When the days are short, temperatures have dropped, and snow has arrived, you know it’s winter in Aspen. And with winter arriving, we can officially welcome peak season! While many events and activities take place annually, be sure to check specific websites for last-minute changes.
Here’s what’s happening in Aspen Snowmass during the winter of 2022-23:
OPENING DAYS ON THE SLOPES
Opening Day at both Aspen Mountain and Snowmass is scheduled for Thursday, November 24 this year. Aspen Highlands is set to open on December 10, while Buttermilk will wait until December 17.
BUTTERMILK BASE EXPANSION
When you visit Buttermilk this year, you’ll notice a brand-new 9,000+ square-foot skier services facility, a new restaurant called Buttermilk Mountain Lodge (goodbye Bumps), and an expanded bar and outdoor patio. The new skier services building will include everything from ski school to gear rentals and ticketing.
ART IN UNEXPECTED PLACES (ARTUP)
Aspen Snowmass developed the Art in Unexpected Places initiative to encourage artistic expression on our four mountains and in the surrounding community. Art in Unexpected Places promotes dialogues and moments of unexpected discovery through on-mountain art installations, artwork on lift tickets and passes, pieces located around the resort, and a series of publications recording the program's history. Six of renowned artist Rashid Johnson's recent works will be featured on lift tickets this season, as well as on a limited selection of skis at ASPENX downtown.
ASPEN ART MUSEUM
Over the winter, stop by the Aspen Art Museum to see Jeffrey Gibson: THE SPIRITS ARE LAUGHING, Hervé Télémaque: A Hopscotch of the Mind, and Sanya Kantarovsky: A Solid House. Visit their website for more information on the exhibitions.
GAME OF STONES
Starting at Snowmass on December 22nd, teams of two will fight in a head-to-head curling elimination battle Thursday and Friday afternoons. Teams of two will slide 40-pound granite rocks (also known as stones) down the ice rink toward a target. Each team will take turns tossing stones until all four of their stones have been hurled. Register at the ice rink in Snowmass Base Village.
AUDI AJAX CUP
The Audi AJAX Cup, an annual fundraising event to benefit athletes of the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (scholarships and programs for a community of 2,300-plus skiers), produces head-to-head slalom races on the Thunderbowl racing course at Aspen Highlands at the end of December.
FULL MOON UPHILLING
If you’re a fan of hiking, skinning, or splitboarding uphill, Full Moon Uphill Dinners return to Buttermilk this winter. They’re held at the Cliffhouse the evening of each in-season full moon (January 6, February 5, and March 7, 2023). Head up the slopes of Buttermilk and enjoy sunset beverages by the fire pit, fill up on Cliffhouse fare, then enjoy a full moon ski back down the hill.
SNOWMASS LUMINESCENCE
From mid-December through the end of February, an interactive light and art display will light up Fanny Hill once the lifts close and the sun sets. Walk through The Tunnel, a series of LED walkways and arches, and view large-scale LED installations by well-known artists. Wave by Squidsoup is made up of over 500 unique suspended orbs, places of presence brought to life through light and music, that work together to create a resonant and dynamic audiovisual experience. Electric Dandelion by Liquid PXL displays a series of 28-ft-tall dandelion sculptures. These electric dandelions are massive steel and acrylic sculptures that look like dandelion flowers during the day and become a bright firework show at night.
HI-FI CONCERTS ON THE MOUNTAINS
Aspen once again welcomes Bud Light Concerts to the slopes. A series of pop-up musical performances featuring local and regional artists are scheduled at various locations across all four ski mountains during January and February. The performances are meant to be small and intimate and will feature close to 40 bands over the course of the winter months.
ASPEN WINTERSKÖL
In mid-January, Aspen’s annual Wintersköl returns. Over a period of four days, Aspen toasts winter with numerous on- and off-mountain activities, musical performances, and a memorable torchlight descent down Aspen Mountain.
ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK
Aspen Gay Ski Week returns to Aspen with a full week’s worth of colorful events, fundraisers, and parties around town and on the mountain. As the world’s first gay ski week for many years, Aspen Gay Ski Week is known as “the premier LGBTQ+ winter event.”
X-GAMES ASPEN
Returning for another consecutive year, Winter X Games Aspen will take place at Buttermilk in late January. Nearly 100 of the world's top winter athletes will take center stage competing in one of the biggest snow sports events of the year. The X Games are FREE to attend and viewers at home will be able to watch live coverage of the event on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. Fans can follow along @AspenSnowmass & @XGames across social channels for a behind-the-scenes look into X Games Aspen.
WORLD CUP SKIING
World Cup Alpine skiing will be back in Aspen in March 2023 with men's super-G and downhill racing. This is thanks to the reorganized FIS (International Ski Federation) schedule for the 2022-23 season.
Since the 2017 World Cup Finals on Aspen Mountain, Aspen hasn’t hosted the World Cup ski racing. And outside of finals, the last men's super-G race at Aspen was in November 1998, won by Stephan Eberharter. Cary Mullen of Canada won Aspen’s last official men's downhill on March 5, 1994. It’s been a while, so having these events take place in Aspen this winter is a big deal!
STAYING IN DOWNTOWN ASPEN THIS WINTER
Are you looking for a cozy place to stay this winter while you’re taking in all the Aspen area has to offer? Our condominium hotel is located in downtown Aspen, just a few steps across the street from the Aspen Mountain Gondola. Contact us at 970-925-1000 x3515 or concierge@aspensquarehotel.com to get ready for a winter vacation you’ll never forget!