photo: Matt Power | skier: Ted DavenportAcres: 675/1,028 | Vertical: 3,267/3,635 | Snowfall: 300/300 | Web: aspensnowmass.com
"The Highland Bowl is unbelievable," says longtime Aspen local Gordon Bronson, "but hands down my favorite mid-day run is Walsh's on Ajax." Bronson is lucky to have two totally different skiing mountains within a few miles of his legendary hometown. Aspen Highlands is known as a local's mountain, "but it's becoming a place for families because of the great terrain at the bottom," says Bronson. This year the Merry-Go-Round restaurant at Highlands gets a remodel, with an emphasis on keeping it local friendly and unpretentious. But don't write off Aspen (Ajax Mountain) because of its notoriety. It's actually one of the steepest resorts in Colorado and the snow quality is usually top-notch.
From the Early Winter 2012 issue
