Snowmass Village

First-timers often confuse Snowmass Village with Snowmass, an unincorporated assemblage of ranches and houses on the back side of the ski area's principal mountain. Snowmass Village, incorporated as a town in 1977, is one of several thriving resort communities in the area, as is Aspen, just 9 miles east.

Snowmass Village's 3,100 acres of ski terrain sit within the White River National Forest, a ruggedly mountainous area renowned for spectacular scenery and year-round outdoor recreation. The ski slopes stretch across Baldy and Burnt mountains. The core of Snowmass Village, including lodgings, condominiums, restaurants and boutiques, is centered around the Snowmass Mall and the base village, which both border the beginner slope Fanny Hill.

For those who think ski resorts are only worth visiting in the winter, Snowmass Village has a full slate of warm-weather activities. From June to mid-September, guided nature hikes, free weekly concerts and outdoor theater, golfing, spas, jeep tours, fly-fishing clinics, mountainboarding, horseback riding, mountain biking, chairlift rides, disc golf, white-water rafting and campfire storytelling are popular pastimes. The Anderson Ranch Arts Center, housed on a former sheep ranch, presents workshops and free lectures in painting, ceramics, photography, woodworking and furniture design; phone (970) 923-3181.

Warm weather also brings with it a host of festivals and special events. From mid-June to early August the Snowmass Summer of Free Music Series presents weekly evening concerts by well-known performers at the resort's slope-side amphitheater on Fanny Hill. The Snowmass Rodeo hosts Wednesday rodeos with calf roping, bronco and bull riding, family activities and a Western barbecue, from mid-June to mid-August; phone (970) 923-8898.

Labor Day weekend brings the JazzAspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival featuring nationally known acts that attract music connoisseurs. The Snowmass Wine Festival takes place in mid-September, as does the Snowmass Balloon Festival, a wine and jazz festival with 3 days of hot air balloon competitions set against the backdrop of the Elk Mountain Range at sunrise.

Visitor Centers

Recreational Activities

Skiing