Snowmass is the largest of the four Aspen mountains and the only one with a meaningful beginner area, which makes it the de facto family choice. It is also a separate base village ten miles down-valley from Aspen, with its own hotels and restaurants. The skiable acreage is over 1,300 hectares, more than Aspen Mountain, Highlands and Buttermilk combined.
The terrain reaches from the broad beginner runs at the bottom up to the steep Cirque headwall and the Hanging Valley glades at the top, with long groomers like Big Burn and Sneaky's in between. The Cirque chair, when open, accesses some of the best in-bounds expert terrain in Colorado. The Aspen X Games happen here in late January, and the Snowmass Free Concert Series runs at the village plaza most summer evenings. A free bus connects Snowmass with Aspen every 20 minutes.