Where the Beer Flows Like Wine

[gprsh924]

So myself and 5 buddies are heading out to Aspen from January 2-8. We are part of a larger Indiana University Ski Club (you don't have to be a student there to go with) group of 120 college kids. Needless to say, it should be a wild ride. We are staying at the Laurelwood Condos at Snowmass in Snowmass Village. Just wanted to check in here and see if there are any must visit restaurants or bars? Does anybody know of any deals to be had on food or drink (I know Aspen will be very expensive)?

On another note, my friends and I are all solid intermediate skiers. When we were at Breckenridge and Vail two years ago, we could ride any blue comfortably, and could handle most of the single blacks, but would push up against our ability/comfort level on some of the more difficult ones. Are there any runs or parts of the mountain that we just have to do and will fit well with our skill levels? Any recommendations? We can also ski at Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk with our passes.

Thanks in advance guys.

[BRPORSCHE]

Oh my. That's going to be a fun one.

[gprsh924]

Yea it's going to be an intense trip. The boozing will start on the bus ride out. I'm getting pumped about it. I bought a new jacket this summer and just bought a new fleece jacket for layering. Then I bought a Camelbak last night. That stuff coupled with the new skis I got last year and I couldn't be more excited.

[porsche4life]

Camelback for beer?

[TheMentat]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Camelback for beer?

bad idea... excessive jostling will create a beer-foam fire hose all over the front of your new jacket!

[porsche4life]

Oh right... Bad idea... Just have to fill it with Jack.

[gprsh924]

For this trip, the purpose will actually be for water on the mountain. However, I'm sure in the future I will put it to alternative use.

[gprsh924]

Thought I would bump this thread up now that the board is seeing some more activity. I know there are skiers on this board, anybody like to ride Aspen?

[t6dpilot]

A group college trip to Aspen, CO? Are you kidding - where do you young students get jack for a trip to THE MOST EXPENSIVE ski locale in the US? Who cares, right? It will be the trip of a lifetime!

I learned to ski at the Aspen Highlands almost 30 years ago and skied there for 20+ years until it got waaay too Hollywoody for my taste. Can't say I can recommend any eateries as they have all probably changed since my time there. You will most likely be very hard pressed to find cheap eats in Aspen. Check to see if the Cooper Street Pier is still there. Great "local" hangout for burgers and beers. The base of Ajax (Aspen Mtn to you noobs) is great place to hang for some Apres Ski and people watching. I forget the name of the place - I only remember the iconic place that had been there for years and is long since gone.

Great spots to ski - Off piste back side of Ajax across the "Do Not Ski Alone" gate. Especially good if you have fresh powder. It can be deep and you are in the trees, so be careful. Speaking of fresh powder, Tiehack off Buttermilk used to be excellent since it was not very popular. But it did have a nice grouping of black runs that would allow you to ski fresh for quite awhile. Steeplechase at the Highlands is a must do if you can handle it - think <><> and steeeep. The old Floradora run in front of the Midway restaurant at the Highlands was always a favorite - VW sized bumps and a moderate slope. They ran mogul contests every Friday afternoon on this run. Snowmass is great with tons of acreage and variety. If you like the tough stuff, there is some hike up, ski down <><> at the top there. Otherwise just some great cruising runs. They used to run a free skiers shuttle from Aspen to the Highlands and then one from the Highlands to Snowmass. Actually the best value in the valley.

I have probably forgotten more than I remember about Aspen, but can tell you the place can get wild if you so choose. Good luck and have fun.

[teenerted1]

aspen on a college student's budget are you nuts????
ok so i did have girlfriend in college from there, and her family still lived there, and the passes were free, and the family feed us...but otherwise i would have never been able to go when i was at CSU.

we spent all our ski dollars a MARY JANE or Summit Co. ski areas. more bang for your buck if you ask me.

[Tim Hancock]

Never been to Aspen, but in college several buddies and I did a low buck trip to Breckenridge, Copper and Vail. I recall brief stints of fun negotiating very icy double blacks at Breck and some nice bump runs at Copper. Most of the time however I was miserable from the altitude kicking my azz. Sure wish I had taken some medication to deal with it vs beer at night and lots of water/aspirin by day.

[slodave]

I go there. There are neat hideouts all over Aspen mountain... The locals won't tell you where though....

There are a few good bars in Snowmass, but Aspen has a wider range of bars and clubs. The buses run late, so it should not be a problem.

Remember that the state liquor stores are closed on Sunday, so ya gotta stock up on Saturday, if you stay in.

Buttermilk is for beginners, not a mountain I know.

[gprsh924]

Thanks guys, that was the kind of info I was looking for.

As to the budget, this works out to one of the cheapest ways to do the trip. We are at a ski in/ski out condo so we can save money on food during the day. We might even cook dinner for a night or two rather than going out. This trip really isn't too bad money wise. Flying is out of the question and none of our parents wanted us to drive their cars, so we would have had to rent a car to get out there. Going with this ski club, we have 5 nights in a sweet condo, a 4 day lift ticket, and a bus to and from for only $640. Doing the ski club thing vs. doing our own trip saved us at least $100/guy if not more. I figure that if I am halfway smart about spending when I am out there I can do the whole trip for around $900. Pretty reasonable for a world class ski trip. The dealbreaker of having to rent a car if we wanted to drive really limited our options and drove the cost up.

[Schumi]

And now you have 120 people to party with every night. Two words:

Snow Bunnies.

[t6dpilot]

Totally agree on B-Milk. In all the time I spent skiing in the area, I only went there once or twice because the group I was with wanted to. The ski club option is a great way to do a trip on a budget. Good for you guys. IIRC about 5 or 6 years ago, some ski mag did an art on the most expensive and most reasonable one week ski vacations for a family of four (or something like that). Aspen was the highest at $24k or something like that. Granted they probably calculated everything at the high end of the scale - full fare airline tickets, mid range condo, eat out every meal, ect. Still....

[Monza_dh]

I've been to Aspen a few times, once before Snomass was developed then after. I loved the old Snomass bar at the base serving pitchers of beer before it went away. I'm an old school type that loves places like Alta, A-Basin, Kirkwood, Mad River Glen etc. but still enjoy Vail and Aspen. I assume the Red Onion is stil there and the big TexMex restaurant where you can get nachos and margueritas without deressing up in fur and a Stetson to fit in.
As for me in college we went to Steamboat, Breck then to Tahoe. Only made it to Aspen when I had a free place to crash.

My last trip I sat three bar stools away from Cindy Crawford and walked past Martina Navratilova on the street after dinner. You wont see them at A Basin!

enjoy.

[t6dpilot]

The Red Onion! Yes, I remember that place. Loved it....!

[gprsh924]

Headed to Bloomington in 20 hours, then getting on the bus west at 4pm on the 2nd. Hopefully they get just a little bit more snow out there, but it should still be pretty good. I'll have some pictures for all of you when I return. Until then, I am most likely off the board until 9th or 10th.

Later Gentleman

[911Rob]

um, we'll need pics

is this your 2nd annual now?

[porsche4life]

Rob.... We only want pics of the Ski Bunnies... Garret need not be in them....