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Ptarmigan

Blue Buttermilk, CO

Steepest pitch22°
Vertical975 ft
Length3,911 ft
Average pitch15°
FacesNE
Top9,721 ft

Ptarmigan drops 975 vertical feet over 3,911 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 22° about 1,370 feet below the top. That's steeper than 52% of the 5,615 blue runs we've measured in North America, and the 17th steepest of 41 named runs at Buttermilk. It faces northeast.

How well Ptarmigan holds snow

Snow preservationGood

Facing northeast at an average 15°, Ptarmigan gets about 66% of the winter sun that flat ground at Buttermilk does, December through March. That's shadier than 77% of the runs we've measured, and the 7th shadiest named run at Buttermilk. Its top sits at 9,720 feet.

Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Ptarmigan profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Ptarmigan elsewhere

Nearby at Buttermilk

Measured by ZRankings from USGS lidar (1-meter where it exists, coarser elsewhere). Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.