One look at the trail map of Snowmass should tell you everything you need to know about the resort, specifically, that it's massive!

Sure, there are a few bigger resorts in the US, but given the small crowds, varied terrain, and also the fact that we came here from icy New Zealand, the variety of skiing on offer here is remarkable.

One potential downside for the terrain is that only a small fraction of the mountain is ideal for beginners. Therefore, newbies might have a better time at nearby Buttermilk, but even then, Snowmass is better in this regard than most resorts I've skied at, with the Village Express and Assay chairs providing plenty of mellow terrain. As for intermediates, this place is simply paradise. Over our 2 or so weeks here, my sister gained lots of confidence thanks to Snowmass' masses of long blue groomers. For more confident intermediates, it's also nice that Snowmass seems to groom their trails much more than the nearby Highlands and Ajax. My Dad, a confident expert, had an absolute blast in the hanging valley. Despite this resort's family friendly slant, there is some genuinely gnarly stuff higher up.

It also helped that the snow during this visit was pretty great. For the first week (end of January), we had consistent snowfall everyday between about 5 and 10cm. All of it exceptionally dry. Even better, the general lack of crowds meant that throughout the whole trip, there was always a bit of powder to be sniffed out. The best area in this regard is probably beneath the Campground lift, where there are some massive and steep leg-burners, all without a person in sight, since it's at the edge of the resort.

While you're up there, definitely pay a visit to the Stew Pot in the mountain village for some good old fashioned nachos, burritos and stews.

Overall, Aspen Snowmass is a great resort for just about anyone, except for the price conscious (definitely some cheaper resorts out there. The clothes shops in town stand out for being ridiculously expensive). Lastly, a longer trip to Aspen is even better if combined with visits to the nearby Buttermilk, Ajax, and Highlands, each of which have a distinct target audience. The larger Aspen area really is a special place for any skier, and especially for the Powderhound.
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Snowmass continues to deliver upon everything that our family of 5 needs to have a great ski vacation.

My kids have gone in 2 years from not knowing how to ski to doing black diamond runs. The ski school has been great for them, with great instructions and class size of generally 5 kids or less.

Being an experienced skier I have enjoyed the massive size of the mountain and the really long runs that are available. The mountain feels outright empty when you ski it as the # of skiers spreads out such that frequently no one is in sight. There's never an issue with waiting for the lift, it's generally 60 seconds or less to get on.

I've skied in early December 2015 when the mountain has only been partially open all the up the last week of ski season in April 2017 (in the midst of a heat wave), and there's been plenty of good snow to ski on.

The resort continues to invest, with 1-2 new or upgraded lifts each season as well as new or refurbished "huts" on the mountain. We've already booked for 2018 and look forward to our next visit.
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We were on a ski trip one week in canada and one week in snowmass. I was told to book snowmass by the travel agent, I just accepted the advice. Thats what they are there for. A bit of research and I found out that Snowmass is part of the aspen group of resorts. Great I thought, Aspen was always on my bucklist, as I am a big Dumb and Dumber fan,, Thats were I was wrong, apparently most of the filming of Aspen was Brekenridge...I have updated the bucket list accordingly...

But back to the review, man snowmass was fantastic, we stayed in a 2 bed condo at woodrun condos.. It was great. good access to the main lift, The skiing in my mind was split into two area, main ski area and elk camp. We experienced fantastastic staff, good food, excellent shuttle service from the woodrun guys.... We experienced some great runs, dallas freeway, bull run and bear bottom...The 10 year old loved yelling that one out a we zipped down...Snowmass rates with us a a family location.. Benefits of snowmass is 4 resorts which are easily accessible, you can ski more than one each day as the shuttle service and distance between them is workable.
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Great place, night life is ok, as slopes close at 3-4 and only reopen certain days but village makes up for it, really not crowded and i was there during the XGames!

Only child friendly places are bunny hills if they are beginners, Snow is AMAZING constantly groomed and great, Lifts rarely stop and there are gondalas.

Value is a little pricey, but not unreasonable. In conclusion I give this resort a 4.5.
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Snowmass was a skiers dream. Ski in/ ski out facilities, cosy village and huge variety or runs. We were fortunate to have fresh powder every day and had powder runs daily on both black runs and off piste runs.

It was fun hopping on the bus and spending days at both Aspen and Aspen Highlands, but decided that whilst the skiing was great at Highlands, we loved the low key feel of Snowmass compared to the hype of Aspen.

We would love to go back with our young daughter now and are saving hard....
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Snowmass is an excellent destination ski resort and it’s the best of the Aspen Snowmass ski resorts. It’s really got it all and you could be forgiven for not leaving Snowmass during your vacation. Nevertheless a major pro of Snowmass is that it’s within each reach of the three other Aspen Snowmass ski resorts and the vibrant town of Aspen.

Other pros of Snowmass include: large skiable terrain; diversity for all ability levels; very good terrain parks; high quality ski-in ski-out accommodations; excellent lift infrastructure; well developed services and amenities; and an amazing focus on keeping the kids (and their parents) very happy.

All this greatness comes at a cost, so expect to pay more than other USA ski resorts for lift tickets, equipment rentals, child care, and ski school. It is possible to find reasonably priced accommodation, but generally lodging is also at the high end.

Some may view the subdued Snowmass nightlife as a con, but if this bothers you, Aspen isn’t very far away.

For more detailed ratings of Snowmass and to see how it compares to other ski resorts around the world, see our powderhounds resort ratings.
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