Aspen Snowmass Resort is a decade ahead of comparable resorts when it comes to wages, great public transport and employee housing. Having said that, it could build 4000 employee housing units this summer and still be way short of affordable housing next winter. Like all resort towns in the USA, Covid has made the situation even harder.
Well paid medical professionals are given subsidised housing next to the hospital. You can’t have emergency room doctors and nurses on call and living where they can afford, 20 miles down valley. When doctors need subsidised housing… well you get the picture.
Aspen Snowmass Resort is a desirable place to live for so many reasons. Four unique mountains, 5500 acres of skiing, great snow, relatively small crowds, and world class summer activities. For skiers, dropping into Highlands Bowl on a powder day is as good as gets without a helicopter.
And the great thing is, Aspen Snowmass is filled with fair weather skiers. If it gets cold, windy, or the light is a little flat, lots of people find other things to do, so they aren’t tracking out your snow. Aspen is too far from Denver for day trippers, so it doesn’t get crushed like front range mountains on weekends.
The Roaring Fork Transit Authority (RFTA) makes it very easy to get around, making down valley living (where the rents aren’t so frightening) a real option for workers. There’s also a vibrant party scene beyond the Aspen city limits.
Everything Aspen does has real quality. From fine dining, to music festivals, to the half pipes, to the X Games. The town doesn’t do things by half.
It’s also a place where people can earn good money if they are highly skilled, hard working, and reliable. Opportunities will present themselves. The resort base wage is $21 per hour and there’s always a shortage of mechanics, skilled construction workers, executive chefs, and hospitality staff.
Half way through the 2021/22 winter there were over a thousand jobs advertised in Pitkin County. Skico only has one low cost housing place for every four employees. They are rapidly building more units and even bringing in tiny houses down valley.
One sad thing about Aspen is the ski resort worker party scene has almost disappeared from town. High rents and covid have seen most of the affordable party bars close down. With more workers living down valley, the social life has shifted down there too.
In short, Aspen is a place of amazing year round opportunities. It’s got world class skiing, hiking, biking and kayaking. You can see the best extreme skiers competing in the X Games, experience big name bands, and take in high culture.
If you can find accommodation it’s a stunning place to live. Just don’t expect to buy a house there. The billionaires started pushing out the millionaires two decades ago.
Tips. Do not show up in Aspen in November looking for accommodation. It’s all gone by then. There’s good money in construction in fall as deadlines approach. The snow is coming and buildings need to be sealed off from the elements and finished before the season. Get organised and if you get housing that is financially viable, go for at least one season.
If you like the look of Aspen, just add “Aspen” to your preferred locations.