Buttermilk Main closes ‘while we wait for the next storm’
The Aspen Times
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Aspen Skiing Company announced on Christmas that it has closed a portion of Buttermilk ski area “while we wait for the next storm,” according to an announcement published on its website.
In the announcement, SkiCo tells visitors that Buttermilk Main — which consists of mostly intermediate skiing off of the Summit Express — is closed, after having been open since the ski resort opened for the season on Dec. 13.
“Mother Nature has given us a tough start on the upper mountain where Buttermilk does not have snowmaking and relies on natural snowfall,” Sara Roston, VP of Corporate Communications at Aspen One, said. “Recent warm temperatures and limited natural snow at higher elevations led to the temporary closure of Buttermilk Main.”
This announcement comes on the heels of weeks without snow while snowpack in the area is near record-lows according to data from the National Weather Service. Snow Water Equivalent, a measure of the amount of water the snowpack contains, is currently in the 0th percentile, according to NWS data, in the Colorado Headwaters River Basin, which houses the Roaring Fork Valley.
That means that the Colorado Headwaters River Basin currently has a lower snow water equivalency than any other year, at this time, since the weather service began keeping data on the region in 1986.
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However, that does not mean there is no skiing to be had at Buttermilk. Skiers and riders can ride up Summit Express to access West Buttermilk, which is being kept open. But to get back down to the main Buttermilk parking lot, skiers will need to download Summit Express. Downhill skiing from the top of Buttermilk to the parking lots is prohibited.
“Mid-mountain and base-area terrain — where we do have snowmaking — continues to have good coverage,” Roston said. “We’re optimistic about improvement with incoming cold temperatures and a storm system expected this weekend.”
West Buttermilk, Panda Peak, the magic carpets, and the handle tow in the base area all remain open. Tiehack remains closed according to Buttermilk’s lift status webpage.
As of Friday, there was snow projected in the Buttermilk area on Sunday.
