We skied Crested Butte from March 17th through the 23rd during Spring Break week. For late March, the snow was very good. It was one of their most snowy seasons ever. Everything was buried in deep snow.

The weather was excellent. Sunny days with little wind except for two days. Highs were still cool so that there wasn't too much melting, but sufficiently warm to eat lunch outside and catch some rays. Nights were cold and everything froze over by morning. We had several inches of fresh snow for the first day and then a few more inches overnight later in the week. Other than that, it was mostly sunny.

Skiing was good, but could be better. The terrain features a lot of blue and green runs and a few black diamonds. There is an abundance of extreme double black diamond terrain that can be reached by lift and/or hiking. CB grooms most of their trails nightly, but does no maintenance during operating hours. Thus, the runs are pretty scraped off by late morning and there can be slick patches in the heavily skied areas. On several of the blue and black runs, only part of the run is groomed and the other part left to develop moguls.

There were several high speed quad chairs, but still a few clunky double chairlifts. The main problem is getting up onto the mountain in the morning. The Red Lady lift line can get very long and the Silver Queen lift services mostly black diamond runs. Once on the mountain, however, lift lines were usually short with the exception of Paradise. The shortest lines were in the Prospector area which featured gentle blue runs and two lift options up. It was generally uncrowded and on the windy days was sheltered. It had some of the best snow. The East River express lift services blue and black with some nice moguls.

On mountain dining options were a little weak. The main area to eat lunch was at the Paradise Warming House. Meals were typical ski area fare, but not as good as that available on other mountains. Prices are expected to be high, but in other areas such as Vail, Beaver Creek, Taos, etc, the quality is also good. CB left a bit to be desired, but there was a full service sit down restaurant also. The other options included a small outdoor grill at the top of the Painter Boy lift and another restaurant at The Ice Bar. The Ice Bar was an actual outdoor bar made entirely of ice. The restaurant featured more upscale fare such as lamb kabobs. It also had an indoor sit down area with full table service. Associated with the few on-mountain dining options were a lack of restrooms. You had to either get to Paradise, the Ice Bar or use an outhouse at the top of Painter Boy if you wanted to avoid going all the way down the mountain.

CB is off the beaten path and most people are staying at the resort or in the town of Crested Butte a couple miles down the mountain. The first day was quite crowded and lift lines were a bit long. Each day after that including Good Friday and the Saturday before Easter were not crowded at all. Almost no lift lines, even at the base area.

The scenery is awesome at CB. It is surrounded by jagged peaks and the mountain gives amazing views of the valley and the town of Crested Butte. There is a huge amount of construction going on, particularly high end private homes along the road toward Prospector and East River.

The base area is a little sparse, although it has been upgraded recently. There is really only one bar with a deck overlooking the mountain. Dining at the base area was also limited, but the shuttle bus could take you into town. There were plenty of ski shops at the base area and there were also kids programs and other apres ski activities such as snow cat rides and tubing.

The town of Crested Butte is a historic mining town and they have kept many of the original buildings and architecture. The main street is filled with restaurants, saloons and shops. Real Estate agents are every other shop. There is a single grocery store in town. When we got there, it was almost completely emptied out of food. Fortunately, there was a small store on the mountain that had basic staples. A good place for pizza is Secret Stash. It is located at the end of Elk Street. It is an ecclectic place with hand made gourmet pizza. They take a long time to bake, so order an appetizer. Excellent service and an interesting place.

Access was fairly easy. AA flies direct from DFW and United runs flights to/from Denver to Gunnison. Shuttle or rental car to Mount CB takes about 45 minutes and passes by elk herds along the Gunnison River. Flying into Colorado Springs and driving is another option, but it is at least a 4-hour drive in good weather. The drive goes along the Arkansas River and the Royal Gorge, but also requires traversing an 11,000 foot pass on a state highway.

This was my third trip to CB with the other two being more than 15-years prior. The area has changed a lot, but the town has kept its charm. The mountain has improved with new lifts and there are a lot more accommodations. I would recommend CB for families and extreme skiers.

My wife & I are Coloradans and have long-visited Crested Butte in the summer. There are two communities there: what we call "old town", and the "mountain", Mt. Crested Butte, the ski community. There is a very fine shuttle that operates between the two towns that lie about 3 miles apart. We stayed at the Grand Lodge at the mountain.
First of all, let us ask you a rhetorical question, "What is the time of year most ski communities choose to erect new condos and repair existing facilities?" Right: SUMMER time! Travelers beware. We spent $200 a night only to be awakened each day at 7:00 am by the beep-beep-beep of construction traffic and an expansive view of excavated hillsides a billows of blowing dirt. We abandoned the Avalanche's outdoor cafe for an 11:45 am lunch due to the roar and dust of a concrete saw a few yards away! The mountain is being decimated with condos and high rise hotels. The streets are congested. The charm of both towns is rapidly fading. Elk Street-- the main drag in historic old town-- is lined with high-priced boutiques, real estate offices, and noisy bars filled with rowdy full-grown kids. The only time-honored tradition is Slocars: an early 20th century eatery featuring a glorious half a fried chicken with all-u-can-eat sides of creamed corn, cole slaw, and mashed potatoes for $14.95pp.
Many come to Crested Butte for the festivals-- and there are many every summer-- but for us, it has been the unbridled beauty of the area. Some dare still call it the "Wildflower Capital of Colorado". We add lyrics to the well-known song: "Developers pick them everywhere. When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?"

This year it seems that the ski lift owners are more interested in making money from Real Estate than access to ski lifts. Parking is located a much longer distance than previous year. You actually walk by new construction from parking and buses.\Very poor thinking and selfishness....

No matter where you are ---get to Crested Butte for FABULOUS FOOD.
DAY 1: I suggest you start about 4pm and move into Teocalli Tamale for a fantastic Margarita mixed by equally fantastic employees and try any one of their selections for a tasty beginning. Next , wander up the hill to Ginger Cafe---put your name on the dinner list and continue to Secret Stach for another cocktail and maybe another tasty little treat...unbelievable combinations for outstanding freshly made pizza.
Secret Stash is a walk down '60s memory lane, seating high or low...and wonderful employees with personal charm. Now, return to Ginger Cafe for your reservation and start with the Coconut Ginger Ice Cream !...JUST DO IT ! The taste sensation topped off with Kentucky Mint will wow you for the following experience. The rest of the selections are up to you. Everything, including the charming employees , is worth the 1 1/2 hour wait for a table. DAY 2: Reverse the order above. DAY 3: Now mix them up again !!! Thanks for the wonderful eats !!!! We'll be back soon !
....Sam, Ron & Keypur
...from Kentucky to the Rockies...