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Buttermilk Mountain ends ski season with bacon and a bang

Erica Robbie
The Aspen Times
Watch local bartenders compete to create the best bacon inspired cocktail at the Bacon Appreciation Day bartender's brawl at Bumps restaurant Sunday from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Jeremy Swanson/Courtesy photo |

NAVIGATING BACON APPRECIATION DAY:

• Post-uphill race while supplies last:

Bacon and waffles, Cliffhouse restaurant

• 9:30 a.m. while supplies last:

Sweet ColoraDough bacon flavored donuts, base area

• 10:30 a.m. while supplies last:

Bacon wrapped scallops at Patrol Headquarters, top of Summit Express

jalapeño flavored bacon, bottom of Tiehack chairlift

Applewood smoked bacon, top of West Buttermilk

Canadian bacon with maple syrup, No Problem Cabin

Peppered bacon, bottom of the Summit Express

• 2:30 while supplies last:

Bacon caramel kettle, base area

Bacon brie, base area

IF YOU GO...

What: Buttermilk Mountain closing day/Bacon Appreciation Day

When: Sunday, April 3; 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Where: Buttermilk Mountain

Cost: Bacon items are free while supplies last. There are costs for lunches, happy hour and the bartender’s brawl

For more information: contact Aspen Skiing Company at 970-925-1220

If you’re planning to hit Buttermilk Mountain on Sunday solely to score some free bacon, don’t worry — you aren’t alone, and you aren’t offending Buttermilk Mountain Manager Susan Cross.

“We have people that come here on closing day that never ever ski at Buttermilk,” Cross said. “It’s a joint celebration, but they’re basically coming for free bacon.”

And Cross isn’t exaggerating, as numbers from Aspen Skiing Co. prove.



In 2015, Buttermilk Mountain saw more than double its number of visitors on closing day — jumping from an average 800 people on the hill each day to about 2,000 visitors, according to Rich Burkley, Skico vice president of mountain operations.

This year’s Bacon Appreciation Day will kick off at the base of Buttermilk at 7:30 a.m. with an uphill race to Cliffhouse restaurant, where bacon and waffles will be served until they run out, Cross said.




Guests also may munch on bacon-flavored donuts in the base area from local bakeshop Sweet ColoraDough beginning at around 9:30 a.m.

From 10:30 a.m. until there’s no more bacon, five bacon stations throughout the mountain will serve savory bacon samples, from bacon-wrapped scallops to jalapeno-flavored bacon.

To find out where and when to score which types of bacon samples throughout the day, see factbox to the left.

From 2:30 to 4 p.m., children’s activities — complete with bacon caramel popcorn, bacon brie, s’mores by the campfire and a hula-hooping session — will take place in the plaza.

“A lot of our guests are beginner to beginner-intermediate and kids learning to ski because of the learning terrain,” Cross said. “Even though we get people from all walks of life, our focus is family-oriented.”

For more adult fun, see local bartenders compete to create the best bacon-inspired cocktail at the bartender’s brawl from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Bumps restaurant.

Tickets to sample every bartender’s drink are $15 and will go on sale Sunday at 1 p.m.

erobbie@aspentimes.com