Half the field has already been eliminated in this year's Curbed Cup, our competition to find the best ski town of the year. This week we'll have two match-ups apiece on Monday and Tuesday—with the polls left open for 24 hours—and by Wednesday only four contenders will be left vying for the prestigious fake trophy. Let the eliminations continue!
Two of Colorado's most popular ski towns face off in a battle to make it to the next round.
To qualify for the Elite Eight, Telluride dominated the California town of Mammoth Lakes and the ski town could go all the way in this competition. The historic ski town is making headlines left and right in the ski world, from logging in a record-setting winter last year to being the setting for Quentin Tarantino's highly anticipated new movie, the Hateful Eight. No matter the season, Telluride has some of the best amenities and events around: kickass festivals, a nurturing business environment for startups, and an iconic, walkable downtown. This winter, Telluride is easier than ever to get to and don't even get us started on how awesome the skiing is. This place is hard to beat.
But if anyone can beat Telluride, it's probably Aspen. Aspen had to go through Schweitzer to make it to this round, which was a bit of a David versus Goliath match up. The little town called Assssspen is arguably the most famous ski town of them all and a retreat for both ski bums and celebrities alike. Aspen offers up some of the best restaurants and hotels in ski country (with more on the horizon), and we frankly just can't get enough of the skiing at Ajax, Highlands, Buttermilk, or Snowmass. But perhaps the best part about this ski town is that it just won't stop improving. There are new developments on the horizon, including a completely revamped base area for the old Lift 1A. The airport will be getting a new terminal, and Aspen Skiing Company is continually listed as one of the top places in the country to work. Sure, sometimes people might have a little too much fun, but from museums to real estate, no ski town is hotter. Throw in some of the best skiing in Colorado (if not North America), and it's no wonder everyone wants to live here.