Day one of my Aspen alpine adventure, and who should be behind me in the queue to rent skis but Hollywood movie star Gwyneth Paltrow. From the moment you touch down at Aspen airport, flying between the craggy Rocky Mountains in a spectacular descent, it is obvious you have arrived in a playground of the rich and famous. So many private jets land at the quaint little airport that serves America’s premier ski location, sometimes they are not just parked wing-to-wing but nose-to-nose to pack more in.

However, early impressions can often be misleading. Although it sometimes feels as if the bling sparkles just as much as the snow – locals sometimes call Aspen Mountain the ‘glitter dome’ because of its glamorous clientele – this beautiful ski resort is endearingly down to earth. It turns out the mountains are a great leveller, and it’s easy to feel a sense of instant belonging here, whether you are a member of the jet-set or a family skiing for the first time. As if to prove the point, I run into Gwyneth Paltrow again later in the day, lining up for lunch at a cafeteria on top of the mountain – no make-up, no airs and graces.

Aspen is famed for some of the best skiing in the world, but while its steeper slopes are challenging for Olympic downhillers, it has acres of snowfields that are perfect for first timers and intermediate skiers. One single lift ticket gains access to four ski resorts, all of which have distinct personalities. Aspen Mountain, with slopes that converge on the town itself, is the sparkling jewel in the crown. Highlands is favoured by locals, partly because of its uncrowded runs, while Snowmass is known for its intermediate blue runs. Buttermilk, where a third of the slopes are for beginners, is renowned for its ski school, and considered one of the best mountains in North America to learn.

Slaloming across this quartet of resorts are so many trails – in all, there’s more than 500km of skiable terrain – you never have to ski the same mountain twice. All of the skiing areas offer spectacular vistas of the Rocky Mountains, with its jagged skyline and snow-covered ferns. And all of them boast mountaintop restaurants and bars with a rooftop-of-the-world wow factor. Sometimes you will find yourself skiing next to a fashionista in a $4000 Fendi jumpsuit. On other occasions, it will be a bearded young hipster whizzing by on a snowboard. Then there are the locals, who’ll tell you stories about how one member of the Aspen party set once sprayed $25,000 worth of champagne at Cloud Nine, one of the more exclusive mountain-top bars, or talk about the moose, bears, mountain lions, coyotes, racoons and foxes that share this glorious landscape. Whether a party-goer or a nature-lover, whether a ski pro or a complete novice, Aspen truly has it all.

Even without its alpine setting, almost adjacent to America’s great Continental Divide, this former silver mining settlement would be listed among the most charming towns in America. Its redbrick heritage buildings have a Norman Rockwell feel, and are not just the home to upscale retail stores such as Dior, Valentino, Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren, but local shops full of character.

Aspen is almost as much a foodie haven as a ski heaven, and it also has a lively arts scene. It’s the home to a small 19th-century opera house, a stunning contemporary art gallery and an annual Ideas Festival, which has burnished its reputation as a cultural hub. Australians, who comprise Aspen’s biggest overseas tourist market, will feel at home. There’s a rugby pitch in the middle of town, and an Aussie cafe selling flat whites and caramel slices right over the road.

It’s easy to see why the late singer John Denver not only settled here, but wrote two love songs to his adopted home. He called Aspen his “sweet Rocky Mountain paradise”.