At Aspen Highlands, ski the steeps, then break for a dance party

Have fun indoors and out at this Colorado resort.

I’m not exactly sure how things have gone from schussing down the snowy boulevards of Aspen Highlands to dancing in ski boots while Champagne drips on my head, but they have — and through no fault of my own, honestly.

One moment I was white knuckling my way down some double black runs off the Temerity Lift, the next I was reporting for late lunch reservations at Cloud Nine, an on-mountain, sit-down restaurant. I unbuckled my ski boots to give my toes a break, took off my crash helmet and settled in for a European-style feast of fondue and veal schnitzel, all laid out on a white linen tablecloth.

Not long after I took my last bite, the music got loud. Then the 20-somethings the next table over ordered a roughly $100 bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne.

And then they shook it up and sprayed it all over one another, as fun. and Pitbull blasted in the background.

By the time it was over, dozens of people wearing ski boots were twisting and twirling on tabletops at this cozy, snow-covered cabin in the woods, and so many bottles of bubbly had been shaken and uncorked (20? 25? 30?) that Champagne was dripping from the ceiling and trickling down the back of my neck.

I thought Aspen Ski Resort was famous for excess. It turns out neighboring Aspen Highlands knows how to go overboard, too.

That said, lunch at Cloud Nine is a sight to behold — once. After that it becomes a little disturbing, in the “Do you really have to waste good champagne to look cool and have fun?” sort of way. (Things are more civilized at dinner, I hear, when platters of elk ragout with lingonberries and creme fraiche, pheasant sausages wrapped in pancetta and Colorado lamb chops fly out of the kitchen.)

Confident skiers should put Aspen Highlands on their to-do lists even if they don’t like Champagne in their hair. More than half the resort’s terrain is black or double black diamond (code word for expert terrain only), though, so if moguls and steeps turn your legs to jelly, head to nearby Buttermilk instead.

At Aspen Highlands, the locals especially love to rip down Highland Bowl, which tops out at 12,392 feet, and dip in and out of the trees in the Temerity and Steeplechase sections. Everyone loves the views of the Maroon Bells, the twin peaks in the Elk Mountains. There’s lots to explore here — 122 trails spread over 1,040 acres.

Even if you’re not an expert skier, you can still ski Highlands top to bottom on intermediate runs. And when you’ve done it, you can toast your accomplishment with a glass of bubbles.

CHRIS LEBLANC / AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN The lunch crowd dances on tabletops while wearing ski boots during a typical day at the on-mountain restaurant at Aspen Highlands.