Park and play

Seems like the next great thing in ski town real estate is not a place to park your butt for the night, but a place to park your wheels. That’s right: we’re talking parking spaces.

“If you don’t own a condo in the central core of town, it can be very convenient to have a parking spot close to everything,” Hank Carter, an Aspen realtor told The Denver Post. “During the Fourth of July here, it is so crowded. But with a covered spot, you can drive and park, no muss or fuss.”

Carter recently worked with a buyer in Aspen who bought a covered parking spot listed for $415,000. Hey, it was enclosed and only one block to Aspen Mountain’s base area. And did we mention the elevator access and storage space?

According to the Post, the priciest parking spots are those with access to skiing in ritzy resorts where housing costs are the most expensive (we’re looking at you, Telluride). The spaces are typically in condominium buildings where they are sold individually like a home, depending on HOA rules.

And speaking of Telluride, the Madeline Hotel in Mountain Village announced its new Crest Club in late 2024. The $250,000 lifetime membership (not including annual dues) could be a bargain, of sorts, since it includes parking at the swanky slopeside resort  where typically a single parking spot can set you back $185,000.

But for those fans of ski-in, ski-out with money but not steps to burn, we suppose this might be a good investment. “There is an abundance of free parking in the summer,” Madeline Hotel general manager Bryan Woody told the Post. “However, in the winter, with peak dates averaging 6,000-plus skiers on the mountain, parking becomes more scarce.” In addition, with the hotel’s valet, he estimates skiers can be car to slopes in under three minutes (if they are not afraid to drive in their ski boots, of course.)

Upstate at Beaver Creek, parking spots are also predictably fetching a pretty penny. In late 2024, a parking space in a garage sold for the asking price of $250,000.

Keep in mind that each of these real estate purchases also includes annual HOA fees and taxes that vary based on the location.

No word on whether sleeping in your car in said parking space is allowed. But we’re guessing car camping, no matter how stealthy, as well as brushing your teeth in the parking garage, is frowned upon.