This Under-the-radar Colorado Ski Resort Has Some of the Best On-mountain Dining in America

Article by Jen Murphy February 2022

With a new base village, boutique hotels, and Alps-inspired dining, Snowmass can finally hold its own against its glitzy neighbor Aspen.

With a new base village, boutique hotels, and Alps-inspired dining, Snowmass can finally hold its own against its glitzy neighbor Aspen.

The Aspen-Snowmass ski area is technically a four-mountain destination. Glitzy Aspen Mountain, just nine miles down the road, steals the spotlight with its luxury hotels, celebrity guests, and rowdy après ski scene. Buttermilk caters to families, while Aspen Highlands attracts hard-chargers with the inbound backcountry terrain of the Highland Bowl. With so many options, Snowmass often gets overlooked. But over the last few years, the ski resort has quietly become a destination in its own right.

As part of a $600 million resort development, Snowmass finally received a proper Base Village with an ice skating rink and boutique hotel in 2018 and has been adding amenities and attractions to rival what you’d find in Aspen ever since. And then there’s the skiing. With more than 3,300 acres of terrain, the mountain is bigger than Aspen, Highlands, and Buttermilk combined. Even on the weekends, it’s rare you’ll see a crowded slope.

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Where to Dine

…In the village, the Crepe Shack opens before the lifts and has a menu of both sweet (dulce de leche) and savory (prosciutto and Gruyere) offerings.