Schmoozing down Aspen's heavenly slopes

COLIN MOORE, never one to be put off by a cold welcome, relishes the splendours of Aspen.

In a strange way, the rude taxi driver who meets us at Aspen airport is a Godsend. She is frumpy and grumpy, which is neither what you expect at one of the world's classiest winter resorts nor the sort of welcome you want at 10 pm after 24 hours of travel.

But in the days to come the charm-school dropout serves as a reminder that even paradise can be blighted by mortals. And in surreal Aspen, reminders of mortality are definitely needed.

The town that was once a Colorado mining village now has more precious metal flashing down its snowy slopes than probably came out of the ground last century.

And doubtless there is no shortage of prospectors among the glitterati who strut their stuff down the snow-bordered sidewalks in neck-to-ankle fur coats looking for a mine they can salt.

Aspen. Snowmass, to give the resort its full moniker, is supposed to be the next best thing to Hollywood Boulevard for star-spotting.

Somehow I miss such Aspen regulars as Cindy Crawford and the Kennedy clan, but it gets hard to tell who is who among the fur-clad beautiful people.

Animal-skin coats may not be PC anywhere else in the world but in Aspen they are definitely de rigueur. And tres pricey too. The cheapest item in a shop window full of dead animal-coats is a sale-priced snip reduced to the equivalent of $NZ38,000.

But few people are as nickel-and-dime-pinching as financially dysfunctional Kiwi visitors who, in effect, pay more than twice the price for everything.

Bargains are hard to come by, even those made in the US of A. But, hey, if you want bargains go to the Warehouse. This is snow country and winter resorts don't come any better than this jetsetters' retreat in the Rocky Mountains.

For a start, you can get there by jet, private or public, with the resort's Sardy Field airport only 5km out of town. That means you should be able to fly there with just one stop, although in practice it may not be that easy because of the way airlines are allied nowdays.

Domestic and international connections may be circuitous and involve lengthy heel-cooling along the way. We cooled ours in Los Angeles and again in Phoenix before reaching the Rockies.

But in the clear light of a fresh snow spring day, such travel frustrations soon melt. With 1700ha of superb snow slopes spread over four distinct fields, all within easy reach of a free shuttle bus, there is no time to waste worrying about trivia such as cost and airlines' scheming schedules.

The Silver Queen gondola to the heights of Aspen Mountain starts in town and before you board you can warm up with a free coffee and blow your nose with a tissue from a dispenser at the head of the lift line.

The snow looks great but it doesn't pay to rush. It is 3418m above sea level at the top of Aspen Mountain and bending down to tighten boot buckles may cause a touch of heavy breathing. You are also more susceptible to "gas," advises an Aspen Valley Hospital brochure.

In your hotel room you're likely to find a humidifier to compensate for the nasal-searing dry mountain air.

You'll also need to drink twice as much water as normal. In Aspen there is good reason to walk around trendy-like with a water bottle.

Aspen Mountain, a mix of cruisey intermediate slopes and steep bump runs, is special - it is reserved for skiers only. With three other mountains to go to, snowboarders need not feel discriminated against.

The mountain is home to the 24 hours of the Aspen race, which last year raised $US1.2million ($2.4 million) for charity and was the model for a similar event held in Queenstown. Aspen Mountain is also home to Benedict's restaurant, where you lunch in luxury at 2422m. In the middle of a slope below the restaurant is the solitary tree into which Michael Kennedy skiied backwards to take his last football pass.

Just across a valley is the similarly sized Aspen Highlands, the locals' favourite, a mountain noted for its steep pitches. Beyond the reach of the last lift bullwheel you can trek, or take a snowcat shuttle, to a higher peak in search of untracked snow.

Our guide says her father's favourite run was Golden Horn and when he died it was there that family and friends held a memorial service. It proves a long, sweeping intermediate run.

Buttermilk Mountain, next door, is more of a hill, a vast learners' area where 75 per cent of its 170ha is rated for beginners and about 90 per cent of the slopes are groomed every night.

Snowmass, 20km by free shuttle bus from downtown Aspen, is the resort's big brother. It has its own ski-in/ski-out condo village at its base, 1218ha of varied slopes, a lift-serviced vertical rise of 1342m and one run that stretches 6.7km.

With 83 different trails to choose from it helps to have a guide. Ours was Bridgett Rayward, president of the New Zealand Ski Instructors' Alliance, head of the Cardrona ski school and Travel ski columnist.

Like many other New Zealand instructors, Rayward is highly regarded on the American peaks for her good nature, willingness to work and ski skills.

But at Aspen, she says, most people don't take lessons to learn. They just want to schmooze, which makes a ski instructor's life fairly schmoozey too.

And if the dead duck New Zealand dollar makes schmoozing in Aspen a tad more expensive than renting a bach on the Coromandel, for example, it does wonders for the New Zealand bank balances of expat instructors who work at the resort, such as Rayward and New Zealand snowboard champion Suzy Parker.

But there is always a way to find affordable deals. Air fares to Colorado are a given amount, but public transport will do once you get there. That leaves accommodation, food and lift tickets.

If you buy the tickets before December 1 the cost is $US39 ($84) a day for a six-day ticket that can be used at any time during the season. Children under six ski free, as do the over-70s. And most United States accommodation is free for children 12 and under. There is no shortage of lodging options at a wide range of prices - from $US39 a night share-twin in Aspen to $US29 a night in outlying towns - and self-catering cuts down food costs. The presence of 6000 locals keeps supermarket prices honest.

The really mean can seek out a host of places offering free chips and salsa.

Multi-day lift tickets are valid at all fields and in the evening you can leave your skis or snowboard at one field and collect them at another the next day.

Dining out options include pizzas at $US5, an all-you-can-eat $US8 salad bar and mains for under $US12.

Alternatively, you can take your platinum or gold card to one of the town's many famous gourmet restaurants such as the Little Nell, Mezzaluna or Matsuhisa, and tuck into caviar and quail egg for $US38 followed by tenderloin of beef at $US38.

To keep in shape you can duck down to the Aspen Club and get pummelled with hot and cold rocks in a very trendy LaStone massage. The 75-minute treatment costs $US140, which is $US10 cheaper than a Bindi herbal body therapy.

And if the altitude and sunshine is getting to you, you can relax and rehydrate with a $US140 alpine rejuvenator treatment. If nothing else, it will help you forget all about grumpy taxi drivers.

Contact: Aspen Skiing Company at www.skiaspen.com and Aspen central reservations at www.aspen4u.com, Snowmass Resort Association at www.lboardman@snowmassvillage.com. Aspen is represented in New Zealand by Adventure World, Destinations Adventure, Go International, Ski Tracks and Ski Travel Specialists.

* Colin Moore schmoozed on the slopes courtesy of Qantas, America West and the Aspen Skiing Company.

Links:

www.skiaspen.com

www.aspen4u.com

www.lboardman@snowmassvillage.com