no longer birding access to Snowmass (Pitkin Co)?

[Wim van Dam]

I'm visiting Aspen and today I wanted to get to the Snowmass hotspot to try for X Rosy-Finches. Annoyingly enough once I got to Snowmass base I was told that non skiers/snowboarders can no longer take the lift to Sam's Knob or Elk Camp. The foot passenger ticket is now only valid for the gondola, which is not very useful birding-wise. Apparently this is a new rule and I'm posting this so that others can be aware of this.

With the Snowmass option blocked, are there any other options left for non-skiing birders to get Rosy Finches in the Aspen/Snowmass area?

Thanks.

Wim van Dam
Solvang, CA