Four Mountains, One Lift Ticket Above Aspen

People say “Aspen” like it is one place to ski. It is really four separate mountains, and one lift ticket gets you onto all of them. Knowing the difference saves a beginner from a rough first day, and points an expert straight at the good stuff.

Aspen Mountain, the one locals call Ajax, rises right out of downtown. It is steep and historic, with no true beginner runs off the top. Aspen Highlands is the expert’s hill, home to the Highland Bowl, a stretch of in-bounds terrain you reach by hiking up with your skis on your back. Buttermilk is the gentle learning mountain, full of easy groomers, and every January it transforms into the venue for the X Games. Snowmass is the giant, family-friendly and bigger than the other three combined, with lodging steps from the lifts.

You do not need a car to mountain-hop. In winter, the free Four Mountain Connector shuttle runs between all four, dropping skiers close to the lifts. Pick Buttermilk or Snowmass to find your feet, then work up to Ajax and the Bowl.

Exact opening dates and X Games timing shift year to year, so check aspensnowmass.com before you plan a trip around a particular mountain or event.