Aspen Snowmass launches summer operations Memorial Day Weekend May 28-30 on the Silver Queen Gondola at Aspen Mountain from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Daily operations on Aspen Mountain will officially kick-off Jun. 18 and at Snowmass, daily operations will commence Jun. 24.
With the start of summer operations, Aspen Snowmass is scheduled to debut new summer enhancements, offerings and events. The top of Aspen Mountain will continue to undergo improvements while the Snowmass Bike Park will open with an extension to the intermediate Vapor Trail.
Also at Snowmass, the popular Farm to Table Dinners at Elk Camp will return with expanded dates and will also include late night Snowmass Bike Park Hours for riding into the evening. The event calendar adds two new events, the Enduro World Series Mountain Bike Race as well as the Stars Above Aspen community astronomy night.
Summer Operations
Aspen Mountain begins weekend summer operations on the Silver Queen Gondola Memorial Day Weekend May 28-30 as well as the weekends of Jun. 4-5 and 11-12. Daily summer operations will officially kick-off Jun. 18 and run until Sept. 5. Silver Queen Gondola operation hours will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with the last ride down at 4:30 p.m.
Snowmass summer operations on both the Elk Camp Gondola and Elk Camp Chairlift will take place daily Jun. 24-Sept. 5 and then continue weekends through September as well as Oct. 1-2. Elk Camp Gondola operation hours will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with the last ride down at 4:15 p.m. and the Elk Camp Chairlift will operate from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. with the last ride down at 3:15 p.m.
Expanded Farm to Table Dinners
Last August, Elk Camp restaurant, located mid-mountain on Snowmass, introduced Farm to Table Dinners. Due to popularity, the dinners will be back and include an expanded schedule that kicks-off Tuesday, Jul. 19 and runs every Tuesday until Aug. 23.
The culinary experience includes a free ride up the Elk Camp gondola to the restaurant where guests can enjoy locally-sourced ingredients in a farm-to-table inspired à la carte dinner format with full cash bar, outdoor family activities and live music. Food and beverage options are sourced from local farmers and companies such as Crystal River Meats, Rock Bottom Ranch, Farm Runners, Woody Creek Distillery, The Roaring Fork Beer Co, Marble Distillery, Aspen Beer Co. and more.
Five percent of food sales will go to Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) and The Roaring Fork Conservancy. Each organization will have representatives on site to speak about the various food and beverages.
Snowmass Bike Park Nights
In conjunction with the Farm to Table Dinners at Elk Camp restaurant, the Snowmass Bike Park will extend the park hours to stay open until dusk every Tuesday from Jul. 19-Aug.23.
Snowmass Bike Park Trail Extension
The Snowmass Bike Park offers a network of lift-served downhill mountain bike trails that range from Valhalla, a gravity-defying world-class downhill trail complete with elements such as berms, jumps and table tops, to Verde, a gentle single-track flow trail that helps new bikers gain important fundamentals. Spanning from the top of the Elk Camp chairlift to the bottom of Snowmass Base Village, the trail system offers 2,893 ft. of vertical descent that spans across 50 miles of trails.
New this summer, the Snowmass Bike Park has rerouted the Vapor trail to include two new flow segments that increase the mileage from 2.9 to 3.3. Vapor is an intermediate trail that is accessed from the top of the Elk Camp chairlift and includes 1,400 feet of vertical descent as well as features such as bridges and berms.
Aspen Snowmass Slated to Host Enduro World Series Mountain Bike Race
Aspen Snowmass will host the only U.S. stop of the Enduro World Series Saturday, Jul. 30-Sunday, Jul. 31, 2016. The Enduro World Series continues its proud tradition of uncovering the world’s best mountain bike destinations with its 2016 calendar. The new season will feature eight rounds across three continents, including four completely new venues in Chile, Argentina, France and the USA (Aspen Snowmass, Colo.).
Aspen Snowmass has been chosen to host round five (out of eight rounds) of the prestigious Enduro World Series that will feature some of the best mountain bike athletes in the world. The two-day event will blend high altitude riding adventures mixed with some of the biggest descents and best riding in the area.
Stars Above Aspen—Community Astronomy Night
In conjunction with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) and the Aspen Science Center, Stars Above Aspen is a new community astronomy night that will take place Aug. 10 on top of Aspen Mountain. After a ride up the Silver Queen Gondola, guests will have the opportunity to gaze through telescopes, learn about the constellations and enjoy presentations from scientists. The evening will also include dinner options at the Sundeck restaurant and family-friendly entertainment.
Aspen Mountain Summer Enhancement Plan Continues
Scheduled as a multi-phase project that began last summer, Aspen Skiing Company began the process of improving the top of Aspen Mountain for visitors and locals to enjoy the surrounding outdoors year-round. The first phase of the project consisted of new signage, walking paths, landscaping, children’s play features, lawn games and more.
This fall, a complete renovation of the welcome plaza in between the Gondola Building and the Sundeck will take place and include an expanded observation deck for viewing the Elk Mountain Range. Future project phases will see additional play opportunities for children and improved guest amenities centered on enjoying the alpine environment.
For more information visit www.aspensnowmass.com
