Aspen Snowmass proudly introduces The Hideout: a new children’s center at the base of Buttermilk, the ski company announced recently. The Hideout will offer an interactive and streamlined experience for guests with children from 2-12 years old. The 7,500-square-foot, $5-million facility will open in December and will improve the overall children’s ski school process for families and kids.
For years, Buttermilk has been the proving ground for novice skiers and riders who are learning to ski or snowboard. The Hideout will be an amazing new facility that will help introduce the next generation of athletes to winter sports. Intended to be a 'kids only' facility, The Hideout will have plenty of benefits for the entire family, but presented in a fun, inviting and child-friendly environment. This week, our blog team takes a closer look at The Hideout, courtesy of our friends at Aspen/Snowmass. According to those involved with the project, The Hideout with offer both inside and outside activities that are full of delight that will brighten spirits. “We are excited to be opening this innovative new facility for our guests,†Buttermilk Mountain Manager Susan Cross said in an Aspen/Snowmass press release. “The Hideout will foster the imagination of every child who visits, and seamlessly blend Buttermilk’s kid-friendly terrain with a variety of fun, indoor facilities centered on mountain adventure.†Dana Dalla Betta, project manager for the construction, said in a press release that The Hideout will have a unique look, but will be consistent with other facilities at Buttermilk. “The Hideout is intended to be a facility for ‘kids only’,†she said. “The building is designed for kids and made to feel like it was built over time by a child. It plays off the spirit of existing on-mountain structures like Fort Frog, a Wild West-style fort near the mountain’s summit.†According to Betta, the design is a blend of contemporary and campy, while providing nooks and special places throughout the space for children to hide. The building includes unique, custom designed play features such as a lookout tower and a public playroom similar to Snowmass' children's center, the Treehouse.
Also known as for hosting the Winter X Games, Buttermilk offers a unique blend of beginner terrain mixed with difficult runs and a number of terrain parks. It offers more than 470 acres of terrain, 44 trails, two terrain parks, and eight lifts - including three high-speed quads, one double, and four S3 lifts. Buttermilk Park has over 100 features, including a 22-foot superpipe and an X Games slopestyle course. There's a base elevation of 7,870 feet, and 9,900 feet at the summit (a 2,030-foot vertical rise). On average, there are uncrowded slopes: only 3.7 people per acre. The Buttermilk ski season is scheduled for December 13, 2014, to April 12, 2015. Phase I of a two-phase project to revamp the base of Buttermilk began in early 2014. The centerpiece of the Phase I improvements is The Hideout, designed by CCY Architects of Basalt, but guests will notice other key improvements such as an enhanced parking lot, bus and shuttle drop off and pedestrian plaza in front of Bumps restaurant. Phase II of the Buttermilk renovation will include a new Skier Services building and renovations to Bumps.