My Three Pros:

- Aspen Mountain gives players the chance to play 'The Highest Course in the World!* You are reminded at each tee sign of the fact. The course starts out around 11,200' and the highest basket - #8 - is perched at around 11,300' making it the highest hole in the world*. There is something special about playing a course at the top of a mountain with fantastic views of Aspen below and the surrounding mountain range.

- Nice mix of short and long holes, though the open ski runs dont force much of a line. The front 9 played much shorter and easier than the back 9, allowing a few to holes to warm up and get yourself and your discs acclimated to the elevation. Try to rack up the birdies on the front 9 as they will not come as easy on the back. I measured 1.4 miles of walking on the front, 2.1 miles on the back. While the holes are generally pretty open, you will find yourself throwing around the gondola cars (up in the air) which is unique to ski resort courses. As others have noted there are a balance of uphill and downhill holes yielding a 500' net of climbing. The front 9 mostly play around the top of the mountain with gentle ups and downs. The back 9 has some serious downhills including the 900'+ monster #14- and some insane uphill shots on 15-17 to close the round out.

- Nice discgolfpark baskets throughout that catch well and stand out with either blue or yellow tops. There are red flag markers at all tee's and signs at most. Another nice touch that I really liked were the painted rocks at each hole with a hole name - ie 'Finish Line" at 18, "the hole in one" at hole 1, and "kiss it goodbye" on the hole where you are about to lose a disc, #11. There are a few 'next tee' signs sprinkled throughout and some noticable foot trails but you will need a map to make it through the course.

My Three Cons:

- The plague of all ski resort courses is the bad teepads, uneven baskets and disc eating rough. This course is no different - tees are rough, rocky and sloped; baskets are not permanently set so they are on bases that can be angled; the chance to lose discs in the trees off the fairways is real on many holes. The pins are so fun to go for aggressively but can be very challenging with the poor tee areas and high risk of disc loss, hence my low overall rating.

- It's hard to get up here. I drove my truck up the backside of the mountain and it was about 30 minutes of pretty rough mountain road, it was smoother coming down the front of the mountain but still a little rough - you'll need a high clearance vehicle or plenty of will power to drive up to the top. You can ride the gondola up but that costs, and starts up some time after 8. While its theoretically possible, I would not recommend hiking up and playing - the hike up is no joke.

- Not disc only. The course plays across a few roads and over may trails. I was the only player on the course early in the day but had to wait at a couple of the roads and trails for folks to walk or drive by.

*Course claim as highest in the world may be questionable.
The highest hole here, #8, is right around 11,300', Arapahoe Basin hole 12 appears to be at the same elevation.

All that aside, I really enjoyed the round at Aspen Mountain. The course is rated much lower than A-basin or Winter Park but is certainly on par with both. If anything, I liked the hole designs here the most yet. They all have wonderful views, and all suffer from poor tees and navigation.

A map is needed to find your way around the course, I used Udisc to find my way and it worked great.

A special cherry on top was the group of paragliders taking off just behind me as I tee'd off on hole #16 - that's somethin you dont see every day.

1. Great views from the top of Aspen Mountain
2. Some really enjoyable downhill throws

1. The back nine consists of 3 uphill holes that go directly up a black diamond.
2. I can't state it enough the back nine is a HIKE.

-A couple of signature holes
-Some fun shots here and there
-Lots of other activities for non-players
-Rec players could play a few holes and skip the back
-'Big Arm Athletes' will feel the burn eventually.
-Great scenery with a fun ride up n back down.
-Easy ticketing and orientation.

-Dirt tee-pads and not well defined or cleared.
-LOTS of families (KIDS!) near -holes.
-Long climb back UP on the back.
-Hardly 'Free'. Pay over 20 bucks or hike most of the day.
-Has that 'This is just another activity/ Temp course' feel to it

NOTE: Though I only played this course twice, there has not been a 'Helpful' review of the new course, which has been changed enough that the course description should be updated btw. I'll try to get this right:

After playing Crested Butte, Snowmass (and Angel Fire in Northern New Mexico) this summer, I guess I am getting used to what the new trend in over-priced, lift served Ski Area Disc Golf is all about: Pay a lot each time you visit. Play a lot of safe, shorter holes. But at the same time, have lots of non-players right there on the course. Yeeeesh.

I gave Aspen the highest rating of the bunch, because at least there are some great shots and you do eventually get 'Far from the Maddening Crowds'.

Catch the Gondola right at the Main Base in the center of town. Take a right off the gondola to the Ski Lift Shack, unless you want to check out the Dizzying Disneyland of family activities all around you at the top. Be warned: you'll be throwing around a lot of these folks so have your putters and your patience ready. The Shack has a basic scorecard/map. I loved the loaner disc box with Rec Friendly discs. Leave em some in better shape if you can.

The first few holes are a short easy circuit that clearly is the Rec 9. However, hole 3 is a beautiful little downhill/ sidehill tunnel shot that had me throwing all my putters.

Things kick into gear on the signature hole #11. An awesome right to left sweeping shot where a cliff looms up over the entire left side approach. Go right? Bye-bye. Go long? At least you might find it on the expert ski run beyond. But don't Chicken Out short either. A great hole.

From there, 'Goliath' pretty well stomps on 'Bambi' for good. Instead of playing all the way down with a long hike at the end like Snowmass and Crested Butte, Aspen takes a steep clockwise loop that had even this mountain player gasping. Several holes should be par 4s or even 5s.

There is room for debate about whether this loop is a good way to balance the easy front or just too much. Three of the uphill holes were too steep for my 'Mountain Tested Forehand' and I even needed to use my hands for balance a couple times. The course could have been more 'Balanced' too, but with all the early birdies, I shot 2 and 3 up, which is about right for this Older Pro.

With a long lunch, my two rounds took nearly the whole 10am to 430pm time window for the Gondola. Lightening! delayed the last ride down, but it's a pretty dang cool deck you get to wait on, and people were enjoying the storm.

Since I was in town and love to bag me some new course, this was well worth it. But others might not even drive the hour up from I-70, unless you wanted to enjoy some of the rest of what Aspen has to offer.

Another Epic Colorado Mountain Course. On top of Aspen and billed the highest course in the world. Many amazing golf shots. Definite mountain terrain - dont go there expecting it to be easy. This is where the condition of the player is part of their ability to play well. If you are not in good shape go somewhere else. If you are fit, you will be rewarded with an amazing course with amazing views. The Elk Mountain Range is breathtaking and you are looking across at them not up at them.
Hole 11 is called Kiss it Goodbye and it is truly a test of touch - not that its short, but you gotta do it just right. During Kiss the Sky tournament, the EXTREME holes are added and the BIG "Kiss it Goodbye" is in effect.
Last time I played it I took an Altimeter and 200 ft tape. It is 790 ft. Long and drops 255 vertical feet. Cliff on left and protection on right. look for it on Videos from Johnny B (Supershots, Hotshots, and Cool Shots)
When you see this hole, your going to want to play here....Guaranteed

Tee Pads are terrible. no effort is ever put into making them like in Steamboat Springs. Rocky and very uneven.

For the hearty Soul with a high clearance vehicle, it is legal to drive up the service road on the face of Aspen Ski Area. This is an awesome journey all by itself. Pair it with the opportunity to access the course before and after the mountain is open and you will have the place to yourself. The Gondola turns off at 4 pm and that means that you have the course and the mountain to yourself all the way through dark. At 11,000+ ft. that means 9:30pm. After playing, drive out the ridgeline and get all the free camping you can handle. You will see why Aspen is the real deal.

Great views. There are a few signature holes that are very enjoyable, including a few downhill blasts. The first place that I have ever played that let you borrow, free of charge, as many discs as you wanted. You just wrote down how many you took, how many you returned, and where you lost any along the way. Oh... and aspen is chalk full of beautiful people.

$23 lift ticket to the top, where you discover this dirt road that comes from somewhere. It'd be nice if someone who knew how to use it would post it on here. Back nine has a lot of steep, steep, uphill shots. This course lacks a little creativity. All the hiking uphill will work you hard.

I didn't have any problems with kids running around. Course was clear the entire time. Everyone failed to mention before that this is the Highest Disc Golf Course in the WORLD!