The sun is warm, the snow is soft and Aspen and Snowmass Mountains are packed full with spring events for everybody to enjoy. From extreme skiing to bacon eating these 6 events are worth checking out.
FREESTYLE FRIDAY
March 31, 2017 | 12 - 2pm
Aspen Highlands welcomes back the crowds favorite Freestyle Friday event held on Scarlett's Run. With skiers racing side-by-side down a course consisting of 400 feet of bumps, two skier-cross banking turns, a spine jump, a big-air jump and a rail slide this Freestyle Friday tradition is the perfect way to celebrate Spring Jam. Even more important than the skills in this old school bumps challenge is the style and spectators will not be disappointed. Expect true 90's with neon, denim, and dancing.
BANKED SLALOM
April 1, 2017
Do not miss the third annual Banked Slalom event to be held on Snowmass Mountain.The course will begin at the top of Sandy Park and run down to the Sandy Park flats. Competition is open to snowboarders only. Entry fee will be $35 to participate. Race against the pros or within your age division! Visiting registered racers may purchase discounted racer lift tickets at $45.
ELK MOUNTAIN GRAND TRAVERSE
April 1, 2017
The Elk Mountain Grand Traverse is an extraordinary 40-mile backcountry ski race between the towns of Crested Butte and Aspen, Colorado. Starting at midnight from Crested Butte, often in sub-zero temperatures, racers traverse Colorado’s spectacular Elk Mountains. The course is based on the mail routes of the 1880s, connecting the two towns. In this extreme endurance event, racers will climb more than 7,800 vertical feet and navigate in a self-supported backcountry race that tests them physically and mentally. To maintain safety in the backcountry, racers compete in teams of two and are required to carry mandatory gear. Held annually since 1998, it has earned a reputation as a true test of toughness for elite local, national and international athletes.
BACON APPRECIATION DAY
April 2, 2017
In celebration of Buttermilk’s closing day, the mountain hosts an annual Bacon Appreciation Day featuring a schedule of all things bacon including bacon waffles at the summit in the morning, bacon samplers around the mountain throughout the day, kid’s games in the base area, a bacon and beer happy hour at Bumps restaurant. A cost is associated with the lunches, happy hour and the bartender’s brawl, but all other bacon items are free while supplies last.
SCHNEETAG
April 9, 2017
Schneetag is the German word for "snow day." Put simply, it translates as "daredevils willing to propel themselves down a hill, over a jump and across a pond on a craft they built themselves." This hilarious event is one not to miss. The 9th annual Schneetag event (pronounced Sch-knee Tog) invites teams of four to create a craft that they will pilot down a slope and attempt to float across a 20x40 foot pond. Every team has a theme and will perform a skit before they descend. This event is just as ridiculous and entertaining as it sounds.
ASPEN UPHILL WEEKEND
April 8th & 9th | 9am - 4pm
For the first time in Aspen, the Aspen Skiing Company in partnership with the City of Aspen, is opening up Buttermilk Ski Area after the lifts are closed for the season to uphill travelers only. On April 8th and 9th the ski area will offer groomed runs, on-duty patrollers, and food services to those who want to ascend Buttermilk, Tiehack and West Buttermilk. Four Mountain Sports will be open for the weekend with gear rentals and other end of season specials. There will be a vendor village set up at the base of Buttermilk offering demo gear, guides, and clinics. Panda Peak will be the staging area for the demo gear.
The event is free and open to the public. There will be no lift service available.
