Crested Butte, USA
Loved it!
Fri 12 October 2007 BeanieCrested Butte is actually in two parts, the slopeside resort (Mount Crested Butte) and the town (Crested Butte) which is three miles down the hill. There is a FREE shuttle bus every 15 minutes between the two, which was a godsend. The slopeside bars do not stay open late, so to eat after 9pm you'll have to go to town.
The town has a main street (Elk Avenue) lined with bars/restaurants. There is plenty of choice food-wise, you won't get bored. Beer is cheaper than the UK and there are some nice local brews available. Spirits come nice and strong too, and aren't that dear, wine unfortunately could be.
The mountain is great for both beginners (and so I am told) those of a more advanced level. There were loads of great green runs for us to play on, and a really nice beginners area (called Peachtree) for us to practice on. When we did venture up, we took the Red Lady Express quad, which services a good amount of nice greens, mainly gentle with a couple of steeper bits here and there. We didn't make it onto the blues and higher, but I didn't hear anyone complaining about the mountain at all. There is another express quad (Silver Queen) which leaves from the base area, it takes you up higher and accesses blues and blacks. The Teocalli bowl has 'extreme' terrain which apparently is the largest area of lift serviced extreme terrain in the USA. The slopes were very quiet, I didn't queue for a lift for more than two minutes. More often than not you could glide straight up and on to the chair with no-one else in front of you.
Snow conditions were on the whole good, a base of 37 - 40 inches while we were there. The green runs were well groomed and rode nicely for a beginner. Locals were saying that it was a poor snow year, but we were totally happy. It was cold, down to -25 overnight, but tucked up in your room you didn't notice that at all. Provided you had decent thermals and gloves, I don't think you would have too much of a problem on the mountain either, I certainly didn't.
Our accommodation was of a high standard and we didn't have a bad meal the whole time we were there. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Crested Butte to improving beginners and intermediates, although I think those more advanced may want more challenges after a few days in resort. The only downside is the transfer from Denver, it takes nearly 5 hours. That said, I can tell you it was totally worth it.
Resort Statistics
Resort Type:
Alpine
Winter: Nov to April
Summer: None
Lifts
Total Lifts: 14
Chair lifts: 11
Drag lifts: 3
Other lifts: 2 'Magic Carpet'
Max people per hour: 20,310
Board Leashes required: Yes
Mountain
Total pistes/trails: 121
Total ride area: 1167 acres
Longest run: 2.6miles (4.2km)
Top lift: 3707m
Vertical drop: 850m
First lift: 2857m
Piste suitability
Green runs: 23%
Red runs: 57%
Black runs: 20%
Lift Passes
| Low Season | High Season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | GBP | Average | USD | GBP | Average | |
| Day Pass | 59.00 | 38.96 |
12% |
87.00 | 57.45 |
50% |
| 6-Day Pass | 330.00 | 217.93 |
36% |
498.00 | 328.88 |
78% |
| USD | GBP | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season Pass: | 1,349.00 | 890.88 |
66% |
Lift Passes:
Platinum Season Pass: $1,349
Gold Season Pass: $1,274
Bronze Season Pass: $1,064
Lift times:9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m
Snowfall
Average annual snowfall: 6.1metres
Artificial snowmaking coverage: 90%
Facilities
| USD | GBP | |
|---|---|---|
| Days Rental of Board & Boots: | 29.00 | 19.15 |
| 4hr Group Lesson (full day): | 90.00 | 59.44 |
| 4hr Private Lesson (full day): | 330.00 | 217.93 |
Snowboard Schools:
Private lesson $225for 2hrs. Varrious 2hr group workshops around $80 for beginners to advanced.
Beginners day package inc lift pass & 5hr lesson $115
Snowboard Hire:
Board & boots $23.40 per day. Top demo kit available for $32.40 per day
Night Riding: :
No
Other activities
Heliboarding: :
Not available
Snowmobiles:
Yes
Further information
www.skicb.com/
Email:info@cbmr.com
The dog's balls for backcountry riding, steeps and cliffs, but also a piste-loving carver's destination and good for beginners. Free skiing from 25th Nov until the 15th of Dec. Good and friendly local services.
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ON THE SLOPES: Excellent
OFF THE SLOPES: Great
MONEY WISE: Moderately expensive, on and off the slopes, but very good value.
HALFPIPE:
Yes - 1
TERRAIN PARK:
Yes - 3
BACKCOUNTRY/OFF-PISTE:Yes
TREE RUNS:Yes
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Snow forecast
Weather for Sat 19th:| Morning | Afternoon | Night |
 rain shwrs |
 clear |
 clear |
| Total Snowfall | |
|---|---|
| top | 0cm |
| mid | 0cm |
| bottom | 0cm |
| Powered by Snow-forecast.com |
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Resort News
It's Snowing in Crested Butte 14Feb12
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Market Update - December 2011
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Weather & conditions
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Crested Butte Mountain Resort Snow Report
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