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Uphillers need to cool their heels this week at Highlands, Tiehack

Temporary closures in place as Skico preps slopes

Staff report
Three friends skin up Tiehack before opening day of Buttermilk in Aspen on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. Uphill access will be closed as the mountain prepares to open on Dec. 18. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)

Aspen Skiing Co. will temporarily close Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk/Tiehack to uphilling on some days this week as it prepares the ski areas for their official opening Friday.

Tiehack is closed Tuesday through Thursday for all uphilling.

“We will be using the winch cat to prep that side of the hill,” Katie Ertl, Skico senior vice president of mountain operations, said in a recent email to people who signed up for a specific newsletter on uphilling issues.



Buttermilk was closed Monday only but it reopened starting Tuesday.

Aspen Highlands will be closed to all uphilling Wednesday and Thursday this week. Highlands was a powder-lover’s dream Sunday. Scores, if not hundreds, of people took advantage of the closed terrain, put on skins and slogged up the slopes.




“Starting Friday the 18th, both resorts will be open for downhill skiing/riding as well as uphill traffic on designated routes during operating hours,” Ertl’s email said.

Tiehack and Buttermilk are open throughout operating hours on designated routes. At Highlands, uphillers can skin up to the Merry-Go-Round restaurant on the designated route at any time during operating hours. Uphillers going higher than the restaurant must be at the Merry-Go-Round by 8:30 a.m.

Aspen Mountain’s regular uphill rules apply — uphillers must be at the Sundeck by 9 a.m. At Snowmass, the four designated uphill routes are open throughout hours of operation.

Full rules can be found at https://www.aspensnowmass.com/policies/uphill-policy.

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