Aspen Mountain Previews New Hand-Painted Trail Map

Earlier this week, Aspen Mountain, Colorado, revealed its new hand-painted trail map created by Rad Smith, the spiritual successor to legendary ski resort mapmaker James Niehus.

The new map was created to include Aspen Mountain's terrain expansion slated for opening this winter: Hero's.

Here's the lowdown on Smith's detail-oriented process.

The expansion's centerpiece is the titular Hero's chairlift, a high-speed quad that adds 153 acres of new terrain. To learn more about Hero's, click here.

With this video, Aspen acknowledges that Smith's process is more costly and time-consuming than digital techniques or artificial intelligence. Their willingness to work with Smith despite this fact is encouraging.

These days, the human touch is looking a bit beleaguered. AI tools, from illustration to writing, are having a moment. As a writer myself, it sometimes feels like the writing (no pun intended) is on the wall.

Yet, here comes Aspen with the announcement of a project that highlights lovingly crafted human handiwork. Good on them.

To borrow a line from the caption of this video: "A trail map is more than just a tool for navigating a mountain; it's an art piece that showcases the convergence between the natural beauty of our landscapes and the outdoor recreation in which we partake."

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