Current Weather:
Clear
weather 27°

Base Depth:
45-55"

24hr Snowfall:
0

Surface:
Packed powder

Crested Butte

12 Snowmass Rd., Crested Butte, 81224
Phone: 970-349-2222
Crested Butte Website

by Greg Fitzsimmons

It’s going to take some effort to get to Crested Butte, no matter where your journey originates. The closest airport is only about a half hour away, but it’s in Gunnison (good luck finding an airline that flies to Gunnison direct). However, once you arrive in Crested Butte, the laborious journey will surely be worth it.

It takes a lot for a banner waiving Aspenite to rave about the terrain of a Colorado resort that isn’t Aspen; nonetheless, Crested Butte has the goods. A lot of green trails sit low on the mountain and are accessed by the chairlifts in the Base Area. Roller Coaster, Lower Twister, and the Kids’ Park (near the Painter Boy chairlift) are favorites amongst the youngsters and newbies. Mid-mountain blue runs like Paradise Bowl, Keystone, and Bushwacker get a bit steeper and are super fun. Locals spend a lot of time on the Prospect chairlift, too. The crowds usually congregate around Paradise Bowl, so Prospect’s wide-open runs are usually devoid of crowds.

Things get weird (in a good way) up top! Tons of fun features, steel-testing drops, and waste-deep snow are to be found after riding the High Lift and North Face Lift t-bars. I challenge you to find a more fun and challenging in-bounds run than linking Spellbound Bowl with Phoenix Bowl. For a rewarding boot pack, take the Silver Queen Express Lift to the High Lift t-bar and hike to the top of the Peak. The trek only takes about a half hour and gets you up to 12,162 feet. Incredible views of the town and the mountain precede gnarly steeps and trees.

Elevation Hotel is the premier, high-end ski in, ski out hotel. Families love the condominiums at The Plaza at Woodcreek; these condominiums are just 100 yards from the base of the mountain. The quaint and authentic downtown of Crested Butte is about five minutes from the base of the mountain. From the Crested Butte International Lodge & Hostel to the plethora of Bed & Breakfasts, accommodations are rather intimate in town.
Most skiers and boarders après at the base of the mountain and then take things into town as the sun goes down. 9380 Prime is located in the same building as Elevation Hotel and has a new outdoor-bar and fire-pit that people love. Butte 66 is a popular bar that always has live music and daily drink specials. Also, Avalanche Bar & Grill gets crowded, and for good reason.

Grab breakfast at Paradise Café, the Gas Café, or McGill’s downtown for a pre-ski meal. The Huevos Rancheros at Paradise and “Veggie Scomelette” at McGill’s are to-die-for. Camp 4 Coffee brews the best coffee in Colorado, and it’s a great place to hang out while caffeinating. Stroll Elk Avenue during dinnertime and you’ll see a lot of options. Timberline Restaurant is the critically acclaimed vision of Chef/Owner Tim Egelhoff, and Teocalli Tamale is a tiny taco shop that shouldn’t be looked past. After dinner, Talk of the Town is the bar to visit for an authentic Crested Butte drink.

FYI… Matchstick Productions, makers of the best ski flicks year in and year out, calls Crested Butte home. And in this year’s film, “In Deep,” the MSP crew built a massive kicker at the base of Paradise Bowl. Also, I honestly think more Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) beer is consumed, per capita, in Crested Butte than anywhere else in the world. Call it a “pibber” when ordering at the bar to sound local.

*all photos courtesy of Crested Butte

WEATHER CONDITIONS

Current Weather:
Clear
weather 27°

Forecast:
Sunny
weather 32°

SKI CONDITIONS

Latest Report: 20100311T05:08:00
24hr Snowfall:
0		 Last Snowfall:
Mar 08 - 1"		 Surface:
Packed powder
Base Depth:
45-55"		 Trails Open:
111		 Total Trails:
121
Percent Trails Open:
98%		 Lifts Open:
icon 15		 Total Lifts:
icon 16
Terrain Type:
Beginner:
N/A		 Intermediate:
N/A		 Advanced:
N/A		 Expert:
N/A
Elevation:
weather Peak Elevation:
12162 ft 3707 m Vertical:
2775 ft 846 m Base Elevation:
9375 ft 2856 m		 Total Acres:
1250 Total Miles:
46
Longest Run:
The Peak to Treasury
2 6 miles		 Easiest Run:
Houston		 Steepest Run:
Rambo
Best Bumps:
Resurrection		 Best Trail Name:
Banana Funnel		  
 

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

Air Travel

Getting to Crested Butte this winter just got a whole lot easier and cheaper.  Gunnison Crested Butte Airport (GUC) is now served via direct service from 3 major cities on 3 major carriers with connections world-wide.

Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ) is another great option that offers additional non-stop jet service to the area on United Airlines, Continental Airlines, and Delta Airlines. United Express offers up to six connections per day via Denver to Montrose. Montrose is an easy one and a half hour scenic ground transfer to Crested Butte.

Driving Directions

From Denver: From Denver International Airport, take interstate 70 west, exit to highway 470 west, highway 285 south to Fairplay then Poncha Springs, highway 50 west to Gunnison, then highway 135 north into Crested Butte.

From Colorado Springs: Take highway 24 west to highway 285, highway 285 south to Poncha Springs, highway 50 west to Gunnison, then highway 135 north into Crested Butte.

From Montrose: Take highway 50 east to Gunnison, then highway 135 north into Crested Butte.

From Texas & Oklahoma: Take interstate 25 north through Trinidad to Walsenburg, highway 160 west to Alamosa, highway 285 north to Saguache, highway 114 north to highway 50, highway 50 west to Gunnison, then highway 135 north into Crested Butte.

From Arizona: Take interstate 17 to Flagstaff, north on highway 89, highway 160 to Cortez, north on highway 145, highway 62 to Ridgway, highway 550 north to Montrose, highway 50 east to Gunnison, then highway 135 north into Crested Butte.

From Southern California & Southern Nevada: Take interstate 15 to Las Vegas, interstate 70 to Grand Junction, highway 50 east to Montrose and on to Gunnison, then highway 135 north into Crested Butte.

From Northern California & Utah: Take interstate 80 to Salt Lake City, interstate 15 via highway 6 and interstate 70 to Grand Junction, highway 50 east to Gunnison, then highway 135 north into Crested Butte.

From New Mexico: From highway 285, take highway 160 west to Alamosa, highway 285 north to Saguache, highway 114 north to highway 50, highway 50 west to Gunnison, then highway 135 north into Crested Butte.

Airport Transfers & Car Rentals

Alpine Express shuttles meet every flight and provide scenic door-to-door service between Gunnison Airport and Crested Butte. Be sure to make an advanced reservation.  Rental cars are also available on-site at the Gunnison/Crested Butte airport. Advanced reservations are recommended.

 

Free Shuttle

Mountain Express: With the Crested Butte Town Shuttle and Crested Butte Mountain Express, there's no need for a car. The shuttles run the 3 miles between Mt. Crested Butte and the historic town from many convenient locations, and it's free.  The ski season Town Shuttle route connects Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. This route operates every 15 minutes and it is a six to seven minute ride from Mt. Crested Butte to the 4-Way stop in Crested Butte. The bus stops are conveniently located throughout the Town of Crested Butte. The first stop is the "4-Way Stop" located at the eastern end of the Elk Avenue Shopping district. The "Old Town Hall" is four blocks west on Elk avenue. The other main stops include the "Nordic Center" and "6th & Belleview" where the grocery store is located.  There are three routes that serve most of the condominiums in Mt. Crested Butte with frequencies of 15 and 30 minutes during the ski season. Each of these routes connects with the Town Shuttle at the base area of the ski resort (known as Mountaineer Square) in Mt. Crested Butte.  Click here for complete bus schedules and maps.

Gunnison Valley RTA: The bus runs a loop through the City of Gunnison before heading north on Hwy 135 to Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.  Click here for a detailed schedule.

Taxi & Limo

Crested Butte has an excellent local taxi service. Alpine Express meets every flight and provides door-to-door shuttle service between Gunnison Airport and Crested Butte, a short, scenic 30 minute transfer. Statewide charter available. Fleet of 30 vehicles, from 10-passenger vans to 24-passenger coaches. Baggage handling and luxury limousine service available.