Not being one to pass up an amazing opportunity, I jumped at the chance again to ski and play in Aspen. I had an amazing opportunity to experience three nights and two days in Downtown Aspen.  Below are some thoughts and pictures from the short weekend. Enjoy!

We skied ASPEN SNOWMASS on Friday and AJAX (this was a first for us) on Saturday. Snowmass is a lovely mountain that’s large enough that everyone can find something they will like. A cute little outdoor mall with restaurants and shopping also serves as a main base area. This mountain services beginner terrain all the way through expert and professional. Wide open blue cruisers and no lift lines combined with patches of fresh powder made this day awesome.

Here are the pics . . . Enjoy

12/7/2018 

Butting right up to downtown Aspen you will find Aspen Mountain also known as AJAX. I really enjoyed skiing this mountain. With its 675 acres its not overly big and its 3,267 of vertical is not to steep either but what’s weird about it, is that is has almost no green or easy runs. Over half the mountain is for the best or expert skiers or riders. Because this mountain is not for beginners it can be less crowded than other mountains.

In today’s addition of … You never know what you may come across…

READER FEEDBACK, COMMENTS & PICS

FEEDBACK

A few people actually read this blog. Thank you. For those that actually send and leave me texts, emails, PM’S, DM’s & comments I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to reach out. Your continued support and gratitude is what keeps this labor of love going.  I really appreciate it. Keep sending any feedback, we really appreciate it and it can make for some entertaining content. So here’s your words for this post:

Loved the pics today my friend, I’m very happy for you both

Thanks friend. Not everyone’s in agreement though, as my other buddy put it when I asked if he saw my most recent post

Yeah, bastard

Does that mean you liked it? Anyway, this is more inspiring for us all

Look amazing. Good conditions.

Yes, conditions are still very good, with more terrain still to be opened. Always appreciate thoughts of good vibes

Hope you’re enjoying yourselves

I try to, always. Life is too short not to. And this is true:

You already have some good days under your belt

One day at a time, but it’s been a nice start. Been hearing lots of rumblings of this:

I’m dong a lot of running on the treadmill now. Building up stamina for next years trip!

Excellent. You will probably need all the help you can get. Just kidding. But be prepared like this guy told me . . . 

Only made about 6 runs but it was cold and my new boots hurt. I couldn’t feel my feet for a long while

I know what you mean brother.  It can be cold and uncomfortable sometimes, being prepared is important. But really after a day of skiing this is a very normal reaction

Can’t keep my eyes open

Yup, sounds about right. Just like this as well

Legs are toast

Sign of a good day, no doubt. And of course if you ski on a Saturday your gonna see people . . .

Lots of folks here today

But those that get the benefits of weekdays at the resorts usually say this:

Best part – virtually empty. Never waited in any line yesterday; minimal today.

 No doubt. But you lie. You hated no lift lines. I know you probably needed a longer break just like the rest of us. But usually when you are doing your thing it’s like this:

Spectacular day, best day of the trip.

Glad you had a great time. And again, thanks for all the awesome feedback. You guys rock!

COMMENTS

SNOW CONDITIONS

The beginning of the 2018/2019 winter season is fast underway.   Resorts are open and taking your money.  The early season snow gods have been very generous. Conditions are still really good. The snow quality is great at the bottom and mid-mountain. It is a bit more firm with dust on crust at the top. But as one reader put it

Very nice snow. More runs open than I thought, just not the real high-up stuff. Trees awesome. Nice coverage.

October is when the snow started to fall. Snow-vember was incredible, filthy if you know what I’m saying. December is shaping up alright too.  Resorts are still blowing snow and bases are continuing to get bigger. Fresh powder will keep falling.  It’s really good right now and should continue to get better.  So get outside . . . THE THRILL OF THE MOUNTAIN AWAITS YOU. #POWDER2THEPEOPLE

SEASON PASSES

Mountain Collective is the only pass still available for purchase. If you can, you may want to buy it now.   Epic and Ikon have both stopped sales for season passes, but you can still buy discounted advanced sales directly at their website. I heard they are also doing something where they credit a portion of a days pass toward next years ski pass. Liftopia is a good place to check for discount tickets. Also, many season ticket holders get pass benefits for friends and family; i.e. ski with a friend or buddy passes. Now is a good time to barter for those. It’s time to ski and ride my friends.

LODGING

If you need help with lodging, especially last-minute, reach out to us at:

ThrilloftheMountain@gmail.com

We know people.  We may be able to help you.

RESORT GUIDING

Resort Guiding

We are offering all-inclusive resort guiding for you and your family at a discounted rate. Our guides can handle from 1 to 6 people. The day will be customized and tailored to your group and groups needs. A fun day is in store. If this is something you have an interest in? Please reach out, we’ll make it happen. Some feedback we received from recent tours:

Had an amazing time!!

and this one

It really was an amazing ski vacation!

Thank you. I had a blast. I look forward to it again next year. This always makes me feel good:

Great day on the mountain. Thank you for being so very patient.

as well as this gem:

Thanks for the pics. They are awesome. Thanks for capturing those precious moments.

Glad I could help in making special memories. Received this in my inbox:

We had the best time ever!! Thank you for navigating the mountain for us, for the snow shoe tour, for teaching us how to ski better and for being so wonderful and patient and welcoming to our entire crew!!

We love writing about the mountains and mountain activities, but even more, we love sharing it with everyone-with all of you. Want to find out what it’s all about? It’s not to late to book for this season. Dates are filling up. Need your whole trip planned from soup to nuts??? Is this you? We can help you to. Whether we just spend a day with you or we plan your whole trip, we are happy to do what we do. We have all of your winter adventures covered.  We promise you and your family will have a great time

Good looking group from 11/15/2018

This was a fun group for sure. See you all soon.

MERCH

Thrill of the Mountain swag makes a great holiday gift or stocking stuffer. We have t-shirts, long sleeve shirts and stickers for sale. Shirts come in Large and X-Large sizes only.  Also, available are 2019 8 x 11 Photo Wall Calendars for Charity. It has some of last years best mountain and powder pics. I’m selling the calendars’s for $25 a piece. If you or anyone you know wants a Trill of the Mountain shirt,sticker or wall calendar they can be ordered here:

A portion of all sales will go to charitable causes. Current charitable donations go to:

• Kahn Academy
• Court Appointed Special Advocates CASA / Guardian ad Litem GAL
• Chidamoyo Christian Hospital

PICS

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. More great posts, pictures and awesome video soon. Life is so very, very fragile. Don’t ever forget it.  
Until next time, love one another and be kind to each other. Get out there, The Thrill of the Mountain is waiting for you. Ski on / Ride on.

CMM

If you would like to get Thrill of the Mountain, in email form, right in your inbox please subscribe at the top of this post. Check us out on Instagram – Thrill of the Mountain or like us on Facebook- Trill of the Mountain. Thanks. Want to be an author and can write about the mountains or mountain life? If so, contact us:

Thrillofthemoutain@gmail.com

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