Aspen

Aspen mountain was the last one of the 'Aspen 4' to allow snowboarders and although thats locked away in history, you may still get the odd snooty look as you queue for the gondola.

There's a lot of pistes, 76 of them, packed into 673 acres, and this thin sliver of a resort gives a decent 1000m descent and some steep terrain to get stuck into.

The Silver Creek gondola is the resorts spine. Stemming from this are some steep if short gladed runs emanating from along the ridges, or the easier trails along the valley floors. Beginners are recommended to go elsewhere.

The town is trying hard to cling onto the last shreds of normality before disappearing up its own Aspen. As you drive in to town, there's a huge hanger where the guests park their planes, most old places have been knocked down but it still seems to retain some charm. Amongst the art gallerys and the fashion shops is the occasional bar doing a chicken wing & pitcher special, but its no longer the norm. Rich & monied though it is, at least it doesn't have the feel of Vail in so far as; Vail thinks it's rich, Aspen just is rich.