Aspen Is Turning 80, and Its Birthday Gift to Skiers Is One Nobody Saw Coming

A $42 million lunch spot, a new high-speed quad, a last hurrah at The Little Nell and, for one weekend only, $80 lift tickets. Aspen’s 80th winter is shaping up to be quite the party.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Swanson/

Eighty looks exceptionally good on Aspen. (Most things do. It’s that kind of town.) For its 80th winter, Aspen Snowmass opens Aspen Mountain and Snowmass on November 26 with enough new toys to make even a die-hard powder hound linger over lunch: a $42 million rebuild of Snowmass’ Ullrhof, a brand-new high-speed quad on Aspen Mountain, a final season at The Little Nell before it closes for a top-to-toe renovation and, for one weekend in December, $80 lift tickets.

Yes, eighty dollars. In Aspen. I’ll wait while you check your calendar.

The $42 Million Lunch Break

Priorities first. At Snowmass, the beloved Ullrhof has been rebuilt from scratch, its 56-year-old predecessor replaced by a two-story, 26,000-square-foot dining complex that seats more than 600 across four concepts. Ullrhof itself handles gourmet burgers, salads and its famous milkshakes; Ullrmarket covers espresso and pastries; Ullrgrill does hot dogs, brats and doughnuts for bluebird days.

My table, predictably, is at Ullrbar: upstairs, table service, upscale shareable plates and an outdoor deck. Because what is a ski day without a proper après cocktail? (Rhetorical.) It’s also Aspen Snowmass’ first fully electric on-mountain restaurant, so your midday spritz comes with a clear conscience.

Photo Credit: Tamara SusaThe $42 Million Lunch Break

On Aspen Mountain, the new Nell Bell chairlift merges two old favorites, Bell Mountain and Little Nell, into one high-speed detachable quad: 135 chairs, a 2,656-foot vertical rise and a nine-minute ride from the base to the top of Bell Mountain. Less dangling, more skiing. Nobody is complaining.

Over at Elk Camp sits the nerdier headline, and possibly the bigger one: what the resort calls the world’s first battery-backed chairlift. The battery replaces a diesel backup that pumped out roughly 144 tons of carbon a year, keeps the chairs moving during outages and sends stored power back to the local grid after hours. Not glamorous. Genuinely clever. I suspect other resorts are already taking notes.

Photo Credit: Jordan Curet

Pre-Ski Is the New Après

Après in Aspen is practically a varsity sport, and this season the bench gets deeper. Eleven212, perched 11,212 feet up atop Aspen Mountain, is expanding its live music and DJ lineup (as if the view weren’t doing enough). The Cabin at Snowmass brings music, drinks and fireside lounging. And Up4Pizza is heading downhill with Down4Pizza, a Friday-through-Sunday pop-up near the Makaha Terrain Park serving its signature pies and cookies. The name alone deserves an award.

The real twist, though, is breakfast. All four mountains are expanding their morning menus (Bloody Marys, breakfast burritos, pastries), with Sunday buffets at Elk Camp and a proper sit-down breakfast at Sam’s, Snowmass’ fine-dining restaurant, bar service included. Après is lovely. A Bloody Mary before first chair? Revolutionary.

Photo Credit: Paepcke/The Little Nell

One Last Winter at The Little Nell

Then there’s The Little Nell, Aspen’s Five-Star, Five-Diamond ski-in/ski-out icon, which is heading into its final ski season before closing in April 2027 for a top-to-bottom renovation of its rooms, public spaces and restaurants. It’s due back in early summer 2028. If it’s been on your list, this is the winter.

The Nell is not going out quietly. Maybe Sammy, the Sydney cocktail bar that regularly turns up on the world’s best-bar lists, takes up residency at The Wine Bar (frankly, reason enough to book the flight). Celebrity facialist Georgia Louise returns to The Spa for anyone whose idea of recovery involves more serum than ibuprofen. And the season opens on Thanksgiving with holiday dinners at Element 47 and Ajax Tavern, plus Thanksgiving To-Go for those who’d rather carve in private.

Style, Art and a Collectible Lift Ticket

Aspen has always dressed for the occasion, on the mountain and off it. This winter brings Alpine 46, a premium retail and rental boutique at the Sundeck on Aspen Mountain, named for 1946, the year Aspen Skiing Company was founded, and stocked with technical apparel, accessories and equipment chosen for performance and craftsmanship. Aspen Collection’s Fall/Winter 2026/27 line pairs heritage-inspired design with merino and PrimaLoft: pieces that go from chairlift to dinner reservation without a costume change. Buy a select jacket or kit in store and a one-day lift ticket comes along free.

For the art crowd, Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes takes over the Art in Unexpected Places program, with her exuberant color appearing at the Silver Queen Gondola station and on this season’s lift tickets and passes. Possibly the most stylish thing you’ll ever clip to a jacket.

Photo Credit: Jordan Curet

The $80 Birthday Present

Now, about that gift. On December 12 and 13, 2026, a day of skiing or riding across all four mountains costs $80. Eighty dollars for eighty years. The anniversary weekend adds lodging deals, dining specials, rental packages and limited-edition merch, and it overlaps with Wintersköl’s 75th anniversary (December 10 to 13): snow sculptures, live music, a bonfire, fireworks and a torchlight descent. Book early. Then book dinner.

The calendar keeps going. Aspen Gay Ski Week marks its 50th with a Golden Jubilee from January 17 to 24, 2027. The competitive set gets The Snow League at Buttermilk (January 7 to 9), X Games Aspen (January 29 to 31) and the U.S. Toyota Grand Prix (February 27 to 28).

Eighty years in, the new lifts, restaurants and batteries are all very nice. But the reason we keep coming back hasn’t budged: first tracks on fresh corduroy, a lunch that quietly becomes an afternoon, and the sun slipping behind the Rockies while somebody tops up your Champagne. Some traditions are simply too good to improve on. Happy birthday, Aspen.

Aspen Snowmass 2026/27 Opening Dates

Aspen Mountain: November 26, 2026 – April 18, 2027

Snowmass: November 26, 2026 – April 11, 2027

Aspen Highlands: December 12, 2026 – April 11, 2027

Buttermilk: December 12, 2026 – April 4, 2027

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Planning your trip? Revisit Haute Living’s guide to a haute winter getaway in Aspen, and before your Maybe Sammy reservation, catch up on everything that mattered at Tales of the Cocktail 2026.