Hi all!

I'm planning on doing Pyramid Peak on this Friday morning , but haven't managed to secure a permit for parking on Friday or Thursday night. Anyone have some clues as to what my best options for parking and biking to the trailhead would be?

Wondering how the skiing conditions typically are in early December?

Hello! My husband and I are traveling to Aspen for our honeymoon Dec 17-23. We are wondering if we absolutely need reservations for where we want to eat?

We are pretty laid back and had planned on making a reservation at one upscale restaurant but otherwise we’d figured that we would just take it day by day. Our hotel’s concierge advised us to make reservations everywhere we want to go as most places take reservations 30-60 days out.

Wondering: is this true? Do we need to make reservations from each restaurant ahead of time? Or can we get away with playing it by ear?

Thanks in advance!

I have a midnight-to-midnight permit for this Sunday the 22nd. Looking to swap for a midnight-to-midnight on Saturday the 27th.

Hey everyone, I’m moving to Aspen for the 24/25 season to be a lifty! Don’t know anyone going into it, would love to hear past experiences, fun things to do, what to expect, etc etc. I have housing in Aspen so that’s a plus. Looking forward to getting out there and skiing all winter long!!

Going to Aspen for the first time in the morning. I am not normally a hiker or outdoorsy at all. What can I do to avoid or help with altitude sickness?

I wanted to share the trip we did as we looked here and only found a 4 year old post about West Maroon Pass hiking. Last weekend we hiked Apen to CB, scheduled Dolly's shuttle to Crested Butte and CB back to the trail head and hiked back the next day. Here is a summary and some tips for anyone looking:

1. We parked at Aspen Highlands Ski Resort parking lot and two days was $84 (Holy S!) Thursday morning to friday afternoon and caught the Aspen Shuttle to the trail head at $16 / person. it would have been way cheaper to book a parking spot at the trailhead and come in before 8am but all were booked up for overnight parking a long time ago.

2. We caught the 7am bus, started the hike to Crested Butte at 730am at Maroon Lake.

3. My Garmin said it was 7 miles to the top of the pass and 4 to the Crested Butte Side. This took us 4 hours to get to the pass and just shy of 6 to get to the other side. Add in some breaks and it was 6.5 hours start to finish (5 hrs 50 minutes moving time).

4. We booked Dolly's shuttle ($55 / person) to pick us up at 4 at west maroon trail head crested butte side Here, but we got there at 2, took a nap next to the creek and Dolly showed up at 3 and we took the shuttle to CB on a 45 minute trip and stayed at elevation hotel.

5. in CB we took the free city school bus shuttle to town, had dinner and drinks (lots of restaurantsto choose from) and took the shuttle back. it goes to town every 20 minutes

6. next morning scheduled Dolly's shuttle back to the trail head ($55 / person return) and hiked back. The trail to the pass on the CB side is much smoother and gradual on the incline until the last half mile then it gets pretty intense.

7. on the way back we only stopped at the pass for 10 minutes and completed the whole trip in 5.5 hours (5 hours of moving time).

Tips / Note:

• Aspen is great to see and full of high end restaurants to visit but the casual drinks and low key hiking vibe was way more comfortable in crested butte.
• we were lucky with the weather and lack of storms but be sure to be prepared
• i hiked in Nike Pegasus trail shoes and was fine. The rocks were a bit much on my 45 year old ankles but nothing too insane
• im in decent shape, mid 40's run 15-20 miles a week, but no where near my ideal weight. I share this to give a sense of the fitness level requirements. Look at the IG posts to get a sense if you are curious of fitness levels required.

Hello! I’m not from here but I’m in the area looking for a place to put on makeup and a dress. I am willing to pay or drive within 30 min but I just need a mirror for about an hour. I couldn’t find any YMCA in the area.

Is there anything similar to that? Thank you in advance.

Coming in November for a work event and staying in downtown for three nights (8th-11th)

I’ve tried doing some research and it shows many restaurants are closed. I’m not familiar with Aspen, but will some dinner places be open?

And if things are open, does anyone have any good restaurants?

Which weekend do folks on the ground think will be better for the Aspen trees?! Super conflicted between the two and will be coming from out of state back home for it, so unfortunately can’t make the trip both weekends.

I’m planning a trip to Aspen for fall colors with my wife. We’re looking at Oct 3-7. Is that a good time or will that be past peak in Aspen? How is the forecast looking for 2024? I’ve been looking at different articles and they all suggest different timings. Any pointers are appreciated!!

Hey everyone. I am planning to go to Maroon bells the last week of September/1st week of October and am taking the shuttle. However the problem is the parking scenario. I found two ways:

1. Park in Aspen Highlands and take the shuttle (as recommended in website)

2. Park in Aspen, take RFTA shuttle to Aspen highlands, and then take the shuttle to Maroon Bells.

Which option is the safest in terms of parking. Although parking in Aspen Highlands make more sense to me, I am afraid that I wouldn't be able to find parking there. Cost of parking is not a problem for me at this point of time. Which option would you guys recommend. Feel free to include any tips/advices/

Hey all - I’m heading to Aspen for the weekend from Denver. Can anyone tell me if the leaves have started to change yet? Debating booking maroon bells shuttle

Can anyone recommend a ski rental service in snowmass village? Looking to rent demo skis.

Any tips on where to shoot in aspen/snowmass? Or where can i book a photographer

Hi everyone! I’ve been applying for jobs in Aspen the past week or two. Particularly at Snowmass. I havent heard anything back at all yet and my applications still say new. When should I expect to hear something if I will? Also does anyone have maybe a contact email or phone number that I could call and follow up with

Is anyone in this sub an actual local? Shout out if you live here!

I'm getting married at the Maroon Bells in July of 2025 and looking for a restaurant to host about 45 people for a dinner reception. Any suggestions in Aspen or surrounding areas?

I'm flying into Aspen tomorrow just for the day. Arriving at 10am and leaving at 4pm. What are some fun things to go do? I'll have no car so just planning on walking/ using the bus.

Am I taking a huge risk (cancellation/delay/diverted) flying into Aspen on NYE? I read sometimes the flights are diverted and you need to take a shuttle bus from Denver or elsewhere. Im wondering if that happened how long would it take us to actually get to Aspen if we were supposed to arrive by 1pm. I just dont want to spenfd NYE in an airport or on a shuttle. Coming the day before is alot more $$ on hotel and flight. Thanks

Thank you for all of the comments. Flying direct from LAX (Los Angeles) on AA with points to cover the fare. I will look into travel insurance in case the flight is cancelled as the condo is non refundable.

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Hi,

My friend is planning a visit for her birthday in December to Aspen. We are from Alabama and I am nervous about the terrain and the snow as we don’t get much snow here and we are not accustom to driving in those conditions. I suggested we use Uber or Taxi but she thinks a rental would be better. Since we are unfamiliar with the area and the conditions which would you all suggest?

SN: I’m also scared overall because I wanna visit the slopes but i’m scared if heights lol

Hi, Where can we park near Highlands for two days (overnight) with a lower fee? We plan to take a shuttle bus to Marron Bells from Aspen Highlands at the end of September. I checked RFTA website and it doesn't seem to have other buses to Highlands currently.

https://www.aspentimes.com/news/mezzaluna-aspen-bids-farewell-after-37-years/

Places to forage raspberries in Aspen/Indy Pass?

Does anyone have any recommendations for a reputable heating company to replace a boiler in a home. Thanks

I am trying to figure out the pick up and drop of situation for Maroon Bells. We have a friend who is willing to drop us off at the trail and pick us up but I need clarification on this:

"Drop-offs are allowed before 8 am and after 5 pm. A $10 fee is required at the Welcome Center Entrance Self-Pay Station."

So if my friend drops us off before 8 am, they have to pick us up after 5 pm? We will not be able to leave earlier? Thank you!

I'm considering moving out to Aspen per the recommendation of a friend of mine who has spent a few seasons there. I've spent the past three years working as a lifty at grand targhee so I have some experience but I think I'm looking to transition into a different job on the mountain. I was looking at driving snowcats at snowmass. The pay is pretty good it appears and I think I'd really enjoy that lifestyle.

The two things I'm concerned with are schedules and housing.

For scheduling I was wondering what are the hours of the shifts. I'm not super interested in the overnight schedule but I'd like the 4-12 or 5-1 type schedules if those are options. Do you get to chose? Do you have to work both? Is it hard to adapt to?

Housing and the importance of it kinda ties in with grooming, being that the ability to sleep is important for that job. I've done my fair share of employee housing and shared living and it's getting a little old for sure. How is the employee housing at snowmass? Is it expensive? Do I get my own room and or bathroom? Is there any hope of getting a more private living space or should I expect classic loud and cramped employee bunks? I read something about tiny homes, are those expensive or accessible for a first time employee?

I'm also planning on having a custom build camper for my truck that will be set up for part time to full time living. Does Aspen accommodate van life types and is that a route I should consider? Especially for grooming since you would be parked up there overnight anyways.

Any information on what the vibe is like and how it compares to targhee or Jackson would be super cool too. Thanks!