The town of Aspen has a long and colorful history but is today best known as a premier ski destination. It was established in the 1880s as a mining village during the Colorado Silver Boom and revived as a vacation community in the 1950s. Hunter S. Thompson, a gonzo journalist who once ran for sheriff under the “Freak Power” banner, had lived there for a while. John Denver spent a large portion of his life in the area and composed the songs “Aspenglow” and “Starwood in Aspen,” both of which are about the town. Since then, Aspen has drawn some of the biggest movie, pop, and social media stars in the world, including Mariah Carey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Elton John, Katy Perry, and the Kardashian/Jenner family. These artists and others helped Aspen become popular with the youth counterculture of the 1970s.
Owing to limited space and ski slopes rated among the best in the world, Aspen real estate commands a premium. With a median home price of $9.5 million, it is the most expensive ski resort in the world and among the most expensive real estate markets overall.
The most expensive house ever sold in the affluent neighborhood would break the previous record of $72.5 million if a landmark ten-bedroom estate at the top of Little Nell Ski Run on Aspen Mountain receives its asking price of $100 million. The estate, one of just five residences on the mountain itself, offers full ski-in/ski-out access and is a snowbird’s paradise. Just a few hundred yards from the Aspen Mountain Gondola, the 14,000 square foot home is situated on a huge 1.4 acre site covered in aspen trees.
Built in 1979 and remodeled in 2015, the three-story home features a dark wood and stonework exterior with extensive outdoor decks to catch the gorgeous views. Built into the side of the scenic mountain, the home’s entry is connected to the rest of the house via an elevated bridge.
