There's a reason they named the town after the trees. Autumn is when everyone breathes easier in the thin air, lingers longer on the footpaths and finally snares a parking space in front of the Gap. And this being Aspen, it's a time when the resort industry has become increasingly adept at keeping the tourists coming. During the past decade, Aspen and other Colorado ski resorts succeeded in boosting summer tourism to a level that almost rivals winter's. That left two off-seasons to exploit.
Spring is hopeless because it's cruel and sloppy, like a hangover from winter.
But autumn, when the weather holds, can be positioned as the sweet, short season that's long on bargains and scenery. Hotels lead the charge. Fall rates at the town's luxe lodgings are often less than half those in winter. Those promotions are most popular ''with people who can drive here from Utah or other parts of Colorado,'' says Diane Moore, head of the Aspen Chamber Resort Association. Typically, year-round, Aspen is full on the weekends, but in the fall it was in the midweek where you might need help.