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Howling good time planned for uphillers at Tiehack for full wolf moon Jan. 12

Staff report
Skiers prepare to leave the Cliffhouse on top of Buttermilk after skinning up for the full moon on Jan. 23, 2016. The next full wolf moon will be Thursday.
Daniel Bayer/courtesy photo |

The second of four full moon dinners over the coarse of the ski season will be held at Buttermilk on Jan. 12 for people willing to walk or skin up.

Aspen Skiing Co. decided last season to take advantage of the uphilling phenomenon on full moon nights at Buttermilk. It started opening the Cliffhouse for dinner on the full moon nights. It’s building on the tradition this year with live music and dinner for the full moons in December, January, February and March.

This month’s event is destined to be crazy. It’s the full wolf moon. “Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon,” said the Farmers’ Almanac.



The Cliffhouse, the restaurant at the mountaintop, will open at 5 p.m. Free hot chocolate will be offered from 5 to 6 p.m. around a roaring fire at the Cowboy Cauldron. The band Resqwater will play through the evening on the outside deck. A la carte dinner specials, snacks and a cash bar will be offered inside. Ten percent of proceeds from sales by the Cliffhouse will go to Wilderness Workshop, the homegrown environmental organization.

While Skico welcomes uphillers, they must ascend the designated uphill route and descend a different designated route. The uphill route on Buttermilk is closed for the Winter X Games preparations.




Headlamps and reflective clothing are “strongly recommended” by Skico. Sledding is prohibited.

For uphillers with a more competitive approach, the Aspen Snowmass Skimo Series resumes Tuesday with the second race in a three-race series.

The race will be held at 7 a.m. at Aspen Highlands, with registration starting at 6 a.m. at Aspen Expeditions.

The race will be approximately one hour long. There will be a rec course and a competitive course. The courses will have at least one uphill section and one downhill section. The competitive course will have a mandatory bootpack section. All racers must wear a helmet.

The final race will be at Aspen Highlands on Feb. 7.

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