Aspen Ski and Snowboard Guide

By Neal Beidleman

This pocket-sized color book is the ultimate insider's guide to the lift-accessible, in-bounds skiing and snowboarding on Aspen's four mountains: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972160973
• ISBN13: 9780972160971
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Wolverine Publishing
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.3" x 0.4" x 4.8"

Customer Reviews

Very Useful Guide Book

I've been to Aspen several times for skiing and, like most visitors, have to rely on the trail map for navigation unless I take a lesson and have the benefit of a professional to take me to the best spots for my ability. It's summer now as I write and it's so hot that the flies are on strike but this book already has me thinking about winter because it brings the trail map to life: in place of a green, red, blue, or yellow line on a piece a paper, I know a bit more about the run, its true challenge, and often the story behind the mysterious name. Why are the Dumps on Aspen Mountain called the Dumps? What does AMF, a run at The Cirque at Snowmass, really stand for? Get the book and you'll find out. While the book is perhaps targeted at the more serious skier, there's plenty for the intermediate as Beidleman describes every run on every mountain (I think) including places where the way-hones wouldn't normally visit, like Buttermilk. The book includes 150 runs that aren't on the trail map...which is nice. I also like the more accurate rating system than one would find on a trail map. Most resorts fib a little when it comes to blue, green, black, but Beidleman's system, along with frequent cautionary sentences, provides a true sense of the challenge, risks, and dangers. A run might be listed as double black diamond extreme but is it? Is there a run you'd like to try that's more difficult and potentially dangerous than indicated? Is there a way down the Back of Bell that's not as tough as the trail map indicates? Is a run bumped out or steep or both? You'll find out in the book. It's a pocket size book, as it should be, and the price may seem a touch steep, but most of the book is in four color and the photos are extremely valuable and much more illustrative than a typical trail map; and to me, a trail map is a superb example of top-quality commercial illustration. If you're an advanced, expert, or advanced intermediate skier, then the book is a must as you'll really get a sense of where you'll find the most fun for your level on the mountain, thus maximizing the efficacy of your VST. If you're a cruiser, then the book will make you want to get better and, at the very least, just get you fired up about getting to the mountain(s). I'm really looking forward to spending some time with this small but powerful tome and it's going to enhance my enjoyment of a place I already really love.

Great book for anyone spending time there

My wife and I have skied at Aspen for years and already knew our way around Ajax, Highlands, and Snowmass. But Neal's book has shown us some trails that we'd missed. It's a convenient size to carry and he adds some good local's stories.