Aspen/snowmass parks

ontwosticks

ontwosticks

Member
Hey guys...i'm headed out to snowmass in a couple weeks and I saw they just got pounded in the last couple hours but what is the park like these days? Thanks for any updates guys!
 
Not sure. The website is pretty useless on what's open and what's not. If you can wait a day my GFs mom will check.
 
I've been skiing here a few days now but only at Aspen since Snowmass has barely any coverage, even with the huge dump here on monday night/tuesday. I'll be skiing Snowmass everyday in a few days cuz I'll be teaching lessons there though, I'll update you then. As far as Buttermilk goes, it doesn't even open til saturday I think and it looks like the only feature they'll have open is the superpipe. they've been working a shit ton on it though. Aspen Mtn. (or Highlands) doesn't have a park, just Buttermilk and Snowmass. Just in case you've never been here before, I though i'd save you some ridicule from the locals.
 
Thanks amigo. I've been out once before a couple years back so I know the basic gist of things. And i'll just be skiing snowmass since a friend has a house out there so 11 of us are partying and skiing all week and the house is a 2 minute drive to snowmass. Chances they'll have a reasonable park set up by christmas?
 
well I skied there today and they already have a few rails and boxes set up but no jumps or anything but they were moving a lot of snow around and blowing the snow guns when i skied by where the park usually is. There should be some stuff up by then. They usually don't get the pipe open til after new years though. If it keeps puking snow like it is right now you never know though.

HIt me up when you get here.
 
ok so the best thing you can do is join the facebook group which is called "aspen snowmass terrain parks" or email greg boyd who is the aspen/snowmass park director: gboyde@aspensnowmass.comi have heard good things are to come for both snowmass and buttermilk as far as the park scene is concerned. but get out and shred the gnar, snowmass has been getting pounded by snow for the past week and it is not going to stop any time soon.
 
THanks for the heads up guys. So yea i'm definitely hoping to get some solid pow days if possible while we're out there and considering that no one else in the crew skis park i'll likely only hit it maybe one day or so. If you see me though give a holler gray and blue salomon outerwear and liberty kgb skis we're always up for others shredding with us.
 
O! yea all that snow i saw go down in CO just made me o face. Looks so sick...can't wait to get out there.
But i got another park question for you guys...The last time i was out there (3 years ago) we would cruise the makaha park as none of us really knew anything about freestyle shit. I'm still working on rails and such (been injured 2 years in a row) So i'm curious as to whether or not makaha will have any smaller rails up or possibly a jump or two.
thanks all. O and you guys better be enjoying all this snow!!
 
il be up there from the 20th to around new years so anyone who wants to ski let me know. makaha last year was actually pretty fun and it was perfect for what you need. perfect size boxes and rails to learn on. it has pretty much every feature you can think of but small enough to learn on. and there was a small jumpline(not too small) with like small to medium then the biggest was like 25 i think. il probably just be renting powder skis out there because if theres a shit load of snow it wont be worth skiing park especially if it isnt up to regular standards.
 
wayy better then when you were last there. and im pretty sure they moved it because i was there 3 years ago then last year and it was re located. its serviced by the snowmass gondola so thats a plus
 
This is the email I got back from the snowmass park director, gotta love swift replys. So it looks like it should be nice around christmas.

Hi!
We have two jib parks open at the moment: small features on Lower Velvet
Falls, medium and large features on Waterplant Flats uncer the Village
Express chair. These are temporary and will com out as other features
near completion. We are currently working on our main jump line and
should open within a few days. We are going to try to have a variety of
jibs in the same section of the park as well. For Makaha, we are
planning on firing up snowmaking in the coming days and would love to
open for Christmas. We will do our best to open as soon as possible if
we can't deliver it for Christmas gift!
Let me know if you need any more info,
Isabelle Falardeau

 
they usually don't get the main park by christmas but a little after. the makaha park doesn't usually open until a little after that. you never know though with all the snow here just in the past week. the two jib parks are actually set up real nice and there's a hip at the bottom but it's kinda hard to keep speed up to hit it well. the main park features are usually fucking huge when it finally opens. way too big if you're just learning park stuff like it sounds like you are (as am I). it does look like both parks should be open for sure by new years. i gotta be teaching lessons though...
 
Yea don't really plan on spending much time in the main park, but the smaller one will def be in play if/when it opens. Bummer about teaching all week, but if you're not teaching and down by the makaha park and see three skiers and boarder hit me up and we'll shred for sure.
 
hahahha, sorry, but that was hilarious.

if you can be more specific, then yeah, for sure. i'll be teaching at the top of the goldola at the beginner's area a decent amount, so you'll definitely see me but you probably won't know it. i'll be dressed like every other instructor. i think i'm the only one with Karmas though.
 
Haha. uhhh yea touche not exactly descriptive. I think i posted my outerwear a couple posts ago. But i've got liberty kgb's so you don't see those everyday. And i'm pretty sure i'm the only one in my crew with twins...in fact I definitely am.
 
Yea. If we get conditions like that there is a 0% chance we'll be in the park...but there's supposedly a high pressure system moving in around christmas. So should mean nice skys and bluebirds but not much pow. Altough there is a possibility of another LP system coming in around new years so that'd be our whole day hitting pow. But that is a sick pic.
 
dude there is so much snow right now, dont even go to the parkjust go real skiing it is so much more funtoday i went skiing and there was like a foot of fresh, even if we dont get powder go to snowmass and just ski the steep and the deep, the snow is amazing. it has been snowing for a week straight
 
the past couple times ive been to Snowmass the cirque has been closed on pow days b/c of wind. any advice as to where at Snowmass (i am assuming somewhere by the cirque) i can find hard terrain with steeps, cliffs, pow, trees, pow? i know my way around but like any really good areas i should check out while im there. and highlands is not that hard to figure out but im mostly curious about snowmass even though i have been there many times.
 
i shouldn't be giving away my pow lines... but high alpine is where it's at. you can do a 5 min. hike when you get to the top if it's open and you have a whole mountain side of double blacks and if it's not open you still have baby ruth, mini ruth, possibles, and hanging valley glades.
 
the skiers right side of the mountain is always overlooked so just keep that in mind and also by going higher up in elevation is not always better. those are just some things to think about
 
So it sounds like snowmass is supposed to get pounded this week! I can't wait to hit up some sick pow in high alpine area! Hope everyone else gets a chance to take some bomber runs!
 
O man...i am so pumped for this trip right now. Another 19 inches in the last 24 hours and the report says another 8 to 12 on christmas day when I get in...should have some epic pow lines all week!
 
yeah man, the trees off reidars (high alpine lift) and sandy park (elk camp) were so epic today. i got private lessons booked for the next week except for the 27th though. i'm down to ski that day though if anyone wants to shralp. pm me or something.
 
im getting in around 11 tomorrow then skiing the rest of the day probably at aspen mtn. because im right there. gotta wake up at 5 to catch my flight though but im so excited
 
it doesn't look like i'll have internet access at the house we're in but you can expect to find us in the high alpine area for pow/trees, and either elk camp or campground for groomers but hopefully there won't be any groomers for a couple days.
 
I'll be riding snowmass tomorrow. Look for a yellow Analog oney, or you may just see a yellow blur flying down the hill, that would be me.
 
wow last week was so much fun. i guess i will give an update to those who werent there. snowmass was sick. christmas day and the day after were freezing with wind but had the best snow. baby ruth was alright but got tracked up and sort of choppy in places b/c of dynamite while hanging valley glades was insane, completely untracked and i cut over to the closed off chutes and there was some nice pow. by saturday those two were not as fun beause everyone had found out and tracked it up. they opened the rest of the wall but i didnt have time to ski that. makaha was open i think it is better then last year but pipeline was sick even though not all of it was open (it started after the bridge) the jumpline was alot of fun as well as the wall ride feature and the other rails set up (flat down to uprail to barrel, then the wall ride and s box)
 
yeah man, i've been teaching for most of the past week but the days/runs i was able to get out were awesome. if you know where to go there's always powder to be found at snowmass.
 
Which has more to offer right now, buttermilk or snowmas? Looking to get in a good day of park since most of the powder seems to have been had.
 
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