Everybody loves Aspen, and everybody loves The Gant.

That was my impression when I agreed to lead our Spring Fling outing to this iconic ski destination. However, I found that there were a few people that hadn't yet enjoyed this unforgettable experience. This trip added those neophytes to the ranks of those who love this combination of great skiing, abundant nightlife, and outstanding lodging

A great Spring Fling week started for 25 of us at Midway airport with our flight departing the gate a couple of minutes early. We had some slight air turbulence but arrived at Denver airport early with 4 additional people joining us for the bus ride to Aspen.

Of course we had the customary stop at the mall at Applejacks for groceries and other essentials for our 5 night stay. When we arrived at the Gant, their representative boarded the bus to welcome us. This was where I was surprised to see how many of our group responded to his inquiry indicating that this was their first time in Aspen. We assured them a great introduction awaited them. With the efficient luggage portage service provided by Gant personnel, we had time to unpack and prepare ourselves for our welcome reception to start our vacation. Most of our 37 participants got to know each other and plan the next day of skiing as we enjoyed the complementary wine, beer and appetizers. (Some of those who made their own travel plans to Aspen arrived later.)

On Sunday, a lot of our group went to Buttermilk to get their ski legs and enjoy the Bacon Fest celebrating the area's last open day of the season. The bacon dishes and the partying at the end of the ski day were phenomenal. Others in our group opted to take advantage of the more challenging terrain at Snowmass, Aspen Mountain or Aspen Highlands for the first day. The free Aspen shuttle bus service got us from Ruby Park bus transportation center to whatever ski area we chose to enjoy. The convenient Gant shuttle made it easy to get to Ruby Park or anywhere else for dining, shopping, skiing or enjoying the shows in town.

Monday morning provided enough powder at the top of the mountains for excellent powder skiing for those who wanted it. Some of us took the snow cat up to the Highland Bowl in the afternoon. Unfortunately, none of us had the stamina at that altitude to climb to the top of the bowl. In spite of that, the traverse across from where we had to enter the bowl and the long powder covered bump run down to the Temerity lift provided an exhilarating experience.

Tuesday brought fresh powder to the mountains. The powder runs at Snowmass were excellent in the morning sun. As more snow moved in, the snow deepened, but the visibility got worse. Some runs were hard to see but skiing in the trees helped out, and the Power Line run of Big Burn had powder above our boot tops in spots.

Wednesday was a near perfect ski day with bright sunshine illuminating glorious fresh powder. We managed some great fluffy powder before the sun heated it up into a heavier consistency. We sometimes had to work hard for our powder tracks on the black diamond runs. As a consequence, the end of the day came a little early for some of us, but what a way to end a tremendous spring skiing experience – some of the best skiing of the season according to some locals.

On our departure morning, our luggage was picked up by The Gant from outside our rooms and loaded on the bus before most of us got to the bus for our ride back to Denver airport. Our Arrow Stage line bus driver on our trip into Aspen, was again our driver going back to the airport. He again provided great service with our luggage and transportation, and even though our return flight was delayed by more than 2 hours, it couldn't erase the great memories of 4 days of phenomenal spring skiing, apres skiing and friendly service that fulfilled most of our ski vacation dreams.

Larry Douglas, Trip Leader