LR45 ON VISUAL APCH TO RWY 15 AT ASE ENCOUNTERED CONFLICT WITH DEP FROM RWY 33 AND CIRCLED TO AVOID.

Narrative

WE WERE BEING VECTORED FOR THE VISUAL APCH AT ASPEN (ASE). ONCE WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT; WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL TO RWY 15 AND SWITCHED OVER TO TWR. WE WERE MAKING A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 15 COMING FROM THE E. ON APPROX A 4 MI FINAL; THE TWR INSTRUCTED US TO 'SLOW TO OUR MINIMUM APCH SPD AND LINE UP WITH THE CTRLINE OF RWY 15' SO WE PROCEEDED TO FLY FURTHER W TO LINE UP SINCE WE WERE JUST E OF CTRLINE. RIGHT AFTER WE ACKNOWLEDGED THE TWR'S XMISSION; THE TWR CLRED ANOTHER ACFT FOR TKOF ON RWY 33. AT THIS POINT; THE COPLT AND I AGREED THAT GIVEN OUR CURRENT RATE OF DSCNT AND SPD; THERE WAS NO WAY TO LAND ON RWY 15 WITHOUT BEING IN CONFLICT WITH THE ACFT TAKING OFF ON RWY 33. BEFORE WE COULD CONTACT THE TWR BACK; THE TWR INSTRUCTED US TO MAKE AN S-TURN TO THE W. THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE DUE TO THE TERRAIN. WE TOLD THE TWR WE WERE UNABLE TO PERFORM THIS MANEUVER; AND TURNED L TOWARDS BETTER TERRAIN AND AWAY FROM THE DEPARTING ACFT AND DID A CIRCLING APCH BACK TO RWY 15. AFTER LNDG; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CALL THE TWR AND TALK TO THE SUPVR. THE SUPVR SAID THAT HE WANTED TO JUST LET US KNOW HOW OPS ARE PERFORMED IN AND OUT OF ASPEN. HE ALSO SAID THE TWR SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE PROACTIVE IN LETTING US KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED US TO DO. AS PLTS FLYING; WE ALSO SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE PROACTIVE AND ASSERTIVE IN QUESTIONING THE TWR'S DECISION OF LETTING THE ACFT TAKE OFF TOWARDS US. SINCE ASPEN IS SO BUSY DURING THE WINTER MONTHS; THERE PROBABLY SHOULD BE SOMETHING PUBLISHED TO LET CREWS KNOW AHEAD OF TIME WHAT KIND OF ARR AND DEP OPS THE TWR EXPECTS.