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OFFICIAL 2022 National Gathering at Aspen-Snowmass - February 26 - March 5, 2022

dbostedo

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2022 National Gathering at Aspen, CO, February 26 - March 5
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NOTE : This is a living post and will be changed as new information becomes available (last updated 2/25/2022)​

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The view of Aspen Highlands off the west side of Aspen Mountain (Ajax), February 2021
It's official... the 2022 National Gathering will be at Aspen/Snowmass from February 26th through March 5th, 2022.

There was no official Gathering last season, so the Gathering stays at Aspen for 2022. The last Aspen Gathering was all the way back in 2016, when Pugski.com was pretty new. So this will be the first repeat destination, and it's a favorite for a lot of folks (me included).

(For resort information, see https://www.aspensnowmass.com/)

As with all SkiTalk Gatherings, anyone and everyone are welcome, and everyone is responsible for their own travel, lodging, and lift ticket arrangements. Just be there the right week, and plan to meet up and have a great time. Some people come for the whole thing, some just for a few days - it's open to whatever works for you.

SCHEDULE AND DAILY MEET-UPS
Aspen has four mountains, and we'll be skiing at least three of them. We'll schedule 2 days each at Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, and Aspen Mountain. And some folks may want to spend a day, or part of one, at Buttermilk. The particular daily schedule is :

Sunday, February 27 - Snowmass
Monday, February 28 - Highlands
Tuesday, March 1 - Snowmass (changed from Ajax! 2/28/22)
Wednesday, March 2 - Highlands
Thursday, March 3 - Ajax

Friday, March 4 - Snowmass

We'll be meeting around 8:45-9:00 for 9:00 lift starts. If you want to meet up with the group, the daily meet-up locations will be:

Snowmass - The plaza just down the steps from the Village Express Lift. If you come to Snowmass on the bus, you can ski down to the meet-up.
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Aspen Highlands - There is basically one small base area, so it should be pretty straightforward
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Aspen Mountain - We'll meet at the Silver Queen Gondola plaza near the bottom of the stairs... The Ruby Park main bus stop is highlighted.
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Look for PugSki/SkiTalk stickers on helmets and skis, and we'll also be handing out orange ribbon/streamers for tying on to helmets or poles to help folks find each other on the mountain.

Lunch meet-ups will likely be planned too... but these are very loosely defined, like a lot of the Gathering. There will usually be a suggested place for lunch, just to give folks an opportunity to meet-up and find others to ski with for the afternoon. We'll typically meet-up for an early lunch - 11:30 - 11:45 - to avoid lunch crowds somewhat. Due to COVID rules and large groups, we will not plan to have a big lunch meet-up. But we will pick a 1:00 meeting spot near dining, if folks want to meet-up or switch groups. There will be updates here as things are decided.

Sunday 1:00 meetup at Snowmass - Outside High Alpine restaurant above the ski racks. It's near the top of the Alpine Springs lift (formerly was Gwynn's).
Monday 1:00 meetup outside Merry Go Round mid mountain
Tuesday 1:00 meetup
Wedneday 1:00 meetup outside Merry Go Round mid mountain
Thursday 1:00 meetup between the gondola exit and the cafeteria patio, top of the mountain
Friday 1:00 meetup Outside High Alpine restaurant above the ski racks

COVID RULES
Aspen has released COVID rules for the 2021-2022 season. Full-service dining will also require proof of vaccination (but not cafeteria style - where social distancing will be maintained). More details can be found here:

https://www.aspensnowmass.com/safety/covid19-operating-procedures

EDIT 2/25/22: Masks are no longer required as of February 22, 2022 in indoor settings. Aspen encourages guests to continue using them if it makes them comfortable.

Also, note that the RFTA busses/shuttles everywhere require masks to be worn.

GUIDES AND GROUPS

We typically try to sort into groups (for those that want to) in the morning or after lunch for those at similar skill levels. If you're joining a group, please be realistic about assessing your ability with regards to the group you belong in. Some terrain can be downright gnarly so please consider your physical condition, ability to ski a given trail (as opposed to “able to get down it”) and whether your gear fits the conditions if it’s a significant powder day. You can change groups, but that can be difficult once everyone is out on the the hill.

  • Intermediate- You prefer groomed terrain and avoid moguls if possible. You may avoid powder and terrain like glades and narrow runs.
  • Upper Intermediate- You are comfortable on Intermediate (blue) terrain and will ski groomed (black) single diamond terrain. You may venture off into some powder on the edge of the trail or on easier runs. Not a big fan of moguls, but you can work your way through them. You may like to explore easier trees on Intermediate runs.
  • Advanced - You generally ski the whole mountain. You can make your way through the vast majority of snow and terrain conditions but still may need to pay attention (vs just being on auto-pilot) in bumps, treed terrain, or chutes. Intermediate terrain is for getting back to the lifts. It’s black and double black diamond for you.
  • Expert - Anywhere / Anytime. You want to go where the others aren’t, and won't be holding anyone back. You ski chutes, steep trees, bumps, and all conditions.

Intermediate groups will likely have guides - members familiar with the mountain - to help with lift and run selection and to keep safe and having fun.

Advanced and expert groups will likely be self guided (though often members may be familiar with the mountain).

We would like to get guides with most groups, but it's done on a volunteer basis, so it depends on who is willing to step up, and how many gatherers are familiar with the mountain. This is why the upper level groups will likely need to be “self guided”. We have done this successfully in the past by mixing new comers to the areas with those who are familiar with the area they are skiing that day.

(Note, if you know the mountains and are willing to guide, please PM @dbostedo)

LIFT TICKETS
If you don't have lift ticket plans, many Gatherers will come with Ikon or Mountain Collective passes, which are great options for Aspen, though you need to have the full Ikon pass, or have bought the Aspen add-on. For more details, see https://www.ikonpass.com/, and https://mountaincollective.com/ .

AIRPORTS
The obvious answer is to fly into Aspen airport. This can be expensive, and does have some risk of missed/delayed flights compared to more major airports. But it's what I've always done, and I've had good luck getting in. Other local-ish options would be Eagle (1.5 hour drive), and Grand Junction (2 hour drive).

Flying into Denver is also an option, with about a 4 hour drive to Aspen. You get flight certainty, but the drive is very weather dependent, and potentially traffic dependent getting to and through Summit county.

LODGING
The two main areas to stay are in the town of Aspen, or in Snowmass Village area. For more affordable options, some people may want to check out Basalt, or even Glenwood Springs, further down (i.e. north) the Roaring Fork Valley. Staying further out means driving in to park and shuttling to the mountain, or taking the bus, but works well for some people. Though there can be rush hour traffic and delays even though Aspen isn't that large. If you're staying in Snowmass or Aspen, you don't really need a car as the bus system is excellent.

BUS SYSTEM
Aspen's bus system is outstanding, and the best way to get around. It's easy to get to each of the mountains from any of the others or anywhere in town. There are ski carriers on the outside, and the routes are pretty frequent. You will have to transfer once to get to Aspen Highlands from Snowmass (at least you did last season), but many routes don't require a transfer.

For more, and to see winter stops and routes once published, please see the Roaring Fork Transit Authority site here: https://www.rfta.com/

Note that the RFTA busses/shuttles everywhere require masks to be worn.

ROLL CALL


If you are planning to come, please add yourself to the roll-call here: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/official-2022-national-gathering-roll-call.24278/

I hope to see a lot of folks I've skied with before, and meet a lot of new people too!! See you in Aspen!!


AT THE GATHERING

A couple more final notes... For anyone that doesn't know me and wants to find me, I'll look like this:

Bostedo_Skiing_Taos.jpg

And there's a thread for everyone to post pics and reports from their days at the Gathering here:


:snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow: :snow:

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View of the top of Sam's Knob from the Big Burn area at Snowmass, February 2021
 
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lone pine

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Pulled the trigger on the Silver Season Pass for $549. Early bird pricing is good to 6/15.

American wanted almost 100,000 miles RT from ILM to ASE so the cash option was modestly better. The resurgence in leisure travel is evident in mileage redemption requirements and retail pricing. Identical tickets purchased in February, for an Aspen trip three weeks prior to The Gathering were considerably cheaper.
 

David Chaus

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Guess I'm an early planner.

I've got a condo booked at Snowmass Village. I'm looking at airfare to ASE as well as DEN, or a combination of the two (fly into ASE, and rent a vehicle at the end of the week and drive to Copper for a few days, then to Denver. Or vice versa. It is early to plan, but airfare from $530 to $625 looks pretty good from a small airport (Paine Field in Everett, WA) to another smaller airport (ASE). It's cheaper from SeaTac to DEN, but I'm thinking this is the year I lean towards convenience. I realize flying into/out of ASE can present challenges with weather but I've built some cushion time into my travel to allow for rerouted flights and shuttles.

I'm also considering driving, but my SO does not want to come on this trip, and it's a 20 hour drive so 2 days of driving by myself each way, and longer if I stop to ski anywhere on the way. I've estimated the cost of fuel conservatively would be $350, which is more than airfare from SEA to DEN.

But this post isn't just about the details. I'm committing early because I really missed seeing people this past year, and I'm looking forward to seeing the usual suspects in 2022, plus people I've never met or had the chance to ski with. This will be my first trip to Aspen and while I know I could explore the place on my own, it's great to have guides and good company.
 

SpikeDog

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Sounds good, got my Aspen/Jackson Hole upgrade on my Ikon pass already. I'll probably wait and see where everyone is getting their housing before crossing that bridge. I usually stay in Carbondale.

Don't forget the free Wednesday parking day at the Highlands.
 

weatherman

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I'll be interested to see the details when they're available. I live about 1 hr 20 min away so I could be convinced to show up for a bit.
 

David Chaus

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I will be staying at Snowmass Village, Sat 2/26- Sat 3/5, probably flying into ASE and then picking up a car rental and driving to Copper for a few days, then drive to Denver for the return flight to SEA. Alternatively I could fly in to DEN, spend a few days at Copper, drive to Snowmass and drop off the rental, then fly out of ASE after the Gathering. I’m not seeing the need to have a car during the Gathering week.

Any suggestions/recommendations for accommodations for Copper? I’m looking at a few Air BnB’s at Copper, as well as Frisco. Also if anyone wants to meet up at Copper that would be cool.
 

Pat AKA mustski

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Any suggestions/recommendations for accommodations for Copper? I’m looking at a few Air BnB’s at Copper, as well as Frisco. Also if anyone wants to meet up at Copper that would be cool.

We stayed here a few years ago and loved it. It is cute, cozy, and within an easy walk of downtown Frisco and (if you wish) the shuttle service to Copper. We preferred to drive to the ski resort and have our car locker. The owner is great and the cabin had everything we needed.
https://www.vrbo.com/1187005?adultsCount=4&noDates=true&petIncluded=true&unitId=1737763

ETA... I did check and it is quite a bit more expensive for the week of the gathering than the week we went in March. Yikes.
 

DanoT

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Any suggestions/recommendations for accommodations for Copper? I’m looking at a few Air BnB’s at Copper, as well as Frisco. Also if anyone wants to meet up at Copper that would be cool.
I don't know the name, but there is an on mountain lodge at Copper that has a deal that gets their guests on the 6 pack lift a half hour before the general public. Could be worthwhile on a powder day or for a longer day.
 
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dbostedo

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Just so I'm clear - This means arriving 2/26, skiing 2/27 through 3/4, and departing 3/5?
Yes, officially. That's what I plan to do. But of course for Gatherings everyone is free to flex around those dates as they see fit.
 

mikel

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Any suggestions/recommendations for accommodations for Copper? I’m looking at a few Air BnB’s at Copper, as well as Frisco. Also if anyone wants to meet up at Copper that would be cool.

No clue on who may have the best price right now. I would compare everyone including Copper lodging. You might get a slightly better price by including a lodging package that allows you early access to Eagle lift as Dano mentioned. My suggestion is to make your lodging reservation asap regardless of who you go with. Another thing to consider is the drive thru Officers Gulch if you stay in Silverthorne or Frisco. Just mentioning because it seems like CDOT is quicker to close I70 these days than in previous years. Odds are you won't have an issue but just throwing it out there. You can get a cheaper rate at the standard hotels in those locations but even the Hampton Inn is over $440 a night during that time frame now. Crazy.
 

David Chaus

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$440 a night is crazy for what I need.

I've done some searching on VRBO, AirBnb, Hotels.com, Trip Advisor and Copper lodging. At this point I'm leaning towards Frisco since I'll already be staying right at Snowmass Village for the Gathering, and maybe try being a short drive or bus ride away.

Any reason to book something ASAP? Are things filling up that far ahead?
 

Viking9

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So looking at the map , can you get to Ruthies run from the gondola ? If so it looks like 100% of the runs are accessible from one lift .
Interesting.
 

Bill Miles

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So looking at the map , can you get to Ruthies run from the gondola ? If so it looks like 100% of the runs are accessible from one lift .
Interesting.

I have never done it, but I think the answer is not easily because there is an uphill stretch. I always took 6 to get to the Ruthies side.
 

Tony

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So looking at the map , can you get to Ruthies run from the gondola ? If so it looks like 100% of the runs are accessible from one lift .
Interesting.
I think there is also some uphill to get to the top of Bell Mountain chair, which was not running the last couple of times I was at Aspen.
 
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dbostedo

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So looking at the map , can you get to Ruthies run from the gondola ? If so it looks like 100% of the runs are accessible from one lift .
Interesting.

There is some uphill to get to Ruthie's... you can't reach the top of Ruthie's from Midway, if you're looking at the trail map. Tourtelotte Park is downhill from the top of Ruthie's toward Midway. I've usually taken the FIS chair to get over to Ruthie's.
 

David Chaus

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OK, I've been watching flights and the price dropped $40 so I booked it, SEA to ASE on 2/26 then DEN to SEA on 3/8 for about $357.

I also requested an AirBnB in Frisco for 3 nights after the Gathering for a couple days at Copper 3/6 and 3/7.

A car rental picking up at ASE and dropping off at DEN is actually about $100 less for 3 days than picking up at DEN and dropping off at ASE. I don't think I'll need a car otherwise.

Guess I'm committed.
 

Tony

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I found Missing chair from Bell Mountain lift returned | News | aspendailynews.com when searching to see how often Bell Mountain chair now runs.

In 2018, snowmaking only went to the top of Bell, not to the top of the gondola, so chair was needed early season. "It also sees heavy use in the early season when there is not enough natural snowfall to open the top of the mountain, because Aspen’s snowmaking system ends near the top of the Bell chair." They had removed a chair temporarily to use a work platform and somebody took the chair. But chair needed to be found and re-installed for lift "to function, due to weighting and balance issues." Story also says "the Bell chair opens mainly on sunny spring weekends." I have fond memories of skiing it in powder during my College ski trips to Aspen, back when Highlands was on a separate ticket.
 

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