Buttermilk

Buttermilk is the smallest of the four Aspen/Snowmass resorts and the family-oriented area of the bunch. The resort enjoys many traits common to the other Aspen mountains, including high-speed lifts, fancy lodges, and high-quality snow. But there’s a reason why smaller, beginner-centric mountains don’t make for enjoyable destination vacations, and Buttermilk falls victim to many of the shortcomings typical of these areas.

Compared to other destination Colorado ski resorts, Buttermilk’s terrain can best be described as bland. The overwhelming majority of the mountain comprises similar-feeling below-treeline terrain. The paltry 2,000’ vertical drop means that essentially every non-bunny-hill run spans the entire mountain. The mountain just doesn’t feel all that special, although the summit boasts remarkable views of some nearby peaks, including neighboring Aspen Highlands.

As a family-friendly mountain, Buttermilk’s green terrain is arguably the bread and butter of its footprint. True beginners will start out at Panda Hill, a bunny hill slope with dedicated learning terrain. From there, visitors can progress to the West Buttermilk area, which hosts the best beginner pod at the resort and the majority of the mountain’s green runs.

That being said, beginner terrain in other mountain areas is surprisingly limited. While every resort area provides a beginner way down, there’s only one green route to get down the Tiehack and main face areas: the long, windy Homestead Road trail. About two-thirds of the way down, the green Oregon Trail splits off to Tiehack while Homestead Road continues down to the main base. Oregon Trail is a long, flat traverse that requires catwalking; this trek is unenjoyable for everyone, and it’s certainly not a good idea for inexperienced beginners.

Buttermilk contains more intermediate terrain than that of any other category. However, the resort’s blue terrain doesn’t exactly stand out; essentially all of it is below-treeline cruising terrain with moderately interesting views. Some cool glades can be found across the West Buttermilk and Tiehack areas.

For advanced and better skiers, Buttermilk is a complete waste of time compared to Aspen’s other mountains. Some bumpy terrain exists, but it’s relatively mellow in pitch. Despite in all likelihood being rated by the same management, Buttermilk’s blacks are more comparable to blues at the other three resorts.

While its physical terrain may fall short, Buttermilk stands out in one key area: its freestyle experience. The resort offers the best terrain park setup of all four Aspen mountains, with zones for all ability levels. Buttermilk’s small and medium parks include diverse features designed with progression in mind. However, the resort is best known for its top-notch large and extra-large features, which includes intimidatingly large jumps as well as a 25-foot halfpipe. These features are home to some of the biggest freestyle competitions in the world, including the Winter X Games. One thing to note—due to these commercial events, some of Buttermilk’s best freestyle features remain closed to the public through at least mid-February.

You might expect that given its smaller size and less diverse terrain than the other Aspen areas, Buttermilk wouldn’t attract many crowds. However, the lift logistics make for a few issues. With the exception of the bunny hill, every area is serviced only by a single high-speed quad. As a result, while there may be fewer people on the mountain—and rides are quick and comfortable when everything is going right—chokepoints can occur with no redundant alternatives for getting up the slopes. Given the resort’s top-down layout, where the three key lifts reach similar summits but sit at three distinct bases, this often means you can’t assess the crowds until you get to the bottom—and then you’re forced to wait in however long the line is. One trick—the West Buttermilk Express lift has two loading points: a base station and a mid-load area. The mid-load station tends to attract more beginners, so in the event of long lines there, it’s often faster to ski down to the bottom.

At least if you get stuck at one of the bases, every resort low-point has a lodge to go in and warm up—although the ones outside the main base don’t serve food. The resort also features a warming hut at the top of West Buttermilk and a summit restaurant.

Lodging

Buttermilk is a few miles away from the town of Aspen, but the mountain features one upscale hotel directly on-site: the Inn at Aspen by Vacasa. The Inn offers ski-in/ski-out access to the resort and features amenities such as a slopeside pool and hot tub.

A much wider variety of hotels, condos, and home rentals can be found in Aspen proper. As one might expect from such a high-end town, every accommodation is at least somewhat pricey.

Unlike the other Aspen resorts, Buttermilk actually offers some free parking at the main base. However, convenient spots are very limited and fill up fast each morning; when that happens, an overflow lot with shuttle buses is also available.

Apres-ski

As a family-oriented mountain, Buttermilk delivers a less vibrant aprés-ski scene than the other Aspen resorts directly on-site. However, a wide variety of activities can be found a short drive away in Aspen proper. Just about everything exists in town, including bars ranging from casual to lively, clubs with live music, and fancy restaurants.

Verdict

So if you’re a beginner or freestyle enthusiast, Buttermilk isn’t a bad place to be for a day or two. But if you’re intermediate or better, the best thing about Buttermilk is how close it is to the other Aspen mountains. Buttermilk is on the regular Aspen/Snowmass ticket, meaning you don’t get any price discount for the mountain’s smaller, less interesting footprint. Ultimately, this mountain’s notability comes chiefly from the Aspen brand name, and on its own, it isn’t worth planning a destination vacation to.