Gentle Buttermilk Lays Out A Soft Alternative To Aspen's Steeps
Much is made of all the expert terrain at the Aspen-Snowmass complex, but the newbies and the leisure set can find plenty of manageable terrain at Buttermilk -- plus, arguably, the best terrain park in the nation.
Opened in 1958 as a counterpoint to the steeps (no novice trails!) at Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk (470 a., 2,030 vert.) lives up to its name with primarily gentle, smooth runs aimed for the less adventurous. Only five runs get double-diamond ratings, while the vast majority (74%) are green and blue.
Skibum.org say Buttermilk is "arguably the best beginner/developing intermediate mountain in the country." And, Powderhounds.com adds this: "Buttermilk Ski Resort has a very relaxed environment and is an unintimidating place for kids or adults to learn to ski or snowboard, and the terrain has nice steps for progression."
High praise for a collection of 44 named slopes and trails that is in the lap in front of Aspen's three other larger resorts. Its summit, at 9,900 feet, is more than a thousand feet lower than its neighbors so, when the weather gnarly up above, Buttermilk provides welcome shelter.
The routes of the lifts have been the same since 1967: A main bottom-to-top route up the middle of the mountain, two upper mountain lifts on either side of the summit, and a short beginner one at the base. All three upper chairs are high-speed quads.
Those skiers and riders just getting comfortable with the sport should head skier's left off the top to the West Buttermilk area. There they will find a cluster of green runs -- Larkspur, Westward Ho, Blue Grouse -- and the extensive Red's Rover terrain Park. The detachable quad West Buttermilk Express has a mid-station for the more timid. At the end of the day, Homestead Road winds down the front side for an easy ride to the bottom.
The mountain's best wide-open blue groomers gather between frontside quads to skier's right in the Tiehack area. Buckskin, Sterner Gulch, Magic Carpet and Ptarmigan all beckon the carvers among us all. A nine-minute ride up the Tiehack Express gives legs a chance to rest between runs.
All the black runs on the hill cluster to skier's right of the Tiehack Express. Klaus Way marks the ski area boundary on the ridge, and a half-dozen chute and glade runs plunge off of it.
Buttermilk is one of the nation's top freestyle competition venues. The half-pipe dominates the lower mountain, as several high-end terrain venues that have hosted the X Games as well as a World Cup stop for half-pipe, slopestyle and big-air events.
All parking at Buttermilk is free, including a small lot at the base of Tiehack. A comprehensive shuttle system serves all four mountains, based in the Brush Creek lot below Snowmass. Parking at any of the base areas will cost and may have time limits.
Aspen Snowmass issues a single day or season ticket for all four resorts. The Ikon Pass gives seven days' access, while Mountain Collective is good for two free days -- and half off subsequent days.
