The busiest day of the ski season at Aspen Highlands was the one that might not have been.
With slightly over 3,000 people on the hill, Saturday set the skier day record for all days at Highlands this year, Aspen Skiing Co. spokesman Jeff Hanle confirmed Monday.
SkiCo announced on March 20 that Highlands would reopen for two bonus weekends beyond the normal confines of the ski season, which typically wraps up with the closing of Aspen Mountain and Snowmass Ski Area after the second weekend in April. But this year’s record snowfall left the mountains in peak spring skiing condition as they were supposed to be closing, prompting SkiCo to extend the season.
Last weekend’s turnout was larger than what SkiCo might have expected a month ago, Hanle said. As Highlands was one of only a handful of Colorado ski resorts remaining open last weekend, it was a popular destination for locals from other ski towns, Hanle said. Employees from any other ski resort with season passes from this year are being offered $12 lift tickets during the extended season at Higlands.
The next busiest day of the year at Highlands was during the Christmas-New Year’s holiday week, with about 2,800 skiers. April 6, what would have been the closing day, drew around 2,700, Hanle said. The average weekend at Highlands is about 1,500, he said.
The settled snow base depth at the top of Highlands as of Monday is 130 inches, according to SkiCo’s Web site.
Despite the record attendance, the mountain didn’t feel like too much of a madhouse Saturday, as much of the crowd was gathered at the Merry-Go-Round midmountain restaurant, which had a live band and a pond skim.
