Ski · Buttermilk
Buttermilk
Where most of Aspen learns to ski, and where the X Games happen every January. How families and first-timers get the most from it.
Where most of Aspen learns to ski, and where the X Games happen every January. How families and first-timers get the most from it.
Buttermilk opens December 12, 2026 and closes April 4, 2027. It is the gentlest of the four mountains: 435 acres, 2,030 feet of vertical and a 9,900-foot summit, with a free beginner lift (Panda Peak), a learning centre for children, the X Games terrain parks, and free parking in winter.
Dates and features are from Aspen Snowmass, checked September 2026; acreage and vertical from the ski area's published figures.
Paul Montiel · Aspen · Updated September 2026
We book the lessons, fit rentals at the house the night before, and a sitter for the little ones who aren't in ski school. Tell us the ages.
A free chairlift at the base for young skiers and first-timers, so the first day doesn't need a full lift ticket.
A dedicated learning centre for children, with Fort Frog and terrain built for the first turns.
Child, teen and adult lessons; ski school from age 2½. See learning to ski in Aspen and skiing with kids.
Buttermilk hosts the X Games each January, and its parks are open to everyone the rest of the season, for beginners and pros alike. Event details in X Games Aspen.
At the summit: Asian dishes, uphill breakfasts and views of Pyramid Peak. Skiers only.
At the base lodge: heated seating, cocktails and a DJ on Saturdays; easy after a lesson day.
The Tiehack side is open for uphill hiking, snowshoeing and skinning at set hours; a popular sunrise outing. See uphill skiing in Aspen.
December 12, 2026, closing April 4, 2027.
Yes. It is the gentlest of Aspen's four mountains, with a free beginner lift (Panda Peak) and The Hideout learning centre for children.
Yes, in winter. The lot fills early on busy days.
At Buttermilk, each January.
435 acres with 2,030 feet of vertical and a 9,900-foot summit.
Lessons booked, rentals fitted at the house, a driver to the base, and the evenings planned around tired children.
We find and brief a nanny or babysitter for the days the little ones aren't in ski school, or the evenings you go out: at the house, the same person all week if you like.
A private lesson matched to the skier and the mountain.
Fitted at the residence, not in a shop queue.
From Aspen's airport to the door in a private SUV, timed to your actual landing.
Lessons, rentals fitted at the house, lunches, and a quiet evening for the parents.
From the aircraft door to a warm, stocked house, with nothing to carry and nothing to chase.
A birthday or anniversary at the residence: the table, the chef, the flowers and a photographer.
Aspen Snowmass: Buttermilk · Aspen Snowmass: parking · Buttermilk (ski area) — checked September 29, 2026.
Tell us who's learning and your dates. We'll book the lessons and make the rest of the week easy.
Plan the week
