A better ‘easy way down’ by Katherine Nettles

‘easy way down’

To find out how these retired Peachtree chairs have been repurposed, see story on page 82.

Photos Nathan Bilow Nathan Bilow

A new Peachtree chairlift and re-graded slopes give beginner skiers a gentler place to learn.

Skiers have long joked that even the beginner area at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) is a bit advanced. For the past 50 years, a brisk pole-centered double chair would whisk fledgling skiers up a few hundred yards and release them to the top of some “green” terrain that had relatively steep starts and double fall lines (where the slope angles downhill in multiple directions). The High Tide and Augusta runs were short but not entirely forgiving. This year, new skiers will find a gentler welcome.

In addition to the steep, extreme terrain for which it’s best known, CBMR is investing in beginners. This winter will showcase a new Peachtree lift at the base area, serving re-graded ski runs for learners. The former two-person fixed-grip Peachtree lift was taken out after closing day last spring and has been replaced with a more modern three-person fixed-grip lift. The new lift increases Peachtree’s uphill capacity by 50 percent. Crews also re-contoured the Peachtree slopes to minimize terrain challenges.

The lift is located adjacent to the Aspen and Pine conveyor lifts, so early skiers can easily advance from surface lifts to a mellow chair lift.

“We wanted to create a more comfortable learning area for beginners to experience the mountain and have their own place to be wild. The re-grading of the terrain served by Peachtree provides a smooth, open and steady slope for our beginner skiers and riders to learn as they make their way toward more advanced terrain. This will be their stepping stone to the steeps,” said Will Shoemaker, the resort’s communications manager.

He explained that re-shaping removed the double fall-lines on portions of the trail where skiers or riders previously had to contend with multiple grades simultaneously; now they’ll find a more consistent, flowing pitch. “That will allow beginners to focus on the fundamentals of skiing and snowboarding: starting, stopping, balance, carving and more,” he said. b