Aspen hails winter season a success

Aspen Skiing Co is pleased with how the 2011/12 winter season went, despite a drop in visitor numbers. Figures show the number of people donning their ski wear at the US resort dipped by 1.8 per cent from the previous year. But as spokesman Jeff Hanle explained to the Aspen Times, this does indicate the wider situation. "Given the state of the industry, given the state of the state, given the state of the region, we're pretty happy with the way it came out," he said. He explained that around 1.33 million skier visits were recorded at Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass, the four resorts that make up the Colorado ski area that most of us think of as just Aspen. Buttermilk bucked the trend thanks to a new high-speed chair, with visits up by around ten per cent. With the winter season over in Aspen, the resort is now gearing up for a summer of mountain biking. There are "endless amounts" of biking trails at Aspen, from challenging downhill thrill rides to gentle.