Ski Travel

Exclusive Discounts for Aspen/Snowmass Season Passholders

Aspen/Snowmass, Colo., July 6, 2009 – Aspen/Snowmass Season Passholders and Classic Passholders can now share the summer fun with up to four 50 percent off Pass it On gondola ticket vouchers for each passholder. Share the sunshine, on-mountain activities and amazing views of the Elk Mountain Range from the top of the gondola with these exclusive passholder offers. Plus, passholders are also invited to Pass it On to family and friends with great savings on bike rentals and bike tunes.

“This winter’s Pass It On program was so successful that we decided to continue the program throughout the summer,” says Jeanne Mackowski, Vice President of Marketing, Aspen Skiing Company.  “We value our customers and want to continue to offer them reasons to return and share all Aspen/Snowmass has to offer with friends and family.”

Enjoy Aspen Mountain, where there’s something for everyone – After a 15 minute ride up the Silver Queen Gondola guests will have access to all of the following activities: lunch at the Sundeck restaurant, alpine sightseeing, hiking, ACES guided nature walks, disc golf, Saturday Classical Music, Bluegrass Sundays, yoga hikes, climbing wall, eurobungy trampoline, obstacle course, mining dig and daily kids activities.  For more information on Aspen Mountain activities please visit http://www.aspensnowmass.com/summer_rec/aspen.cfm.

50 Percent OFF ONE-DAY GONDOLA  TICKETS – Eligible Season Passholders* receive vouchers valid for 50 percent off one-day lift tickets for the Silver Queen Gondola: Adult Premier Passholders receive four vouchers, while Silver, Two-Day/Week, One-Day/Week, Highlands/Buttermilk, Highlands/Buttermilk Validator, 20-Day, College 20-Day, Adult Classic and College Classic Passholders receive two vouchers.

PLUS 30 Percent OFF BIKE RENTALS AND TUNES – Passholders and their friends and family can also cash in on exclusive offers from Four-Mountain Sports (located at Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Snowmass). Cruisers, mountain, performance road, kids’ and trail-a bikes are available. Four-Mountain Sports locations are the only stores in town that offer bike rental pickup and drop-off between stores.  Guests are invited to rent bikes and take advantage of one-way trip rentals.

REMEMBER – Premier Passholders still ride the Silver Queen Gondola for FREE, all other Passholders receive a discount.

*PASS IT ON gondola ticket vouchers can be redeemed now through October 4, 2009. Passholder must present valid 2008-2009 Season Pass at any Aspen/Snowmass Ticket Office and be accompanied by friend or family member to redeem vouchers for discounted tickets. Vouchers are stored electronically in the ticketing system and will not be printed. Vouchers are valid for one-day lift ticket purchases on the Silver Queen Gondola. Vouchers are void after October 4, 2009 and have no cash value. Discounted gondola tickets purchased using vouchers are not eligible for RSVP credit. Ineligible passes: All Complimentary Passes, Premier Child/Youth, 20-Day Child, Lower Lift Pass, 4 Mountain Foot Pass, Student Passes (Grade 1-8, Grade 9-12), AVSC, Children Under 6, and 4- and 7-Day Youth Classic passes. Employee passes are not eligible for additional discount vouchers. Friends and family must accompany 2008-2009 Season Passholder to the Aspen, Snowmass or Aspen Highlands Four-Mountain Sports location to receive bike rental and tune discounts.

Aspen Skiing Company operates the four mountains in the Aspen/Snowmass area - Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk - as well as the award-winning Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen/Snowmass. The area offers unparalleled nightlife and off-slope activities as well. Aspen/Snowmass is accessible by two of the most convenient airports in the mountains – Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) (3 miles from Aspen) and Eagle County Airport (EGE) (70 miles from Aspen). For more information on Aspen Skiing Company, please call 800-525-6200 or 970-925-1220, or visit the company’s website at www.aspensnowmass.com

Colorado Street in the center of Telluride

Even though we just celebrated the 4th of July, it’s never too early to plan that fantastic winter ski trip! There are many things to consider when planning a trip: First and foremost, you need to pick where you want to go! With fabulous spots in the Rockies, Canada, and back East, it’s definitely a difficult decision.  I’ve decided to head to the Rockies, and more specifically, Telluride, Colorado.  Telluride combines amazing skiing with a great apres ski scene- which are both imperative to the perfect ski trip.  

Now that I have my destination, it’s time to decide when to go.  Holiday weekends like President’s Day are usually crowded and expensive- so I’m going to go on a non-holiday weekend.  I’ll need a week or two after the holidays to shed the holiday pounds, so I am going to plan my trip for January 21st to the 24th.  Leaving on Thursday will hopefully give me 3 full days of skiing- half days Thursday and Sunday, and full days on Friday and Saturday. 

So how am I going to get to Telluride? I live in Southern California, so if I were to drive, my trip would be about 895 miles and 14 hours.  Since I’m only going for a long weekend, I’m going to fly instead. I can fly directly to Denver, and if I wanted to drive from there, it would be about 365 miles and 7.5 hours.  Again, due to the shortness of my trip, I think I’ll fly closer to Telluride.  Montrose Airport is is about 70 miles from Telluride, so that’s an option.  Telluride has its own regional airport and is only 6 miles away from the center of town.  I entered my dates and destinations on expedia.com and I can fly on Frontier Airlines round trip for $520.  The times are perfect- I arrive at 1:00pm on Thursday, so I can do a little afternoon skiing, and I depart at 4pm on Sunday and can enjoy some last-minute morning runs.

So now I’m in Telluride–where will I stay? Back to expedia.com, I go! I can check out what hotels and resorts are available for my trip just by plugging in my dates. Last time I stayed at The Peaks, so let’s try something new.  The Hotel Telluride is located right off the Colorado Avenue, Telluride’s main street.  It’s also a half mile from the gondola station that can take me to the Mountain to get my ski on! 

One more thing- before I can start doing my best Picabo Street impression, I have to buy my lift tickets! I hopped onto Telluride’s site, and was able to buy my ticket for my 3 days of skiing! Now, I’m really set! Time to pack up my equipment (tips for packing are in an earlier post on this site), and get ready to ski the steep and deep!

Some people think beach this time of year, but if you love beautiful scenery, an incredible variety of activities and a brilliant summer vacation idea, be sure to check out your favorite ski resort for some of the best deals anywhere. How about Mammoth Mountain, California giving you the third night during “Fee Free” days at nearby Yosemite National Park? Or Park City Resort in Utah giving rooms away starting at $99 per night? Hey, if you want to just steal accommodations try Killington Vermont, where deals starting around 58 bucks. If you golf or mountain bike it’s a true no-brainer as the economics just get better with green fees and lift ticket packages. So don’t just sit at home, get out and explore in the Mountains.  Go check out the deals at your favorite (or just closest resort) right now. Then go have fun.