Aspen's 4 Mountains Compared (One Lift Ticket): Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Highlands & Buttermilk

What makes Aspen Snowmass unique in skiing and summer mountain adventure is its 'Power of Four': instead of one mega-resort, a single lift ticket (and the Ikon Pass) unlocks four separate mountains located within a 10- to 20-minute ride of one another, connected every 15 minutes from morning to late afternoon by 100% free, ski-rack-equipped RFTA 'Four-Mountain Connector' shuttle buses.

1. Snowmass (3,342 Acres | 15 Mins West): Best for Families, Intermediates & Scale

Larger than the other three Aspen mountains combined, Snowmass boasts the longest lift-served vertical drop in the U.S. (4,406 vertical feet from the 3,813m / 12,510-foot Cirque summit) and a 5.3-mile continuous run (Long Shot). In both winter and summer, ride the Elk Camp Gondola up to the Lost Forest adventure park, home to the Breathtaker Alpine Coaster (a raised 1-mile track winding through the pine forest), ropes courses, a climbing wall, 25+ miles of downhill mountain-bike trails in the Snowmass Bike Park, and Tuesday night summer rodeos.

2. Aspen Mountain ('Ajax', 675 Acres + 153-Acre 'Hero's' Terrain): Intermediate-to-Expert

Rising right out of Downtown Aspen via the Silver Queen Gondola, Ajax is famous for having zero green beginner runs (only blue groomers, steep black bump runs and double-black glades). It recently expanded by 20% with the high-speed Hero's Quad Chair on its upper eastern face, and hides three popular on-mountain shrines dedicated to Elvis Presley, Jerry Garcia and Marilyn Monroe tucked in the trees.

3. Aspen Highlands (1,040 Acres | 8 Mins from Town): The Locals' Favourite & Highland Bowl

Known for light crowds, steep groomers, Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro, and North America's premier in-bounds hike-to terrain: 3,777-metre (12,392-foot) Highland Bowl.

4. Buttermilk (470 Acres | 5 Mins from Town): Beginners, Kids & Winter X Games

Gentle, wide-open green and blue learning slopes sit alongside the world's longest 22-foot superpipe, where the Winter X Games take place every January.