Conditions Report
This report is from Saturday, January 24, 2026.
Day two in Aspen turned it up a notch. On today’s agenda, I started by meeting with a team from Aspen Skiing Co. for an Early Ups ride, where we headed up the Village Express lift at Snowmass Mountain an hour before it opened to the public. Snowmass has the most resort-like feel of the four Aspen mountains and currently has over 2500 skiable acres open. I woke up to at least six inches of new snow overnight, and over the course of the day it only seemed to intensify, making for a really exhausting, powder-chasing day.
For Early Ups, we ripped a couple of laps down Promenade and Zugspitze on the Sam’s Knob side of the resort. Getting to experience wide-open black-diamond runs covered in powder, with no crowds whatsoever, was an unreal feeling. It is what you wish for on those busy resort Saturdays. Our group mainly stuck to the open snowfields, but we dipped into some trees and found some nice little pockets here and there as well. I definitely want to give a special shoutout to Aspen for hooking it up with this experience, and I got extremely lucky that it timed up perfectly with a nice little storm system. What took this over the top was that the snow kept coming throughout the day; the only thing better than a powder day is a powder day with free refills. After a few runs, our group broke up, and I explored the mountain for several hours on my own.
Snowmass has an exceptionally unique feel for being such a massive mountain resort. It is divided into six distinct zones to help localize features and provide direction for skiers and snowboarders. On top of Sam’s Knob, which I rode in the morning, I had a great time in the Big Burn region of the mountain. Intrigued by the name, I did some research. According to a Coldwell-Banker article, this bald spot on the mountain has a controversial origin story, with some believing that the large 1880’s forest fire was simply caused by lightning, and others arguing that it was ranchers clearing the land, or even Ute Indians scaring off colonizers.
Regardless of what started the fire, the Big Burn area makes for solid intermediate skiing, and my favorite run over there had to be Whispering Jesse. Outside of this run having the same excellent name as me, it is actually a lively trail with plenty of rollers and bends to speed down and around. There are some sections with sparsely spaced trees that I had a wonderful time zooming around in that are closer to, or might even be considered parts of, the Timberline and/or Wineskin runs.
By the time I was ready to leave Snowmass for the day to head to Buttermilk for X Games day two, my legs were absolutely shot, I was starving, and I could barely walk to the bus stop. That’s what a good powder day will do. That being said, I made a pit stop at Crepe Therapy Cafe at the base area by the Village Express. As I ate lunch, I couldn’t help but reminisce about how something as simple as snow can bring pure joy and happiness to my life. Bouncing over snow-capped moguls and weaving through the trees is a fleeting feeling that can only be experienced, not described.
If you have never been to Aspen or are in Colorado looking for snow, look no further. All four of the mountains are in great shape right now, and outside of skiing, there are plenty of options for shopping, dining, or après-ski, so there is truly never a dull moment. Aspen is one of those places I keep finding myself coming back to; the town center is quaint and has a vibe unlike anywhere else on the planet. I cannot thank the snow gods enough for letting it dump during my visit. Scroll down for a video highlight of today’s pow shots.
More Photos
