Aspen Highlands

I've skied at ~60 ski areas in US, Canada, and Europe over the last 40+ years. I haven't been to Aspen Highlands in a long time and I'm probably over-romanticizing it, but in my mind this bad boy sits pretty near the top of the list. It's sort of a tall, narrow layout, but very memorable. Great terrain/scenery/snow and usually not very crowded even though it's close to one of the all-time great ski towns. The glitz and glam is down in town, up at 11,500 feet Aspen Highlands is strictly the real deal - looong advanced/expert ski runs. Highlands Bowl is the ultimate sidecountry experience and a backside peep at the beautiful Maroon Bells is a must!  The added bonus of close proximity to humongous Snowmass and gnarly Ajax ski areas makes this a great ski vacation destination. The only downer is that the Aspen area is very pricey and as a result I only get there about once every other decade. I guess I'm due again:-)

The snow here is unbeatable (except maybe at Alta/Snowbird).  Just a beautiful mountain with significant vertical drop. If you are traveling to Aspen, this is where to go if you want to push yourself, ski the toughest/most intense terrain, etc.  However be aware that the number of trails is far fewer than what you find at Snowmass - if you want to ski a new trail every time down the mountain, go there.  But if you're into quality of runs rather than quantity, this is a great place for you.