This was our first trip out west to ski/snowboard, so I was slightly nervous about the mountain size and the elevation change. Plus, I heard Aspen had gotten the most snow they have seen in the last 5 years! Aspen was all the hype, a cozy well known mountain town, and at the end of a long weekend it felt like we knew everyone.
This trip very was last minute because some of our best friends decided to head out there for one of their birthdays, and of course we said we would come. I have major FOMO, so I got to planning. This trip was planned in 32 days (I say that exact number because I typically plan my trips out MONTHS in advance to have ample amount of time to coordinate everything). At the 30 day mark, in most big cities, you have to schedule reservations at the top dining hot spots or you have no luck getting in day of. I had 2 days to research all I could about Aspen before the 30 day mark hit and I scrambled to grab those hard to get reservations I live for! (spoiler: I got them).
Scroll past all the pictures if you’re just here for the restaurant hit list, ill include at the bottom!
(Outfit available at Gorsuch: Jacket here/ Pants here/ Goggles By Electric Women, shop here)
I was styled by the wonderful Gorsuch team at the Aspen Location all weekend! They have stores at several locations in Colorado & Utah. They also supply ski rentals and have an adorable coffee shop right at the bottom of the Aspen Mountain lift. I highly recommend stopping in one of their stores if you visit to get the latest fashion trends to wear on the slopes or around town. Huge thank you to the Gorsuch team for being so awesome and letting me not have to worry about what to wear! Ill link all my outfits on each picture for you!
(Gorsuch Attire: Jacket here/ Ski suit here/ neck warmer here/goggles here/ Snowboard Rental By Ski Butler here)
After I was styled- We headed over to Ski Butlers Aspen Location to get fitted for our snowboard/ski rentals! Their shop is located right above Rossignols clothing shop. Their team was very educated on the best type of board I needed based on my experience and also fitted my husband for skis. You definitely want to get a helmet too, I took a hard fall and was thankful I had my helmet on one day! Ski Butler provides exclusive skis that are not even available on the market yet! Renting ski gear from them as soon as your arrive is a no brainer, saves time and ton of hassle, below is straight from their site.
(Thanks Anton for assisting!)
LET Ski Butlers do ALL THE WORK:
We deliver your rental gear for free
No hidden fees. We bring all your gear, from skis, snowboards, boots, poles and accessories directly to your accommodations. We’ll pick up all your gear after your final day on the slopes while you relax in your accommodations.
We fit you in your room
Our Ski Technicians arrive at your accommodations and custom-fit your gear in your room. We bring extra sizes, so we can guarantee a perfect fit on the delivery. We don’t leave until your are completely satisfied with the fit and feel of your rental equipment.
We offer on-mountain support
If conditions change while you’re on the mountain and you’d like a new ski or snowboard, or maybe a boot needs adjusting, or you want to try different gear altogether, just give us a call. We’ll come right to you within 45 minutes of a phone call and change out anything you would like.
(Thermals by Sweaty Betty, shop here: Use code SBBecca25/ Hat here)
Where to stay in Aspen:
- VRBO/AIRBNB: We stayed at this VRBO rental located right across the street from Aspen Highlands. I had no idea about the layout of Aspen before booking this place, but it turned out to be the ideal location for us. We were able to get up every day and walk straight over to the ski lifts. If you are planning to ski everyday, I would highly recommend getting a rental right by one of the mountains. We ended up skiing everyday on Aspen Highlands mainly due to the convenience of where we stayed. This place was 4 bedrooms, the beds were so cozy, and easily fit our party of 8. We all agreed we would love to stay here again if we came back. The property is overseen by Aspen Resort Accommodations, check in/check out was very smooth! Thank you to the wonderful team for hosting us, book this property here!
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- Hotels: I heard great things about the Little Nell Resort, St Regis & Hotel Jerome. We visited all these places and they were all stunning in an ideal downtown location. I would stay at a hotel if you were traveling with just your family, or a romantic weekend away or solo. The advantage of staying at these hotels is being able to walk to all the shops and restaurants. (keep in mind: it sometimes took us 20 minutes to get an uber from our rental to get downtown and depending on the time the price for uber would surge.)
What to do in Aspen:
- Snowmobiling- Tlazy7. We booked snowmobiling the first afternoon we were in town because I heard you should take it easy with elevation/skiing the first day and adjust slowly. We all chose to have our own snowmobile! This was the perfect afternoon to adjust. We were supposed to do the Maroon Bells tour but the conditions were too bad, so they switched us to a two hour pyramid tour. It was the perfect amount of time to be snowmobiling. We stayed in a line for most of the time going down trails, and then they let us do some racing which was really cool! The instructors seemed very experienced and gave us some history while on the tour too. I really liked how they had a shuttle you could call to pick you up and drop you off at Aspen Highlands.
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- Skiing/snowboarding- This is a given of course, but I heard the best mountain for beginners was to start on Snowmass. We never made it there, but it looked decent. The other mountains to ski on are Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, & Buttermilk (Where the Xgames took place when we were in town). Make sure to ride the gondola at Aspen Mountain!
(Gorsuch Style: Jacket here/ pants here/ shoes here) - Apres- This seemed to be the trend after getting off the slopes, or even on the slopes (insert Cloud nine!). Have a drink, relax and take in the snow scenery.
- Spa– We spent an entire day at St. Regis spa! We all got day passes, they were $75 and you could use the facilities from open to close. They had an incredible pool, sauna, co-ed waterfall pool, and an oxygen room.
- Shop- Walk around downtown aspen and check out all the stores. It is such a cute little town with places to walk into around every corner. We hotel hopped one day and had a drink, took in the views, and snacked various places.
(Gorsuch attire: Jacket here/ sweater here/ shoes here/ bag here/ hat here) - Check out local events going on when you plan to visit: We went during the Xgames– which lasted Thursday-Monday. They had concerts all weekend and competitions going on that we enjoyed watching! It was more of a college scene, and I would recommend getting 3 day passes for the value (they usually include lift tickets with the price)
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Where to eat in Aspen:
- Breakfast/Brunch: Little Nell, we ate here twice it was so good!
- Lunch: Ajax Tavern, White House Tavern, Cloud Nine (Book the 2pm reservation and prepare to party)
- Dinner: Bosq (get the sweet & sour eggplant), Matsuhisa, Jimmy’s, Cache Cache (we didnt make it here but everyone mentioned). Check this article out for other spots.
Cheers to a great ski trip Aspen! We will be back! (This was taken at Cloud Nine)
