Getting there

By air: Aspen’s Sardy Field, 3 miles from Aspen and 8 miles from Snowmass, is served by regular flights from six cities: Chicago and Denver (United Express), Memphis and Minneapolis/St. Paul (Northwest Jet Airlink), Los Angeles and San Francisco (United Express) and Salt Lake City (Delta). If you fly on major holidays, expect delays and carry on a well-packed bag.

Eagle County airport, about 70 miles away, is becoming the best-served airport for this resort. It hosts flights from Northwest, American, Continental, United Express, U.S. Airways and Delta. American has daily flights arriving from Dallas/Ft. Worth and Chicago and Saturday flights from New York and Miami. Continental has daily service from Houston and weekend flights from Newark. Delta flies from Atlanta. Northwest flies from Minneapolis daily with Saturday flights from Detroit. United flies daily from Denver, San Francisco and LA and on weekends from Chicago and New York La Guardia. Colorado Mountain Express (800-525-6363) takes skiers from Eagle to Aspen.

If you find yourself in Aspen without your gear or outdoor clothing, make sure to ask the airlines for a voucher to rent what you need until they show up with your luggage. All the airlines hand out coupons for equipment in case yours is delayed. These vouchers are accepted at virtually every sports shop in town. If your luggage gets waylaid, call Lorenzo Semple at Suit Yourself (970-920-0295). He will be at your door with a van full of ski and snowboard clothing for you to rent during your stay. He takes airline vouchers.

Regular ground transportation also leaves the Denver International Airport for Aspen, but it’s a four- to five-hour drive on I-70, about 220 miles away. Rental cars are available at both Denver and Eagle County Airport. For personalized private charter limos, vans and suburbans, make reservations with VailCoach (877 554-7433).

By train: Amtrak has service to Glenwood Springs, where skiers can get ground transportation for the 40-mile trip to Aspen.

Getting around: We recommend that you use public transportation because of limited parking.

The (mostly) free bus system, RFTA, will shuttle you between Snowmass and Aspen. At Snowmass Village, you board the RFTA bus at the transportation center at the Snowmass Village Mall. Between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., the RFTA bus is free. After 4:30 p.m., however, the charge is $3 per person, one way, between Aspen and Snowmass Village. If you have been skiing at one of the three mountains in Aspen and you relax in the bar afterward, keep a close eye on the clock so the charge doesn’t take you by surprise.

Snowmass Village has a separate, free shuttle system with several routes that run throughout the village. To get to Aspen, you ride a Snowmass Village shuttle to the transportation center, then transfer to an RFTA bus. Although the system is very efficient (and you can’t beat the price), it takes about an hour to get from a Snowmass Village condo to Aspen, and vice versa. If you expect to make two round trips per day into Aspen (one for skiing and the second for nightlife), stay in Aspen.