Aspen Mountain (often called by its former name of Ajax among locals) is a ski area located in Pitkin County, Colorado just outside and above the city of Aspen. It is situated on the north flank of Aspen Mountain (for which it is named) and the higher Bell Mountain, elevation 11,212 ft (3418 m) just to the south of Aspen Mountain. It was founded in 1946 as the first ski area venture of the Aspen Skiing Company founded by Walter Paepcke, and today it is one of four adjacent ski areas operated by the company as part of the Aspen/Snowmass complex. At only 673 acres (2.7 km²), it is somewhat small compared to other ski areas, especially compared to the much larger nearby Snowmass ski area, and retains a unique cultural flavor that hearkens to the earlier days of recreational skiing in the stat