THE FACTS ABOUT THE BRAND BUILDING

USA Aspen

Gucci, Louis Vuitton and others maintain their western outposts at street level in Aspen's The Brand Building. Few window-shoppers realise that one floor above lies the resort's most discreet accommodation, accessed via a door without a sign. This warren of impeccably decorated apartments belongs to Harley Baldwin, owner of Aspen's Caribou Club. The best of the six properties is the two-bedroom Silver Queen, a sort of Manhattan loft but with better views. Its living room, a white space with 2.5-metre-high windows, is big enough to throw a party for 50 and serves as a showpiece for the eclectic taste of the Baldwin Gallery downstairs: there is an Indonesian gamelan and a Burmese spirit house, plus Mexican ceramics and Turkish kilims. Furnishings include a welcoming sofa, club chairs with overripe arms and a gas fire; and there's enough track lighting to create a hundred moods. The kitchen is fully fitted, but it's used more by caterers than residents. On the same floor is a tastefully decorated bedroom with en-suite bathroom; but the real show begins with the ascent of a wide, steel staircase to the balcony, which wraps around two sides of the living room. French windows lead into the second bedroom, which has five windows set high in the wall affording a private view of Aspen Mountain. Among its other delights are a decadent divan and a marble bathroom. The rent of the apartments includes membership of the Caribou Club, down in the basement, where it's possible to cavort with the likes of Donald Trump, Cindy Crawford and Kevin Costner. CONTACT The Brand Building (00 1 970 920 1800; fax: 920 3602; www.snowmass.com). Silver Queen from $1,000 per night; one-bedrooms such as Cascade from $430 per night THE SKIING Aspen has four mountains connected via a free and efficient shuttle-bus system. In town, Aspen Mountain (affectionately known as 'Ajax' by the locals) is relatively small but has enough steep faces and cruising runs for a couple of days' good skiing. Just outside town, Buttermilk Mountain offers excellent beginners' terrain, while Aspen Highlands - a ski area that never sees lift queues - mixes long, groomed runs and steep, bumpy faces. Snowmass Mountain, a 20-minute drive away, is the biggest of the ski areas and the best in terms of overall terrain variety.