Aspen mountain will again be open for skiing this weekend.
“We have pretty decent snow still and we like to ski and snowboard, that’s the fundamental driver,” explained Rich Burkley, Aspen Skiing Company. “Second I think it’s the right thing to do for the community and the resort.”
Burkley said this is indeed the last weekend of the 2015/16 ski season. With warmer temperatures coming next week, the 40-inch base on top of Ajax now will be melted and unsafe for continued skiing.
The Silver Queen Gondola will be open Saturday and Sunday for uploading and downloading. Ajax Express will run for skiers and shredders making laps on the 120 acres of Aspen Mountain that remain open. Burkley said SkiCo recoups most of the tens of thousands of dollars it takes to operate the mountain, with the turnout spread evenly between season passholders and day-pass purchases.
The reputation for summer skiing allows Aspen some bragging rights. Burkley said it can’t hurt for marketing the ski resort, and that June tourists have a chance to see a part of the local culture they would not be typically exposed to.
“A lot of the tourists going up on sightseeing passes have never seen skiers, and so it was kind of like watching skiers in the natural habitat,” said Burkley. “It’s watching the pandas in the zoo except that it’s the skiers on the mountain.”
