Aspen, Colorado
Buttermilk built its 50-year legacy on wide-open and gently rolling trails that cater to beginners and families. Today it’s famous for hosting the ESPN Winter X Games through 2012 and being voted #1 by Transworld Snowboarding Magazine Reader’s Poll for best park. The 22-foot superpipe in the legendary terrain park does not disappoint, as many X Games winners, Olympians and up-and-comers can attest.
Season dates: December 15, 2012 - April 7, 2013
Location:
Within White River National Forest, 3 miles from Aspen, 6 miles
from Snowmass
Base elevation: 7,870 ft./2,399 m
Summit elevation: 9,900 ft./3,018 m
Vertical rise: 2,030 ft./619 m
Terrain: 470 acres/190 hectares
Number of trails: 44
Number of lifts: 8
Miles/km of trails: 21 miles/34 km
Longest run: 3 miles/4.83 km
Types of trails: easiest: 35%, more difficult: 39%, most difficult: 26%, expert: 0%
Parks and pipes: 2 terrain parks: Buttermilk Park has over 100 features including
a 22-foot superpipe and an X Games slopestyle course. For the beginner: Panda Pipe
and Ski & Snowboard Schools Park (S3 Park)
Lifts: 8: 3 high-speed quads, 1 double, 4 ski/snowboard school lifts
Lift hours: 9 am - 3:30 pm
Rental/Retail: Four-Mountain Sports at the base of the mountain
On-Mountain Restaurants: 2: Bumps and The Cliffhouse
HOW TO GET THERE:
Planes:
Aspen/Snowmass is accessible by two of the most convenient airports in the mountains – Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) (5 kilometers from Aspen) and Eagle County Airport (EGE) eaglecounty.us/airport) is about an hour and a half north of Aspen (112 kilometers from Aspen).
The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (aspenairport.com) is Aspen's regional airport, just five minutes from the resort area. Take a morning flight and be skiing by afternoon. Two airlines service the airport: United Express and American Airlines. United Express has direct flights to and from Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Chicago. American Airlines offers direct flights to and from Dallas/Ft. Worth, Los Angeles and Denver.
Private Jets:
Aspen is one of America's wealthiest towns and the epitome of American ski luxury. As such, many Aspen businesses cater to wealthy clientele. When it comes to travel, the town has several jet charter operations that can outfit you with private jets for your ski trip.
Transportation:
The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (rfta.com) provides free, daily transportation to Aspen and Snowmass from the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport. During the morning, afternoon and evening, the bus stops at the airport every 15 or 30 minutes. The RFTA also provides a ski bus that services all four Aspen-area resorts (Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass). Many Aspen hotels and resorts also offer free shuttles to and from the airport; inquire when making reservations.
Trains:
Amtrak Station in Glenwood Springs (45 miles, 72.4 kilometers from Aspen)