The Highland Bowl is some of Aspen Snowmass’ most sought-after terrain on a powder day. Advanced skiers and snowboarders are of course eager to know when the Highland Bowl will open after ski patrol performs its avalanche control work. Checking the lift status page for Aspen Highlands is the best way to track its progress.
How to Prepare for Your Powder Day
Powder days are like Christmas morning ... and the good news is that they happen more than once a winter (most years)! Other than looking out your window, here’s how to get the most accurate information on snow totals, terrain reports, and real-time conditions so you can maximize your powder play.
Remember that when the snow is deep, every body movement needs to be more subtle.
Tips and Tricks
Skiing and snowboarding through a fat and fresh layer of snow can be one of the most satisfying things you’ll ever do. But the technique to stay afloat can be tricky to master and the gear you’ll need can shift too. Here are some tips for skiing, riding, and dialing in your gear.
Weather Guru
Do you consider yourself an aspiring meteorologist? Or sometimes wonder why Snowmass reports twice as much snow as Aspen? Thanks to real-time weather data feeds, you too can track the weather as it changes hourly to see which mountain is actually getting the most snow — and then plan accordingly for the next day.
Aspen Snowmass’ mid-mountain and mountain-top weather stations report ongoing snow accumulations so you don’t have to wait until the morning to know how much fell. On Aspen Highlands, snow is tracked at Cloud Nine; on Snowmass, at the base of High Alpine lift; at Aspen Mountain snow is tracked from the base of Gent’s Ridge, and on Buttermilk, it’s monitored from the top only.
Of course, if reading charts it’s too much work, there’s visual tracking too on Snowmass. The snow stake, at Elk Camp, actually measures snow and people can watch the white stuff pile up. Either log on for a time lapse to get a feel for how much snow fell, or get a real-time report of snow depth.
Daily Snow Report via Email
If you don’t want to do the work of keeping track of a storm, simply sign up for the daily snow report and an email will be delivered to your inbox at 7am every morning with the snow totals on each of our four mountains. It's never been easier to peep the snow totals in the early morning hours.
Go Bowling
Hikers ascend the ridge to Highland Bowl in morning light.
Explore All Four
Learn how to make the most of your powder day across each of our four mountains.
Still Wondering?
Before heading up to the slopes, the last place to check conditions is live footage from the top of the mountain. View web cams from each summit, and tune into Aspen 82’s daily live stream from 7:30–9:30am, when the television station reports from Aspen and Snowmass.
Then buckle in and enjoy the ride.
Then buckle in and enjoy the ride.
