Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk Mountain will open for the season this Saturday with the majority of their inbounds terrain available, according to an announcement from the Aspen Skiing Company.
Buttermilk will have more than 300 acres ready for skiing and snowboarding this weekend, served by the Buttermilk Main, West Buttermilk and Panda Peak chairlifts. That’s about 64% of the resort’s total inbounds terrain.
The Tiehack lift won’t be spinning on opening day, but uphillers can still schlep up the mountain to access that terrain starting at 6 a.m. Saturday.
As is tradition, Buttermilk will bookend the ski season with treats served at multiple locations across the mountain. The season kicks off with “Chocolate Day” on Saturday, and ends with “Bacon Day” in the spring.
Over at Aspen Highlands, there could be more than 600 acres open Saturday, including the gated terrain of the Highland Bowl. That’s almost 60% of the ski area’s total offerings, with all five chairlifts running for opening day.
A pending snowstorm may impact when some terrain opens, though. With OpenSnow forecasting as much as 10 inches of fresh powder over the next several days at Highlands, crews may need to conduct snow safety and avalanche mitigation work on the steep, rocky slopes of the ski area’s extreme terrain.
