WINTER ACTIVITIES
Photo by Trent Bona
Known as Colorado’s last great ski town, Crested Butte is a great winter destination that offers gorgeous scenery, a rich history and lack of crowds. Crested Butte Mountain Resort has expansive and diverse terrain across more than 1,547 skiable acres and offers terrain suitable for any ability type.
The Crested Butte Mountain Resort boats 15 chairlifts with the ability to carry 20,020 people per hour. Crested Butte's peak stands at 12,162 feet and our highest chairlift reaches a vertical of 11,875 feet.
With wide open beginner and intermediate runs, great terrain parks and some of Colorado's best in-bounds extreme terrain, the mountain has something for everyone. However, Crested Butte is well known for the extreme ski and snowboard terrain and was the first ski area in the country to open extreme terrain for inbound skiing.
Photo by GriggsOrtho.com
Photo by AllCrestedButte.com
Skiing/Snowboarding
Shred some powder! With 121 trails, the butte offers 26% beginner, 57% intermediate, 14% advanced and 3% expert terrain. However, the stats don’t portray the many double black diamond slopes that are Crested Butte’s signature.
The frontside of the mountain, specifically, the trails off of the Red Lady Express, offer incredible, wide-open and relatively uncrowded beginner skiing. Intermediate skiers can enjoy quick laps off of Prospect and Gold Link Lift; while more advanced intermediates have tons of trail options off of Paradise and East River Express Lifts. Expert skiers can get their “extreme” on off the North Face Lift, Spellbound Bowl, Third Bowl and gate-accessed Teocali Bowl.
The upper parts of the mountain are steep and rocky and offer a diversity of terrain including bowls, chutes, glades, and mandatory cliff jumps. This is some of the gnarliest terrain to be found at a North American ski resort. It’s for good reason that Crested Butte hosts various extreme freeskiing championships!
Photo by CBMR
Kids Ski/Board FREE Early & Late Season
All kids ages 12 and under visiting Crested Butte Mountain Resort ski or ride for free. No strings attached, no parent ticket required, no lodging stay required, no advance reservations necessary. Check out Crested Butte Mountain Resort for details in season.
Photo by CBMR
Free Guided Mountain Ski Tours
We want you to feel like a local on Crested Butte Mountain. On this two-hour tour, Crested Butte Mountain Resorts will show you around our lifts, trails, and best green and blue runs so you can feel comfortable navigating the mountain on your own. Available through Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Photo by uncovercolorado.com
Cross Country Skiing
Crested Butte has a well-earned reputation for being the Nordic ski capital of Colorado. Crested Butte Nordic grooms 55 kilometers of trails for classic and skate skiing, winding through the open valley and into the Aspen groves and pine forests. Rentals and trail passes are available at the Nordic Center (970-349-1707) in downtown Crested Butte.
Photo by irwinguides.com
Showshoe Tours
Carving turns is an awesome way to cruise down the mountain, but sometimes slowing down the pace is the best way to truly explore. On Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s guided snowshoe tours, you’ll visit parts of Crested Butte Mountain that few skiers ever go. Available at the Nordic Inn! If you are a large party, rentals are available through Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Photo by ski.curbed.com
Fat Tire / Snow Biking
In the winter, Crested Butte Mountain Resort as well as the town of Crested Butte offer various options to get your pedal fix in by fat biking. These goofy looking bicycles are equipped with tires that can exceed 3.5 inches in diameter. Combine that with some low tire pressure and your new winter mode of transportation is still on two wheels! Bike rentals available in town or on the mountain.
Local vendors: Big Al's Bicycle Heaven (970-349-0515) or HandleBar Bike Shop (970-251-9169).
Photo by onthesnow.com
Snow Mobiling
The Crested Butte backcountry includes some of Colorado’s most gorgeous mountains – and there’s no easier (or more exciting) way to see it up close and personal than by snowmobile. Check out CB Motorsports (970-209-6720) or Colorado Adventure Rentals (970-641-3525) for rentals. For those interested in guided tours, please contact Crested Butte Mountain Resort. You will truly experience the best of the Colorado Rockies during a 3-hour tour with an experienced local guide from Action Adventures!
Photo by ski.com
Adventure Park
Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s base area Adventure Park offers miniature golf, bungee trampolines and a climbing wall. The bungee trampolines provide a turbo-charged, gravity-defying ride up to 30 feet in the air, while the Climbing Pinnacle features a 28-foot, 6-route tower with auto-belay. Best of all, the Adventure Park is open year-round.
Photo by AllCrestedButte.com
Ice Skating
Crested Butte Nordic hosts outdoor rink which is open to the public from early December to late February (weather dependent). The use of the rink is FREE, if you bring your skates. Skate rentals are available for a fee. Skate hours are as follows:
Winter - Every Day 8:00am to 5:00 p.m.
Early Season (no skiing) - 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Summer – Closed
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Tubing & Sledding
Choose from a tubing hill up on the mountain resort or a community hill at the Nordic Center. Both offer fun for the entire family and kids of all ages. If those two spots aren’t enough for you, take your pick of any of the numerous surrounding hillsides.
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Sledding is also available at the Big Mine Park located next to the Crested Butte Nordic Center. Kids and adults can enjoy this timeless and fun activity of hiking up the hill and sledding down. The park is open from sunrise to sunset.
Photo by travelcb.com
Dog Sledding
There isn’t much more of a wilderness experience than being pulled by a team of dogs through the snow filled Rocky Mountains. Both kids and adults can enjoy this unique experience as a leisure activity or on the front lines. There are a couple of dog-sled tour operators in the area that offer half and full day adventures you won’t soon forget. Some tours start in nearby Slate River Valley or Washington Gulch.
Photo by http://wildercolorado.com
Sleigh Ride
Imagine being pulled along by a horse drawn sleigh in a serene alpine environment with your loved ones while you gaze up at a crystal clear night sky. Brilliant stars burn overhead as you glide through a white field of deep snow. Available at Lazy F Bar Ranch (970) 641-0193 / (800) 833-8052) or Just Horsin’ Around (970) 349-9822) in Crested Butte.
Photo by outtherecolorado.com
Zipline Tour
Zipline tours aren’t just for summer! This winter, see Crested Butte Mountain like you’ve never seen it before. This one of a kind adventure includes five ziplines ranging from 120 to 400 feet and connected by suspended wooden bridges and towering platforms. You’ll feel your adrenaline pumping as you step off the platform, then feel like you’re flying as you soar through the air. These guided tours are one-and-a-half to two-hours long, and will give you some stories to tell at home! Available through Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Photo by CBMR
Uncle Uley’s Cabin
The Uley’s Sleigh Ride Dinner is offered Wednesday through Saturday. It is both a fine dining experience and a mountain adventure. The beauty of this particular adventure is it’s accessible to all ages, skiers or not. It allows people that don’t ski or ride the opportunity to see the mountain in winter, an opportunity many non-skiers aren’t afforded. Available through Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Photo by carpe-travel.com
Snowcat Driving Experience
You’ve seen snowcats out on the slopes, leaving perfect tracks of corduroy down the mountain’s groomed runs. Now you can learn what it’s like to drive one through our one-of-a-kind Snowcat Driving Experience. Available through Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Photo by irwinguides.com
Snowcat Skiing
Just ten miles outside of Crested Butte, Irwin is one of the best cat-skiing ops in the lower 48. Situated in a unique orographic vortex, Irwin gets over 600 inches of snow a year. Cats zip you from the bottom of runs to the top and depending on your group's speed and size. You'll average about 8 to 10 laps, skiing some of the best chutes and bowls of your life. Contact Irwin Guides for more information at 970-349-5430.
Photo by gunnisoncrestedbutte.com
Winter Trail Rides
Horseback rides aren’t just for summer, and exploring the valley on horseback is sure to become an unforgettable memory. Out on the trail, in the quiet of the backcountry and under a blue bird sky, you’ll see a different side of Crested Butte—possibly even sighting wildlife like elk, mule deer, big horn sheep, and bald eagles. You’ll also be treated to a campfire and a cup of hot cocoa. Available through Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Photo by CBMR
Kid's Night Out
On vacation, kids and parents alike deserve a special night out. But sometimes, what’s special for the kids isn’t quite what you had in mind (games and pizza, or dinner and drinks?). Crested Butte Mountain Resort has created Kids’ Night Out so you can all have the night you’re looking for. Their fun-loving kids’ instructors host your kids for a visit to the Adventure Park, followed by dinner and games while you head out on the town.
Scenic Drives
Enjoy the stunning vistas from the comfort of your own car. Taking a drive can allow you to catch more colors, views, and scenery if your stay is brief. 4-wheel drive is not required for any of these trips, but cameras are certainly recommended. Keep in mind many of these routes are closed in the winter and if you venture off the beaten path, the road may get increasingly rough. Visit Travel Crested Butte for further information on the passes and which are open at this time and call Alpenglow Rentals in Crested 1-844-YOU-RENT for some fantastic off-road Jeeps rentals in Crested Butte.
Photo by crestedbutterealestateagent.com
Movie Theater
Mark and Allison Drucker opened the Majestic Theatre in 2005. They are grateful to bring blockbuster films, cult classics, and Monday Night Football to the good people of the Gunnison Valley. Their establishment features 3 state-of-the-art theaters and showing up-to-date box-office favorites. Concession treats include popcorn with pure, clarified butter and host a variety of snacks, which will satisfy any patron!
Best of all, Mom and Dad, they also have a full liquor license! When was the last time you caught a flick while enjoying a local microbrew or organic juice?
The Majestic Theatre is also a proud venue of the Crested Butte Film Festival!