When the halfpipe opened at Buttermilk this season, the ski area saw a noticeable spike in ski visits.

During a December when little snow has fallen on the Aspen Skiing Co.'s four mountains, locals and visitors alike have been flocking to once gentle Buttermilk, playing in its multiple terrain parks and one big superpipe.

Last year, the Winter X Games, which took place at Buttermilk and will be there for the next three years, attracted 66,500 spectators and more than 535,000 television viewers, proving beyond a doubt this new-school style of skiing and snowboarding is a trend that appeals to more than just a few punk kids.

And this season, for the first time, the Aspen Skiing Co., will open Buttermilk's X Games slopestyle course to the public after the big event, which runs Jan. 29 to Feb. 1. Dubbed the X Park, the course, which now is taking shape, will feature the latest new- school rails in the industry plus some humongous jumps.

Now anyone will be able to hit the same features as their X Games heroes, although "we're hoping people will use good judgment," Aspen Skiing Co. terrain parks manager Greg Boyd said. "It's a high advanced park. We don't want kids pushing their ability, and next thing you know it's a dislocated shoulder."

Multiple X Games slopestyle competitor Steele Spence, who grew up on the Aspen area mountains, is psyched for the new course, which will be fully unveiled for the X Games.

"Last year the rails were better than the year before," he said. "That's great that they'll have a few more options this time. They always do a good job - between Snowmass and Buttermilk there's always something to practice on."

Boyd said some of the features are being kept secret until the X Games as a surprise for competitors and viewers.

All in all, the X Park is "the most interesting course I've seen so far," Boyd said. The X Park is located on the Government.

Here's some of what you will find in the X Park this season:

• A wooden staircase with rails, built to look like a real urban setup. The 8-foot-by-20-foot staircase will feature three separate options for riding.

• A few different jump/rail combos, including two tabletops with rails on them. The jumps will be 50-footers, with rails 20 to 30 feet long. Boyd hinted that "something to watch for will be the interesting setup on these features."

• The latest craze in the terrain park world, a "studded kink" rail, involving a flat 18-foot slide leading to a downward kink. Its side panels are welded together to look like a studded belt, and its total length is 46 feet.

• One large hip jump and "a couple of other features you'll just have to come to see," Boyd said.

• The expert line will finish with two 70-foot tabletops - that's seven stories worth of air time. (Last year the "money booter," the final feature where athletes go for the biggest air possible, was a mere 50 feet.)

Advanced riders can also play in the Jacob's Ladder rail park, which feeds into the X Park. Jacob's Ladder, with all expert features, includes one monstrous 40-foot long "C" box and a 20-stair staircase.

Collectively with the Crazy T'rain Park, which starts on the Spruce run, there are about 20 jumps and 40 rails for the high intermediate or advanced rider on the lower part of the mountain.

Check out the X Games

Buttermilk is hosting the Winter X Games again this year. All competitions will be held at Buttermilk Mountain at Aspen/Snowmass.

• When: Jan. 29-Feb. 1

• What: A free-to-the-public, winter action sports competition that will feature more than 230 athletes competing for medals and prize money in Moto X, Ski, Snowboard and Snowmobile.

• Television: Winter X Games will feature live telecasts of the competitions. ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will feature 15 hours of live programming, and ESPN2 will present daily late-night highlight programs Jan. 30-Feb. 2.

• Sports: Include Moto X (best trick); Ski (men's skier X, women's skier X, slopestyle, men's superpipe, women's superpipe); Snowboard (men's slopestyle, men's snowboarder X, men's superpipe, women's slopestyle, women's snowboarder X, women's superpipe; Snowmobile (snocross); UltraCross (top 16 men's skier X and men's snowboarder X athletes)

• Web site: www.expn.com

X Games television schedule

Time, Date Network Competitions

11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Jan. 29 ABC Snowboarder X men's and women's semifinals and finals; Ski slopestyle finals

1 p.m. - 3 p.m., Jan. 29 ESPN Snowboard slopestyle men's finals; skier X men's semifinals and finals

7 p.m. - 9 p.m., Jan. 29 ESPN Snowboard superpipe women's finals; Moto X best trick prelims

Noon - 1 p.m., Jan. 30 ESPN Snowboard slopestyle women's practice; Skier X women's semifinals and finals

1 p.m. - 3 p.m., Jan. 30 ESPN Snowboard slopestyle women's finals; UltraCross finals

7 p.m. - 9 p.m., Jan. 30 ESPN Snowboard superpipe men's prelims; Moto X best trick finals

7 p.m. - 9 p.m., Jan. 31 ESPN Snowboard superpipe men's finals; Snowmobile snocross qualifying

7 p.m. - 9 p.m., Feb. 1 ESPN Ski superpipe men's finals; Snowmobile snocross finals* - Times And Events Listed Are Mountain Standard Time And Are Subject To Change.

X Games by the numbers

$0 is the cost to the public to attend the Winter X Games.

2 nights ESPN's SportsCenter will telecast live from Aspen/Snowmass.

4consecutive years the Winter X Games have been in Aspen/Snowmass, marking the first time a city/resort has hosted an X Games event (summer or winter) for more than three consecutive years.

28 ski lifts at the Aspen/Snowmass resort.

36 Disneylands could fit in the 3,010 combined acres of skiable terrain at Aspen/Snowmass.

72 ski trails available at Aspen/Snowmass.

300 inches of average annual snowfall at Snowmass.

10,775 riders (approxi- mately) per hour can be accommodated on Aspen/Snowmass lifts.

13,050 beds are available for lodging in the 10-mile Aspen/Snowmass area.

66,500 was the record attendance from Winter X Games Eight.

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