Aspen Ski Complaint

Posted by Jennifer W. Miner Nov 10, 2006

While I was putting together an article about the best luxury ski resort towns in the US and Canada, I almost left out Aspen. After a bit of hue and cry from a couple winter sports enthusiasts in my writer's group, I decided to add it, albeit begrudgingly, and at the very bottom of the piece. Why? What's my problem, you ask?

It's generally known, after all, that Aspen has a nice variety of slopes, dependable snowfall and plenty of upscale apres-ski activities to pamper the skier in the evening. Well, as a luxury travel writer here, I sure can't get away with complaining about luxury treatment at a ski resort. And I'm not. But what I can complain about, and with some justification, is the transformation of a great ski town into a place that starlets go to be seen, and photographed "all unawares" in their high-end ski gear. It's like Aspen is Hollywood East, during Christmas and the peak holiday ski season. And where young Hollywood goes, expensive and trendy boutiques shall follow ( I think that's in the Bible).

And then come along the trendy restaurants and nightclubs, the pricier lift tickets, the paparazzi...until you find yourself skidding to a stop because Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake are busy being noticed immediately downhill from you on the slopes.

When I think of an authentic, fantastic ski experience, I think of powder, blue sky, and a minimal crowd. (Click here for a funny, but almost completely unrelated video click of Aspen.) Perhaps, someday Aspen will be, like, so 5 minutes ago, and the celebutants will move on to somewhere else. Until then, the other top luxury ski spots have my vote.