Other than ski patrollers, nobody knows more about the upper reaches of Aspen Highlands than bootpackers, who literally walk almost every acre of the resort’s namesake bowl. So we asked three bootpackers to talk about their favorite lines to ski and ride once the regular season is in session. (Remember that the Highland Bowl is expert-only terrain, and the hike to the summit can take 45 minutes or more. If you don’t want to carry your skis or board, consider bringing an alpine backpack made for carrying skis or purchasing a ski strap from Patrol Headquarters at the top of the Loge Peak lift.)

Greg Albrecht, bootpacking since 2016, discovered a new favorite in “the spine of B-Fore, down into the gut” of the bowl, while he was out helping a patroller with that section of terrain. (It’s located about halfway up the ridgeline to Highland Peak.) 

The Ute Mountaineer’s Bob Ward favors the lines just to skier’s left of White Kitchen, a little farther up the ridge. He used to skip that terrain in favor of a summit push, but discovered while bootpacking that “there’s some really great stuff…if you pop off before you get to the top.” 

Both Albrecht and Ward also appreciate the trees in the “G’s”—that’s the section located skier’s right of Highland Peak. 

And from Molly Glassman, a bootpacker since 2022: “Ozone will forever be my favorite run.… It’s straight down the middle and pretty steep and long—sustained steep, for so long.” She adds, “I’d say any day in the bowl is a good day.”