Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a familiar ski venue to younger riders as a host site for several of ESPN's Winter X Games. The ski area has a strong reputation outside of that as one of the winter venues near Aspen, Colorado.

Those flying in can use one of several airlines to reach the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, located just five minutes from the resort. International travelers might find it easier to fly into Denver International Airport and secure ground transportation up the I-70 corridor to Aspen. Motorists will note that Colorado Highway 82 provides a direct connection to Interstate 70 and Aspen/Snowmass.

Beginners Welcome

The Aspen/Snowmass area is known for lots of challenging terrains. While Buttermilk can provide plenty of advanced skiing, it has a reputation for offering more beginner-friendly terrain than other venues in the area. Roughly 35-percent of the mountain rates as green for beginners and another 39-percent is rated blue for intermediate terrain.

What remains would classify as black diamond (just over 20-percent) and double diamond. That lets the serious rippers and shredders stay busy while more casual skiing and snowboarding trails run across the east and west summits.

The Buttermilk ski area has over 40 trails to choose from, with the longest reaching about three miles in length. These trails are spaced evenly across the resort's 470 acres, giving plenty of space for guests and increasing the relaxed atmosphere here.

More serious adventures abound, however, as the resort allows uphilling. That includes skinning and snowshoeing on designated routes. Guests looking to uphill ski should prepare for temporary closures if dangerous conditions develop on the designated paths. Designated routes include Main, Tiehack, and West.

That said, Buttermilk has a reputation as one of the better beginner mountains in the country, including the "Hideout," an integrated ski school for young children (2.5 to 6-years-old).

Three-In-One

The Buttermilk ski area breaks down into three distinct areas referred to as Main (regular skiing), Tiehack (most difficult), and West (easy skiing). Its base elevation is 7,870 feet and reaches a summit at 9,900 feet. A 2,030-foot vertical drop offers plenty of potentials, no matter what the trail rates.

Sitting among the Rocky Mountains, it should be no surprise that the ski area receives 200 inches of snowfall annually. The Buttermilk ski area does have an extensive snowmaking system in place to boost what Mother Nature gives. Of the 470 acres, over 100 acres have snowmaking capabilities.

International tourists, ski bums, and local park rats move around Buttermilk using the eight lifts. These include one double and three high-speed quads. There are also four lifts dedicated to the ski and snowboarding school areas, which increases the resort's uphill capacity to 6,900 guests per hour.

The Buttermilk experience also includes a couple of terrain parks and a super-pipe. These let rippers and shredders practice landing a sick trick or take on natural and enhanced terrain features geared towards their experience level. Go from the beginner park to Crazy T'rain Park or the X Games super-pipe.