Small but Mighty

Buttermilk celebrates its 50 year anniversary

No identity crisis here: Hitting the big five-oh this year, Buttermilk Mountain marks half a century of surprises.

From X Games champions to never-ever snowplowers, the Milk celebrates diversity. Oh, and did author KELLY J. HAYES mention the best secret, the all-day powder shots on Tiehack? Whoops, never mind.

It’s a crystal clear December morning as I climb onto the Upper Tiehack chairlift. Close to eight inches of freshly fallen snow blankets the undulating curves of the slopes below as I settle in for the leisurely 12-minute journey to the top of Buttermilk Mountain. No one is in front of me, and no one is behind. I am alone in a powder paradise.

Say “I’m going to Buttermilk” on a powder day in this town and you’re not likely to get many props from hard-core ski junkies. After all, they’re more likely to be jostling in line at the gondy or clamoring to climb the Bowl than taking the slow ride to the more modest vertical at Buttermilk. But while “the Milk,” as it has come to be known, may not be the steepest, the tallest, or the most popular of Aspen’s four ski mountains, it is certainly the most versatile and, for many, including this powder hound, a favorite in the collection.

Buttermilk recently reached AARP eligibility as it officially celebrated its 50th anniversary January 11. A Pfister and a Pfeifer—that would be Aspen pioneer Art Pfister and ski instructing legend Friedl Pfeifer—figured the small bump of a hill just outside of town would be the perfect place to teach skiing to people who might be intimidated by the steeps of Aspen Mountain.

Why the odd name? Legend goes that one of the loggers (known as tiehacks) who cut railroad ties from the sloping forests brought along a pail of buttermilk every day for lunch. So the mountain was dubbed Buttermilk, with the area to the east known as Tiehack.

The irony is that, while it remains one of the great places to learn to ski, the mountain has morphed into an icon for Generations X, Y, and Z. With the advent of snowboarding and the arrival in 2002 of the X Games, mild-mannered Buttermilk became the hottest destination on the planet for Flying Finns, Crazy Canucks, and gearhead Californians who flip, twist, and hip-hop under the lights each January.

As I get to the top of Tiehack, the sun casts a shadow from the summit of Highlands onto the peaked monolith they call Pyramid. I nod to Telio Cerise, who is perched in the lift shack, just as he has been for the past 45 winters. He tips his hat in welcome. I gaze at what I consider to be the Valley’s most spectacular view. In the distance, on Highlands, I can see an army of black specks climbing the ridge to the Bowl. In solitary silence, I begin my powdery descent down Racers Edge.

Before there was a halfpipe, before there was an X Games, the eastern edge of Buttermilk provided thrills, chills, and spills for racers who came from all over the West to test their mettle. The thrilling downhill course on Racers Edge, with its steep double fall line, and the adjacent Javelin, which is a perfect setup for slalom, have long been proving grounds for aspiring speed freaks, runs where skiers could learn to conquer fears and hone their craft.

Scott Nichols, race director for the Aspen Skiing Company, gets fired up when talking about setting a course on Racers Edge. “It is a classic giant slalom and downhill layout. The rollers, the flats, the steeps—it has it all. The Rocky Mountain Masters [a group of die-hard ex-pros and Olympic racers] are here every winter, and they consider it their Hannenkamm.”

In fact, facing fear and honing skills is the raison d’être for Buttermilk. It is, at its heart, a teaching mountain with gentle slopes, easy-to-access terrain, and a forgiving ski school staff. Buttermilk may have hosted more “breakthroughs on skis” (to borrow a Lito Tejada-Flores phrase) than any other mountain in America.

The ski school offerings at Buttermilk start ’em early with Cubs on Skis for kids aged two and a half; then it’s on to Powder Pandas for those three-year-olds who can claim they are potty-trained. But even grown-up never-evers are welcomed on the slopes and into the school at the Milk.

[ital]By 10:30, my quads burn from 10 top-to-bottoms on Tiehack—all first tracks in new pow. I cruise down to the terrain park to watch the experts and the groms try to hit 180s, 360s, and 1080s before I warm up with a traditional cup of Henrietta’s hot cocoa at Bumps.

Imagine playing 18 holes at Augusta, sailing in the America’s Cup at Newport, or volleying on center court at Wimbledon. For snowboarders, that’s exactly the experience they get riding the pipe at the Milk. The X Games have become the largest and most prestigious annual winter sports event in America. Not only do the crowds dwarf those of more established ski and snowboard races, but high television ratings ensure that Buttermilk is the most viewed ski mountain in the country.

Chris Stiepock, executive producer for the X Games on ESPN, says Buttermilk is the perfect venue. “It has a natural amphitheater that allows us to have four different competition courses—race, freestyle, pipe, and snowmobile—all visible from the base. You can comb the country looking for a resort that can allow for that, and you'll have a tough time finding it.” The result is that the little teaching hill just outside of town is now ground zero for all sorts of alternative snowsports.

Yankee Stadium of the winter, if you will.

I leave Bumps warmer for the visit and ride the high-speed Summit Express to the top. It’s fast, for sure, but there is just something special, something old-school, about the molasses-slow Upper Tiehack lift. Another run, maybe two, and I’m done.

Who needs props?