Aspen Highlands

Infobox ski area
name= Aspen Highlands

picture= DSCN0395.jpg
caption= Summit of Aspen Highlands and the backside of the Highland Bowl from Buttermilk Mountain
location= Colorado, USA
nearest_city= Aspen, Colorado
lat_degrees= 39
lat_minutes= 10
lat_seconds= 52
lat_direction= N
long_degrees= 106
long_minutes= 51
long_seconds= 23
long_direction= W
top_elevation= ft to m|11678|round=0
base_elevation= ft to m|8040|round=0
skiable_area= 1010 acres (4.09km²)
number_trails= 131 total
18% beginner
30% intermediate
16% advanced
36% expert
longest_run= 3.5 miles (5.6 km)
liftsystem= 5 total (3 high-speed quad chairs, 2 triple chairs)
terrainparks= 0
snowfall= 300 in/year (7.62 m/year)
external_link= http://www.aspensnowmass.com|

Aspen Highlands is an intermediate-to-expert difficulty level skiing mountain in Aspen, Colorado. It is famous for the Highland Bowl, which provides some of the most intense skiing in the state. The lift system has recently been redone and provides quick transport around the mountain.

History

Aspen Highlands was founded and the land developed in 1958 by Aspen legend Whip Jones. In 1993 Jones donated it to his Alma Mater, Harvard University. Harvard sold the resort to Houston, Texas developer Gerald Hines for $18.3 million. It later became part of the Aspen Skiing Company.

The Mountain

Aspen Highlands has become most famous for the Highland Bowl and other experts only terrain. However, the Bowl wasn't completely opened until 2002. Most of the mountain's terrain flows off of the narrow ridge extending from Highland Peak.

Mid and Lower Mountain Terrain

Rolling wide beginner and intermediate trails through thick lodgepole pine forest constitute most of the mid-to-lower mountain terrain. The very bottom of the mountain is dominated by the Thunderbowl, an expansive steep intermediate run that normally hosts most of the ski competitions on the mountain. The lower mountain also contains challenging, but underappreciated expert runs such Lower Stein and P-Chutes. It is served by the Exhibition and Thunderbowl lifts. The Mid-Mountain area is anchored by the 60s era Merry-Go-Round restaurant, with a large, south-facing deck. The Merry-Go-Round also serves as the hub of the major chairlifts on mountain. The Cloud Nine lift serves primarily intermediate and difficult runs on the mid-mountain as well as Scarlett's, a notorious mogul run. The summit of Cloud Nine lift is the location of Cloud Nine Bistro, offering the best on-mountain dining of the Aspen ski areas and views of the Maroon Bells.

Upper Mountain Terrain

What attracts most skiers to Highlands is the dramatic, just-above-timberline summit of the mountain. The upper mountain is primarily served by the Loge Peak high speed quad originating at the Merry-Go-Round. The ridge that extends down from Loge Peak (the lift-served summit) has only one intermediate run, Broadway, which follows the ridge spine. On either side, Steeplechase and the No Name Bowl fall away at precipitous angles. Spectacular views of the Maroon Bells, Pyramid Peak, Hayden Peak, and the Highland Bowl greet skiers at the summit.

The Highland Bowl

Since 2002, the Highland Bowl has been the crown jewel of Aspen Highlands. Most of the terrain is accessed only on foot, although a snowcat can cut the distance by a third. The Highlands ski patrol monitors the Bowl and conducts avalanche control for skier safety. The Bowl faces primarily east, towards Aspen Mountain. Generally, the best snow to be found is in the north-facing G-Zones ("G" corresponds to green ski wax, for the coldest temperature snow). The B-Zones (for blue wax) are the steepest, face east, and descend down the center of the bowl from the convert|12382|ft|m|abbr=on summit of Highland Peak. The south-facing Y-Zones (yellow wax), can be skied without hiking if one rides the snowcat. Until recent chairlift improvements, a run down the Highland Bowl was followed by the Grand Traverse, a long, flat catwalk back to the Loge Peak lift. The Highland Bowl also offers access from the summit into the steep and highly avalanche prone backcountry Five Fingers Bowl.

New Terrain

Open for the season 2005-2006 is the new fixed grip triple lift "Deep Temerity". The $2.7 million project eliminates the lengthy trek out from the bottom of the Highland Bowl, the Temerity glades, and Steeplechase. convert|180|acre|km2 of new terrain accompany the Deep Temerity lift for the 05-06 season, with the ultimate potential for convert|270|acre|km2 of new terrain. This will push Aspen Highlands' total area over 1,000 acres (4 km²).

Flimography

Aspen Highlands, was the backdrop for the bowl skiing in the 1993 movie Aspen Extreme

Links

* [http://www.aspensnowmass.com/onmountain/trailmaps/default.cfm?isSummer=0 Trail Map]
*Whip Jones, Founder

*Aspen Mountain (Ajax)
*Snowmass
*Buttermilk
*Aspen Skiing Company
* [http://www.aspensnowmass.com/ Aspen Skiing Company website]
* [http://www.aspensnowmass.com/MediaKit/timeline.cfm Timeline]

External links

* [http://www.3dskimaps.com/index.php?path=aspenmountain 3dSkiMap of Aspen Mountain (Ajax)]
* [http://www.3dskimaps.com/index.php?path=aspenhighlands 3dSkiMap of Aspen Highlands]
* [http://www.skimap.org/skiarea.php?id=1032 Historic and current ski maps of Aspen Highlands]