. The ridge becomes pretty tight and narrow as you hike with a nasty cornice on one side and a steep cliff on the other...and curves around to form a perfect bowl on your left. Personally I hiked about half way around the bowl and spotted a minimal cornice (about 4' of vert) to pop in at. Once you're in the bowl it is extremely steep and your heart is a-pumpin. It's so steep in fact you really need to be on your toes, it's no joke. For the first 200' every turn I made scared the crap out of me. Unless it's a huge powder day, if you fuck up at the top you aint' stopping until you hit the botton of the bowl, about 1000' down, it is that steep...again, no joke. Luckily I made it down without any mishaps. At the bottom I had a huge sense of accomplishment...then went up and did it again a few more times.

Awesome mountain. Steep slops and huge moguls. If you go during the week the mountain is nearly empty. If you like to ski/ride and like a challenge head here. You'll be skiing double blacks from start to finish.

ok. let me note that i've spent the past 5 months working on an internal software project called "highland" because my boss is obsessed with the aspen highlands. (so much so that we have a one room office that you can literally ski into the back door of adjacent to the main lift.) so when he invited us for an all-expense-paid weekend in aspen, i started out disoriented. after years of packing friends into tiny motel rooms and riding rickety wooden chair lifs in tahoe and new hampshire, aspen, with its rfid lift tickets, was a bit of a shock. so maybe the highlands isn't a perfect fit for a "moderate" snowboarder such as myself but one day i hope to make the hike, and ride down the highland bowl.

Great mountain. Deep Temerity is awesome. Top to bottom laps from either Cloud 9 or Loge is fun. And of course hiking the bowl on a powder day is...well...