Buyers tend to pore over the various pros and cons that come with selecting a vacation home in the Aspen-Snowmass area and all the bells and whistles tend to lead us astray: amenities we’ll rarely use, the world’s best countertops we’ll never prepare food on or the slightly better view we’ll only sit and gaze at once in a while because most of the time we’re shredding through a fresh blanket of snow up on the hill.

Let’s be real. If you’re looking for your dream ski home, only one thing actually matters: ski access. Nothing beats skiing to your front door.

Slopeside living is in infinite demand but with finite opportunities. Like the other sectors of the Aspen-Snowmass market, limited inventory and high demand mean prices keep going up, and this is especially true of slopeside properties.

Homes in Aspen’s downtown core will always be desirable as they are walking distance to the Silver Queen Gondola, parks and restaurants. As you inch closer to the mountain, especially when in close proximity to the coveted Lift 1A or Little Nell area, prices skyrocket. For example, a single-family residence at 730 S. Galena St. sold for $65 million in November: over $7,000 per square foot. Compared to other ski towns, true ski-in/ski-out properties are relatively rare in the Aspen-Snowmass market when you consider that three of the four mountains — Buttermilk, Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands — only have a few on-mountain neighborhoods with slopeside access. Snowmass Village is where the lion’s share of these properties exist.

In fact, the demand for slopeside properties is so high that all new construction that has been completed in Snowmass Base Village since 2018 has sold out, breaking records in price per square foot. Most recently, 46 residences at Cirque x Viceroy and 21 residences at Aura have now been spoken for, with project completion and closings occurring this fall. Also, there is much anticipation surrounding the next and final two buildings in Base Village. Groundbreaking is expected to occur soon.

There’s no question slopeside properties are a good investment. Condo/hotel-style residences at Viceroy can justify charging high rental rates based on their services alone during the height of ski season (anywhere from $1,000-plus per night for a studio, $3,000-plus per night for a two bedroom and $8,000-plus per night for a penthouse). But even the nearby smaller, older condo complexes that lack the valet parking or in-room dining of a five-star property like the Viceroy will still demand a pretty penny, especially during peak times like Christmas, Presidents Day weekend and spring break. With such a desirable location, these properties do extremely well as short-term vacation rentals (as allowed per each individual HOA) to offset carry costs. 

Being slopeside also is a big deal when it comes to resale value. In the span of just five years, the price of new construction condominiums in Snowmass Village has gone from under $2,000 per square foot to upwards of $4,000 per square foot, and those nearby older condo complexes such as the Enclave, Crestwood, Deerbrook or Wood Run V also have benefited from the rising tides on both resales and rental rates.

As locals know, without direct ski access, mornings are defined by a frantic rush to the mountain and a search for parking and lockers — ultimately, time spent doing things other than skiing. Imagine, instead, you spend your morning sipping coffee by the fireplace, then strolling out onto the slope to examine the fresh corduroy. You get first tracks, your kid makes it to ski school on time, and if you need to ditch a layer on a sunny day, your place is right there. You could invite friends to ski over for après and soak in the hot tub. Now doesn’t that sound nice? For the same reasons, vacationers will pay a premium to rent homes with direct ski access, which appeals to the investment-minded among us. 

Whether you prefer a touch of ski-town nostalgia or something shiny and new, there are currently several options for ski-in/ski-out properties of various sizes and price points in the Aspen Snowmass area.