Crested Butte News Winter Visitor's Guide 2014-15 by Crested Butte News

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Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 3

ou made it… you’ve arrived in paradise. Welcome to Crested Butte, our little town that is both charming and cool. If this is your first time here, I think you’re going to quickly fall in love with this place like so many of us have. And if you’re back for a return visit, you feel that same pull that we’ve all experienced. There is no place quite like Crested Butte. Historic downtown with miner’s cabins, out of this world restaurants, a killer ski hill, unbelievable backcountry and happy go lucky people – that’s Crested Butte in a nutshell. It’s hard not to smile here. It’s a place of adventure, a place of relaxation and a place where dreams become reality. And we’ve got your dreams covered in this year’s Visitor’s Guide. Get ready to take note of some of the best intermediate powder stashes on the mountain. Find out where to fuel your coffee habit from writer Olivia Lueckemeyer. News columnist John Norton explains why winter in CB is still supreme. And meet some locals who strive to give back to this community they call home. Whatever you choose to do on your vacation here, remember that it is a vacation. Have fun, challenge yourself, and above all, relax. –Melissa Fenlon, Publisher

photo by

Fred Sproat

970-349-0722 BlackTieSkis.com

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TableofContents

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Soaring Above the Mountains

-page 8 Visitor’s Guide

Nordic Grows

-page 18 Visitor’s Guide

Coffee Culture

-page 3 Dining Guide

Powder Stashes

-page 14 Visitor’s Guide

Mountain High Music

-page 30 Visitor’s Guide

Real Estate Report -page 2 Real Estate Guide

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 5 \ FREE

TAKING YOUR SENSES TO NEW HEIGHTS

STAFF PUBLISHERS Jill Clair & Melissa Fenlon EDITORIAL Than Acuff Dawne Belloise Liz Currier Aimee Eaton Melissa Fenlon Alissa Johnson Olivia Lueckemeyer John Norton Mark Reaman PHOTOGRAPHERS Pat Addabbo Alex Fenlon Chris Miller Kurt Reise Fred Sproat Lydia Stern GRAPHIC DESIGN Jill Clair Tyler Hansen Nicky O’Connor ADVERTISING Jen Nolan

Ashleigh Cahir COPYRIGHT No part of this publication can be reproduced without the written consent of the publishers. Crested Butte News, Inc. PO BOX 369, Crested Butte, CO 81224 970.349.0500 Tel / 970.349.9876 Fax www.crestedbuttenews.com www.thepeakcb.com The Crested Butte News’ Winter Visitor’s Guide is published annually by the Crested Butte News, P.O. Box 369, Crested Butte, Colorado. For information about the Winter Guide or about the annual Summer Visitor’s Guide, contact (970) 349-0500 or e-mail editorial@crestedbuttenews.com. For information about advertising in the guide, contact Jen Nolan at nolan@crestedbuttenews.com. Copyright 2014/2015 The Crested Butte News, Inc. All rights reserved.

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6 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

festivals&events.

winter’s

this

eventlineup Crested Butte is known for its zaniness and its extreme terrain. And the lineup of events this winter highlights both. There’s something for everyone here: the annual Alley Loop Nordic race in town, the 7 Hours of the Banana fundraiser on the mountain for the Adaptive Sports Center and Crested Butte Ski Club, to the Mardi Gras parade downtown. For a full calendar of events, go to page 11.

Opening Day – November 26 The resort is offering ski free on Opening Day again this year. Just stop by the Main Ticket office at the Adventure Center to receive your free ticket and enjoy the early season slopes at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The resort will host live music and a fun celebration to kick off the new ski season with a Carnival theme. Red noses, rainbow wigs and free popcorn, need we say more? Come dressed to impress, ski for free and ready to rock with live music starting at 12:30 p.m. with CJ Conway and then Tyler Grant and Friends at 2:30 p.m.

Roost the Butte photo by Lydia Stern

Irwin Guides/Griggs Orthopedics Ski Mountaineering race– December 6-7 Skimo racers will come to the Gunnison Valley for the second stop of the Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup (COSMIC) race series for the Irwin Guides/Griggs Orthopedics Ski Mountaineering race presented by Millet on Saturday, December 6. Organizers added a second event that weekend, a vertical race, at Crested Butte Mountain Resort on Sunday, December 7. The race at Irwin is unique in that both the rec class and race class courses take place in the backcountry, seven miles from Crested Butte on the Irwin cat skiing terrain. Access to the race is by either snowmobile or snow cat. For more information or to register for the races check out www.elkmountainevents.com.

Santa Ski Crawl- December 13 Head to the mountain on December 13 to help break a Guinness World Record. How many santas can ski at once? Participants need to be decked out in a full Santa suit in order to participate and CBMR will be offering discounts on lift tickets and lodging for participants. This event is twofold. Part one, the Santa ski and part two, the Santa Pub Crawl.

Rock on Ice – December 14-20 The Rock on Ice team returns to Mt. Crested Butte for an ice carving festival in celebration of the holiday season. Be amazed as two of the world’s most renowned carvers create larger than life sized sculptures of animals, holiday characters and other iconic figures out of blocks of ice. The event will feature daily ice carving demonstrations, including interactive sculptures perfect for family photos, and a dazzling ice sculpture garden in the Courtyard at Mountaineer Square.

Christmas Eve at Crested Butte Mountain Resort – December 24 Watch Santa come down the mountain on a sleigh pulled by a snowcat. Ho Ho Ho! Get in the holiday spirit as he hands out candy canes to all the good little girls and boys. Then stay to watch the Crested Butte Ski and Ride School perform their famous torchlight parade down the front side of the mountain.

New Year's Eve – December 31 Head to the base area for live music, drink specials and a torchlight parade put on by Crested Butte’s finest ski and snowboard instructors. Watch as they wind their way down the mountain carrying orange flames to light up their path. Following the torchlight parade, there will be a fireworks show, best seen from the base area of the mountain on the Butte 66 deck.

Big Air on Elk photo by Trent Bona

And in town, Crested Butte Nordic hosts the New Year’s Eve Yurt Dinner Party. Ring in the New Year with good friends in a spectacular mountain setting on Nordic skis or snowshoes. Enjoy a five-course dinner, libations and music. Contact Crested Butte Nordic for tickets.

Full Moon Party – January 5 To kick off the full moons for the winter season, Crested Butte Mountain Resort will host a snowshoe or uphill ski tour. This guided tour allows guests to experience the natural beauty of Mt. Crested Butte by moonlight. Guests will make their way up to the Ice Bar at Uley’s Cabin for a bonfire and bowl of warm chili prepared by Chef Schlaudecker of Uley’s Cabin. Tickets include the guided tour to and from the Ice Bar, a bowl of chili with fresh baked bread and a beer for each participant over the age of 21. Snowshoe and uphill skiing equipment are available for rent at the Scarpa Demo Center.

Moonlight Snowshoe Tours – January 5, February 3 and March 5 Snowshoe by the light of the full moon this winter. CBMR features moonlight snowshoe tours four times a year, on the night of the full moon on January 5, February 3 and March 5. Catch a ride on a snowcat to the top of CBMR’s Red Lady Express chairlift and snowshoe the moonlight mountain trails back to the base area. Pricing: $75 per person for moonlight tours (prices subject to change). For information and reservations contact Crested Butte Vacations at 800-544-8448. continued on next page

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Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 7

festivals&events. continued from previous page

Roost the Butte- January 9-11 The 2nd Annual Roost the Butte will consist of four snowmobile events: snowcross, hillcross, snowovals and hill drag. Contestants will vie for a chance at the prize money and bragging rights. Watch from the terrain park or bottom of Gold Link lift as snowmobilers fly around the course for their chance to win.

USASA Rail Jam and Slopestyle- January 11-12 USA Snowboard and Freeskiing Association will stop in Crested Butte once again this year for Rail Jam and Slopestyle competitions.

keep your gear... and that includes YOU... tuned up

Mountain High Music Festival – January 14-18 This year, country music royalty, Dean Dillon, has elevated the Crested Butte Songwriters Festival into the brand new Mountain High Music Festival. The festival will be hosted by GAC and SiriusXM’s on-air personality Storme Warren, while artists and songwriters swap stories and perform in intimate settings. The line-up includes esteemed recording artists and singer-songwriters such as Robert Earl Keen, Curb recording artist Lee Bricem Grammy award-winning songwriter Rodney Clawson, ACM Awardwinning duo Thompson Square and so many more! The artists will be performing throughout Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte January 14-18.

Alley Loop – February 7

Alley Loop

photo by

Fred Sproat

The 29th Annual Alley Loop Nordic Marathon on February 1 is part of the American Ski Marathon Series and is an American Birkebeiner qualifier. Starting and finishing on Crested Butte’s Elk Avenue and winding through alleyways, streets and trails, the Alley Loop features course lengths ranging from 1.5 to 42 kilometers, allowing all skill levels and ages to participate (many in costume). Registration costs and start times vary. And the Alley Loop Pub Crawl and Snow Bike Race will happen the afternoon and evening before on February 6. Register at www.cbnordic.org.

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USASA Boardercross – February 7-8 USA Snowboard and Freeskiing Association will make another stop in Crested Butte this season to cater to the ski and snowboard racers, as they charge their way through the cross course, below the Paradise Express Lift.

IFSA Junior Freeskiing and Collegiate Regionals – February 13-16 Crested Butte’s 2015 big mountain competitions kicks off on President’s Weekend with the IFSA Junior and Collegiate Regionals. Junior alpine skiers, telemark skiers and snowboarders ages 10 to 18 will compete all weekend. And new this year is the Collegiate Freeride Series, which allows college athletes the opportunity to gain experience in big mountain competitions while competing as both an individual and as part of a team.

Twister of Love - February 14 Speed dating on skis and snowboards! Join in the fun at the Twister lift for a fun day of skiing and who knows, you may even meet the person of your dreams on a lift ride. Costumes are highly encouraged.

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USSA Race-Dan Prater Memorial Cup – February 19-22 Crested Butte’s marquee annual race will bring 200 of Colorado’s top 11 and 12-year-old racers to ski Crested Butte. The Prater Cup is always a blast for competitors and fans alike. Look for some high speed skiing and tons of fun as these athletes look to qualify for the Junior Olympics as well as beating out their competitors in the annual Nations Cup team event.

7 Hours of the Banana – March 1 Open to anyone, from the pro skier to the weekend warrior, competitors will ski or ride nonstop laps down the Banana to raise money for the Adaptive Sports Center and the Crested Butte Snowsports Foundation. In past seasons, top racers completed over 65,000 vertical ft., while others take it more leisurely and enjoy a great day on the mountain. Learn more at www.adaptivesports.org.

25th Annual Freeskiing Extreme Championships – March 19-20 Crested Butte’s freeride history dates back to the winter of 1990-1991 with the first ever US Freeskiing Extreme Championships and continues today in conjunction with the International Freeskiers and Snowboarders Association (IFSAP and the Freeride World Qualifier. The freeride series culminates with the championships March 19-20 at CBMR.

Big Air on Elk– March 7 A ski jump in the middle of downtown is what makes Big Air on Elk on March 8 so unique. A snowmobile pulls top skiers and snowboarders who launch off a step-up style jump with a 45-foot gap on Elk Avenue. The invite-only format ensures that each jump will have a good chance of wowing the crowd from 5-9 p.m. Colorado Freeskier organizes Big Air on Elk to benefit the Crested Butte Snowsports Foundation.

USSMA Nationals – March 13-15 The Ski Mountaineering National Championship race brings athletes from across North America to compete in an uphill, guide ridge climb and downhill ski race. This races offers quite the spectacle with mountaineers climbing the guide ridge up Mt. Crested Butte.

continued on page 9

Winter Activities for All Ages!

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8 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

adventure.

Thrillsof

SOARING:

photo by

Lydia Stern

Paragliders in the Gunnison Valley

by Megan Kelly A bluebird sky in Crested Butte is made even better with an iconic paraglider swirling his way across the unseen air currents. Observing one, there’s something innately tempting about the challenge of seeing the world from a daring, new perspective. Paragliding, like most activities, can be enjoyed as a competitive sport or as recreation. Here in the Gunnison Valley, our local pilots enjoy recreational paragliding. You might have seen a pilot walking through town with only a large, oversized pack, because, unlike hang gliding in which the gear must be driven to a launch location, paragliders can wander as far and wide as they please before taking to the wind. The “wing” that takes up all that backpack room is similar to a parachute, but can be steered and holds onto air currents via “cells,” or sections between fabric layers to trap air, allowing a pilot not only to lose but also to gain altitude. And as with many other outdoor activities, the gear has evolved quite a bit overtime. The cords attaching the wing to the backpack are becoming fewer, the wings are increasing their steerability, and material choices are still expanding. A favorite paragliding brand, Niviuk—an Inuit word meaning “attention to small details”—perfectly captures the personality of paragliding and our local pilots. On a cold afternoon last spring, I met with some of these pilots at one of the more difficult launch sites, Windy Gap on Crested Butte Mountain. As we talk about their backgrounds, they pause mid-sentence tickling their fingers in the wind and commenting on the present wind spiral coming up and over the rocks. One of the pilots, Ben Eaton, learned to paraglide in Europe while his wife was studying for her MBA in Switzerland. “It’s a very big sport there,” he says, “and a great place to learn because there are a lot of really great pilots.” When he got back to Gunnison Valley, Eaton met up with long-time local Bo Thompson and they launched from most of the mountains in the area for about four years before they got their P3 and P4 certifications—paragliding proficiency exams that take into account number of flights, hours in flight, and other skill evaluations. Another pilot, Joe Wolff, has recently moved back to Crested Butte from Costa Rica, where he provided tandem flights for visitors. Tandem refers to one pilot and one passenger harnessed together in flight. “I like flying tandem best,” Wolff says, “because I can get people involved spiritually and that’s something bigger than me.” Tandem is not commercially available here yet but Wolff looks forward to sharing the tandem experience with friends soon. These and the other Gunnison Valley paragliding pilots come from very different walks of life but as a group are welcoming and encourage one another to be better pilots. The act of gliding is not just gear and launch technicalities, but also, as Joe Wolff put

it, is spiritually enlightening. Much of the mental state depends on the pilot but before and during flight thoughts are a great deal different. “It’s often referred to as para-waiting,” says Burk the first paraglider to take off this afternoon. “You get to visit some of the coolest places so it’s not too bad when the conditions aren’t right and you have to wait a long time or walk back down instead of flying,” he smiles knowingly. Ben agrees but his pre-flight mind is a little less patient. “I’m a wreck all day with anticipation to get up in the air,” he says. “When you’re preparing, you can get a lot more nervous and have a lot more anticipation than when you actually get up in the air and it’s calm and safe and there aren’t any issues at all about why you’ve been anxious. It’s very addictive and it’s a very big part of my life.” The pilots also agree that having a friend who pushes you to explore your limits adds another exciting element. The high elevation and mountain terrain also make the experience unique because the wind currents aren’t as mellow and warm as coastal conditions. Wolff describes his mental state in flight as, “I often wait until sunset. That’s when the wind cycles are the smoothest anywhere. “When I’m up there it’s all about reading the landscape,” he says, “like bodies of water and fields of vegetation for wind directions; large areas of rock indicate maybe heat rising, which gives you altitude and even tall clouds can indicate vertical lift.” Before meeting this troupe of guys, I was among those who list paragliding with basejumping and skydiving, but it is described as much safer. “We have to walk on eggshells with this sport,” says Ben as he opens up radio communication between pilots. “Everybody sees us as being dangerous.” To be fair, the launch site up at Windy Gap is no easy feat. The space is narrow, the wind can only come from specific directions, and there are jagged rocks covering the run. But their wings are inflated and supporting before pilots leave the ground; they have reserve systems that include a back-up parachute, and even a radio connection. As noted, the activity is regulated with certificates for experience levels. Only within the last four years have a couple of ski areas in Colorado begun to allow paragliding. Crested Butte Mountain Resort is one of them. In fact, as I spoke with Zachary Dickerson Rex taking off from the Windy Gap, I learned he was the fourth new pilot this season to experience the launch site, a sign of at least a P3 certification. “The more people that see us flying up there, the more people will get interested in the sport and see it as a feasible, really cool sport and not a daredevil sport, jumping off of cliffs. We’re very safety conscious and meticulous,” declares Ben before he himself takes off on a wing, leaving me behind to lament my gravitational limits. Visit the Crested Butte Soaring Society Facebook page for more information regarding paragliding and hang gliding, site regulations and other fun moments with local pilots.

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 9

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D O N ’ T B E L E F T I N T H E C O L D. . .

Red Lady Ball – March 14 High Country Conservation Advocates presents the 38th Annual Red Lady Salvation Ball at the Eldo. The theme is an ode to the Crested Butte of yore. Whether you take “Crested Butte Vintage” as the good ol’ mining days or the raucous 1970s is up to you, your imagination and costume box to decide. One thing is for sure though, vintage Crested Butte is sure to come alive for one-night-only on March 14.

Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Telemark Race – March 22 The 41st Annual Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Telemark Race on March 22 is as much fun to watch as it is memorable to participate in. As a tribute to a rugged 19th century mailman, competitors wearing telemark skis and wacky costumes climb 600 vertical feet on Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s famous double-black diamond terrain and then launch 1,200 feet down the steeps. Prizes are awarded for best times, best costumes and best fall. The race can be done tag-team or as an individual, and spectators can watch the madness via access to the venue on an intermediate run. For more information, call The Alpineer at 970-349-5210 or visit www.aljohnsonrace.com.

Soul Train Night – March 27 Don your cool soul threads and dance the night away at KBUT’s annual dance party extravaganza, Soul Train Night at Butte 66. See who will be crowned the next King and Queen of Soul. You can also watch the start of the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse from the deck at midnight.

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The Grand Traverse- March 27 The Grand Traverse is a 40-mile backcountry ski race between the towns of Crested Butte and Aspen. Starting at midnight from Crested Butte – often in sub-zero temperatures - racers traverse Colorado’s Elk Mountains, climbing more than 7,800 vertical feet and navigating in a self-supported backcountry race that tests them physically and mentally. Held annually since 1998, the race is based on the tradition of mail routes that connected the Colorado mining towns of Crested Butte and Aspen in the 1880’s. For more information, check out www.elkmountainstraverse.com.

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Crafted at Ten Peaks – March 28 How does an on-mountain tasting fest sound? Perfect, right? Come out to Crested Butte Mountain Resort and enjoy the skiing, spring sunshine, beers, spirits and food from around Colorado. Head to tasteofcb.com for more information and tickets. The last weekend of the ski season could be a ho-hum, hang up your boots kind of farewell in some towns. In Crested Butte, “Colorado’s Last Great Ski Town,” the expected never happens. Locals and visitors will be flushing out winter and welcoming spring on April 1-5. A historical slide show on Wednesday, coronation ball and polka dance on Friday, parade on Saturday morning, and a ski slope salute to the king and queen of Flauschink on Sunday are just part of the wacky fun. The king and queen are presented scepters (a.k.a. handy drink holders) made from toilet plungers and locally crafted crowns. The “Has Beens” (previous Flauschink royalty) join in the fun, and there is a Flauschink exhibit always on display at Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum.

Slush Huck/Pond Skim – April 4 The end of ski season is another excuse to celebrate, dress up in silly costumes and have wacky events, like the Slush Huck where contestants skim across water on their skis and snowboards. Get in your last turns of the season and go out with a bang!

The Ultimate Snowmobile Event- April 9-12 This multi-event snowmobile contest will crown the Ultimate Snowmobiler. From SnoCross to Hill Climb and an evening freestyle exhibition, this event is a crowd pleaser! Produced by 357 Productions, the Ultimate Snowmobile Event will draw contestants and spectators to the base area after the resort closes for the ski season.

46th Annual Flauschink – April 1-5

Elk at Second Avenue (970) 349-0366

visit: www.cbmountaintheatre.com for our winter season line up

10 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

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TE T U B ED T S E R C 607 6th St, Crested Butte

970-349-5305

www.truevalue.com/crestedbutte

Offering: Fuel, car wash, snacks, housewares, snow tools and ice melt, sleds, winter wear and gloves, and all of your DIY project supplies

would like to thank the following participating businesses and their customers for preserving open space in Gunnison County! A Daily Dose Alpengardener Altitude Painting Ananda Massage Andrew Hadley Architect Big Al’s Bicycle Heaven Blackline Entertainment Bliss Community Chiropractic Casa Bella CB Card Company Cement Creek Ranch Clear Rivers Holistics Clear View Window Washing Creekside Spa Crested Butte Cartoon Map Crested Butte Commercial Building Crested Butte Mountain Guides Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum Crested Butte Mountain Resort: Butte 66 The Ice Bar at Uley's Cabin Paradise Warming House WoodStone Bar and Grille Jefe's Crested Butte Rental and Demo Center Thin Air Sports White Room Apparel Logo’d at Crested Butte Logo’d at Grand Lodge Camp CB Spellbound Pizza Co. Ten Peaks Crested Butte News Crested Butte Nordic Center: GORE-TEX® Grand Traverse Crested Butte Property Management Crested Butte Wildflower Festival Don Brown D.D. S. Donita’s Cantina Double Shot Cyclery Dragonfly Anglers Dragon Sheet Metal EastWest Econometrics Elk Mountain Lodge Gas Café Grubstake Gallery

Gunnison Country Shopper Gunnison Country Times Gunnison County Electric Association Heather Elliot/Graphic Designer Holly’s Ride Guides I Bar Ranch inAWE Gallery Interior Visions Ivy Walker Studio J.C. Leacock Photography Karyn Adelman Acupuncture Kimbre Woods Photography Le Bosquet Lynn Moore, Moore for Your Money Main Street Clinic Mikey’s Pizza Montanya Distillers Mountain Colors Mountain Spirits Munchkin’s Music and Dance Nathan Bilow Photography Office for Resource Efficiency Energy Wise Business Program Oh Be Dogful Pet Ranch Paragon Gallery Pema Dawa Pioneer Guest Cabins Red Lady Realty RMBL-The Gothic Store Rocky Mountain Trees and Landscaping Ruben’s New Mexican Restaurant Sea Level Spa Strand Supper @ Sunflower The Guild with First Ascent Coffee Roasters and Mountain Oven Organic Bakery The Mountain Store The Sunflower Think Local First! Third Bowl Homemade Ice Cream Third Eye Photography Timberline Mechanical Timothy White Studio Town of Mt. Crested Butte Townie Books Why Cook?! Wintertide Design & Production Yoga for the Peaceful

To sign up your business contact Executive Director Molly Murfee at 349-1775 or director@1percentforopenspace.org www.1percentforopenspace.org

calendar. November. 22– “ No Turning Back” Warren Miller Ski Film - Crested Butte Film Festival Monthly Film Series, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 22– “ The Other One - The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir” - Crested Butte Film Festival Monthly Film Series, Gunnison Arts Center 26– Opening Day & Ski Free at Crested Butte Mountain Resort 27-29– Thanksgiving Training Camp, Crested Butte Nordic Center 28– “ Summit of My Life: A Fine Line” Film Presented by Crested Butte Nordic, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 28– “Pretty Faces” Ski Film, Lodge at Mountaineer Square, Mt. Crested Butte

December. 5– Night of Lights, Main Street, Gunnison 5– First Fridays Art Walk & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison 5– Friday Night Country Swing Dance Class (Drop-Ins Welcome), Gunnison Arts Center 6– 5th Annual Irwin Guides Ski Mountaineering Race, Irwin 6– Central Park New York, New York Gala, Gunnison Arts Center 7– Santa Visit, Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum 7– Irwin Guides/Griggs Orthopedics Vertical Race at CBMR 9-24– Holiday Art Market, Gunnison Arts Center 11– S tarry Night by Van Gogh - reCreations Live Painting Workshop by Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, Sweet Spot, Mt. Crested Butte 11-13, 18-20– “Another Story” Theatre Production, Gunnison Arts Center 12– Light Up Night holiday celebration, Crested Butte 12– KBUT’s Santa Bingo, Pump Room, Crested Butte Fire Station 13– Crested Butte Santa Crawl, Mt. Crested Butte & Crested Butte 13– Light Up Night holiday celebration, Mt. Crested Butte 13– Citizens Race (5K/10K Classic Skiing), Crested Butte Nordic Center 13– Holiday Décor & Gifts Paint Your Own Pottery, Gunnison Arts Center 13– Blackalicious Concert with Opening Act Daniel Bambaata Marley, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 13-14– gO SkiMo Camp (ski mountaineering), Crested Butte Mountain Resort 14-20– Rock on Ice (Ice Sculpture Carving), Crested Butte Mountain Resort 16-23– “Christmas Thieves” presented by Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, Mallardi Cabaret Theatre 18– Cards & Cocktails Workshop, Gunnison Arts Center 20– Breakfast with Santa, Gunnison Community & Aquatics Center 20– Citizens Race (5K/10K Skate Skiing), Crested Butte Nordic Center 20– Due West Christmas Concert, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 20– Winter Solstice Yurt Dinner, Crested Butte Nordic Magic Meadows Yurt 21– “A Most Wanted Man” - Crested Butte Film Festival Monthly Film Series, Gunnison Arts Center 21– Crested Butte/Gunnison Fat Bike Race Series Race #1, Magic Meadows, Crested Butte 22, 23, 26, 29, 30– Holiday Break Camp (ages 5 - 12), The Trailhead Children’s Museum, Mt. Crested Butte 24– Santa Arrives on Snowcat-Pulled Sleigh & Torchlight Parade, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 27– Yurt Dinner, Crested Butte Nordic Magic Meadows Yurt 31– New Year’s Torchlight Parade, Fireworks & Butte 66 Party, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 31– New Year’s Eve Yurt Dinner & Party, Crested Butte Nordic Center’s Magic Meadows Yurt 31– ArtWalk Evening, Studios & Galleries in Downtown Crested Butte

January. 1– Learn to Skate Ski for Free!, Crested Butte Nordic Center 2– First Fridays Art Walk & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison 2– Holiday Break Camp (ages 5 - 12), The Trailhead Children’s Museum, Mt. Crested Butte 3– Crested Butte/Gunnison Fat Bike Series, Race #2, Hartman Rocks Recreation Area, Gunnison 5– F ull Moon Party (Snowshoe & Uphill Ski Tour and Bonfire/Chili/Beer), Uley’s Cabin, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 6– 12th Night Celebration, Visitor Center Parking Lot, Crested Butte 9– Tony Furtado Trio Concert, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 9– Miners Ball Presented by Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum, Kochevar’s Saloon 9-11– 3rd Annual Roost the Butte (snowmobile events), Crested Butte Mountain Resort 10– 3 rd Annual Magic Meadows Dozen presented by Crested Butte Nordic Teams, Crested Butte Nordic Center 11-12– USASA Rail Jam and Slopestyle at CBMR 13– MarchFourth Marching Band Concert, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 15– R ed Poppy by Georgia O’Keefe - reCreations Live Painting Workshop by Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, Sweet Spot, Mt. Crested Butte 14-18– Mountain High Music Festival, Crested Butte & Mt. Crested Butte 17– Citizens Race: 10K or 20K Classic Skiing Race, Crested Butte Nordic Center 24– Crested Butte Nordic Team’s Yurt Dinner Fund-Raiser, Crested Butte Nordic’s Magic Meadows Yurt 24– Citizens Race: 10K or 20K Skate Skiing Race, Crested Butte Nordic Center 24, 25, 31– Free Snowshoe Walks, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 26– Dean Ween with Brothers Keeper Concert, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 27– Ladies Create Night, Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, Crested Butte 29– ArtWalk Evening, Studios & Galleries in Downtown Crested Butte 30– KBUT’s Female Arm Wrestling Contest, Talk of the Town, Crested Butte 30-31– W inter Photography Workshop Adventure offered by Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, Overnight Tour from Mt. Crested Butte to Gothic 31– Kenny Mac Ski Fest & Winter Carnival, Gunnison

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 11

calendar. February . 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28– Free Snowshoe Walks, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 3– Moonlight Snowshoe Tour, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 5– Learn to Skate Ski for Free!, Crested Butte Nordic Center 6– First Fridays Art Walk & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison 6– Crested Butte/Gunnison Fat Bike Series Race #3 - 3rd Annual Alley Loop Fat Bike Race, Downtown Crested Butte 6– Alley Loop Pub Ski, Downtown Crested Butte 7– 29th Annual Alley Loop Nordic Marathon (various race lengths), Crested Butte 7-8– USASA Boardercross at CBMR 12– N imphee by Claude Monet - reCreations Live Painting Workshop by Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, Sweet Spot, Mt. Crested Butte 13-16– IFSA Regionals Junior/College Freeskiing Competitions, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 14– Valentine’s Dinner at the Yurt, Crested Butte Nordic’s Magic Meadows Yurt 17– Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday Parade, Elk Avenue, Crested Butte 19-22– USSA Dan Prater Memorial Cup Ski Race, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 20-21– Move the Butte presented by Crested Butte Dance Collective, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 21– Gothic Mountain Tour presented by Crested Butte Nordic, Crested Butte 21– New Moon Yurt Dinner, Crested Butte Nordic’s Magic Meadows Yurt 22– An Evening with the Wood Brothers Concert, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 24– Ladies Create Night - Photo Transfer, Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, Crested Butte 25– The Claire Lynch Band Concert, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 26– ArtWalk Evening, Studios & Galleries in Downtown Crested Butte 27-28– 2 Star Freeride Tour Qualifier, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 28– Yurt Dinner, Crested Butte Nordic’s Magic Meadows Yurt

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March. 1– 7 Hours of the Banana benefit for Adaptive Sports Center, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 1– Free Snowshoe Walks, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 5– Learn to Skate Ski for Free!, Crested Butte Nordic Center 5– Moonlight Snowshoe Tour, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 5-8– IFSA Nationals Junior/College Freeskiing Competitions, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 6– First Fridays Art Walk & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison 7– Big Air on Elk presented by Colorado FreeSkier & Two Plank Productions, Elk Avenue, Crested Butte 7– Yurt Dinner, Crested Butte Nordic’s Magic Meadows Yurt 7-8– 4th Annual Gunnison Chamber of Commerce Ice Fishing Tournament, Blue Mesa Lake, Gunnison 12– A lmond Blossom by Vincent Van Gogh - reCreations Live Painting Workshop by Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, Sweet Spot, Mt. Crested Butte 13-15– U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association National Championships, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 13-15– B eyond the Wheel - Creative Ceramic Hand Building & Mold Making, Art Studio of the Center for the Arts 14– Yurt Dinner, Crested Butte Nordic’s Magic Meadows Yurt 14-15– Backcountry Magazine’s Backcountry Basecamp Tour, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 15– An Evening with Marc Cohn Concert, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 19-20– Freeskiing Extreme Championship at CBMR 20– Taj Mahal Concert, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 21– New Moon Yurt Dinner, Crested Butte Nordic’s Magic Meadows Yurt 21– 4 Star Freeride World Qualifier, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 22– 41st Annual Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Telemark Ski Race, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 24– Ladies Create Night - Pastel Sampler, Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, Crested Butte 26– ArtWalk Evening, Studios & Galleries in Downtown Crested Butte 26-28– 18th Annual GORE-TEX Elk Mountains Grand Traverse, Crested Butte to Aspen 27– Soul Train Presented by KBUT Radio, Butte 66, Mt. Crested Butte 28– Crafted (Colorado beer, spirits & food tastings), Ten Peaks, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 28-29– W inter Photography Workshop Adventure offered by Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, Overnight Tour from Mt. Crested Butte to Gothic

April.

1-5– Flauschink, Crested Butte & Mt. Crested Butte 3– First Fridays Art Walk & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison 3– Jukebox Burlesque, Center for the Arts Crested Butte 4– Eggquatics Easter Egg Hunt, Gunnison Community & Aquatics Center 4– Slush Huck/Pond Skim Competition & Live Music, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 5– Closing Day for Crested Butte Nordic Center & Crested Butte Mountain Resort (Live Music at CBMR) 9-12– Ultimate Snowmobiler, Crested Butte Mountain Resort 26– Crested Butte Pole, Paddle & Pedal (CBP3), Gunnison to Crested Butte Thanks to the Gunnison Crested Butte Tourism Association for compiling this event calendar. Event dates are subject to change. Keep up-to-date at www.GunnisonCrestedButte/ Events.com photo by

Fred Sproat

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12 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

WELCOME to winter (You're gonna LOVE it)

photo by

Fred Sproat

by John Norton

inding up the softball season in August, a teammate mentioned he was headed for Sweden for a visit to his wife’s family. I said I’d like to visit the Scandinavian countries someday. Go in the summer, he said, otherwise it’s cold and dark. I like cold and dark, I said. He gave me a puzzled look and our conversation ended. I am afflicted with an unyielding affection for the cold and snow. It’s nothing I work at. It’s just there. I chose to go the northernmost college that would have me. When told by an employer that I would be in charge of Florida and moving there, my boss looked puzzled when I pleaded not to go. Everyone in the company wants Florida, he said. What’s with you? I hate heat, I said. You’ll get used to it, he replied. I never did. When I had the opportunity to move to Crested Butte, a place with a long winter and a short summer, I imagined it heaven. And it has been. Outside of July, which I find unbearably warm, the rest of the non-snow months are pleasant enough. But November through April I just love. Ten years ago someone advised that as I grew older I would tolerate the cold less well. That’s true for most people but not for me. I find myself tolerating the heat less well and embracing the cold more than ever. The Wall Street Journal ran a piece this November that explored Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Most of us have heard of Winter SAD. That condition afflicts about 5 percent of the population. But now Summer SAD is recognized, though only .7 percent of the population has it. The article described people for whom vacationing in Juneau in July beats a trip to the beach and a guy who opens the door to his refrigerator and stands in front of it to refresh.

continued on next page

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Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 13

adventure. continued from previous page

THOMAS P. MOORE, M.D., PH.D • Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon • USSA Ski & Snowboard Team Physician

HEATHER COOK-MIKKELSEN, APN/FNP

photo by Nathan Bilow

“It’s a lonely world for people like us,” said one study participant. “Weathermen celebrate sunshine and warm temperatures, and talk about the weather I love in disparaging terms.” As I write this in early November we are enjoying an Indian Summer. While I’m still enjoying riding my mountain bike, I feel an anxiety about when the snow is going to fly. Because besides loving the cold I love to slide on snow. November brings not only the opening of ski season but also skiing the Nordic tracks that the Nordic Center prepares at Lily Lake. Typically this is some of the first Nordic skiing to open in America each year. December and January bring progressive openings of more terrain on the mountain and the finest powder of the year. The sun is low and the powder is white smoke. February is typically the finest ski month of the year. The sun is higher than at the winter solstice but not so high it ruins the snow. The snowpack is usually at its greatest. In March the sun finally gets to the snow but the temperatures are pleasant. When I picture March it’s sitting on the Paradise Deck with a cheeseburger and a beer, face to the sun. April and May bring the closure of the ski area but typically the safest conditions of the year for backcountry skiing. We look for freezing nights followed by sunny days, the conditions that bring fine corn snow that is almost as fun to ski as powder. And while bike trips to Hartman Rocks and Moab beckon, there is still plenty of slippery sliding to be had. Anyway, here you are. While you may not love the winter months as much as I, we must still be kin or you wouldn’t choose to be here at all. Enjoy our cold and our snow. See you on the hill!

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14 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

adventure.

Contacting the News via email is easy! We have a variety of email addresses depending upon who you're looking to contact: editorial@crestedbuttenews.com design@crestedbuttenews.com legals@crestedbuttenews.com classifieds@crestedbuttenews.com subscription@crestedbuttenews.com nolan@crestedbuttenews.com (ad sales)

Gus’ Way

photo by

Chris Segal

SECRET STASHES for

intermediate skiers

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Skiing on Crested Butte Mountain is sweet pretty much any time of the season, but jumping into untracked powder is the cherry on top of the cake. It’s finding the fresh pow after a foot of snow falls overnight that is the challenge. If the area gets a good overnight snow storm, the locals will be on the bus and in the lift lines a half hour before the chairs start spinning and it won’t take long for the steep-and-deep to get tracked out. So, like with any good ski area, it helps to know where there are stashes that last longer into the ski day after a foot of fresh. They may not be as steep or as long as the higher profile powder shots, but that can be a plus for those who aren’t used to skiing off the groomed runs. We asked some of the pros on the mountain to point us in the right direction for some intermediate powder stashes that won’t overwhelm new powder skiers and that might still have untracked snow after lunch…

Prospect Lift

Anything off of the is really good, like Prospector, Elko Park. You can find some good stashes there. Also, anything off West Wall is great with some good powder off of Championship. – George Dombrowski, Assistant Lift Operations Manager

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Gold Link

My favorite intermediate powder stashes are over off of around North Pass and off the Prospect lift around Little Queen and Twin Bridges. Usually people head for the High Lift and North Face, etc. but it is really fun over there. – Kate Harrington, Retail Supervisor, CBMR

Smith Hill

off of the Red Lady Lift is a great place to go early season. It’s good for intermediate newbies to try out the powder because the resort grooms down the middle and leaves the sides of the trail un-groomed. This allows for the skier to dip off the groomed part and into the powder at their own comfort level. It is also a blue run on the mountain that has a decent pitch and anyone who has tried skiing powder before can tell you that flats and deep snow don’t really mix well— you get stuck. I’ve found that the color code of the trail is important to a lot of intermediate skiers and many will refuse to try a black diamond run even though it might make it easier and more fun for them when skiing the deep stuff.

Gus' Way

Another good area is over near the Teocalli Lift. All season long you can always find a few fresh turns to link in that area, whether it be out in the open skiing past the Tipple House or weaving through the aspens. The tighter the aspens that you’re willing to squeeze through the bigger the reward of fresh pow turns. – Geoffrey Oros, Community Lodging and Wholesale Manager, Crested Butte Vacations

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 15

adventure. Honey Pie Glade

Rachael’s, , Double Top, area between Mineral Point and Poverty Gulch, Sink area (between Gus’ Way and Bushwacker), Aspen Park Switch

Hot Rocks

Classes as low as $9

back area, lower Crystal Trees, , Smith Hill/ Tulsa area, Buddy’s Bowl (between Lower Keystone and Ice Bar) to name a few. –Bill Dowell, Director of Ski Patrol

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Mineral Point

photo by

Chris Segal

Silver Queen chairlift

First choice is starting at the top of the and working my way towards the bottom of East River. These runs are blue runs with different levels of difficulty. They are normally not as busy as some of the front side runs and the High Lift and North Face lift lines tend to be busier on powder days.

East River chairlift

My second choice would be the accessed area. There are many options of trails in the East River area once you get there that vary from groomers to glades and great bump runs. It is an intermediate skier’s paradise with a different variety of trail options. My favorite would be Double Top Glades. –Dan Healy, Director, Children’s Programs, CBMR

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because there are lots of different lines to choose from and trees are super fun for kids. Skiers left off the top of Big Chute (hugging the High Lift rope line) because it starts in some easy trees and then opens into a great powder field. – Rebecca Bell, Manager of Skier Services and her nine-year-old daughter Emerson

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The new gladed area between Resurrection and

Double Top Glades should be a good intermediate area, blue to black. I always make a couple turns in the

Mineral Point trees when I’m

on my way back to the front side of the mountain, two turns is about all you can get, but the snow is consistently good. There are a lot of good intermediate glades off of Gus’ way that also keep great snow, because it’s off the beaten path and dumps into Teo lift. – Chris Segal, Marketing Content Coordinator, CBMR

510 Belleview • 349-5709 • (Next to Clark’s Market) Open Monday ~ Saturday 9 am ~ 10 pm • Sundays 9 am ~ 9 pm

16 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

to the

rescue

CB Dog School is about more than tricks and treats photos by

by Aimee Eaton Heavily bearded, burly, mountain-man Shawn Williams, also known as Knuckler, is running in circles, jumping up and down, waving his hands in the air and screeching like a fifth-grade girl at her first slumber party. His audience is even more excited than he is. Blonde, slight of frame, and not even two years old, Joey is practically doing back flips as she chases after Williams while rag-dolling an old piece of blanket that she holds lightly in her mouth. When they both finally stop, Joey drops the blanket and shakes her entire body from the tip of her black nose to the end of her golden tail. Then she raises her ears and looks at Williams. Though she doesn’t speak, it’s easy to tell what she’s saying: “That was awesome! Let’s do it again!”

The whole production was part of a three-daylong Dog School hosted by the Crested Butte Ski Patrol last winter, aimed at standardizing training for avalanche rescue dogs in Colorado. Joey, a purebred golden retriever, is one of a handful of dogs from around the state that participated in last winter’s program, and Williams is a tenured Crested Butte Ski Patroller and proud member of the Crested Butte Avalanche Dog Program. Although Williams and Joey do not share a connection beyond Dog School, they both are committed to safety in the mountains, teamwork and avalanche safety. “Every day I’m out here with my dog, we’re working on training,” said Williams, the proud human father to Ziggy, a four-year-old chocolate lab that tips the scales at more than 80 pounds. “Ziggy was brought into the Crested Butte program as a pup, and was fully certified under the CARDA

Lydia Stern

standards as a Crested Butte Avalanche Dog when he was one and half years old.” CARDA, or the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association, offers the gold standard for avalanche rescue dog training and certification, said Frank Coffey, CBMR’s snow safety director. “The United States doesn’t really have a standardized system for training and evaluating avalanche dogs,” said Coffey. “The Crested Butte Mountain Resort program adopted the CARDA standards several years ago, and now we’re working to help train other areas, and patrollers from other programs in the criteria. “We have two CARDA instructors down working with Dog School, and our hope is that eventually all dogs will be trained to the same high standard so that in any circumstance, at any location, rescue personnel will know what they are getting in an avalanche rescue dog.” continued on next page

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Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 17 continued from previous page

Dogs have been used in search and rescue operations for hundreds of years. With their heightened sense of smell and enhanced agility over rough terrain, properly trained dogs can be powerful tools for locating humans lost in the backcountry. In the 1930s the Swiss Army went one step beyond what had previously been done, and began training their dogs specifically for avalanche rescue, with great success. Today, according to a Canadian avalanche control research committee, a single well-trained avalanche dog has capabilities similar to a 20-person search team and can search an area in an eighth of the time it would take the human team. Watching Joey, who is still just in the early stages of her training, search the Dog School training area for “victims” and “targets” like the blanket scrap makes it hard to dispute the time-saving aspect of trained dogs. Less than 20 seconds elapse between when a CARDA trainer gives the search command and when Joey bursts into the snow cave where Williams had been buried. Even at a run, with a beacon, an experienced human searcher would have barely entered the site within that time. A fully trained dog would likely have been even faster. “Every second counts when someone is buried,” said Coffey. “Our Crested Butte dogs, and dogs trained under the CARDA standards, are incredibly efficient during a search. Unfortunately, because of where avalanches occur and the speed in which a victim must be dug out in order to survive, dogs most often enter a scene once it has become a situation of body recovery.” That’s one of the hard parts of training an avalanche dog in Crested Butte, adds Williams. Avalanches that trap skiers are almost unheard of at the resort, so while on the hill the dogs are more of a public relations tool than anything. However, skier-triggered avalanches in the valley’s surrounding backcountry are all too common, and it is there that the dogs are truly put to work. “Because of the training of our avalanche dogs, we’re often called to assist with search and rescue operations,” said Williams. “Unfortunately by the time we’re on the scene it’s often past the golden period for recovery. The dogs are still out there, and they’re still doing their job, but many times the most we can do is provide some closure for families of the victim.” This was the case in 2008, when local resident Mike Bowen was caught in an avalanche in the Happy Chutes on the northeast flank of Mount Emmons. Bowen was skiing alone and was not wearing a beacon. Crested Butte Search and Rescue looked for his body for several days before calling Crested Butte’s Ski Patrol and requesting help from the dog program. After about half an hour of searching, Digger, one the program’s most seasoned canines, located Bowen’s body under several feet of snow. “Digger went out and did his job, and did it very well,” said Williams. “A large part of the training we do is making sure the dogs know when they are successful and rewarding them for that success. That’s why I ran around with Joey. “But now, think about being the patroller in that situation. She needed to show her enthusiasm and pride for Digger’s work, but at the same time she was dealing with a death of someone in the community. It can be a very hard situation, and it’s part of why we’re constantly training.” Dogs and handlers trained under the CARDA standards must meet several requirements and criteria in order to be recognized and registered as an avalanche rescue dog team. This includes passing a validation test, which illustrates the effectiveness of the handler and the dog, both as individuals and as a team. “Ziggy passed the test the first time, but I had to retest,” said Williams. “He went right to the sites and did his job and I was running all over the place. It really is a system that relies on both the handler and the dog having been well trained and understanding what needs to happen.” Last season the Crested Butte Ski Patrol had five dogs in the avalanche rescue dog program. These are likely the pups that can be seen out on the slopes, riding the chair lifts and hanging out in the base area, and while they may look like pets, let there be no doubt that each one is a trained professional. “We want people to know our dogs are out there, to ask to pet them, and to see what they can do,” said Williams. “A large part of Dog School is about sharing knowledge, and the same can be said for sharing our program with the community.”

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CHAMBER EVENTS 2014 - 2015 SUPPORT EVENTS THAT SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS!

Chamber Business After-Hours Events: 3rd Thurs. of every month Irwin Guides/Griggs Orthopedics Skimo Race: December 6 Vertical Skimo Race – US Team Qualifier: December 7 Butte Bucks Program: December 8 - January 19 Light Up the Night: December 12 & 13 CB/Gunny Fat Bike Race Series: December 21 & January 3 Twelfth Night Community Bonfire: January 6 3rd Annual CB Fat Bike Race – Series Finale/29th Annual Alley Loop: February 6 Mardi Gras Parade: February 17 2nd Annual CRAFTED Event: March 28 Memorial Day Weekend Sidewalk Sale: May 22- 25 CB Bike Week: June 25–28, CBBikeWeek.com 4th of July Parade 17th Annual Chili & Beer Festival: September 5-6, CBBeerFest.com The Visitor Center is located at 601 Elk Ave. (at the 4-way stop) And at the Transit Center/Bus Stop at Mt. CB Phone: 970-349-6438 | Hours: 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Monday thru Sunday

Visit www.CBchamber.com for more event info!

18 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

adventure.

Crested Butte Nordic sets sights on

FUTURE photos by

Kurt Reise

ordic skiing has been a way of life in this valley for over a century. So it’s appropriate that Crested Butte is the Nordic Ski Capital of Colorado. But the people behind the non profit Crested Butte Nordic organization have their sights set high, they want to put CB Nordic on the map as one of the top five Nordic ski resorts in the country. There are big plans for Nordic skiing in the East River Valley. The Crested Butte Nordic board of directors has approved a management plan that sets some ambitious goals, including doubling skier days to 50,000 in the next five years; uniting the three existing trail systems (the East and West side trails, and Ruthie’s Run on the bench) with an over- or underpass on Highway 135 and a bridge across Coal Creek; and adding onto the existing Nordic Center or building a new one altogether. In the last decade, the trail system has more than doubled and user days have tripled. Crested Butte Nordic added a new snow cat and a cat barn to maintain both snow cats. They’ve built an International Federation of Skiing–sanctioned racecourse, and constructed a yurt that continues to be a draw for fine dining and events. “I think a big part [of that growth] is because we’ve created some really good skiing, and so people show up for it and they like

it and tell their friends, and they come back,” executive director Keith Bauer said, adding that the appeal of Crested Butte in general helps. “They get to experience the community and that of course sells itself.” Currently, Crested Butte Nordic maintains 55 kilometers of groomed trails around the Town of Crested Butte and offers complete ski and snowshoe rental packages, private lessons, clinics, and tours, as well as fine yurt dining. For more information, visit www.cbnordic.org.

Q & A with CB Nordic board president Skip Berkshire Skip Berkshire has been involved with Crested Butte Nordic for over 15 years. He and his wife Ruth bought cross country skis at the Nordic swap the first winter they lived in Crested Butte, 1998. Since then they have volunteered at CB Nordic events, such as the famous Alley Loop. Skip joined the board of directors 10 years ago and has served as the board president twice.

xavi fane

continued on next page

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Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 19

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How has the organization grown in the last 15 years? The organization began as a loose, seasonal club-like organization and for years would shut down in the spring and re-open in the fall. Ten years ago CB Nordic made a major commitment to growing Nordic skiing in the Gunnison Valley. We decided to hire a full time director. This was a true turning point for CB Nordic. We moved from a seasonal club to a business. We developed plans and executed those plans to improve our Nordic product. Today we have a full time Executive Director and yearround directors for events and development. We have a successful Nordic Youth Program, which includes a Junior Nordic Ski Team with professional coaching. We have two snow cats, several snowmobiles, a plethora of grooming tools and a maintenance facility as well as an Operations Manager to assure the highest quality grooming. In partnership with the CB Land Trust, we erected a yurt on our ski trails in Magic Meadows and serve gourmet dinners there throughout the ski season. The yurt also serves as a venue for private parties. We developed a new FIS sanctioned 5 km trail for races – one of only three in Colorado and the highest in the world. We recently developed a CB Nordic Master Plan to guide our growth and development into the future.

And what part of that growth are you most proud of?

I am most proud that CB Nordic has been successful in its goal of becoming a key part of our winter economy while still retaining the character of a ‘locally owned’ organization. Over the years we have worked hard to deliver the best Nordic product possible, and we have been successful--that is very satisfying.

FIND US ON

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WHEN HOUSED WITHIN

A HEALTHFUL BODY,

FOR

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photography by

• ALISON WHITE •

Gettin’ Weird tonight?

Where do you see the Nordic organization in 10 years?

Ten years from now CB Nordic will have a new Nordic Center, we will have ‘connected’ our East and West side areas as well as ski connections to Mt. Crested Butte and, hopefully, Crested Butte South. We will have extended our ski trails into the Slate and Washington Gulch drainages. We will have some small huts for overnight ski trips in the backcountry. We will be a recognized destination Nordic ski resort. And we will still have iconic events like the Alley Loop and the Elk Mountains Grand Traverse. It’s going to be a great journey.

! e c n a h c ’t take the

Tell us about some of Crested Butte Nordic’s new offerings this year. Our “customers” will notice new, improved trail maps and signage at our trailheads this year. Our new “homologated” (sanctioned) trail on the Bench, Ruthie’s Run, is fully finished and will provide a showcase venue for our Junior Nordic Team as well as a really fun ski for all others. With two snow cats, new grooming equipment and a full complement of grooming personnel, our grooming will be off the charts. What our customers won’t probably see is the continued work toward acquiring a new Nordic Center and work toward connecting our trails as well as work toward opening new trails on Smith Hill in 2016.

What's a perfect day look like on skinny skis for you?

Bluebird day in the low 30s on a perfectly groomed Mike’s Mile, skating out to Gunsight looking at the Paradise Divide and the pillows of snow lining the Slate River—doesn’t get much better than that.

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20 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

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photo by

Lydia Stern

Make history at the Santa Ski Crawl How many Santas will be skiing down Crested Butte Mountain this December 13? Event planner Shaun Matusewicz hopes it’s enough to break a world record. Matusewicz brought the Santa Ski Crawl to town last year and more than 400 Santas took part. Santa pub crawls happen all over the country, but not Santa ski crawls. “Santa pub crawls are amazing fun,” says Matusewicz, “but I wanted to go beyond the norm and apply that concept to Crested Butte in a way that worked for families and also fit in with our local culture. Incorporating skiing was the perfect fit! It gives families a unique event to participate in together and showcases our amazing ski hill.” And Matusewicz is aiming high this year, to set a Guinness World Record. “Last year we fell a little bit short, but this year I am confident we will shatter the record. We are working with the Guinness Book of World Records to have it officially recognized and put into the book. It’s not every day that you get to be part of history,” Matusewicz says. There are two parts to this second annual event. One, the group ski. It’s open to all ages and is free to participate in. All you need is a Santa suit and a season pass or day pass to CBMR. If you don’t have a pass that day, CBMR is offering $22 lift tickets to those in their red and white suit. And the suit has to include a top, bottom, hat and beard for the discount. If you don’t have your own suit, you can purchase one from the event organizers. The Group Ski will begin at the Ice Bar midway up the mountain. Santas will begin gathering at 2:30 p.m. and then all ski down together at 3:30 p.m. Make sure you arrive on time so all Santas can depart together. Matusewicz says the group ski last year was genuinely memorable. “I have never laughed so hard as when I skied down the hill last year surrounded by hundreds of Santas. It was impossible not to smile. Santas of all ages and sizes came together for one amazing day and it is something I will never forget.” The Ice Bar is also the first stop on the Santa Pub Crawl. For $25 you get a Santa suit to keep and five drinks. Drinks will be available to participants starting at 2:30 p.m. at the Ice Bar, and from there all the Santas will ski together down to Butte 66 at the base area, have another drink, and continue to historic downtown Crested Butte for the other stops along the crawl. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one of the most fun things you’ll ever get to do,” says Matusewicz. “A thousand Santas on a ski hill at the same time is not happening any place in the country. From families who want to build lasting memories together to younger folks who just want to party in a Santa suit, it truly is an event that anyone can have a blast at.” For more information, go to www.cbsantacrawl.com.

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22 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 23

skicb.com

WELCOME TO THE BUTTE Thank you for choosing Crested Butte Mountain Resort for your winter vacation. We strive to provide you with experiences and memories that last a lifetime. If you have any questions or need assistance, look for one of our many Guest Service representatives around the resort. They’re happy to provide tips and advice for you to make the most of your time at the resort and in our community.

BASE AREA

Dining locations #skicb #crestedbutte @skicrestedbutte

Please pick up an official pocket trail map for better on-mountain navigation and important safety information.

The award-winning Ski & Ride School is a PSIA/AASI Certified Member School.

adventuRe CenteR, mountaineeR SquaRe CouRtyaRd

(970) 349-2211 skicb.com

Photos: Tom Stillo

group lessons private lessons Beginner adventure north face guides

Whether you’re seeking a guide to discover more of the mountain or a private lesson for individualized instruction, our pros provide the highest level of guest service, and make sure you have fun out there.

KidS’ SKi & Ride SChool pRivate & gRoup leSSonS for ages 3 – 17 nuRSeRy foR ageS 2 months – 3 years

Nick Herrin Ski & Ride School Director

CAMP CB kids’ ski & ride school

Photo: Nathan Bilow

SCHOOL

ski & ride

SlopeSide, WhetStone Building

evening pRogRam Kids’ Night Out (4 p.m. – 8 p.m.) Kids enjoy dinner and all Adventure Park activities.

(970) 349-2211 skicb.com

22 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 23

skicb.com

BASE AREA

Dining locations #skicb #crestedbutte @skicrestedbutte

Please pick up an official pocket trail map for better on-mountain navigation and important safety information.

The award-winning Ski & Ride School is a PSIA/AASI Certified Member School.

adventuRe CenteR, mountaineeR SquaRe CouRtyaRd

(970) 349-2211 skicb.com

Photos: Tom Stillo

group lessons private lessons Beginner adventure north face guides

KidS’ SKi & Ride SChool pRivate & gRoup leSSonS for ages 3 – 17 nuRSeRy foR ageS 2 months – 3 years

Nick Herrin Ski & Ride School Director

CAMP CB kids’ ski & ride school

Photo: Nathan Bilow

SCHOOL

ski & ride

SlopeSide, WhetStone Building

evening pRogRam Kids’ Night Out (4 p.m. – 8 p.m.) Kids enjoy dinner and all Adventure Park activities.

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Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 25

TEO

Resort opens 40 acres of extreme terrain opens this season with ample snow

rested Butte Mountain Resort recently announced that they will open 40 new acres of expert terrain this winter, called Teo 2, once the area has ample snowpack. Located skiers’ right beyond Teocalli Bowl at the top of the High Lift, Teo 2 stands above future expansion possibilities at the resort on the back side of the mountain. Teo 2 delivers a variety of terrain for advanced skiers and riders. Upon entering the area, riders will choose from either legendary “Crested Butte style” steeps or a wide open powder bowl. There are pillow drops and steep tree lines; all finishing with a mellower open field that weaves through short trees. Mountain crews cleared trees over the summer, with guidance from the U.S. Forest Service, to create an egress road that was needed to open this terrain. To get back to the main part of the resort, there is a 20 – 30 minute hike back to Schofield Road that drops back into Paradise Bowl. Enthusiastic skiers and riders must wait until Mother Nature comes through with abundant snow in the area to check out this new terrain. At that point with the first rope dropping, the fury of exploration can begin. As John Sale, CBMR’s director of planning explains “Teo 2 has been in our existing permit boundary for years, but we needed to provide emergency access and egress to open the terrain to the public, which was cut this summer. Once out there, the vistas from the top of Teo 2 open up a whole other part of the mountain on the back side with amazing views of Teocalli Mountain and the East River below. This will give guests a preview of the future expansion potential as outlined in CBMR’s 2013 Master Development Plan.” An area that is hoped to be expanded into in future years once the proper permitting takes place, Teocalli Drainage would be proposed to include two additional

lifts and intermediate terrain, creating an entirely new skiable lift pod for most skiing and riding abilities, with pristine views of wilderness areas and U.S. National Forest. “Coming off a season of great snowfall, this is something we have wanted to do for some time,” explained vice president and general manager Michael Kraatz this fall. “We want our guests to see the possibilities of skiing on the back side of the mountain. While this may only be expert terrain now, we are very much focused on providing a family experience back there when the Teocalli Drainage is fully expanded into. For now, it is something to get excited about here in Crested Butte; checking out new terrain, on a new aspect of our mountain, in deep powder all while looking out to exceptional views.” Announcements will be made about exactly when Teo 2 is going to open later this winter as the snow accumulates and the snow safety team gets back to the new area to control it. Other improvements this season at the resort include a new Magic Carpet lift just for the tubing hill. The installation of the new lift will provide kids and the “kid at heart” easy, safe access to the hill. In addition, the resort continues glading for intermediate skiers. Last summer, the resort thinned 10 acres of

photo by

Lydia Stern

trees, dramatically improving access to forested skiing. This summer, the improvements continue as resort crews partner with the local US Forest Service District to identify new areas for glading. Intermediate skiers looking for more gentle gladed terrain should get ready to weave through the trees in the East River area and off the Teocalli Lift. And snow bikes will be available for rental this year at the resort. For the last couple of years, snow bikes have made a huge splash at CBMR’s annual Slush Huck Pond Skim event, where participants try to skim across a pond on skis and snowboards. This year, guests can try out snow bikes themselves (minus the pond) by renting one of ten new bikes in the resort’s rental fleet. For those new to the sport at CBMR, a two hour instruction and guided tour around the mountain is required to ensure safe use of the equipment and knowledge of where snow biking approved routes are located. It gives a whole new meaning to carving turns. This is an easy to learn, smileproducing sport and more information on snow biking at Crested Butte can be found at www.skicb.com/snowbike.

26 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

activitiesguide.

Adaptive Sports Center

The Adaptive Sports Center (ASC) is a nationally-recognized non-profit organization that has provided life-enhancing outdoor recreation to people with disabilities and their families since 1987. This winter we offer the following instruction for groups, families and individuals: alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, ski biking, snowshoeing, ice climbing, hut trips and other custom-tailored adventures. Reservations are recommended for all activities. Lessons are taught by PSIA adaptive certified instructors. ASC serves children and adults with cognitive and physical disabilities, as well as at-risk youth. ASC’s offices are located in the Treasury Center on Mt. Crested Butte. For more information about activities and special events, or to register, call (970) 349-2296, email info@ adaptivesports.org or visit www.adaptivesports.org.

Adventure Center at Mountaineer Square

The one stop for all of your vacation needs. Purchase lift tickets and sign up for CB Ski and Ride School lessons in one convenient location. The Mountain Concierge is your valley-wide information source and is available to book all your activities including Ice Bar Sleighride Dinners, winter zipline tours, snowcat driving lessons, spa treatments, snowshoe tours, snowmobile tours and more! (970) 349-2211. Mountaineer Square, Mt. Crested Butte.

Adventure Park

Tubing is back! Don’t miss the base area Adventure Park complete with mini golf, bungee trampolines, climbing wall, and lift-served tubing hill. Get everything from single activity tickets to unlimited Adventure Park access at the Crested Butte Rental and Demo Center or at the Adventure Center in Mountaineer Square. Activities are weather dependent. (970) 349-2211. Base Area, Mt. Crested Butte.

Alpine Express

Welcome to Alpine Express! We specialize in transportation between the Gunnison/Crested Butte Airport or the Montrose Airport, and the Towns of Mt. Crested Butte, Crested Butte, Gunnison and outlying areas. In the winter season we request a 48 hour advance reservation to provide service to and from the Gunnison/Crested Butte Airport. Year-round, service to or from the Montrose Airport is available by reservation (minimum trip charges apply). We meet all commercial flights to/from the Gunnison Airport during the winter season. Charter Service is available for service from Denver, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction. Local & long distance charters are available year round for all types of special occasions including weddings. Please call us to assist in planning those special events. (800) 822-4844 / (970) 641-5074 www.AlpineExpressShuttle.com.

Burt Rentals Snowmobiling

Voted Crested Butte’s favorite snowmobiling company since 1983. Back by popular demand our Snowmobile Zip Line combo tour. Lunch and dinner tours. Hourly, half-day and sunset tours. Play areas on every tour. Tours for every ability level - from mild to wild. Burt Rentals is an authorized permittee of the US Forest Service. New Location! Slopeside at the base of ski area next to the Bungee Jump. (970) 349-2441.

Camp CB

Whetstone Building, Mt. Crested Butte. Camp CB is home to the Kids’ Ski and Ride School where youngsters can connect with the outdoors, other children and fun-loving instructors. Children’s group and private lessons are available for all ages and abilities. The evening program “Kids Night Out” includes unlimited Adventure Park access and dinner. Nursery (two months and up) is also available. Kids’ Ski and Ride School. (970) 349-2211.

Colorado Adventure Rentals

Ride the top snowmobile trails in the Rocky Mountains. This part of the Colorado Rockies includes two peaks over 14,000 feet and 20 that are over 13,000 feet. Snowmobile trails wind through these majestic mountains, providing incredible views of some of the most pristine landscapes you’ll ever find. Take a ride on our new Polaris 800 RMK high performance snowmobiles- lightweight and powerful sleds that dominate the slopes. We have many one-person and two-person sled options and our rates include insurance, helmets, and instruction. We provide snowmobile rentals in Gunnison, Crested Butte, and Grand Junction/Grand Mesa and ride out from many locations. Trailers and delivery are available throughout the Gunnison Valley and beyond. Visit our website for information and contact us today to plan your winter mountain adventure! PO Box 253, Almont, CO 81210 (970) 641-3525 Email: rider@coloradoadventurerentals.com website: www. coloradoadventurerentals.com.

Crested Butte Angler Located at 413 Elk Avenue, Crested Butte Angler offers guided fly fishing trips for all abilities throughout the winter and spring seasons. We have Taylor River private access with big rainbows, browns, cutthroats, and our float fishing trips will begin in March. Take a break from the slopes and enjoy a day on the river with us. Our shop features fishing products, outdoor clothing, and gifts. Please contact us (970) 209-6555. www.crestedbutteangler.com. email crestedbutteangler@hotmail.com

Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce - Visitor Centers Are you looking for information on what to do during your stay in the Crested Butte Area? The Chamber of Commerce Visitor Centers are a great resource for shopping, dining and area activities. We have two winter locations- Our Crested Butte Visitor’s Center is located at the Four-Way Stop in Crested Butte (at the corner of 6th and Elk Ave) and is open 7 days a week from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Our Mt. Crested Butte Visitor’s Center is located in the Transit Center of Mountaineer Square, and is staffed 7 days a week from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., with brochures accessible from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. You can give us a call at (855) 681-0941, (970) 349-6438 or visit our website at www.cbchamber.com. We also have relocation and business information available. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Crested Butte Mountain Club

Butte & Co. Ski & Snowboard Rentals

For over 37 years Butte & Co. Ski & Snowboard Rentals has stood the test of time as Mt. Crested Butte’s premier ski shop. Butte & Co. offers its customers an incredible rental shop with skis & snowboards from Atomic, Head, and K2. Also available this year is a state of the art demo fleet with the very best in equipment from Dynastar, Volkl, Atomic, RMU, K2, Icelantic and High Society all mountain skis! Reserve in advance www.crestedbutteskirentals.com and save 20% on your rentals. Kids 12 & under save 50% with each paying adult. Bring your skis into our Montana tuning shop Crystal Glide Tune! Keep the whole family warm and stylish with outerwear from The North Face, Kjus, Spyder, Obermeyer, Atomic, Saga, Picture and Anakie. See why Butte & Co. was voted one of North America’s top shops by Skiing Magazine. (970) 349-7581 or (800) 742-SKIS.

The Crested Butte Mountain Club provides a convenient and highly personalized experience to members through two different memberships. Our sport package is perfect for those who want all of the services and exclusive perks that CBMR has to offer, but don’t need a lockerroom. It includes use of a private club lounge, concierge services, resort wide discounts, weekly first tracks and other exclusive on mountain events. Our Full membership includes all of the above with the additional benefits of a locker-room, ski storage, and valet parking. The Club also offers camaraderie among friends with guest passes, discounts and amenities. For more info email club@cbmr.com or stop by the club lounge located in the Treasury Building. (970) 349-4987.

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Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 27

activitiesguide. Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum

Want to learn more about this amazing valley? Are you a train buff? Ever wonder when Telemark skiing was started? Do you love to mountain bike? The Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum can answer any questions you have about these things and more. We are open every day this winter from 12 to 6pm. Admission into the Museum is only $4 and you can find us at 331 Elk Ave in downtown Crested Butte!! Come in and see the unique and amazing gifts we have in our Museum Store that fits into everyone’s budget. Historic Walking Tours are available by appointment throughout the entire winter. If you have any questions or want any information call us at (970) 349-1880. You can also find us on the web at www.crestedbuttemuseum.com.

Crested Butte Mountain Theatre

The Crested Butte Mountain Theatre is the longest continuously running community theatre on the Western Slope of Colorado. The theatre provides an open avenue for creative expression through community participation in all aspects of theatrical productions and fosters the growth of theatre as an art form through high-quality contemporary, classical and original productions. The Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, home of the Mallardi Cabaret Theatre, is located downtown in the historic Old Town Hall at Second and Elk. We offer a diverse season schedule of plays, adult and children’s workshops, youth programs, film and musical events throughout the year. Crested Butte Mountain Theatre enters its 5th decade of educating, enriching, and entertaining our community. Located at 403 Second Street, please visit www.cbmountaintheatre.org or call (970) 349-0366 for more information.

Crested Butte Nordic

Offering over 50 kilometers of immaculately groomed trails for cross country skiing and snowshoing around the Town of Crested Butte. The Nordic Center, located at Second and Whiterock on the bus loop, offers complete ski and snowshoe rental packages as well as private lessons, clinics, and tours. Kids 17 and under get free rentals and skiing all season long! More information can be found at www.cbnordic.org or by calling (970) 349-1707.

Crested Butte Parks & Recreation

The Crested Butte Parks & Recreation Department offers year-round activities for children and adults. Most sports and activities are organized and require registering with the Recreation Office; others are on a drop-in basis. Pick-up indoor adult activities are listed in the Crested Butte News’ Community Calendar as well as on our web page. With snowy days and cold nights, renting Jerry’s Gym is the perfect choice for your next birthday party. Welcome to paradise, and let Parks & Recreation help you get active. For more information on your next winter adventure, go to www.crestedbutterec.com or call the Parks and Recreation Department at (970) 349-7197. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tumble Bugs is on Thursdays from 9:30 - 11:00 am at Town Hall. This two-hour playtime for kids ages 0 - 4 years is a great opportunity for kids and parents to socialize and play with a variety of toys and mats in Jerry’s Gym. Cost is $5 per session or purchase a $40 pass good for 10 sessions. Public Skating on Big Mine Ice Arena is free with your own skates. For the daily schedule at Big Mine Ice Arena call the rink hotline, (970) 349-0974. Skate rentals are available at the Nordic Center Warming House next to the rink, (970) 349-1707.

Crested Butte Rental & Demo Center

Treasury Building, Mt. Crested Butte. The most convenient choice for all of your winter sports equipment needs featuring a wide selection of skis and snowboards plus FREE storage with rentals. As a Rossignol Experience Center, skiers of all ages and abilities can rent the “Experience” line of skis from Rossignol featuring Auto Turn Technology. For those wanting a different adventure, we are pleased to feature a new fleet of snowbikes for the 2014/2015 season, come give it a try. Snowshoes and helmets are also available. A full service tune and repair shop is available onsite. Additional children’s rental location at Camp CB. (970) 349-2211.

Crested Butte School of Dance

The Crested Butte School of Dance is celebrating 33 years of providing excellence in dance education and performance experience in the Gunnison Valley to students from the ages of 3 1/2 adults. The dance school provides an array of weekly classes including creative movement, lyrical, ballet, jazz, tap, improv, hip hop, contemporary, and belly dance. Our enthusiastic staff has come from all parts of the country to offer new styles of dance and an incredibly diverse experience to all of our students. Classes are mostly taught in our home studio, the Pump Room, 3rd and Maroon Avenue in Crested Butte. Programming runs September-May 2015, with a performance February 6, 7 featuring grades 6-adult. Then spring shows are presented to the community two weekends in May: Pre-k - Grade 5 take place May 8-9 and grades 6-adult May 15,16 at the Center for the Arts. The summer offers ‘Dance in the Mountains’ which includes weekly drop-in classes and a summer intensive with an optional showing that brings in new professional teachers each season! For information, please visit our website www.dancecrestedbutte.org or call (484) 885-9951. The Crested Butte School of Dance is a non-profit corporation. Come dance with us!

Crested Butte Ski and Ride School

Mountaineer Square, Mt. Crested Butte. Inspire your passion for adventure. Crested Butte’s award winning staff specializes in ski, snowboard and telemark instruction. Private and group lessons are available for all abilities. The expanded and improved beginner learning area is specifically designed to make the most of your first experience. For those looking for the next challenge, the North Face Guide group tour is designed to open the Extreme Limits to everyone. (970) 349-2211.

Crested Butte Snowcat Driving Experience

Experience the thrill of operating a snowcat. Learn the basics of driving a snowcat from one of Crested Butte’s finest groomers. The Snowcat Driving School utilizes a closed course where participants receive one on one instruction in a fully functional Prinoth 275 Snowcat as used in Crested Butte’s grooming operations. Group driving experiences are also available. Call for more information or reservations. (970) 349-4554. Adventure Center, Mt. Crested Butte.

Crested Butte Sports Ski & Bike Shop

Convenient location, friendly atmosphere and everything you need for a day on the slopes. Crested Butte Sports is Mt. Crested Butte’s only full service ski and bike shop that’s open year round. Family owned and operated for 33 years, Crested Butte Sports is proud to offer sport, performance and demo ski packages for adults and snowboard and ski packages for children. With the best service and best rates on the mountain, our rental program also provides a complete line of snowboard, snowshoe, cross-country, demos and free storage for rental customers. Don’t forget to visit our retail shop with clothing from Loki, Sherpa, Columbia and Burton. Skis by Volkl, Blizzard and handmade in Crested Butte ROMP. Boots by Tecnica & Dalbello and custom boot liners and fitting. Ski helmets by Giro and Lazer. Crested Butte Sports, also has an awardwinning tune and repair shop, is the only shop on the mountain with customer storefront parking. Open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Stop by today, call (970) 349-7516 or visit our website at www.crestedbuttesports.com. Located at the ski area in the Evergreen condo building just North of the Grand Lodge.

Crested Butte Vacations

Let the local experts at Crested Butte Vacations create your customized year-round mountain vacation package that can include lodging, airfare, car rentals, lift tickets, equipment rentals, ground transfers, spa treatments and other activities. One call does it all! Visit the Mountain Concierge in the Adventure Center located in the Lodge at Mountaineer Square when you arrive for more information or to book additional activities. (800) 544-5448.

Crested Butte Zipline Tour

Take your mountain adventure to new heights this winter with the Crested Butte Zipline Tour. This one of a kind adventure includes 5 ziplines ranging in length from 200 – 300 feet connected by features such as suspended wood bridges and towering platforms. The guided zipline tour, including the five ziplines and several unique features, is an approximately two hour-long experience. Group discounts are available, call or stop by the Adventure Center in Mountaineer Square for more information or to make a reservation. (970) 349-2211. continued on page 28

BOOM-A-RANG

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estate liquidation • costumes • jewelry • books recycled clothing • formal wear New furniture at dealer prices • Eco-friendly since 1980

221-225 N. Main, Downtown Gunnison 970.641.3115 or 970.209.6046 • boomarang221@yahoo.com We pick-up desirable furniture for re-sale

28 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

activitiesguide. continued from page 27

Elevation Spa

www.crestedbuttenews.com

Come experience the world class, 11,000 sq. ft. Elevation Spa and Fitness Center at the Elevation Hotel, located just steps away from the ski slopes. There are nine treatment rooms where we offer massage therapy for your muscles, body wraps for your wellness, and facials for a beautiful complexion. All spa services include use of our fitness center, which is equipped with cardio machines and strength training equipment, a swimming pool, hot tub, steam room and sauna. Upon check-in to the spa, you will be presented with robe, sandals and locker key to use during your stay. The Elevation Spa easily accommodates you, your friends and family as you indulge together in a day at the spa. After receiving your healing treatments, you will leave the Elevation Spa with the overall feeling of well being that inspired you to visit the mountains in the first place. Take advantage of our complimentary valet parking during your spa visit or ride the free town bus to the base of the ski area and arrive just steps away from the Elevation Hotel. Please call (970) 251-3500 to make an appointment today or visit our website at www.elevationspa.com.

Fantasy Ranch Horseback Adventures

Take a break from the ski hill and really do something to write home about. Fantasy Ranch Horseback Adventures offers relaxing one-hour afternoon horseback rides where you can slow down and enjoy a relaxing horseback ride through the snow with a stop to enjoy hot cocoa by the fireplace. Or start your day off right with a 30-minute morning sleigh ride and enjoy the surrounding beauty. For reservations please call (970) 349-5425.

Call for reservations

970-349-5425 Journey through the powder on a relaxing one-hour afternoon horseback ride with surprise wildlife encounters! Visit the Almont Resort to warm up by the cozy Fireplace!

Irwin Lake Snowmobile Rentals

New Location! Slopeside at the base of ski area next to the Bungee Jump. Unguided rentals for the do-ityourselfer. Crested Butte’s largest rental fleet. High performance sleds and two-up touring snowmobiles with heated hand grips. Morning or afternoon half-day rentals, all day rentals. Competitive rates. We deliver- no trailer needed. (970) 349-6598.

Peak Sports

Located directly at the base of the Red Lady lift in Mt. Crested Butte, Peak Sports offers the best selection of rental ski and snowboard equipment in town. We also have complementary slopeside overnight ski and boot storage! Don’t forget about our full service retail, repair and bootfit services as well! Save up to 20% when you rent online at www.rentskis.com/peaksports. (970) 349-6121.

Pilates Beyond

also offering 30 Minute Morning sleigh rides

www.fantasyranchoutfitters.com

& Operated for e d n w 33 Y yO l i ears Fam

Pilates Beyond is a full service Pilates studio in the heart of downtown Crested Butte. We have a fully equipped studio that offers Privates and Duets using the newest state of the art equipment, in our boutique setting, with prices you can afford. Along with Private Pilates, we offer several classes daily to meet the needs of Crested Butte’s strongest athletes as well as our clients just starting a fitness program . We offer a full variety of unique classes. TRX, Barre, Core Fusion, Pilates Mat, small apparatus classes, cardio Pilates and create your very own small group classes. Our schedule is designed to offer classes at times that work for everyone. We encourage registering online to ensure your spot in our classes. Please register on www.pilatesbeyond.com and follow the Mind body link to register and pay online. Michelle Warner, owner of Pilates Beyond, along with Megan Clark, Carly Swartz and Jill Hughes welcome you to Pilates Beyond, where every client is treated individually and your goals are personal to us. We are here to challenge you, lift you up and encourage you every step of your journey. See you at Pilates Beyond, 401 3rd Street. (970) 275-9500.

Scarpa/SkiTrab Demo Center

Demo the latest Scarpa and SkiTrab equipment for your backcountry and on-mountain uphill adventures. The Scarpa/SkiTrab Demo Center is conveniently located in the Crested Butte Rental and Demo Center. Try a guided uphill tour and see the mountain in a whole new way. For tour reservations call (970) 349 4554. (970) 251-3050.

The Center for the Arts

The Center for the Arts is home to popular signature events and a wide variety of indoor and outdoor attractions. Visitors young and old enjoy a year-round schedule of live music, dance and theater performances as well as art exhibits, monthly film offerings, visual arts workshops, speakers and much more. As the premier visual and performing arts venue in the region, The Center for the Arts hosts events throughout the year on our outdoor stage, expansive indoor auditorium, and at the Piper Gallery, a popular in-house gallery for local and regional exhibitions. In addition to our popular signature events, including Alpenglow, Tour de Forks, Crested Butte Wine & Food Festival and Winter Season, the Center also proudly serves as a premier events venue for local community organizations. Together, we bring attractions such as film screenings and music festivals to Crested Butte. www.crestedbuttearts.org. (970) 349-7487.

Trailhead Children's Museum

20% off rentals with this ad Ski, Snowboard, X-C, Snowshoe & Tele Rental Specialists BEST service, BEST rates on ski & snowboard tuning...Bar None! •Volkl, Blizzard & ROMP skis• •Tecnica & Dalbello Boots & Intuition Custom Boot Liners• •Marker Bindings• •Full line of Clothing & Accessories•

Located at the Ski Area Evergreen Condo Building Just north of the Grand Lodge Convenient store front parking www.crestedbuttesports.com

970.349.7516

Explore! Create! Play! Learn! The Trailhead Children’s Museum offers hands-on exhibits and programs in the arts, sciences and creative play for children and their families. New exhibits this winter are the Lego Grand Prix, Light up the Dark, and the Imagination Playground. Kids can also enjoy their old favorites: the Dig Pit, Science Lab, Magic Magnets, Indoor Play Set, Art Bar and the Garden to Grocery Healthy Living exhibit. This winter, don’t miss daily Art and Science Camps and classes or ‘Night at the Museum’ babysitting opportunities. Looking to spend time outdoors? Check out the Trailhead Tree House outdoor climbing structure and the Musical Instrument Garden. Located in the Outpost Building at the base of the ski area in Mt. Crested Butte. For more information please contact The Trailhead at (970) 349-7160 or visit our website at www.trailheadkids.org. Admission is $6 per person.

Wildflower Spa

Conveniently located in the Grand Lodge, the Wildflower Spa unites the healing arts with Mother Nature. Schedule a treatment today and enjoy a naturally relaxing and healing spa experience. The Wildflower is an affordable spa, with 3 treatment rooms where we offer Massage, Facials and Waxing. Each treatment is tailored to meet your needs, whether your goal is to relax, feel more beautiful, or find relief from aches and pains. Complimentary use of the steam room, pool and hot tub is included with any spa treatment. Please visit our website at www. thewildflowerspa.com to see our menu of services or call (970) 349-8063 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Yoga for the Peaceful

Yoga for the Peaceful is a green, grassroots community studio owned by Monica Mesa and Juliet Stillman. We are a Bhakti studio devoted to the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba to “Love everyone. Serve everyone. Remember God.” Our studio is dedicated to providing many different styles of Yoga for all types of people. We honor all spiritual traditions, unity in diversity, local and global activism, and provide a warm atmosphere for personal growth and development. We feature talented and soulful teachers, inspirational workshops, local and global retreats, and a 200-Hour Prana Vinyasa Teacher Training program through Shiva Rea’s Samudra Global School of Living Yoga. We have a boutique featuring unique and high quality yoga lifestyle products from eco-conscious companies. We are proud to be a family owned business providing YOGA FOR EVERYONE! www.yogaforthepeaceful.com (970) 349-0302.

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 29

history. The

Friends' Hut an immeasurable gift

photo by

by Melissa Fenlon “On June 18, 1980, ten people from Aspen and Crested Butte perished in a mid-air collision over East Maroon Pass,” starts the brand new book “The Friends’ Hut – A Living Memorial in the Elk Mountains. The book is dedicated to those ten, Brenda Boyd, David Freedman, Betsy Hube, Robert Pimentel, Ellen Pokress, Michael Pokress, Rudy Csadenyi, Jeff Kest, Pat Palangi and Thomas Spillane. According to Friends Hut board member and local photographer Xavier Fane, “The book project has been a joint effort of both board members and friends and it tells, through both narrative and images, the remarkable story of a refuge deep in our mountains that was born from an unlikely tragedy.” The Friends Hut is a ski-in-only hut situated between Crested Butte and Aspen. It’s supplied and well cared for by a tight-knit group of friends from both sides of the Elk Mountains. Fané writes in the book, “The Friends’ Hut is a unique haven, a place where friends, old and new, have come together for over 30 years. At this elevation and remote setting the hut is like a mythical Shangri-La, a place where the mountains admit only the few and the hearty. The hut caters to skiers willing to bear the weight of backpacks and endure the long, arduous, and sometimes perilous approaches from both sides of the Elk Range.” He continues, “Regardless of the conditions, everyone arrives with elation and celebration for a successful high mountain passage – and with deep appreciation for a warm, dry place to thaw out appendages and dry clothing… …But it’s the human connection that makes the Friends’ Hut unique. Born of tragedy, this hut reaffirms life by knitting together people from many backgrounds. Those who convene here do so for camaraderie and a common appreciation for the mountains, the deep snow, the adventure. The hut was built to remember friends, here and gone, and to underscore the deeply personal value with which friendship enriches life.”

Xavier Fane

The 86-page book is full of photographs, drawings, tales and remembrances of the early days of the Friends’ Hut and the experiences in the mountain cabin since. Charter board member Rosie Gebhart published the book and pulled together amazing contributors like Fané, Paul Andersen, Graeme Means, Brian Dale, Roger Sherman, Norm Bardeen and Lou Dawson. The book is available locally at the Alpineer and Rumors, as well as online at www.huts.org. All the proceeds from the book will benefit the Friends’ Hut, which is a non-profit organization.

RECREATION AND OUTDOOR EDUCATION AT WESTERN

Western’s ROE major offers students a unique balance between classroom-based learning and hands on work in the field. Students are fully immersed in the ROE profession through specialized opportunities such as working with guiding companies, wilderness therapy providers and adaptive sport centers. Graduates from the program gain confidence and leadership skills that can be applied in a variety of professions.

Outdoor Leadership Emphasis Environmental Education Emphasis Colorado Outdoor Recreation Expedition (CORE)

Contact bmoran@western.edu / (970) 943-2118 http://western.edu/academics/recreation www.youtube.com / search: WSCU ROE

30 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

thearts.

DEAN DILLON’S

MUSIC WITH AN ALTITUDE

Mountain High Music Festival story by Dawne Belloise | photos by Lydia Stern

t started over a decade ago. The bars were abuzz with glittery country stars who descended on Crested Butte for a week of events during Country in the Rockies, whose main purpose was to raise monies for the T.J. Martell Foundation’s breast cancer awareness and research. Then, in 2008, during remodeling of the main accommodations on the mountain for the performers, the hoedown was moved to Steamboat Springs and then on to Nashville for 2009. However, the stars favored our raucous little town. A clamoring arose to bring the event back to Crested Butte, with much of the hooting coming from the musicians themselves, who recognized that Crested Butte was a genuinely friendly small town in its feel and its hospitality, and frankly, we know how to party better than anyone else. In its revamping, the event was transformed into the Crested Butte Songwriters Festival for a couple of years, cheered on and hosted by country music legend Dean Dillon. The festival featured BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc., the agency that collects license fees on behalf of its songwriters) recording artists, both veteran stars and upcoming talent. Dillon always saw the event as something more and envisioned an expansion in genre and names. This year, the Crested Butte Songwriters Festival has morphed once again, spearheaded by Dillon, who has partnered with LMG, BMI and the Elevation Hotel and Spa. He’s found a more fitting name for the shindig: the Mountain High Music Festival. Dillon boasts that it’s “music with an altitude.” The festival will take place Wednesday, January 14 through Sunday, January 18, 2015, throughout various venues downtown and on the mountain. The festival will be hosted by GAC and SiriusXM’s on-air personality Storme Warren, while artists and songwriters swap stories and perform in intimate settings.

Train Smarter Not Harder

The line-up includes esteemed recording artists and singer-songwriters such as Texas mainstay Robert Earl Keen (Corpus Christi Bay, The Road Goes on Forever), Curb recording artist Lee Brice (A Woman Like You, I Don’t Dance), Grammy award-winning songwriter Rodney Clawson (Drink On It, Crash My Party), ACM Award-winning duo Thompson Square (Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not, If I Didn’t Have You), Nicolle Galyon (We Were Us) from NBC’s The Voice; American Idol’s Brooke Eden (American Dreamin’), Sonia Leigh, co-writer of the Zac Brown Band hit Sweet Annie, vocal group Due West (I Get That All the Time), R&B recording artist Colin Lake (Temporary Living), bluegrass music sensations The Crowlin Ferlies from Aspen, and local artists Evelyn Roper, Chris Coady, and Bill Dowell, plus legendary event host Dean Dillon, who, with his wife, Susie, spends as much time as possible at their Gunnison ranch. Dillon points out that the event concept is still the same but stepped up with even more great artists to take it to that higher level. “I decided to do this and just wanted something bigger and better,” Dillon says. “The Songwriters Festival reached a point to where it was all it was ever going to be unless we poured money into it and grew it. The Mountain High Music Festival is not a one-year deal, it’s in perpetuity. We want it to be successful. A portion of the proceeds will still benefit Tough Enough to Wear Pink [TETWP], and now we’ve added Adaptive Sports in Crested Butte. Everyone knows January is slow and we’re all about our town so we want to have a positive economic impact during one of the slower times of the year. We could sell more tickets at another time of the year but that’s not why we’re doing it. We’re putting a lot of money into promotion and publicity so we feel people will come.” Dillon feels that as the festival grows even larger and more popular through the years, the event will host a variety of artists to include not just country music but all genres. “Ultimately, that’s where we’re trying to go with it. We’re looking at all aspects of it. Our eyes know no boundaries. Obviously, we need all the support from locals we can get.” continued on next page

Looking to start or continue an exercise program? Train smarter, not harder, with baseline and follow-up exercise testing at the High Altitude Performance Lab. The HAPLab is part of the Recreation, Exercise & Sport Science Department at Western State Colorado University, which provides academic majors and minors for students interested in a variety of wellness, physical activity, outdoor, and leadership professions.

Services Include: • VO2max assessment • Lactate threshold* • Body fat analysis • Flexibility evaluation • Muscular fitness testing • Consult related to ideal training HR ranges * Can be done running, cycling or Nordic skiing

For more information, contact Ryan Weatherwax at rweatherwax@western.edu or (970) 943-2104. To see videos and learn more about the HAPLab, visit www.western.edu/haplab

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 31

thearts.

www.crestedbuttenews.com

Colorado Laser Spa continued from previous page

Dillon notes that getting 10 shows for $375 is a pretty sweet deal. “Most festivals are 10,000 people clamoring to get a glimpse of what’s going on, but we’re limited to 1,000 seats and up-close, personal and intimate shows. You can’t beat it.” He feels that including local talent highlights the vibe of the mountain as well as showcasing their music. If you’re unfamiliar with Dean Dillon, his musical success started with hard beginnings as the son of a waitress mom and a truck driver dad in Lake City, Tennessee. “We were poor,” he says of his family and his two sisters, Faith and Hope, “but we didn’t know it. I got my first guitar when I was seven years old. I loved it. I slept with it.” It’s easy to understand the camaraderie between a boy and his best-friend-guitar being much like that of a child and his teddy bear. Dillon still has that first tiger-striped Stella guitar. After high school, Dillon hitchhiked to Nashville’s famed Music Row, started banging on doors, and ultimately landed a gig at Opryland USA. “That’s where I was discovered as a songwriter. I was backstage writing and John Schweers came backstage and asked me if I was a songwriter,” he recalls. “I played him some songs and he took me to his publisher, Tom Collins, and they signed me as a songwriter.” A few years later in 1979, he had his first number one record on the country charts as a songwriter with Lying in Love with You, recorded by Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius. It was to be the first of many hit songs, with now more than 90 charted singles to his credit. Penning hits to catapult the career of country icon George Strait, over the years Dillon has had songs recorded by Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Vern Gosdin, Toby Keith, Keith Whitley, Lee Ann Womack and others. Music has been Dillon’s whole life for his entire life. “I live, eat, breathe songs. It’s all I’ve ever done, it’s all I’ve ever loved to do,” says the 2002 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee. Just last November at the 2013 BMI 61st Country Music Awards, he received the prestigious lifetime achievement Icon Award, the highest recognition for composers. He was also recently honored by the ACM with their Poet Award. Dean discovered Crested Butte back when BMI sponsored Country in the Rockies. “BMI brought me out here 20 years ago to do a show and I kept coming back year after year.” He also met his Buttian wife, Susie Sellers (now Dillon), out here nine years ago, which also contributed to his yearly return. Together, Susie and Dean Dillon are passionate about organizing and performing events for TETWP, which has led to more than $1.3 million being raised for breast cancer awareness in the community. “I love it here,” Dillon says of his Gunnison Valley life that he connects to in every aspect. He’s as enamored of his surroundings as all who choose to be part of the fabric in this valley and for the same reasons. “I just love the beauty of this area. I love the climate, I love winter. You can’t beat the summers here but I love snow, the more the merrier.” Deep snow and excellent live music by some of country’s finest stars and composers—what could be better? For a complete schedule of events and concerts or to purchase tickets visit mountainhighmusicfest.com.

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32 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

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Blackalicious – December 13

Blackalicious kicked off the Center’s last winter season with a sell-out show that had fans on their feet from the moment they stepped on stage. Considered 329 Belleview Ave., Crested Butte Billiards & Accessories lords of the West Coast Underground, Blackalicious is 970.349.6202 an American hip hop duo from Sacramento, California made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Energy Efficient Hot Tubs Chief Xcel. Gift of Gab, known as hip hop’s premier lyricist, flashes intellectually bent tongue-twisting, Supplies multisyllabic, and complex rhymes rife with allusion, Maintenance Contracts metaphor and internal rhymes, while Chief Xcel’s classic, funky beats hold down the groove. Blackalicious Repairs on all makes and models favors what hip-hoppers call the “positive tip” where Pool Tables & Accessories lyrics are spiritual and uplifting rather than violent or misogynous. Opening for Blackalicious is Daniel 329 Belleview Avenue, Crested Butte Bambaata Marley. As the grandson of Bob Marley and the son of Ziggy, Bambaata is third generation reggae www.diamondbluespa.com royalty bringing his own modern blend of world, hip hop and reggae to the musical arena.

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Due West Christmas – December 20 Playing a sold-out event with the Center last summer, Due West returns with a show of their very own Christmas originals to celebrate the season. A smash hit from the 2014 Crested Butte Songwriter’s Festival, up and coming country trio Due West is renowned for their tight, three-way harmonies and fresh tracks that sit on the cutting edge of the Nashville sound. Comprised of singersongwriters Matt Lopez, Brad Hull and Tim Gates, their four albums have enjoyed Billboard, Mediabase and Music Row chart success while their videos have hit the Great American Country’s Top 20. Due West

Dean Ween with Brothers Keeper – January 26 Dean Ween returns on the heels of his overthe-top, sell-out show from the Summer Season to once again rock the world of his fans. Ween was the ultimate cosmic goof of the alternative rock era, a prodigiously talented and deliriously odd duo displaying a mastery for seemingly every mutation of the musical spectrum. Bratty deconstructionists, they kicked dirt on the pop world around them with razor-sharp satire and hilariously acute savagery. With the book closed on Ween in 2012, the Ween “brothers” have gone to pursue their own solo projects. As such, Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo joins Rock & Roll trio Brothers Keeper with Ween classics, new Dean Ween tunes and songs from Brothers Keeper’s upcoming release.

Tony Furtado – January 9

313 Elk Ave • Crested Butte

(970) 349-5352

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Multi-genre master Tony Furtado is gregarious, engaging and entertaining, on and off stage. Called a banjo prodigy from an early age (and proving it by becoming a two-time winner of the National Bluegrass Banjo Championships), Tony’s musical arsenal also includes the guitar, slide guitar and his melodious voice. Fusing Americana, folk, indie-rock, blues and jazz, his creative interpretations and hybridizations of these genres is both high energy and captivating.

MarchFourth Marching Band – January 13

Lisa Merck, • Annual exams • Pap smears • Prenatal care • Postpartum care • STD screening • Minor illness evaluation

and two Platinum, all during a relentless touring schedule that has electrified over 6,000 live shows in the band’s 25 year history. Beyond his fame with Blues Traveler, Popper’s discography includes seven other albums featuring his solo efforts. He’s performed with the likes of Eric Clapton, Phish, the Spin Doctors, Metallica, Gov’t Mule, Les Claypool, and Taj Mahal. For this show he’ll be playing with Brothers Keeper, where his extensive use of segues, multiple song mash ups and extensive instrumental jams will certainly shine through.

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With a rallying cry of “Joy Now!” MarchFourth throws itself and the audience into a swirling volcano of high-energy music and spectacle. Back by enthusiastic and consistent popular demand, The MarchFourth Marching Band sells out the Center every time. The MarchFourth Marching Band is a mobile big band spectacular, with original music anchored by funky electric bass, rocking guitar, a diverse percussion ensemble and brassy horn section. Inspired from an eclectic range of worldwide influences, the M4 experience becomes a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the Gypsy camps of Eastern Europe to the African jungle by way of Brazil, echoing the deepest grooves of American funk, rock and jazz. That’s all boiled together and framed in cinematic fashion by costumed dancing beauties, high-stepping stilt acrobatics and many more theatrics.

John Popper with Brothers Keeper – January 18 Harmonica virtuoso John Popper is best known as the founder and poet-in-chief, lyric-belting frontman of jam band phenomenon Blues Traveler. With his trademark bandolier of harmonicas in 12 keys, he propelled the group through 14 albums (one just released in 2012), three of which garnered Gold status

Ben Miller Band – January 29 Wholly contemporary, while ringing with age-old echoes of bluegrass, delta blues, Appalachian mountain music and more, the Ben Miller Band cooks up a stew they lovingly call “ozark stomp.” The threesome’s fierce creative spirit and infectious performing chemistry, combined with Miller’s melodically catchy, lyrically resonant songwriting, produces roots-rocking barnburners, thoughtful ballads and left-field departures with craftsmanship, urgency and eloquence. The band’s homespun, self-reliant approach extends to the lo-tech, and largely self-built, instruments that the members play - from Miller’s thrift-shop guitars and banjos; to bassist Scott Leeper’s one-string washtub bass (comprised of a weedeater string attached to a wooden pole); to Doug Dicharry’s varied arsenal of trombone, trumpet, mandolin, electric washboard and electric spoons.

Willie Barcena – February 14 Stand-up comedian Willie Barcena’s humor is infused with hilarious renditions of his experiences as a security guard, plumber, roofer, and limo driver. His highly acclaimed one-man show, “Cry Like a Man,” pulls inspiration from everyday life, making light of the struggle of the blue-collar worker in today’s society. Illustriously, Willie has made ten appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, in addition to performing with Leno for the troops in Afghanistan. His Comedy Central debut was received with rave reviews. Willie’s 18-years of comedy have included 12 years of stand-up road work, including multiple appearances on tours such as “Que Locos,” “Latino Laugh Festival,” “Montreal’s Just for Laughs,” and “Crown Royal continued on next page

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 33

thearts. continued from previous page

An Evening with the Wood Brothers – February 22

Claire Lynch Band – February 25 Long recognized and praised as a creative force in acoustic music, bluegrass artist Claire Lynch is a pioneer of beauty, subtlety, and genredefying sophistication. She has used her richly textured voice to sing harmony on tours and albums with Dolly Parton, who describes her as “one of the sweetest, purest and best lead voices in the music business today.” She is a threetime International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) “Female Vocalist of the Year” award-winner (and 16-time nominee), received two Grammy nominations for Best Bluegrass Album and won “Song of the Year” from IBMA in 2014, among countless other nominations. As a songwriter, her tunes have been recorded by such luminaries as Patty Loveless and The Seldom Scene and she has graced albums and the stage with Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Alison Brown and Ralph Stanley among others.

An Evening with Marc Cohn – March 15 After winning a Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. He’s a natural storyteller, balancing the exuberant with the poignant, and able to distill universal truth out of his often romantic, drawn-from-life tales. Cohn followed up his platinum-selling debut with two more releases in the 1990s, earning him an American Music Awards nomination for “Favorite New Artist” and a Grammy Nomination for “Best Pop Male Vocal Performance.” Also a guitarist and pianist, Marc has created seven albums, including

Taj Mahal

www.crestedbuttenews.com

“Join the Parade,” his most moving and critically acclaimed. Of his most recent album, “Listening Booth: 1970,” Rolling Stone said, “Cohn has one of rock’s most soulful croons - a rich immediately recognizable tenor that makes these songs his own.” 8 p.m. Early Bird through March 8: $35; Regular: $40.

An Evening with Taj Mahal – March 20 Composer, vocalist and master of the harp, dobro and guitar, Taj Mahal is one of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century blues and roots music. He began his career learning the styles of Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker and other titans of Delta and Chicago blues. He rubbed elbows with greats like Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy. Grounded firmly in these blues roots, Taj became fascinated in the origins of this music, and what path they took to reach their current form. Musical exploration became his hallmark, as his artistic scope grew to include a global perspective. Celebrating five decades of recording and touring that have nearly singlehandedly reshaped the definition and scope of the blues via the infusion of exotic sounds from the Caribbean, West Africa, Latin America and the Hawaiian Islands, the two-time Grammy-winning singer, nine-time nominee, songwriter, film composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist was feted with the “Lifetime Achievement for Performance Award” by the Americana Music Association.

Telluride Burlesque – April 3 Sexy, funny, daring and delightfully scandalous, the Telluride Theatre’s House of Shimmy Shake is back, bringing its sell-out Burlesque to Crested Butte. “Jukebox Burlesque” is their newest show featuring traditional Burlesque that spans the musical eras of the strip-tease realm. With a full lap full of surprises, including boylesque, it’s a pastie- party … and you’re invited! It was the Victorian Burlesque of London from the 1830’s to the 1890’s that inspired the famed American Burlesque. Dripping with music, ribald comedy sketches, and an ever-growing showing of skin, early 20th century vaudeville circuits of Burlesque were soon established creating a debut venue for actresses such as Fanny Brice and Mae West. The Prohibition Era marked the snuffing of the uninhibited atmosphere. Today’s Neo-Burlesque kicked off in New York and Los Angeles with a cult following in the 1990’s, full of nostalgia for the historic spectacle, focusing on the self-expression of the performer and the art of the tease. Come and let the women of Telluride Burlesque seduce you! 8:30 p.m. $20. For tickets and reservations contact the Center’s box office at (970) 349-7487, ext. 3; visit www.crestedbuttearts.org; or stop by the Center at 606 Sixth Street in Crested Butte from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Eleve Salon ‘

Dialed-in vocal harmonies. Oliver’s gritty acoustic guitar. Chris’s virtuosic upright bass. Warrior poet lyrics. This is the fraternal synchronicity of Americana phenomenon, the Wood Brothers. Independently, Oliver played guitar and sang with Southern blues rocker Tinsley Ellis before founding King Johnson, a hardtouring group of blues-inflected R&B, funk and country. Chris, meanwhile, formed Medeski Martin & Wood, which over two decades became a cornerstone of contemporary jazz and abstract music. They are now joined by new full-time member Jano Rix, a drummer and ace-in-the-hole multiinstrumentalist. Their songs dance between bluesy, classic country and Marc Cohn swampy funk, mining the brothers’ timeless influences of Robert Johnson, Willie Nelson, and Charles Mingus while sounding fresh enough to win over fans of today’s mainstream roots-music acts such as The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons.

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34 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

kidsactivities.

WATERCOLOR

WINTER

project for kids

Here’s a fun way to get the kids to express what they have seen out on the slopes. Krystle Zepp, an art instructor and the museum coordinator at the Trailhead Children’s Museum shares a fun watercolor project to try with your kids. This project will let the kiddos express themselves with watercolors, a little bit of masking tape, a few pinches of salt and a paintbrush. What kind of aspen forest will they create?

Supplies: watercolor paper, masking tape, paintbrushes, kosher salt Instructions: Prep your work surface with the supplies and tape down a piece of watercolor paper to a hard surface. The tape along the edges keeps the paper intact, but also gives it a finished white border look. 1. Tear off a piece of tape 4-6 inches long and then rip along the edges to create your tree. 2. Then rip smaller pieces to make your tree branches. Make as many trees as you’d like. Tear off a circular piece of tape to be the moon. 3. Mix your preferred colors for your sky and paint all of the exposed white watercolor paper. It’s fun to make different shades of colors for the sky. 4. While paint is still wet, sprinkle kosher salt over the paint. This adds a delicate texture to the painting. 5. After the paint has dried (if you’re in a hurry you can use a hair dryer), pull the tape gently off the paper. The branches will be white. 6. Paint notches with black paint or a thin black marker on the tree. Even add shadows if you’d like. Remove all the tape from the edges of the paper and you’ve created a beautiful aspen grove. If your son or daughter is looking for more art opportunities, the Trailhead offers drop ins for their classroom programming. In addition, the Trailhead’s Art Bar is open Wednesday-Sunday during the Museum’s regular hours. For more information on the Trailhead’s programming, visit trailheadkids.org. Thank you to Krystle Zepp for sharing the how-to watercolor project. Zepp has been an art instructor at the Trailhead Children’s Museum since 2012. She received her Bachelor of Science in Studio Art at Florida State University in 2010 and received a minor in Art History at the University’s sister school in Florence, Italy in 2009.

Krystle Zepp

Casa Bella Beauty in Kitchen, Bed & Bath

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Melissa Fenlon

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 35

kidsactivities.

www.crestedbuttenews.com Kid-friendly

ADVENTURES Crested Butte is fun for the whole family. From terrain parks and the tubing hill on the mountain to ice skating at the Nordic Center in town, there are endless possibilities for the kids. Dig in on the action and have some fun.

At the Ski Area

On the hill Crested Butte Mountain Resort offers fun for all ages, even if you don’t ski! Of course there are plenty of options to cruise all levels of slopes on your own or with a guide/instructor. Or challenge your child or grandchild to a timed race down Smith Hill and test your mettle in three terrain parks (easy and advanced), superpipe or slalom course. Kids get their own trail map that shows some awesome trails where adult skis won’t even fit. Kids 12 and under ski free until December 18. Adventure Park The Adventure Park is for all ages with a covered iceskating rink, bungee trampolines and a lift-served tubing hill. You also can tap into the magic of sleigh ride dinners to Uley’s Cabin pulled by a snowcat, daytime and moonlight snowshoe tours, and three snow igloos located by the tubing hill, Camp CB (the kids’ ski school) and at the top of the Painter Boy chairlift. There are skiing and snowboarding lessons for youth and adults at CBMR, as well as through Adaptive Sports Center (www.adapativesports.org) for family members with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. There’s also childcare for the wee ones at the resort’s Camp CB Nursery, not to mention Kid’s Night Out, available ThursdaySunday evenings for ages 4-12. Dinner and access to the Adventure Park and tubing hill are part of the Kid’s Night Out activities.

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Trailhead Discovery Museum and The Studio The Trailhead Children’s Museum, located at the ski area base, is a place where younger kids can enjoy handson exhibits and programs in the arts, sciences and creative play, www.trailheadkids.org. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Kids can enjoy creating a new masterpiece in the Art Bar, building a rocket in The Studio, shopping in the Garden to Grocery exhibit or playing music in the Outdoor Musical Instrument Garden. New exhibits, like the Lego Grand Prix and Building Station and an Imagination Playground will keep the kids busy for hours. Admission is $6 per person. Annual family memberships and punchcards available. For more information and program schedule, please go to www.trailheadkids.org. In addition, The Studio at the Trailhead offers drop off classes for kids in art and science. Please see the full schedule of classes at www.trailheadkids.org. continued on page 37

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970.349.0609 photo by

Lydia Stern

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Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 37

kidsactivities. continued from page 35

Skinny skis The Crested Butte Nordic Center has cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and sledding all in one place. The Nordic Center grooms more than 50k of trails and offers instruction, equipment rentals and many events. Use of the outdoor ice rink and sledding hill are free, and new this year – all kids 17 and under Nordic ski for free. For the daily schedule at Big Mine Ice Arena call the rink hotline, 970-349-0974. Skate rentals are available at the Nordic Center Warming House next to the rink, 970-349-1707. Horsin’ around If you’d rather not expel your own energy to get around and love horses and dogs, check out one of these great options for the whole family. Board a horse-drawn sleigh at Lazy F Bar Ranch south of Crested Butte for a scenic, 35-minute ride to a rustic 1950s cabin overlooking the East River and indulge in a fivecourse meal. Head out with Fantasy Ranch Horseback Adventures for a one-hour ride in the Almont area. Halfway through the journey, warm up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa.

Dog days There is nothing quite like being pulled by a team of dogs in the thick of mountain terrain capped with snow. Dogsledding with Lucky Cat Dog Farm or Cosmic Cruisers is one of those lifetime experiences not to be missed.

Time machine The Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum is a place for the whole family. Enrich your mind at the museum, where there are displays about local history, including skiing, ranching, mining, local personalities and more. The kids will love the train display. Watch the coal cars make their way through a replica of town, through the mountain and back again! Tumble Bugs Tumble Bugs is on Thursdays from 9-11 a.m. in at Town Hall. This two-hour playtime for kids ages 0-4 years is a great opportunity for kids and parents to socialize and play with a variety of toys and mats in Jerry’s Gym. Cost is $5 per session or purchase a $40 pass good for 10 sessions. The arts Just down the street, catch a concert or art exhibit at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts and take in a little theatre at a production presented by Crested Butte Mountain Theatre. Old Rock Library The Old Rock Library is a gem. It was beautifully restored from the Old Rock Schoolhouse, just off Elk Ave. The community library has a wide variety of books, DVDs, audiobooks for the whole family. Visitors can register for a library card and check out materials. The kids will love Old Rock’s three storytimes during the week at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday for toddlers and preschoolers. Look for the library’s hours and other evening happenings at gunnisoncountylibraries.org or call (970) 349-6535.

photos by

Around town Must-stops for young families on Elk Avenue are Pooh’s Corner and Petite Lavish, and teens love sitting on the floor on

pillows or beanbags to eat gourmet pizza at The Secret Stash and shopping for the latest sunglasses at Shades of Crested Butte and styles at Retail Ther-

adventures

From getting into the backcountry to getting a back massage, the Mountain Concierge can book valley-wide activities.

Adventure Center, Mountaineer Square Courtyard 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

(970) 349-4554

GCEA wants everyone to have a warm and safe winter. During the chilly months you can keep your home warm and still save money with some effective steps. Here are some tips for saving energy and keeping your home cozy by maintaining comfortable temperatures. • Heat your home with the sun’s help. Leave window shades or blinds open during the daytime.

• Lower your thermostat when you leave the house. • Unplug battery chargers when the battery on your device is fully charged or the chargers are not in use. Many chargers draw power continuously, even when the device is not plugged into the charger. • Plug electronics into a power strip and turn the strip off when not in use. • Only heat the rooms you use. If you have rooms that you never use, like guest rooms or large storage areas, close and seal off the vents or turn off heaters in those rooms to be more energy efficient and direct the flow of air to the rooms you use most. However, only use this energy saving tip if there is no risk of freezing pipes.

Visit www.gcea.coop/EE or call 970-641-3520 for more information

Lydia Stern

apy. Make a stop at Rumor’s coffee shop and Townie Books, the parents love the coffee and the kids love the children’s book section in the back.

MORE Photo: Tom Stillo

In Town

snowcat driving experience Zipline tour Guided snowmobile tours Winter Horseback trail rides Hot air Balloon rides sleighride dinners Backcountry snowcat trips nordic skiing snowshoe tours Moonlight ski tours spa treatments

38 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

adventure.

PLENTY OF

FUN

OFF THE HILL

Each winter, Crested Butte transforms into a skiing and snowboarding mecca, but don’t worry, there’s a lot to do for those who don’t want to hit the slopes. If you are in need of a day off from skiing, there’s plenty of fun to be had without the ski boots on.

Go for a sleigh ride Enjoy a unique dining experience where getting there is half the fun. Ride in an open sleigh pulled by a snowcat to the on-mountain Uley’s Cabin at Crested Butte Mountain Resort for a gourmet dinner. The menu features Colorado cuisine with French influences, and a handpicked wine list is available to complement the dining experience. Go to www.skicb.com for more information. Another option is boarding a horse-drawn sleigh at Lazy F Bar Ranch south of Crested Butte. Enjoy a scenic, 35-minute ride to a rustic 1950s cabin overlooking the East River and indulge in a five-course meal. Visit www. lazyfbarranch.com for more information. There is nothing quite like the freedom of being pulled by a team of dogs in the thick of mountain terrain capped with snow. Dog sledding with Lucky Cat Dog Farm is one of those lifetime experiences not to be missed. Visit www.luckycatdogfarm.com for details about lunch tours and short tours.

Hop on a horse Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean you have to hang up your saddle. Hop on a horse for a ride through the snow. Fantasy Ranch Horseback Adventures offers a one-hour ride with a stop for hot cocoa from its Almont stables. Go to www.fantasyranchoutfitters.com.

Drive a Snowcat Ever dreamed of getting behind the controls of a snowcat? Through Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s Snowcat Driving Experience, offered in conjunction with Prinoth, learn basic operational and safety information before taking a snowcat for a spin on a closed course. For times, dates and costs, visit www.skicb.com.

Lace up the skates The outdoor Big Mine Park Ice Rink located at the Crested Butte Nordic Center offer skate rentals and the opportunity for all ages to take to the ice in a different fashion. Go to www.cbnordic.org for hours of open skate.

Throw on the snowshoes or Nordic skis CBMR offers daily snowshoe tours on ski area trails with a guide at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Snowshoes, poles, water, a light snack and a lift ride are included in the cost for the two-mile outing. Also check out the daily snowshoe tour of Snodgrass Mountain from 1-4 p.m. that includes transportation. During the ski area’s Moonlight Snowshoe Tours on January 5, February 3 and March 5, enjoy the thrill of snowshoeing moonlit mountain trails after being transported by a snowcat. For more information, visit www.skicb.com. Explore the spectacular terrain around Crested Butte with the security of a Crested Butte Nordic experienced guide. Whether you’re new to CB, new to snowshoeing or cross country skiing, or new to winter entirely, a guided Nordic tour is a terrific way to enjoy a half or full day winter adventure. All tours are led by our safe, friendly, knowledgeable, and experienced guides. Tours safely explore the valleys of the Slate River, Washington Gulch, Brush Creek, and the historic mining town of Gothic, as well as other pristine destinations. Amazing dining is only a snowshoe (or Nordic ski) away during Yurt Dinners at the Nordic Center’s Magic Meadows Yurt offered on full moon evenings and around the holidays. For reservations and information for tours and yurt dinners, visit www.cbnordic.org.

photo by

Fred Sproat

Adventure Park Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s Adventure Park features bungee trampolines, rock climbing, miniature golf and a lift-served tubing hill. The zipline guided tour includes five ziplines and three suspended bridges that have been uniquely adapted to accommodate winter operations. Check out all the options at www.skicb.com.

Educate Yourself

continued on next page

349-1222

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Crested Butte/Gunnison

WellBeinG ConneCtion A collective of the finest services for

Spirit~Mind~Body The Wellbeing Connection is your local source for services, classes, workshops and events

photo by

Lydia Stern

We invite you to combine outdoor adventures with our community's abundant well-being offerings. For a full directory and community calendar of well-being events visit:

Relax and rejuvenate It’s time to rejuvenate the body and soul. Spirit, Mind & Body is a group of individuals dedicated to wellness in the Valley. They offer classes and sessions throughout the season. There are numerous yoga and Pilates classes to choose from, since there is an active yoga community in Crested Butte. If you are looking for a massage, you are in the right place. Crested Butte is home to many amazing massage therapists. And there are no shortage of amazing spas for pampering. For more information, visit www.crestedbuttewellbeing.

crestedbuttewellbeing.com

Call to book your appointments today

970.765.7108

Capture the culture Theatres, art centers and museums can help feed your creative side. Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, established in 1972, presents several productions each winter and spring. For tickets and a performance schedule, visit www.cbmountaintheatre. org. Crested Butte Center for the Arts offers a Winter Season series of concerts and rotating art exhibitions, while the Gunnison Arts Center hosts theatre productions, art exhibitions, art classes and more year-round. For information go to www.crestedbuttearts.org and www.GunnisonArtsCenter.org. While shopping and dining on Elk Avenue, stop at the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum. Walking through the museum’s front door is like stepping back into an old-fashioned hardware store. A large gift shop and memorabilia from the former Tony’s Conoco occupy the front, while a train display, the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, and interesting exhibits about mining, ranching, skiing and other local history draw visitors to the back. For hours and information, call (970) 349-1880.

Be an artist

photo by

Lydia Stern

The Art Studio of the Center of the Arts, located in downtown Crested Butte on Elk Avenue. It’s a space dedicated to the arts. Head to the Art Studio to paint your own pottery, take a workshop on knitting or listen in on an ArtTalk. The studio is also available for private art lessons, art events and parties. Some highlights this winter include the Ladies Create Nights on the fourth Tuesday of each month where women take an evening and create art in a fun environment. Also new this year is the recreations Live Paintings Workshops at The Sweet Spot on the mountain. Grab a friend and join artist Jennifer Vannatta at Sweet Spot for a two hour, instructor led painting workshop. Reservations are required for Art Studio classes and can be made online, at the Center, at classes@crestedbuttearts.org, or 970-349-7044. The Art Studio is at 111 Elk Avenue.

Aerial dance

FREE SHUTTLE

WINTER SCHEDULE 2014-2015 FOR THE “EARLY WINTER SCHEDULE” AND MORE INFO, VISIT WWW.MTNEXP.ORG

TOWN SHUTTLE Runs between Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. Every 15 min until 9:40 p.m., then every 30 min until Midnight. Stop Times First Bus Last Bus From Crested Butte Old Town Hall :10 :25 :40 :55 7:10 am 9:40 pm 6th & Belleview :00 :15 :30 :45 7:15 am 9:45 pm 4-Way Stop :01 :16 :31 :46 7:16 am 9:46 pm Old Town Hall :10 :40 10:10 pm 11:40 pm 6th & Belleview :15 :45 10:15 pm 11:45 pm 4-Way Stop :16 :46 10:16 pm 11:46 pm From Mt. CB Mountaineer Square :00 :15 :30 :45 7:30 am 9:45 pm Mountaineer Square :00 :30 10:00 pm Midnight THREE SEASONS/CHATEAUX CONDO LOOP Serves Three

Seasons, Outrun, Ski Jump, Mountain Sunrise and Chateaux Condos and Marcellina Apts Stop Times First Bus Last Bus Mountaineer Square :00 :15 :30 :45 8:00 am 9:45 pm

COLUMBINE CONDO LOOP Serves Whetstone Rd, Columbine Condos, Mt CB Town Hall, Paradise Rd. and Eagles Nest Condo. Stop Times First Bus Last Bus Mountaineer Square :25 8:25 am 9:25 pm SNODGRASS LOOP Serves intersections on Gothic Rd north of the resort, Snodgrass TH and Paradise Rd. Stop Times Mountaineer Square :55

First Bus 7:55 am

Last Bus 8:55 pm

CRYSTAL/CASTLE CONDO LOOP

Serves Pitchfork, Crystal Rd, Castle Rd, Hunter Hill Rd, Snowmass Rd Stop Times First Bus Last Bus Mountaineer Square :10 :40 8:10 am 9:40 pm

Have you always wanted to join the circus? With drop in and series classes in Aerial Dance with the Crested Butte Dance Collective now you can! Learn how to twirl, fly, climb, and do tricks on the aerial lyra and aerial fabric while increasing core strength and balance. These classes focus on foundations for both apparatus and injury prevention. For never evers and beginners. Visit www.crestedbuttearts.org for more information.

CONDO EXPRESS Serves all four condo loops from 10 pm to Midnight.

The big screen

Stop To CB South Mountaineer Square CB RTA 4-Way Stop To CB/Mt.CB CBS Stop

The Crested Butte Film Festival partners with The Center for the Arts in presenting the Crested Butte Film series held on the third Thursday of every month. The Crested Butte Film Series presents a powerful line up of diverse and inspiring films; audience favorites and new independent cinematic masterpieces. All films are at the Center for the Arts and more information can be found at www.crestedbuttearts.org.

Visit the galleries From outstanding landscape photography to unique sculptures, there’s no shortage of spectacular artwork in Crested Butte. Walk the galleries through town on one of winter’s ArtWalks, sponsored by the Artists of the West Elk to meet some of town’s artists and mingle with art lovers. For more information, visit www.awearts.org.

From Mountaineer Square to your condo/home: Board the Condo Express and tell the driver where you need to go. From a point on any Condo Loop to Mountaineer Square: Call (970) 275-3469 between 10 and 11:30 pm to request a pick-up.

CB SOUTH

Times 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 am 7:05, 8:05, 9:05 am

3:30, 4:30, 5:30 pm 7:35, 4:35, 5:35 pm

7:20, 8:20, 9:20 am

3:50, 4:50, 5:50 pm

The bus should arrive in Crested Butte approximately 15 minutes after leaving CBS. It will stop at the 4 way stop and Mountaineer Square only. For ADA transport, please call (970) 349-5616. All buses are wheelchair-accessible. info line (970) 349-7318 • ofc (970) 349-5616 • www.mtnexp.org

40 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

Crested Butte

AVALANCHE CENTER “We do it every day”

between the central and southern zones and they weren’t getting any info from our area. They said that Crested Butte was like a black Every day of the winter at 7 a.m. for the hole for them.” past 14 years, the Crested Butte Avalanche So in 2000, Knox Williams, then the direcCenter (CBAC) has put out a weather forecast tor of the CAIC, offered some funding and the and avalanche advisory online and over the CBAC was officially born. phone starting in mid-November and conThe original office was the basement of tinuing until the first week of April. Bernholtz’s house and the three-person operaDon’t have a computer? Cell-phone service spotty while you’re driving to the trail- tion was professional in their knowledge, but not in their pay. “It was more a labor of love head? No problem. Every weekday at 8 a.m., than it was a profession,” explains Bernholtz. a CBAC forecaster reads the daily weather “It was something we all did because we were forecast and avalanche advisory live on the very passionate about the community as well local radio station KBUT. as fascinated by avalanches.” And while most avalanche forecast But the CBAC was, and still is, more than centers, then and now, also put out a daily just three guys passionate about safe backadvisory (though few, if any, read it live on country travel and skiing, and the community local radio), the CBAC is unique in that it is a has been behind the CBAC the entire way. non-profit, non-governmental center whose “The support of the community is what professional forecasters live and ski where made the center grow into a professional they forecast, and are in the snow everyday. center, and by professional I mean paid,” says Their motto from day one, “We do it Bernholtz. “The community is what makes us everyday.” who we are.” It all started with a conversation over a Money keeps the lights on and helps the meal at the Paradise Café in Crested Butte in forecasters continue their education and the 1999. At the time, Alan Bernholtz was a paid Town of Crested Butte, local businesses and observer for the federally funded Colorado individuals kick down every year through Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) and fundraising parties, grants and sponsorships. living in Crested Butte. During a casual “We get donations from very small to meal with CAIC forecasters Denny Hogan fairly large and every dollar raised goes to and Scott Toepfer, they proposed an idea to delivering a daily professional weather and Bernholtz. avalanche advisory,” says CBAC Executive “I was encouraged by the CAIC to start Director Jake Jones. up our own center,” recalls Bernholtz. “Back But it takes more than money to put out then there were only three zones, northern, a quality product, and extensive observations central and southern, and Crested Butte fell by Than Acuff

photo by

from the community of backcountry users are key to a quality advisory. “We get a wide spectrum of observations,” explains CBAC lead forecaster Zach Guy. “Everything from full profiles to basic avalanche observations to observations such as this: “Slayed convex connies and snodgrass today… No wind or visible wind up high for that matter… Near bottomless facets.” He also gets important observations in less formal ways. “I’ll be out to dinner and someone will tap me on the shoulder and tell me what they saw while skiing that day,” he says. “Combining all of that makes for a pretty good product.” Bryan Wickenhauser skis 4-6 times per week in the Crested Butte backcountry and appreciates the “locally sourced” CBAC advisory. “I think a big part is that we know the forecast at the CBAC is coming from local forecasters and we know the folks putting it out,” says Wickenhauser. “We know they’re out in the zone every day and we appreciate locally sourced information.” Entering its 15th year, the CBAC has three

Chris Miller

forecasters returning, Guy, who studied under Birkeland in Montana, Evan Ross and Ian Havlick. They got a jump on the 2014-2015 season posting a fall advisory on October 6 when the surrounding peaks got their first significant layer of snow and kept the conversation going until they opened officially on November 24. “We’re fortunate to have such a highly qualified group of forecasters,” adds Jones. “While our staff is relatively young, they are incredibly talented and could live and work anywhere.” In the end, it’s all about getting the word out to the people so they can head out, get some and come home at the end of the day. “We have a solid community of intelligent and avid backcountry users,” adds Bernholtz. “We want to be a resource for people to make better decisions when traveling in the backcountry.” To see what the CBAC does, become a member or just make a donation, check out cbavalanchecenter.org or stop by the CBAC office in the Old Rock jailhouse at Second Street and Elk Avenue.

Taste Colorado’s Best Brewers, Distillers, and Local Fare March 28, 2015 Top of Prospect Lift @ Crested Butte Mountain Resort 12:00-3:30pm The best of Colorado’s brewers, distillers, and restaurants welcome you to a mountain-top tasting under 10 snowy vistas.  $30 event tickets until March 27, 2015  $80 lift ticket and event pass  Generous lodging packages from Crested Butte Mountain Resort presented by:

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1ST ANNUAL

2014

Western Students Welcomed USA Pro Cycling Challenge And The BBC Took Notice! Watch the video at westernup.org

On August 20th Western welcomed the USA Pro Cycling Challenge to Gunnison with the Running of the Red! Showcasing Western to the world is one of our favorite things to do, and the British Broadcasting Company agreed that day by calling it one of their top pictures of the day. This is the kind of fullâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;throttle enthusiasm and energy that is our inspiration to continue to push Western to even greater heights.

Please support Western, a unique educational experience right here in the mountains.

To Western Up and make a donation, call 970-641-2237 or go to westernup.org

42 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

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Adventure park Photo: Nathan Bilow

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2 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

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Melissa Fenlon

Crested Butte’s

CULINARY SCENE

When in doubt, go big.

You’re here in Crested Butte to challenge yourself. You may be skiing runs you thought you would never try. So go big when you’re choosing your well-deserved meals. There’s no shortage of extraordinary restaurants to choose from. And you don’t need an excuse to order big. You deserve it. The Crested Butte culinary scene is one-of-a-kind. It’s an atmosphere where chefs are neighbors, not competitors. That camaraderie shows in the menus you’ll find along Elk Avenue and on the mountain. Food aficionados will find bustling atmospheres, intimate settings, familystyle dining and the favorite spots of locals, each offering up Western hospitality and superior customer service. No matter what you’re in the mood for, you can find it all in Crested Butte. We’ve got some of the best Mexican on this side of the Mississippi, some of the best steaks in the West and to die for ethnic cuisine all right here in the last great ski town. If you’re in the mood for fried chicken, we’ve got it. Feeling like farm to table gourmet or Northern Italian small plates? We’ve got that too. So go big all day long in the mountains and then experience Crested Butte’s culinary scene. You won’t be disappointed.

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 3

Coffee Culture by Olivia Lueckemeyer

ife in Crested Butte is often mistaken for being leisurely. The absence of skyscrapers and traffic lights give outsiders the impression that locals live in a quasi-Neverland, where real-world responsibilities are checked at the first 15-mile per hour sign. The truth is, though, Buttians are some of the busiest folks around. The people of Crested Butte work hard and play harder; it’s not uncommon to try to fit two six-hour shifts and a ski break all into one bluebird day. Despite packed schedules and multiple obligations, somehow Crested Butte natives continue to plow through each year with unmatched tenacity. The driving force behind this incessant lifestyle is simple, yet served with the utmost integrity: coffee. For decades, it’s been a staple of Crested Butte culture. It seems that each year a new coffee house pops up, and while many fail to survive the harsh business climate, as soon as one vacates, another gets in line to take its place. This year Crested Butte saw the advent of First Ascent, a progressive roasting and brewing operation that now occupies the former Secret Stash building. Elk Avenue’s coziest book-store-meets-coffee-shop, Rumors, is thriving as it concludes its fourth year of business, and veteran coffee slinger Camp4 lives up to its title of “Best Coffee in Colorado” by serving the same quality cup of joe for more than 20 years. continued on page 4

4 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News continued from page 3

Brick Oven

Great memories will happen here!

{

Serving Family Style Fried Chicken & Steak Dinners Nightly Call for Reservations 349-5765

}

2nd & Whiterock Downtown Crested Butte

Locals and visitors can also get their morning coffee fix at a variety of businesses throughout town, such as the Brick Oven, which has served Portland’s Stumptown brand for over a year. Owner Dan Loftus gave his take on the local coffee culture, surmising that Buttians place a high value not only on quality, but also on where the product came from. “I think for us it has been very much like the beer customers we get, in that they are looking for something where they can trace its origins, and for something that just tastes good,” Loftus says. Like many locals, Loftus relies on coffee to facilitate his active lifestyle. A coffee break in between work and play is almost a necessity in a town like Crested Butte, where natives prefer to take full advantage of as many daylight hours as possible. “When I go into work, a lot of the time the first thing I’ll do is grab a cold brew coffee,” Loftus explains. “If I just went out and did a big bike ride and then have a seven-hour shift ahead of me, I need to rev up at three o’clock in the afternoon just to recover.” Whether it’s drip or espresso, the people of photo by Chris Miller Crested Butte love their coffee. The closest Walmart may be 30 miles away, but the nearest coffee shop is likely right around the corner. Whereas in other towns the coffee house of choice may be Starbucks, in true Crested Butte fashion, the local’s choice is always just that, local. Three coffee shops in town offer different beans, blends and brewing options, resulting in a diverse selection for both the casual coffee drinker and the connoisseur.

CRESTED BUTTE’S ONE AND ONLY SUSHI BAR OPEN NIGHTLY AT 5:30

HAPPY HOUR NIGHTLY From 5:30 to 6:30 EVERY NIGHT (at the Sushi Bar only) Hang with the Locals at the BAR for our Nightly $25pp LOCALS SPECIAL

Includes: Small Hot Sake Dynamo Shrimp 2 Sushi Rolls Ice Cream (No substitutions)

Reservations Recommended

321 Elk Avenue 349-5457

www.lilssushibarandgrill.com

Please visit our sister restaurant in Gunnison

122 W. Tomichi Avenue 641-4394

Rumors Coffee and Tea House When Arvin and Danica Ramgoolam opened Rumors in 2009, they wanted to provide a space that fostered creativity. A strong passion for books, music, poetry and all things community inspired the couple to take a chance and rent the space adjoining Townie Books, where they planned to become the first late-night coffee spot. Having worked in coffee houses as a teen, Arvin recognized the powerful social component that coffee provides, and he wished to build on that by allowing Rumors to be a place where ideas came to life. “It’s part of a whole experience we offer. We like to be a place where people can sit, talk, drink, think and sort of get into ideas,” Arvin says. “’A good place for ideas’ is what we like to call ourselves.” Ramgoolam chose Allegro Coffee as the catalyst for his ultimate goal of inspiring community gatherings. Deemed “Best Coffee in the Country” by Consumer Reports, Allegro prides itself on providing high-grade specialty coffee and upholding ethical business practices. Although Rumors is the only coffee house in town that does not roast its own beans, Ramgoolam attests to the product’s freshness. It’s shipped in weekly from Allegro’s Denver-based headquarters.

In addition to consistent quality, Allegro also advocates for sustainable practices, which Ramgoolam says is consistent with his values. “The aspect that really attracted us to Allegro was that they were ultra-responsible,” Ramgoolam explains. “They shade-grow their coffee, which means they save the land, and it’s less impact on the soil, so they do a lot of sustainable things. It’s tremendous, and it really lines up with the way that my wife and I think.” Rumors is often applauded for its outstanding service; Yelp reviews divulge a customer appreciation for the baristas, who are described as both knowledgeable and friendly. Upon being hired at Rumors, small groups of staff members are dispatched to the Allegro headquarters, where they receive extensive barista training. “It’s a tricky thing to do in a small town to have such great people working for you, and that is really how our success has kept going,” Ramgoolam says. Since it opened four years ago, Rumors has provided a comfortable environment for relaxation, collaboration and inspiration, which Ramgoolam says makes the shop unique. “I think probably the biggest thing that sets us apart is that we really enjoy that spirit of creativity and interaction, and we foster that every day,” Ramgoolam says. “I find myself introducing people to one another who have never met and have gone on to do some incredible things together.” continued on next page

GREAT Italian food. Nightly dinner specials. Catering Private chef service Large party to-go’s reservations recommended

411 3rd Street • 970-349-7401

photos by

Lydia Stern

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 5

www.crestedbuttenews.com

continued from previous page

Camp4 Coffee From its humble beginnings as a cart in the base area to its product being named the “Best Coffee in Colorado” by the Denver Post, Camp 4 Coffee has been a mainstay of the Crested Butte community for more than 20 years. After working on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska, Al Smith started Camp 4 Coffee in 1993 when his friend offered him a job running a coffee cart at the bottom of the ski hill. What may have seemed like a bleak offer to the average person was alluring to Smith, for whom working in brutal climates was commonplace. “I was an ice climber, so I liked pain, and to be cold and wet, and to stand outside in subfreezing weather. So by definition I was qualified,” Smith says. “Oh, and I drank coffee.” At the time there were no specialty coffee shops in town, and the popularity of Camp 4 was growing immensely. In 1997 Smith seized an opportunity to move indoors to the historic license plate house, drastically expanding the business’ operational capabilities. Naturally, the next step was roasting his own beans, a measure Smith strongly opposed at first but eventually gave into after purchasing roasting equipment from a friend. Smith solicited the help of a master roaster in Idaho. After returning to Crested Butte, he was instructed to experiment with a roast profile until he discovered something worthy of selling. Thousands of pounds of coffee later, Smith nailed down his famous, secret recipe. “Finally we started getting closer and closer, and we came up with a recipe that we thought tasted pretty good,” Smith explains. “We haven’t changed it since.” Camp 4 Coffee’s top-secret recipe has become famous throughout the country and beyond. Smith’s beans have been shipped all over the world, from troops in Afghanistan to the editor of the New York Times. When asked how Camp 4 Coffee has managed to outlive all of the other coffee shops in town, Smith credits his stubbornness. “If you have other options, then you might quit and say this is just too hard. But if you don’t have any other options, then you have to make it work,” Smith says. “I feel blessed because I used to get fired for drinking coffee and talking too much, and now it’s what I do. I’ve got the perfect job.”

First Ascent Coffee Roasters

This April Crested Butte welcomed the First Ascent Coffee Roasters, started by long-time locals and owners of the Majestic Theater, Mark and Ali Drucker. Ali explains that opening a coffee shop has been her passion since moving to town ten years ago. Drucker had even arrived in Crested Butte with a business plan, but decided not to pursue it after observing a saturated market. “This time around we are much more pas-

sionate about coffee,” Drucker explains. “Ten years ago I think I was just excited to provide a space for people to meet, and that great social element that coffee houses provide. Now I very much care about coffee itself.” The new kid on the block may also be the most innovative, as First Ascent brings a cuttingedge brewing technology to the Gunnison Valley. The Alpha Dominche Steampunk operates similar to an aero press, using vacuum technology to inject the vessel with steam. The Steampunk also controls for temperature fluctuation, which is incredibly hard to maintain with traditional brewing processes. “I think we can all attest to the challenges that preparing coffee at altitude brings,” Ali says. “Coffee is supposed to be prepared between 195 degrees to 205 degrees, and at least over on our end of Elk, water boils at 196 degrees, so we have a two-degree differential to get things right.” First Ascent offers a variety of seasonal beans sourced from either small farms or co-ops. Each season, sampling quantities of a “current crop” are shipped to the Druckers, and from there they decide which beans they want to carry. “Our goal is to try to source coffee that is unique and special, that has interesting attributes,” Mark says. “Once the coffee we order is sold out, that’s it. I think that is kind of what’s special about it, that we only have it for a certain length of time. Even next year’s crop from the exact same farm or co-op may be different.” The Druckers pride themselves on employing Coffee Shrub, a small importer/exporter that is the only link between First Ascent and the farmers. “The benefit is that they are really involved in the whole process, so we have a lot of transparency about where the coffee is coming from and how the growing practice is. They make on-site visits every year to these farms,” Mark says. First Ascent’s mission places a great significance on the journey of the bean, which aligns perfectly with the priorities of the Crested Butte coffee consumer. “I think Crested Buttians are kind of drawn to this idea that a product can be grown with care in a far-off place and then be brought to Crested Butte,” Mark says. “Everything that goes into the whole process, from growing to shipping to storage to roasting and preparation, I think that is something that most locals appreciate—the detail and the story behind the coffee.” When it comes to food and drink, the people of Crested Butte prioritize quality above all else. Like many restaurants in town, the coffee houses that stand the test of time are those that consistently provide Buttians with a highcaliber product they know they can rely on to get them through a busy day. The local coffee culture is unique in that it plays a subtle role in sustaining the energetic lifestyle that is emblematic of Crested Butte. Locals abide strongly by the notion that “you can sleep when you’re dead,” but with an added caveat: “In the meantime, drink a cup of coffee and live.”

Crested Butte’s only local brewery, restaurant and live music venue! Free wifi! Happy Hour Daily 3-7 pm Check out our awesome lunch specials, Wednesday through Sunday for the latest music line-up and more, check out

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6 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

profile.

t’s indisputably the favorite alley of every hopeful bear that wanders into town, the alley where you can smell the unmistakable aroma of fried chicken. The Slogar Restaurant is lovingly dubbed “the chicken shack” by locals. The concept was launched in 1985 when Mac Bailey bought the building and cranked up the fryers. Eight years ago, Cjay Clark and his wife, Megan, bought the historic building and business with the intention of keeping its tradition, which Cjay feels is serving the best fried chicken in Colorado. The restaurant’s relish tray of poached cinnamon pears, carrots, celery, bread and butter pickles and “world famous” tomato chutney is only a prelude to their renowned crispy chicken, served family-style with heaping mounds of homemade mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed corn and enormous biscuits with whipped honey butter. Cjay is no stranger to the hospitality industry, hailing from a long line of restaurateurs, hoteliers and dude ranchers. After a stint as a pilot during WWII, Cjay’s grandfather came back to his home in Big Fork, Montana in 1945 and bought a large ranch. “He was born and raised in that area and when he came back it was still the most beautiful spot to him and that’s what he wanted to do,” Cjay explains. The dude ranch was named Flathead Lake Lodge, and it’s still family owned, operated by Cjay’s uncle and family and drawing tourists and families to its 2,000 acres of lake and trails. The lodge was rated in the story by Dawne Belloise | photo by Lydia Stern top 2 percent for family vacations in North America. As a child, Cjay interacted with guests, especially the kids. “We would play together,” he recalls, “and I’d show them around, show them a good time. We waterskied and rode horses and it’s just all about the relationship with the people you meet from all over the world.” He adds that as a child growing up in such surrounds, one might take living in such beauty for granted. Cjay was an avid skier with youthful dreams of someday becoming pro. He honed his talents in Big Sky and Big Mountain resorts in Montana. In 1994, at the age of 14, he and his dad, Jimmy Clark, decided to check out some Colorado schools to further Cjay’s skiing career. They had set their sights on three schools, in Steamboat Springs, Vail and Crested Butte, where the Crested Butte Academy was in its first full year of operation. “We didn’t even make it to those other schools because we got to Crested Butte and loved it,” he remembers. “It reminded us of home and we thought it would be the best place for me.” The following year, Jimmy moved to Crested Butte to be with his son, “so he wouldn’t miss out on me growing up,” Cjay smiles. “When dad got here, he started working at the Crested Butte Club.” The club was in the old Croatian Hall (now part of Irwin’s Eleven) and, Cjay notes as he grins, the club with its spa amenities “was a fun place to have access to as a high school student.”

Cjay Clark

Profile:

traditions

continued on next page

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 7

profile. continued from previous page

His dad was hired to turn it around and make it profitable. Cjay explains, “Dad would buy distressed hotel properties that weren’t doing well, fix them up, turn them around and sell them. He did that in Idaho, Wyoming, Texas and Montana, so he knew what he was doing when he was hired on at the club here.” In the meantime, Cjay participated in ski competitions. “I did moguls, big air, and skiercross, and I decided that Crested Butte was my home. My first restaurant job in this town was with Marchitelli’s Gourmet Noodle where I did everything. At 18, I may have been the youngest bartender in town!” he laughs. He graduated from the Crested Butte Community School in 1998 and began attending Western State College, later switching to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where he studied business and hospitality management. In Cjay’s second year at CSU, his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which, Cjay says, put him out of commission for about a year, but Jimmy beat the disease. While his dad was healing, Cjay returned to Crested Butte and took over managing the Buffalo Grill for his dad. Jimmy had started the restaurant with his partner, Cathy Benson, who had also owned the Crested Butte Club. The Buffalo Grill featured an American-style menu with buffalo that came directly from the family’s Montana ranch. The grill ran for five years before they sold it and Jimmy started up a delectable barbeque joint with a mechanical bull as its centerpiece in the spacious Powerhouse building. Being involved in rodeo, Jimmy aptly named it Cowboys. “We had music at times,” Cjay recalls, “and we hosted events. My dad was good friends with Eric Roemer and Bob Holmes and they were like three kids in a candy store. They had more fun doing Cowboys.” continued on page 8

On the Gunnison River

LIT TLE ITALY IN THE ROCKIES

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as seen on the Travel channels food paradise

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Lunch & Dinner Monday-Saturday 11am-9pm *2014 PEOPLE’S CHOICE* Best place for wings Best place for chicken fried steak Best place for dessert . 2011 & 2012 BEST RESTAURANT

DA I LY S P E C I A L S • DA I LY S P E C I A L S • DA I LY S P E C I A L S • (available for dine in only) MONDAY NIGHT - BURGER NIGHT 1/2 lb fresh ground-in-house Angus Beef Burger on our fresh baked specialty bun with all the fixin’s. $6.00 • 3-9 pm

TERRIFIC TUESDAY All day each Tuesday is Family Day! Kids eat free from buckaroo menu. (limit 2 kids items per adult entree ordered) Gunnisack Cookies are 1/2 price for everyone!

WEDNESDAY IS WINGSDAY 1 lb for just $6.00 Six sauces to choose from... served boneless or boney - you pick.

TACO THYME THURSDAYS $2.00 Chicken or Fish Tacos • 3-9 pm FRYDAY CATFISH FRY $10.95 All day long! Tempura battered and rolled in panko bread crumbs, deep fried and served with french fries, jalapeno hush puppies and red pepper tartar. SIMMERIN SATURDAYS All you can eat Soup, Chili & Biscuits $8.50. Featuring scratch made: Chuckwagon chili, Jalapeno Beer Cheese Soup, Soup of the day and Cheddar Onion Biscuits. Try one or mix and match.

HAPPY HOUR: Monday thru Friday 3-6 pm $2.50 draft pints and house wine ... $2.50 Loose Meat Samiches Featuring premium beers on tap: Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Shiner Light Blonde, Fat Tire Amber Ale

view our full menu at www.thegunnisack.com • 142 North Main St. Gunnison CO 81230 Find Us On Facebook

8 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 9

profile.

www.thepeakcb.com

Cjay Clark continued from page 7

The Ice Bar at

Uley’s

Expertly prepared lunches, impeccable service, outstanding views, and the legendary bar made out of ice, make this a destination not to be missed! on tHe MountaIn, at tHe BottoM oF tHe tWIster LIFt

sLeIGHrIde dInner

Photo: Trent Bona

This unforgettable experience has become a Crested Butte “must do!” Starlit skies and the surrounding mountain views will amaze you on this snowcatdrawn sleighride. Then delight in a 5-course gourmet dinner in this charming cabin nestled among the tall pines.

LunCH & dInner reservatIons:

(970) 349-2275 skicb.com/uleys

Jimmy and his several partners were in the process of negotiating to buy the Powerhouse building when he was tragically killed by a rodeo bull while assisting in a rodeo arena, shocking and saddening the many communities and circles he had touched. “I had to grow up fast,” says Cjay. “He was my best friend.” Cjay tried unsuccessfully to take over in the negotiations for both the building and business to continue his father’s restaurant. In the end, it was his now wife, Megan, who convinced him to look at Slogar, which had just gone on the market that week. He decided to buy the famed chicken shack, favorite of tourists and bruins. “It was a blessing in disguise that I got this place instead of Cowboys,” Cjay now realizes. After losing Jimmy, who was so active in helping nonprofits raise millions of dollars throughout the years, Cjay stepped up to fill his father’s volunteerism. Jimmy initiated Tough Enough to Wear Pink (TETWP) in collaboration with Dean Dillon and Jim Swaim. Cjay recalls, “Dad died two weeks before the first event so it was one of those things I inherited.” Following in his dad’s footsteps, Cjay says, “We raised a ton of money that first year, and we’re still the number one grossing rodeo [Cattlemen’s Days] for TETWP, raising over $1.3 million in eight years. And all that stays in our community. I’m now the president of the TETWP board.” Tough Enough to Wear Pink provides a nationally recognized campaign and framework for rodeos and western events to help promote breast cancer awareness and fundraising to benefit the various events’ local communities. Cjay, like his father, helps raise money for other nonprofits in the valley because, he says, “I think that’s just what you do. It’s in my blood to be a part of the community.” Cjay sits on the board for the Crested Butte Center for the Arts and Project Hope, which came about when the Center for Restorative Practices and Jubilee House merged. The organization deals with domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assaults. “That’s just what you do when you’re part of a community,” he says humbly. Now that he’s been running Slogar for eight years, Cjay jokes, “I should have listened to everybody... owning a business isn’t as glamorous as everyone makes it out to be! But it comes back to the whole hospitality thing that I loved at the lodge—the people you get to meet coming in here, the stories you get to hear. You’re basically entertaining them in your living room,” says the people-person. “That’s in my blood; it’s all I know. It’s what my family has been doing for the past 70 years.” Seven of Cjay’s 23 cousins are still in the hospitality business, along with his uncles. In 2008, he dragged his native Colorado fiancée up to his family’s Montana lodge to get married. Megan and Cjay now have their own little family, five-year-old son Beckett and three-year-old daughter Barrett. On the annual break, meaning off-season when Slogar closes down for a few weeks, Cjay works on the building. In the fall he’s getting it winterized for their Thanksgiving reopening. This past summer they repainted the exterior front and revamped the patio, working on what must seem like an endless list of continuing projects that an 1882 building requires in upkeep. Undaunted, if not exhausted, Cjay laughs, “We’ll get there as we go.” He takes time off for family adventures, skiing, the joy of raising two kids and living the Crested Butte lifestyle—it’s what he and Megan want to impart to their children. “I’m a lake kid,” he admits, “I miss the 239 lakes in Flathead County, Montana, but I don’t miss winters. You might not see the sun for three weeks up there. What keeps me here in Crested Butte is friends and family, and the quality of life is pretty good, I’d say.” As far as keeping his family’s hospitality tradition alive as a restaurateur, Cjay says enthusiastically, “We’ll keep the Slogar tradition going as a chicken place. I want to make sure people have a good experience. When people come to Crested Butte, and why it’s so successful, it’s because people are so friendly here. It’s such an amazing town. We actually care why they’re here, where they’re from, and we want them to have an authentic Crested Butte experience. That’s what we do. I’ve grown up in resort towns and I can’t say I’ve been to another town that has this real town feel. When you come to visit, the experience you’re going to have here is memorable.”

Tasty traditions made daily with classic roadhouse-style burgers, shakes, and a variety of casual fare. Enjoy the view with an après drink on the deck. Open for lunch, après, and special events. courtesy photos

(970) 349-2999 sLopesIde, treasury BuILdInG

DOWNTOWN CRESTED BUTTE

Appetizers, Burgers and Subs

Fresh Salad Bar with over 30 items and Homemade Dressings

STUMPTOWN COFFEE

World Class Beer Selection

8 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 9

profile.

www.thepeakcb.com

Cjay Clark continued from page 7

The Ice Bar at

Uley’s

Expertly prepared lunches, impeccable service, outstanding views, and the legendary bar made out of ice, make this a destination not to be missed! on tHe MountaIn, at tHe BottoM oF tHe tWIster LIFt

sLeIGHrIde dInner

Photo: Trent Bona

LunCH & dInner reservatIons:

(970) 349-2275 skicb.com/uleys

(970) 349-2999 sLopesIde, treasury BuILdInG

DOWNTOWN CRESTED BUTTE

Appetizers, Burgers and Subs

Fresh Salad Bar with over 30 items and Homemade Dressings

STUMPTOWN COFFEE

World Class Beer Selection

10 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

Welcome to Paradise! The Last Great Colorado Ski Town!

‘

APRES on the mountain

The snow was phenomenal and you couldn’t have asked for a better day. There is a smile on your face and you are ready to relax with a warm hot chocolate or a tasty adult beverage and a delicious bite to eat. Mt. Crested Butte offers a diverse collection of après ski establishments at the base of the slopes for any age or taste. The après menus around the base area range from no-frills offerings like a $1 PBR and a shot, to a glass of fine wine and gourmet appetizers. Extra points for wearing your boots and baselayers past 5 p.m. For ‘drive-in’ convenience, as you ski down Warming House Hill and past the lifts pull up in front of Butte 66, located on the front side of the Treasury Building. They sport a big bar, expansive deck, lots of seating and serve American cuisine. They have live music on stage several times a week throughout the winter. Shot specials vary throughout the après hours depending on which liquor their famous “spin-ski” lands. Also, next door, the renovated Treasury Center has pizza and a bevy of options offered on the top floor.

Fresh-made burritos and tacos for a great on-the-go option or a festive Tex-Mex style meal. MountaIneer square BreeZeWay (970) 349-4450 Mt. Crested Butte

photo by

Get set for the day with our plentiful breakfast buffet. Then relax with drinks and a casual dinner while talking over the day’s adventures. The convenient location and friendly atmosphere make it great for the whole family.

Open daily for breakfast, après, and dinner.

(970) 349-8030

Grand LodGe Crested Butte, Mt. Crested Butte

Lydia Stern

Another drive-by option, the Brown Labrador Pub and Bakery. Hit it up as you ski your last run (or your first if that’s how you roll). They have beer on tap, drink specials, baked goods, pizza slices and on warmer days they grill burgers and dogs on the deck. As you exit the snow and head out toward Mountaineer Square, the Avalanche Bar & Grill is located past the Treasury building and across from the Adventure Park. Their happy hour features signature drinks like the Avalanche Warning and Painkiller. If you want to catch your favorite team in action, every seat in the house has views of the flat screen HD TVs located on nearly every wall. They have lots of beer on tap, daily drink specials and pizza slices. On the skier’s left side of the base area is the deck of 9380 Prime, part of the Elevation Hotel. They have an outside bar with a fire pit on the deck to keep you warm after a day on the slope. There is a modern indoor bar as well with daily drink specials. django’s is located in the Mountaineer Square courtyard. You can enjoy an extensive wine menu, creative cocktails and “small plates” in a slightly mellower, more intimate après ski setting. django’s hosts live music on occasions throughout the winter. The newest establishment to hit the base area is the Sweet Spot. Part period bar, part arcade, part general store — it’s a place you can bring the family. Parents can order specialty cocktails while the kids spend their money at the candy counter! Located inside the Lodge at Mountaineer Square is Trackers Bar & Lounge. Their cozy fireplace, couches and lounge-style seating creates a very snug and slightly more upscale environment for those cold winter days. Trackers is famous for its “Das Boot” which is a very large draught beer of your choice in a fancy glass boot. Also inside the Lodge at Mountaineer Square is Camp4Coffee. Along with a tasty mocha, latte or baked good, you can spice up your caffeine craving with some Irish whiskey or Bailey’s. Across the courtyard where the buses stop is the Grand Lodge, inside you can find the Woodstone Grille. There is a warm fireplace and plenty of seats at the bar and in the lounge to enjoy some after skiing food and beverages. At the end of the day, après is for everyone, and there’s no better time to reel through the day’s adventures, and get pumped up for another day on the hill. Whatever you fancy after a perfect day in Crested Butte can be found quite literally at your ski tips.

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 11

y the Come enjo Fe! nta taste of Sa

Authentic

"The place to go for New Mexican cuis ine in Colora - Denver Post do"

New Mexican Cuisine for the whole family • Nightly Specials • Great Margaritas (2 for 1 on Sundays) • Full Kids Menu photos by

Lydia Stern

Open Nightly • Daily Happy Hour Bar Opens at 4:30 p.m. Open for Dinner at 5 p.m.

207 Elcho, CB South

Mountain town

349-5003

GET DOWN

After a day charging on the mountain, you’ve got to fill yourself up and then head out on the town to find out all about Crested Butte’s nightlife. Here’s our little primer of where do go for a good time. The Eldo Brewery & Tap Room, upstairs next to the Post Office is a great place to sample some tasty home brews. On any given night, there are five or more to choose from. During the season, the Eldo will host some fairly well-known bands three or more times a week that typically start at 10 p.m. They also have a pool table and foosball table for your gaming needs. The Kitchen restaurant, located inside the bar, serves pub-style food like burgers and sandwiches, and a bunch of apps, from 3 p.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The Eldo is open until 2 a.m. most nights. A few more steps up Elk you can find Kochevar’s, a historic Crested Butte saloon that has withstood generations of drinkers. Two pool tables host billiards tournaments each week. You can also enjoy a dart or foosball game while you are there. Don’t forget to ask about Butch Cassidy’s infamous visit to the bar. Kochevar’s is open until 2 a.m. most nights. The Talk of the Town, just in from the corner of Third and Elk, is a bar for the more boisterous crowd. They have two pool tables upstairs, darts, foosball, video games and a juke box. The upstairs bar also opens on busier nights. A full night of comedy and fun can be had at the Talk.

The Princess Wine Bar is probably the most intimate of the late night venues. Located on the south side of Elk between Second and Third streets, the Princess offers live acoustic music with some favorite local musicians about three nights per week. Enjoy specialty martinis and a fresh atmosphere at the Princess. Stop in across the Post Office for some locally distilled and award-winning rum at the new home of Montanya Distillers. The Montanya tasting room has an extensive drink menu and homemade appetizers. In the alley behind the Post Office is the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin. It’s a miner’s shack turned into a “cocktail cabin.” They offer house-infused artisan cocktails and unique small plates. Check out one of town’s hippest renovations and a rosemary infused vodka martini while you’re at it. Of course almost all of the restaurants in town have great bars to enjoy, which are open earlier in the evening and will close by 9 or 10 p.m. If you are wondering what’s going on at any place around town, check out the billboards located in front of the post office, at Clark’s Market and various other places around town. You can also check out the community calendar and music calendars in each week’s issue of the Crested Butte News. The Mountain Express is a free shuttle that runs between Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. It runs until about midnight every night of the week so you can be a responsible drinker. You can see the full schedule on page 39 of the Visitor’s Guide. The town taxi can also be contacted for a limited number of rides when the Mountain Express stops running. And remember to drink plenty of water. Alcohol has a greater effect on EVERYONE up here at 8,885 feet above sea level. Have fun and be safe out there.

st voted be margarita 13 2007 - 20

voted be st customer service 2007 - 20 13

Gourmet Mexican Fresh Burrito Bar

Providing excellent dining for over 18 years. HOURS:

LUNCH & DINNER: Daily, 11 a.m. to 9-ish 311 1/2 Elk Avenue, Crested Butte, CO 81224

970.349.2005 www.teocallitamale.com Many gluten-free options available

GINGER CAFE If there’s only one restaurant you could go to again and again, this would be it. Serving fresh, house made, Asian inspired dishes and designer cocktails since 2002. Local and organic meat and produce used whenever possible. Open for lunch and dinner + Awesome Aprés ski and happy hour specials daily.

425 Elk Avenue, Downtown Crested Butte

970.349.7291

thegingercafe.com

12 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

www.crestedbuttenews.com

photo by

second annual

Lydia Stern

CRAFTED on the mountain The Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber is bringing Crafted back! The last weekend in March will bring brewers and distillers from all over Colorado to Crested Butte Mountain Resort for the on-mountain tasting event. Take the lift up to Ten Peaks where Colorado brewers and distillers will offer tastes of their best spirits and brews under 10 snowy mountain vistas. Enjoy a day of spring skiing, craft beverage and food tasting at Crafted. Discounted lift tickets will be available with the purchase of a Crafted ticket, so attendees can take

CRESTED BUTTE, CO

226 ELK AVENUE 970.349.1221

advantage of CBMR’s spring skiing conditions before heading to the event. For attendees not wanting to hit the slopes, up-hill skiing access and alternate transportation will be available. Event tickets are $30 until March 27, 2015. Lift and event passes for all-day access to CBMR terrain and the afternoon event are $80. Lodging packages from CBMR will be available starting at $109/night (with the option to add lift tickets). For more information, visit www.tasteofcb.com/ crafted.

Coping with altitude v make reservations online v ELKAVENUEPRIME.COM

127 Elk Avenue

OPEN

Many visitors to Crested Butte are accustomed to lower altitudes, however, the town rests at 8,885 feet above sea level. The base area at Crested Butte Mountain Resort is over 9,000 feet and the peak is approximately 12,000 feet in elevation. As the altitude increases, the available oxygen decreases. Physical and psychological signs of altitude sickness - the result of too little oxygen in the blood - can begin to appear at altitudes of about 8,000 feet (2,348.4 meters). The symptoms include dizziness, weakness, headache, shortness of breath, poor judgment and either depression or, in some cases, unnatural elation. Problems can generally be avoided by taking it easy until adapted to the altitude. Don’t expect too much of yourself. If any of the above symptoms are noticed, stop and rest a while. If you feel no improvement, head to a lower altitude.

* 970.349.7117

FOR LUNCH!

SERVING FOOD 11AM - 1:30 AM

An Eating & Drinking Landmark Since 1881

Breakfast Aprés Ski Dinner

EVERY DAY

GREAT FOOD AND DRINK SPECIALS THURSDAYS .25 CENT WINGS ALL DAY (DINE-IN ONLY)

TAKE OUT ALL DAY All Ages Welcome till 10pm

11 TVS WITH THE NFL PACKAGE!

129 Elk Ave next to Old Town Hall Bus Stop

970.349.6645 | CoalCreekGrill.com

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 13

diningguide. 1. Bacchanale Italian Kitchen

209 Elk Avenue, Downtown Crested Butte. (970) 349-5257. Bacchanale introduces artisanal Italian fare to Crested Butte, from Kate & Chris Ladoulis who opened django’s in 2008. Our inventive and seasonal menu features the lighter side of Italian with unique presentation and flavors. Whether you have time for a quick bite to eat and a glass of wine or can spend an evening with your friends and family on the balcony, Bacchanale can be your everyday place. Open every day at 5 p.m. Reservations accepted at www.thebacchanale.com.

2. Brick Oven Pizzeria & Pub

Enjoy our 30 craft beers on tap on the Best patio in town. Featuring pizza-by-the-slice, deep dish & thin crust specialty pizzas. Now serving STUMPTOWN Coffee all day long and selling two varieties of beans for your home. Gluten-free crust and non-dairy cheese available. Appetizers, subs, juicy burgers and the best salad bar in town with over 30 fresh items and homemade dressings. Watch your favorite sports on one of our large HDTVs and enjoy NFL specials on food and beer. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner served every day from 11 a.m. til 10 p.m. Dine in, take-out, take & bake and FREE DELIVERY on all menu items, (970) 349-5044. Come visit us Downtown, the locals hang-out for over 21years. www.BrickOvenCB.com.

3. Camp 4 Coffee

Denver Post says, “Best Coffee in Colorado”. “Best of the Butte” award every year. Stop by our historic license plate coal shed- the most photographed place in town and see for yourself! Locally roasted and fresh every day. Take a bag home! We ship all over to satisfied customers. We ship for FREE when you buy 5 pounds. www.camp4coffee.com.

4. Coal Creek Grill

Coal Creek Grill. Delicious Breakfast, Aprés Ski, Dinner. Come see why our restaurant is considered by many to be the best in the Butte. We are located in the heart of downtown right across from the “Old Town Hall Bus Stop” in the lobby of The Historic Forest Queen Hotel (est 1881). We are known for Great Steaks, Burgers, Salads, Trout & Ridiculously Yummy Appetizers. We have a full bar and our signature cocktail menu includes Scratch Margarita’s & Bloody Mary’s. We also have a huge Whiskey Selection & Fine Wines. Kids eat free with an adult dinner entrée purchase. Check out our menu at www.CoalCreekGrill.com or for reservations phone (970) 349-6645. Open for Breakfast at 7 a.m. Daily Happy Hour.

5. Donita's Cantina

Donita’s Cantina is dedicated to making darn good, made-fromscratch food and excellent margaritas, at an attractive price, ensuring that our customers are happy and satisfied. A time honored local and visitor FAVORITE, located in the heart of downtown Crested Butte. Our casual, colorfully decorated Mexican eatery has been family owned and operated since 1980. Relax with the friendly service, sip on a 100% Agave Tequila (all we serve) fresh lime margarita and enjoy Donita’s legendary salsa and chips which are always included with any meal. The Cantina menu features ample portions of flavorful Fajitas, Enchiladas, Burritos, Chimichangas, Tacos and Tostadas. Entrees are filled with slow-cooked shredded beef, pulled pork, carne asada, marinated grilled chicken, gourmet veggies and smothered in our now gluten-free Spicy Green Chile or Red Chile Molido Sauces. Our most popular meal is our nightly dinner special, a unique creation that always gets rave reviews. Donita’s desserts are made in-house and are the best in Crested Butte, a must if you have any room left. Margarita Happy Hour Nightly! KID and SENIOR FRIENDLY! Donita’s Cantina is one of the largest venues in Crested Butte, ideal for large parties. We accept reservations for groups of 8 or more. To Go Call (970) 349-7373! For up to date info, Full Menu, CantinaCam webcam, Gift Certificates go to www.donitascantina.com. (970) 349-6674. Located at 330 Elk Avenue, Downtown Crested Butte.

6. Eldo - The Kitchen

Crested Butte’s full service bar, restaurant, live music venue and only brewery! The Kitchen in The Eldo serves bar-food: hand-patted burgers, homemade veggie burgers, sandwiches, salads, hand-cut fries, beer battered onion rings and fried avocado. Open at 3 p.m. (970) 349-6125.

7. Ginger Cafe

Our pan-Asian menu includes Thai, Indian and our own fusion creations. We are committed to serving you farm fresh organic produce and meat, ensuring our dishes are the freshest and of the highest quality. The full bar includes many popular signature cocktails including the mango-ginger mojito and house-infused ginger martini. Join us for a truly unique dining experience! Open daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m. 425 Elk Ave. (970) 349-7291.

8. Historic Princess Wine Bar and Coffee House

Located downtown on Elk Avenue and offering a unique, charming environment with live entertainment nightly. The Princess Wine Bar has an exceptional selection of cellar wines as well as wines by the glass. We have a full bar including a wide variety of Bourbon, Scotch and Tequila. Enjoy an espresso and dessert next to our fireplace or one of our delicious specialty martinis with a tapa. You could spend your night here enjoying live music by local talent, stop in for wine and an appetizer or come see us after dinner for desserts and an espresso. We have something for everyone! Happy hour is every day from 5-7 p.m. and includes great deals on wine and cocktails. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m.-12 a.m.

9. Kochevar's Saloon

A piece of Crested Butte history. Come join us for great Beer, Whiskey, Cocktails, delicious pub fare and an ambiance that can’t be beat! Open seven days and nights a week, and serving food until very, very late in the evening! Come relax with us after your Crested Butte Adventure and enjoy Crested Butte’s oldest Saloon! Like us on Facebook! (970) 349-1388

10. Last Steep Bar & Grill

Voted Crested Butte’s Best Bloody Mary and Best Burger. Voted best Margarita ’05. A true Crested Butte Original named after one of our favorite ski runs on the mountain. The Steep’s specialties include freshly made salads, awesome appetizers, sumptuous sandwiches, fine desserts and the coldest beer in town. We’ll take care of those late night no-food blues. We are a smoke-free environment; however, we do have a smoking deck and patio for warmer months. Check out our daily “chalkboard specials”. Weekly specials include Build Your Own Bloody Marys on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free WiFi. We’ll meet you at the Steep! Open daily at 11 a.m. til late, located in downtown Crested Butte at 208 Elk Avenue. (970) 349-7007. Check out our website: www.thelaststeep. com.

11. Le Bosquet

Breathtaking views and mouth watering food since 1976...and just getting better. Now offering many of our entrées also in smaller portions! Entrées include a nightly fresh fish special, rack of lamb in a red wine garlic sauce, hazelnut chicken in an orange thyme cream sauce, elk tenderloin with jumbo scallops, and of course our steak frites with the world’s best french fries. Vegetarian entrées, small and large cheese fondues (the kids love it!), a 20 item small plate menu, crisp salads, great soups and break-your-diet desserts add to your choices. Quality, consistency and friendliness are our trademarks. A full bar and Wine Spectator awardwinning wine list will round out an evening to remember. A three course twilight menu and children’s options are also available. www.lebosquetrestaurant.com. Open nightly at 5:30 p.m. Reservations helpful. (970) 349-5808. 6th and Belleview in Majestic Plaza. Ample parking and at the bus stop.

12. Lil's Sushi Bar & Grill

Crested Butte’s One and Only Sushi Bar Open Nightly at 5:30 p.m. Offering a nightly Happy Hour at the Sushi Bar and Bar only. We are a casual “family friendly” restaurant that promises to provide you with an incredible dining experience. Although we are known as having the best sushi in town, we offer an array of seafood and meat entrees, as well as options for the kids! Our fish is of the highest quality, flown in 6 days a week and on our doorstep within 24 hours from the docks- it doesn’t get any fresher than that in the Rockies!!! Reservations are recommended. Private parties and catering are available. Visit lilssushibarandgrill.com or call (970) 349-5457. Located in the Historic District @ 321 Elk Ave.

13. Marchitelli's Gourmet Noodle

Join your host Michael, for traditional, regional Italian cuisine passed down to Michael from his grandmother. In our cozy, relaxed atmosphere, you can enjoy dishes ranging from unique pasta and sauce combinations to seafood, veal, chicken and elk. Gourmet homemade desserts and a full bar and wine list. Open nightly from 5 p.m. Downtown C.B. Reservations recommended (970) 349-7401.

14. Elk Ave Prime

Downtown Crested Butte on Elk Avenue. We serve U.S.D.A Prime Steaks, fresh seafood, wild game and much more. Come watch the game on the biggest HD screen in Crested Butte. Choose from 16 draft beers and the most extensive wine selection in the Valley. One of the largest venues in Crested Butte ideal for private parties. 226 Elk Ave, (970) 349-1551 www.elkaveprime.com for reservations. Serving dinner nightly.

15. Mikey's Pizza

Everybody loves Mikey’s Pizza! We offer pizza by the slice, specialty pies, pasta, oven baked sandwiches, fresh salads and a variety of appetizers. We also serve breakfast all day with fatty breakfast burritos and egg sandwiches. Located across from the skate park, you can come pick it up or let us deliver to you. We are open 7 days a week. Delivery every night at 5 p.m. Mikey’s pizza slices and breakfast items are also sold at True Value. Come check out the all new Mikey’s Pizza in Gunnison! Offering the same great food, drinks and sunny deck seating! Located at 303 East Tomichi Ave. A full menu can be viewed on our website at www.mikeyspizza.net. Call it in for quicker pick up. (970) 349-1110 in Crested Butte or (970) 641-1110 in Gunnison.

16. Montanya Distillers

Montanya Distillers is a working rum distillery and artisan cocktail bar. The public is welcome for free tastings, distillery tours, fresh rum cocktails, appetizers and small plates. Visit our cocktail mercantile to purchase bottles and more, or just pop in to look around. 212 Elk Avenue in downtown CB, open 7 days a week year round. www.montanyarum.com. (970) 7993206.

17. Mountain Earth Organic Grocer

Mountain Earth is a small organic grocery store with a big heart. We offer many fresh and healthy to go foods. Our hot vegetarian soups are made fresh daily. Combine one with a half sandwich for a hearty lunch. We make many gluten free baked goods along with our classic healthy, fruit laden muffins. Mountain Earth also makes raw treats such as coconut macaroons with a twist. We have housemade hummus and fresh salads all ready to grab and go. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 405 4th Street. (970) 349-5132. continued on page 14

14 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

dining.

18. Ryce Asian Bistro

Why Cook?! continued...

Born from more than 40 years of combined restaurant experience, Ryce brings the best and greatest variety of Asian foods to Crested Butte. Specialties from Japan, China, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as sakes, champagne, and creative martinis; a casual atmosphere with patio and riverside dining available. Open Daily, Lunch and Dinner at 120 Elk Avenue. www.ryceasianbistro.com. (970) 349-9888.

You will also find a variety of salads as well as gourmet cheeses and pâtés, all natural deli meats, fresh and frozen soups, breads and desserts. Design your own sandwich or choose a specialty sandwich for here or one for the road. Check out our fresh fish and meat market. Open Monday-Saturday, 6th and Belleview, in Majestic Plaza next to Le Bosquet. Ample parking and at the bus stop. (970) 349-5858. Visit us at the Why Cook?! www.lebosquetrestaurant.com

19. Slogar

Slogar serves delicious skillet-fried chicken and grilled steak dinners, using a recipe famous for great flavor since 1915. Hospitality at the historic Slogar includes family style service in comfortable and unique Victorian surroundings. Enjoy the generous portions and the modest price of the Slogar’s sensational skillet-fried chicken with all the trimmings. Open nightly 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Full drink menu and excellent wine list plus a selection of specialty beers on tap. Reservations highly recommended. Located on the corner of Second & Whiterock, Crested Butte. (970) 349-5765.

24. Wooden Nickel - Bar and Steakhouse

The original and best steakhouse in Crested Butte since 1981, the iconic Wooden Nickel, one of the few remaining historic, ski-town bars, is known for serving the finest steaks in town. The Nickel specializes in USDA Prime graded, tender Filet Mignon, N.Y. Strip, Rib Eyes and our famous, succulent Prime Rib. Our menu additionally features Elk Tenderloin, Rack of Elk, Alaskan King Crab, BBQ Pork Ribs, Pork Chops, Rack of Lamb, fresh grilled seafood and fresh garden salads. The largest and best Burgers, Buffalo Burgers and Chicken Fried Steak add to your menu choices. Giant Lobster Tails and a variety of Surf and Turf specials are available nightly. The historic bar offers a wide range of martinis, your favorite liquors and, to complement your meal, a select wine list at attractive prices. Please join us for your special evening out at Crested Butte’s oldest bar and best steakhouse. Classic yet casual. Bar opens at 4:00 p.m. with Happy Hour till 6:00 p.m. Dinner till 10:00 p.m.—222 Elk Ave. Downtown Crested Butte—Open year-round. Reservations please call (970) 349-6350 after 4 p.m.

20. Soupçon

Soupçon is a romantic petite bistro located just off Elk Avenue on Second Street behind Kochevar’s Bar. We feature traditional French technique using local ingredients married with the finest cuisine from around the world. Please call for a reservation for an unforgettable experience in one of the most picturesque settings in the country. Seatings at 6:00 and 8:15 nightly. (970) 349-5448. www.soupconbistro.net.

Mt. Crested Butte.

21. Teocalli Tamale

Tasty margaritas, handmade tamales, a great selection of burritos and tacos, affordable prices and lightning-fast award-winning service… what more could you ask for? Our fresh salsas range from a mild pico style to our hot, spicy chipotle. Burritos feature slow-cooked spicy beef, grilled steak, chicken or fajitas to our Thai burrito. Try our specialties like our Baja fish tacos or tamale plate, fresh lime margaritas and a wide array of Mexican beers. Many gluten-free options. Dine in, take-out. Located at 311 1/2 Elk Avenue. Open Every day, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.-ish. (970) 349-2005.

9380 Spirits & Food with Altitude

Elevation Hotel, Mt. Crested Butte. A contemporary spin on the ski lodge. Serving something for everyone, all with subtle twists to intrigue your palate and keep you coming back for more. The large deck with its slopeside fire pit and outdoor bar is the perfect location for an après drink. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. For reservations, call (970) 251-3033 or go to www.elevationresort.com.

22. Third Bowl Homemade Ice Cream

Butte 66 Roadhouse Bar and Grille

Third Bowl is truly homemade ice cream, made from scratch, in small batches, here in Crested Butte. Third Bowl offers a mix of traditional and innovative flavors, in scoops, floats, shakes and custom ice cream cakes. 403 4th Street in Crested Butte. (970) 349-2888. www.thirdbowlhomemadeicecream.com.

(970) 349-2999. Treasury Building, Mt. Crested Butte. Tasty traditions made daily with classic roadhouse-style burgers, shakes and a variety of casual fare. Enjoy the fun atmosphere complemented by daily drink specials, live music and a large outdoor deck with unbeatable views. Serving lunch, après ski and twilight dinner daily.

23. Why Cook?!

django's

Mountaineer Square. (970) 349-7574. www.djangos.us. Dinner Tues-Sun 5-10 p.m. Nationally recognized, django’s takes you on a culinary adventure of seasonal, globally inspired small plates. Add an extensive wine list, courtyard dining and weekly live music, and you won’t want to miss it.

Offering already prepared foods so.......Why Cook?! Easily microwaveable or oven-heated meals are available in generous single portions from $6.99. Please call ahead for larger quantities. Lasagnas, stroganoff, shepherd’s pie, chicken parmesan, and meatloaf are some favorite standards.

Crested Butte

North

HIGHWAY 135 (GOTHIC RD)

Maroon Ave.

TO MT. CRESTED BUTTE

Bus Stop

Fire Station

20 9

PARKING

21 12

Chamber of Commerce

ELK AVENUE 16 10

18 Bus Stop

8 14 24

PARKING

22 17

Tennis Courts

To Kebler Pass

TOWN PARK

Fifth St.

Fourth St.

Third St. Whiterock Ave. Bus Stop

15 Belleview Ave. Ice Rink

Skate Park

Clark’s Grocery Store

Bus Stop

23 11 Red Lady Ave.

HIGHWAY 135 TO CB SOUTH, ALMONT & GUNNISON

Sixth St.

Second St.

First St.

Sopris Ave.

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 15

dining.

Gunnison.

Ice Bar at Uley's Cabin

On-mountain, Mt. Crested Butte, CO. Expertly prepared lunches, impeccable service, outstanding views, and the legendary bar made out of ice, make this a destination not to be missed. And don’t forget about evening sleighride dinners, truly a Crested Butte “must do!” Be amazed by the starlit skies while traveling in the snowcat-drawn sleigh. Then delight in a 5-course gourmet dinner in the charming cabin nestled among the pines. For dinner reservations, call (970) 349-2275, stop by the Adventure Center or go to www.skicb.com/uleys

Firebrand Delicatessen

Established by the Magnus sisters in 1995. We feature a variety of healthy foods for breakfast & lunch. Try our famous waffles, homemade muffins, giant cookies, flavorful soups and gourmet deli sandwiches. We serve beer, Luna Bakery breads, and locally sourced greens. Open Wednesday - Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Located at 108 N. Main, Gunnison next to Tomichi Cycles. (970) 641-6266. Eat in/Take out/Downtown Gunnison delivery.

Jefe's

Mountaineer Square Breezeway. Jefe’s is Mt. Crested Butte’s spot for an on-the-go lunch, conveniently located on your way to the base area. Take a break and refuel with our hand-made burritos, tacos and a variety of salsas.

Garlic Mike's

How did a guy from Jersey end up in the mountains of Colorado? Don’t ask! Authentic east coast Italian fare, tables dressed with red and white checkered tablecloths. Like a scene out of Goodfella’s. A locals favorite and travelers destination location for many years! People’s Choice for BEST RESTAURANT AND BEST CHEF continuously. Featured on the Travel Channels’ FOOD PARADISE! Stop in on your way to and from the Gunnison airport as you are headed on your way to and from the mountain. Dinner nightly. Personal chef services at your vacation retreat-rent Mike for the evening. Located in Gunnison where Highway 135 crosses the Gunnison River. We’re the little red log cabin on the outside with big surprises on the inside! Call (970) 641-2493 for reservations and information. www.garlicmikes.com

Paradise

Open daily throughout ski-season and conveniently located midmountain at the bottom of the Paradise Lift. Serving fresh lunches with decadent deli sandwiches, super salads and a selection of daily homemade soups and chili. Enjoy the outdoor grill, extensive seating and spectacular views.

Spellbound Pizza

Treasury Building. Spellbound Pizza is the perfect spot for a quick bite at the base area. Serving pizza, salads and beverages in the upper level of the Treasury Building for lunch daily.

Gunnisack

2011 & 2012 PEOPLE’S CHOICE “BEST RESTAURANT” People’s choice: “Best Hot Wings 4x” “Best Chicken Fried Steak 8x” “Best place for dessert 2x” Unique, from scratch recipes with a southwestern flair. Ground-in-house Angus Beef Burgers served on housebaked buns! Steak, Pastas, Salads, Samiches, Atlantic Salmon, Tortilla Wraps House-made Desserts featuring our Gunnisack cookies! Lunch & Dinner Monday – Saturday Kids Menu, Vegetarian Features, Full Bar 142 N Main St. (970) 641-5445. Check out our weekly specials at: www.thegunnisack.com.

The Bakery at Mt. Crested Butte & Brown Lab Pub

Returning for our 22nd winter on Crested Butte Mountain. Located slopeside at the base area, the Bakery at Mt. Crested Butte offers the finest baked goods west of the Continental Divide. Come see our expanded menu- all your old favorites plus many new items. Our full service bar, the Brown Labrador Pub, offers daily drink specials. Come enjoy our family friendly atmosphere. Call (970) 349-4757 for special orders.

The Bean Coffeehouse & Eatery

The Bean Coffeehouse & Eatery is THE local coffeehouse! Featuring organic fair trade coffees and teas, fresh vegetable juices and smoothies. Delicious crepes, breakfast burritos, sandwiches, organic salads, and pastries accompany our drinks, with a variety of healthy snacks and treats to satisfy your cravings! Wireless internet access, a sunny deck and an eclectic art wall complete the experience! Open 7 days a week at 120 North Main St in Gunnison. (970) 641-2408. www. thebeancoffeehouseandeatery.com.

Trackers Bar & Lounge

Trackers is Mt. Crested Butte’s most comfortable bar and lounge located inside the luxurious Lodge at Mountaineer Square. A full bar, fireside seating and an outdoor patio make this the perfect place for a peaceful, refined drink on the mountain. (970) 349-4228.

WoodStone Grille

Get set for the day with our plentiful breakfast buffet. Then relax with drinks and a casual dinner while talking over the day’s adventures. Great for the whole family! Serving breakfast, après ski and dinner daily. The WoodStone Grille also offers private meeting space, banquet and wedding facilities. (970) 349-8030/8032. The Grand Lodge, Mt. Crested Butte.

'THE CAFE' at Gunnison Vitamin

Fresh Cooked! Real Food made from Scratch! Full Menu All Day! MonSat 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Breakfast sandwiches and burritos with a free cup of Camp 4 Coffee, baked goods, espresso, smoothies, Boba Pearl and other house special drinks. Noodle & Brown Rice Bowls, Unique Salad Creations and Signature Sandwiches like Vegetarian Bahn Mi, Turkey Tex Mex, Rancher’s Beefsteak w/ Horseradish, Hawaiian Style BBQ Pulled Pork or the house made corned beef Rueben. Gluten Free & Vegan Options available, as well as GRAB n GO DELI SALADS. Located 804 N. Main in Mtn. Meadows Mall Gunnison. (970) 641-5928.

CB South. Ruben's New Mexican Cuisine

“One of the best places for New Mexican food in Colorado”—Denver Post. Located in the old Cement Creek Tavern in Crested Butte South. Ruben’s offers authentic New Mexican cuisine featuring all natural beef and chicken, using fresh ingredients and homemade salsa, locally roasted chiles, a full bar with fresh juice margaritas, a full kid’s menu and happy hour specials from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Kitchen opens for dinner at 5 p.m. Take out also available. Come enjoy the taste of Santa Fe! Located at 207 Elcho Avenue, Crested Butte South (970) 349-5003.

NEWS

COMMUNITY

SPORTS

C U LT U R E

Crested Butte News

OPINION \ FREE

VO L .54

| N O. 40 | O CTO B E R 3, 2014 | 50¢

the news never sleeps | www.crestedbuttenews.com

Crested Butte transportation planning rolls down the road well traveled

Peak

A H O M E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E E A S T R I V E R VA L L E Y

Closing Elk not a priority [ BY MARK REAMAN ]

PEAK PEEPIN’ SEASON: Photographers could be spotted at all ends of the Gunnison Valley during the final weekend of September... and for good reason. Photo by Pat Addabbo

RTA planning on Beetles and SAD: Feds devising plan expanding bus to avoid the worst of forest ailments forest will probably look service in valley Thereally different here… Winter bus expansion, more CB South service, late night bus possible… [ BY MARK REAMAN ] There will be more buses running up and down the valley this winter compared to last ski season through the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA). The winter schedule is expanding by 45 percent with 12 round trips scheduled every day. There were eight per day last season, with nine on the weekends. Buses will start running from Mt. Crested Butte to Gunnison at 7 a.m. and from Gunnison to Mt. Crested Butte at 6:45 a.m. The winter schedule begins November 26. There are four RTA buses in the fleet and the expanded service is making the board consider purchasing a new vehicle. It won’t be cheap. At their meeting on September 19, the RTA noted that a new bus that meets the needs of the commute up and down Highway 135 will cost about $450,000, according to both RTA executive director Scott Truex and Alpine Express owner Stewart Johnson. A top of the line bus would cost closer to $750,000. The hope is to get a grant to help with the purchase cost. Part of the winter schedule could also include an experiment with a late-night bus to help employees living in Gunnison return home after work. The idea would be to have a bus head up from Gunnison to Mt. Crested Butte at 10 p.m. and turn around and go down valley at 11:15 p.m. CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

[ BY SETH MENSING ] The spruce beetle outbreak that set the stage for the devastating West Fork Complex fire near South Fork in the summer of 2013 is making its way to Gunnison County. At the same time, more than 145,000 acres of aspen stands have died as a result of an unusual ailment, referred to simply as Sudden Aspen Decline (SAD). According to the U.S. Forest Service, all we can do is prepare. Combined, insects and disease are affecting about 300,000 acres of the Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests and the Forest Service’s research has shown that those impacts have “rapidly increased in recent years.” GMUG forest supervisor Scott Armentrout told the Gunnison Board of County Commissioners that their jurisdiction would become the front lines in a fight being dubbed the Spruce Beetle Epidemic and Aspen Decline Management Response (SBEADMR) project as the outbreaks make their way north from Hinsdale County. Armentrout told the commissioners that while the foresters couldn’t predict

exactly what the spruce beetle would do, “There’s really nothing to stop them moving forward into Gunnison County except the wind,” referring to the way the insects transport themselves from food source to food source. The result, he said, could be as much as 90 percent mortality among the mature spruce and fir trees that dominate the Gunnison County evergreen population. Those trees take 200 to 400 years to grow, meaning the local landscape might look very different for generations, Armentrout said. “Managing the spruce beetle is a priority for the Forest Service right now,” Armentrout said. Aspen woes, too Alongside the spruce trees, aspen are dying off en masse and the foresters aren’t certain exactly why it’s happening. In a letter from the Forest Service to the public describing the SBEADMR project, Armentrout said, “Although stand-level episodes of aspen mortality have always occurred, occasionally clustered in time, the speed, pattern, severity, landscape scale and causes of the mortality in the middle of the last decade were so novel that it was described as a new disease, Sudden Aspen Decline (SAD).”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

The Crested Butte transportation planning process is moving ahead and it appears no major changes to infrastructure are in store anytime soon. A group of about 20 people attended the latest meeting on September 25. The meeting was led by town planner Michael Yerman and focused on parking and some traffic flow issues. Yerman concluded that some cultural changes might be likely in the near future, as opposed to expensive infrastructure additions. For the most part, the group agreed that things worked pretty well at the moment, but they were told it would get busier over the next decade and the Red Lady– Highway 135 intersection along with the Four-Way Stop would probably need some improvements. Traffic study consultants Ted Ritschard and Dennis Burns presented an overview of their findings from the past summer. They conducted a traffic count from Thursday, July 31 to Saturday, August 2. While that was during one of the busiest weekends of the summer (the Arts Festival weekend), the consultants claimed they were able to extrapolate legitimate numbers for the summer. On that particular weekend the numbers showed more than 10,000 cars a day were counted coming through town on Highway 135 at the Red Lady Avenue intersection. Using the entrance to Crested Butte as an example, 5,072 vehicles were counted entering town from the south on Thursday, July 31. Just 4,993 were counted leaving town the same day. On the Friday of the Arts Festival, 5,480 vehicles were counted entering Crested Butte, while 5,033 were counted leaving. The projections for 2035 anticipate close to 7,000 vehicles coming into town on a similar Friday and 6,392 leaving, so the overall traffic volume would tally about 13,352 cars and trucks using that intersection. Ritschard told the group that the most difficult traffic flow scenario in town was when a vehicle was trying to enter Highway 135 from Red Lady Avenue and turn south. “Most of the other intersections function fine,” he said. “That’s the one place that might need an investment. The roadways handle the traffic and the projected traffic pretty well.”

“

a JOURNEY to the kitchen

a CABIN by the CREEK

major major RENOVATION CHANGE

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

a special publication of the Crested Butte News. 2014

[ Overheard ]

Last Chance For Fall Rides

“If I’m not right no one else usually is.”

Film Fest A Success

-local student

www.crestedbuttenews.com

“Best Coffee in North America”

Quantas Magazine

Camp 4 Coffee serves World Renowned Coffee and fast Breakfast Burritos, Croissants and Sausage Biscuits - to go. We also Serve a Variety of Muffins, Quick Breads, Fruit Squares, Granola Bars & Brownies.

Best take-home Gift in the Butte. When you buy 5 pounds, We ship for FREE....

Al Smith

Order your fresh beans from

www.camp4coffee.com

2 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

PEAK On the StandS and On the Web at

www.thepeakcb.com

Lodge at Mountaineer Square #503

njoy unobstructed mountain views from the wraparound decks of this luxuriously upgraded three bedroom, three bath, 1,946 square foot corner unit. The top rated Lodge at Mountaineer Square offers slope side convenience and numerous amenities including fitness club, hot tub, sauna, indoor/outdoor pool, underground heated parking, and ski and snowboard storage, to name a few. For $895,000 live the lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of in Colorado’s last great ski town!

state

of real estate. by Doug Duryea

Crested Butte has been my family’s home for over 100 years. Let me help you make it yours. Cindy Ervin

Broker Associate Mobile: 970-209-5233 cervin@cbmr.com / www.cbliving.com

photo by

Lydia Stern

SO, HOW IS THE CRESTED BUTTE REAL ESTATE MARKET DOING?

Mt. CB: 71 Cinnamon Mtn. Road Four bedroom, 4 bath custom designed home with remodeled kitchen, plus a caretaker’s apt. Spacious with great views and handicap accessible with elevator. Ski access down the street. $895,000 Riverfront: 6466 Hwy 135 Almont Area. Beautiful Gunnison Riverfront. 3 bdrm/2 bath home with 3-stall attached garage and workshop. Private location with incredible fishing and wildlife viewing. Own BOTH sides of the River. $795,000 Heart of Almont: 10421 Highway 135 Remodeled 5+ bdrm, 2 bath home on one acre lot. Great upgrades: new paint, carpet, SS kitchen appliances, cabinets, ceramic tile. Full unfinished basement. Previously up-down duplex. $349,000

Doug Kroft, Broker/Owner (970)209-0373 doug@redladyrealty.com

question many realtors are frequently asked is, “How is the real estate market doing?” Most realtors would love to say that real estate is doing “awesome,” and many may be tempted to report just that. Some may declare that it is a “Buyers” market or a “Sellers” market. Or, it may be said that the market has not met previous forecasts, however… What do the statistics say about what is happening in Crested Butte real estate? What are some of the facts? Let’s take a look at some of the different sectors of the Crested Butte real estate market to see how each is doing.

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES

Mt. Crested Butte Single-family home sales in Mt. Crested Butte. Average “sold” prices are as follows: Year Number of Homes Sold Average Sale Price 2000 4 $437,250 2001 10 $454,590 2002 17 $648,522 2003 15 $695,389 2004 26 $709,769 2005 28 $819,446 2006 11 $1,078,846 2007 11 $1,088,409 2008 13 $1,515,096 2009 13 $1,212,108 2010 12 $641,908 2011 22 $882,068 2012 19 $875,166 2013 22 $1,034,055 2014 (first 10 months) 25 $683,890 continued on next page

Crested Butte News â&#x20AC;˘ Winter 2014/15 â&#x20AC;˘ 3

stateofrealestate. continued from previous page

Currently, the average asking price for the 42 active single-family homes in Mt. Crested Butte is $1,492,759. Prices range from $325,000 to $4,600,000. Town of Crested Butte In the town of Crested Butte the average sold price of a single-family home has varied widely: Year Number of Homes Sold Average Sale Price 2000 20 $427,496 2001 13 $579,288 2002 9 $423,778 2003 23 $424,095 by Doug Duryea 2004 29 $675,833 2005 26 $951,467 2006 25 $937,323 2007 9 $942,666 2008 12 $1,037,750 2009 19 $820,368 2010 20 $745,075 2011 17 $1,197,367 2012 25 $633,140 2013 26 $912,836 2014 (first 10 months) 26 $1,027,986 Currently, in the town of Crested Butte, there are 25 active single-family listings, ranging in price from $455,000 to $2,690,000. These homes have an average asking price of $1,075,876. Skyland/Country Club area The Skyland, golf course area has seen the following activity: Year Number of Homes Sold Average Sale Price 2004 3 $1,280,833 2005 10 $1,302,750 2006 10 $1,541,400 2007 3 $1,683,333 2008 0 0 2009 3 $1,520,000 2010 7 $905,357 2011 8 $813,862 2012 4 $651,250 2013 6 $939,500 2014 (first 10 months) 2 $1,412,500

photo by

continued on next page

Lydia Stern

THE SURE SIGN OF SUCCESS

Doug Kroft

Steve Meredith

Molly Eldridge

Diane Aronovic

Broker owner gri cne

970-209-0373

Broker AssociAte

970-765-1611

Broker AssociAte crs, rsps, sfr, ABr Broker AssociAte rsps, sres

970-209-4234

970-209-0405

Maggie Dethloff

Broker AssociAte, rsps e-pro, cne

970-209-7880

Sigrid Cottrell

Broker AssociAte sfr, cdpe

970-596-2596

Joe Garcia

Broker AssociAte gri

Now is the time to put the Red Lady Team to work for you.

970-209-4034

Joyce Roloff

Broker AssociAte cne

970-209-4895

215 Elk Avenue 970.349.5007

RedLadyRealty.com All of our agents contribute to open space preservation in the valley, and have donated over $94,000 since the 1% for Open Space program began.

4 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

stateofrealestate.

Crested Butte Homes & Land

Jim Barefield Owner/Broker

970.209.5858

jim@jimbarefield.com • www.jimbarefield.com 301 Third St. • Crested Butte, CO 81224

636 Zeligman, CB South • $515,000

Beautiful custom home on the fence line in CB South. Enjoy protected views up valley and the privacy of a large treed yard. This home offers 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, wrap around porch, hardwood floors, soapstone countertops and a 2 car garage with over 1200 sq.ft. of bonus space to customize. MLS # 36692

photo by

continued from previous page

Lydia Stern

There are presently 14 single-family homes for sale in the Skyland/Country Club area with an average asking price of $1,420,928. Prices range from $599,000 to $2,495,000.

Historic Coke Ovens at Baldwin • $2,100,000

A RARE and unique 320 acre parcel located near the top of Ohio Pass! This property has an abundance of water, aspen and pine trees, rivers, multiple building sites, springs, meadows, and much of the property is fenced. Sitting at the base of Carbon Peak, it offers absolutely incredible views in all directions. Abundant elk, deer and other wildlife grace the property. The backcountry hunting, hiking, biking and skiing access from this property is unmatched. Contact Heather today for more information or to schedule a visit to the property. MLS # 37252

Heather Paul Featherman Broker Associate, Coldwell Banker Bighorn Realty (970) 209-9875 hpfeatherman@bighornrealty.com

BIGHORN REALTY

MILLER CUSTOM HOMES, LLC

CB South Average sold single-family home prices in CB South have experienced the following: Year Homes Sold Average Sale Price 2000 n/a $293,167 2001 n/a $373,181 2002 n/a $325,053 2003 18 $336,611 2004 23 $355,826 2005 30 $477,697 2006 21 $533,714 2007 16 $518,906 2008 8 $503,125 2009 9 $450,500 2010 8 $371,178 2011 20 $337,580 2012 15 $374,050 2013 20 $396,870 2014 (first 10 months) 13 $403,523 There are currently 12 single-family homes for sale in CB South ranging from $420,000 to $699,000, now averaging $544,108.

CONDOMINIUMS/TOWNHOMES residential commercial new construction remodels

Willy Miller - 970.209.4392 www.millercustomhomescb.com • Crested Butte, CO 81224

Mt. Crested Butte Here’s a look at what’s happening with Mt. CB condos: Year Condos Sold Average Sale Price 2000 37 $5,652,650 2001 70 $16,599,975 2002 59 $15,516,691 2003 65 $237,198 2004 193 $260,852 2005 140 $364,407 2006 47 $473,432 2007 118 $690,544 2008 35 $482,097 2009 54 $353,558 2010 62 $332,174 2011 89 $225,565 2012 77 $254,062 2013 94 $260,468 2014 (first 10 months) 106 $275,399 Currently there are 137 condo/townhome units for sale in the MLS system in Mt. Crested Butte, ranging in price from $49,900 to $2,095,000. The average asking price for a mountain condo is currently $340,612.

continued on next page

Crested Butte News â&#x20AC;˘ Winter 2014/15 â&#x20AC;˘ 5

stateofrealestate.

Just a

CliCk away

www.crestedbuttenews.com special sections now available through continued from previous page

photo by

Lydia Stern

Town of Crested Butte The condo/townhome market in the town of Crested Butte has witnessed the following growth statistics over the last few years: Year Number of Condos Sold Average Sale Price 2000 22 $237,764 2001 6 $232,750 2002 11 $237,773 2003 14 $244,107 2004 25 $297,296 2005 23 $402,826 2006 11 $518,444 2007 4 $503,613 2008 7 $521,714 2009 12 $358,283 2010 10 $301,440 2011 6 $208,729 2012 9 $303,500 2013 10 $268,278 2014 (first 10 months) 11 $426,250

partnering with you to care for

YOUR PIECE OF PARADISE experience our exclusive services by contacting:

Ken Lodovico

There are presently 10 condos/townhomes for sale in town ranging from $189,000 to $1,095,000 (average asking price is $444,620). Skyland/Country Club area The condo/townhome market at the Skyland/Country Club area has witnessed the following sales figures: Year Number of Condos Sold Average Sale Price 2000 17 $358,529 2001 17 $441,852 2002 9 $486,111 2003 20 $295,439 2004 21 $375,233 2005 20 $312,585 2006 12 $732,075 2007 10 $704,250 2008 7 $800,625 2009 5 $307,500 2010 6 $441,150 2011 9 $380,555 2012 15 $384,821 2013 11 $476,043 2014 (first 10 months) 4 $668,750

970-209-9614

ken@custompropertyinc.com www.custompropertyinc.com Unique & Unobstructed Land

Community Brokers

There are currently six condos/townhomes for sale in the Country Club area ranging from $632,000 to $845,000, averaging $721,650. CB South There are a few condo/townhomes in CB South. Sales statistics here show the following in recent years: Year Number of Condos Sold Average Sale Price 2000 7 $139,700 2001 8 $198,188 2002 7 $152,000 2003 7 $198,614 2004 37 $193,588 2005 23 $270,346 2006 19 $565,000 2007 10 $316,610 2008 9 $334,720 2009 7 $302,285 2010 6 $210,558 2011 18 $110,000 2012 11 $164,945 2013 16 $166,600 2014 (first 10 months) 10 $258,875

continued on next page

Pre-Development Pricing $1,600,000 59+ Acres surrounded almost exclusively by public land or open space. Spectacular Views! 413 Elk Avenue Crested Butte, CO 81224 (970) 349-1189 or (970) 641-1188

ERICH FERCHAU (970) 596-0848 eferchau@remax.net

Serving Crested Butte & Gunnison

See All Listings at:

www.cbforsale.com

6 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

stateofrealestate. continued from previous page

Live the Dream..... .....Make the Move

Presently, there are 10 condos/townhomes for sale in CB South ranging in price from $129,000 to $499,500, with an average asking price of $227,000.

VACANT LOTS (UP TO 5 ACRES)

Lisa Lenander 970-209-1603

lisa@cbproperty.com www.crestedbutterealestatesales.com

Mt. Crested Butte Vacant land sales in the Mt. Crested Butte area have seen the following activity: Year Number of Lots Sold Average Sale Price 2000 n/a $190,000 2001 n/a $200,000 2002 n/a $177,250 2003 23 $231,565 2004 45 $292,661 2005 31 $473,448 2006 18 $738,547 2007 11 $840,455 2008 3 $691,667 2009 2 $602,500 2010 4 $173,250 2011 6 $187,083 2012 21 $224,176 2013 13 $156,000 2014 (first 10 months) 11 $230,272 There are currently 46 active land listings for sale in Mt. CB, ranging in price from $55,000 to $985,800, with an average asking price of $462,176.

Unlock Paradise w

ww .P r e

m i e r- M

o untain-Prop

es e rt i

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“As a practicing real estate broker of 37 years I know what clients expect. Mindy recently handled the sale of my condo and she handled the transaction perfectly. Attention to detail and great communication made the transaction go smoothly and rapidly. I just wish all real estate agents were this professional and skilled.” – Jeff McDowell Licensed Real Estate Broker Scottsdale, Arizona

Mindy Sturm - Owner/Broker/ REALTOR® 970.209.0911 mindy@premier-mountain-properties.com

318 Elk Avenue, Suite 15 Crested Butte, CO 81224

Bearcat Builders, Inc From Conception to Completion: Knowledgeable in Planning and Design Second and Third Generation Builders!!! Dutch Craftsmanship, with an Eye on the Budget One Stop for Commercial, Residential and Renovation If you’re in the market for a new building, a new home or just want to fix up what you have, contact us, we take pride in our work!

Robert B. Vandervoort PO Box 802 • Crested Butte, 81224

970.901.7277

BearcatCB.com • bearcat@gmail.com

Town of Crested Butte Residential lot sales in the town of Crested Butte have done the following: Year Number of Lots Sold Average Sale Price 2000 12 n/a 2001 6 n/a 2002 1 n/a 2003 9 n/a 2004 12 $375,910 2005 18 $554,528 2006 12 $475,329 2007 5 $736,750 2008 5 $678,750 2009 3 $418,333 2010 5 $399,350 2011 6 $469,333 2012 7 $371,571 2013 7 $631,642 2014 (first 10 months) 3 $423,666 There are now 19 vacant town lots for sale with an average asking price of $801,000 (ranging from $95,000 to $3,250,000). Skyland/Country Club area The Skyland area has seen the following land sales activity over the years: Year Number of Lots Sold Average Sale Price 2000 45 $160,451 2001 15 $219,600 2002 17 $88,162 2003 9 $199,111 2004 42 $197,086 2005 44 $333,739 2006 15 $396,217 2007 7 $391,357 2008 4 $320,000 2009 5 $258,833 2010 4 $217,475 2011 4 $54,025 2012 5 $240,500 2013 3 $116,665 2014 (first 10 months) 4 $213,500 As of November 1, 2014, there were 45 active homesite listings in the Skyland/Country Club area with an average asking price of $343,000. Prices range from $49,000 to $1,250,000. CB South Residential vacant land prices in CB South shot up tremendously in 2005, but have been dropping most recently. Here are the statistics for this area: Year Number of Lots Sold Average Sale Price 2000 37 $62,169 2001 20 $60,408 2002 17 $76,376 2003 23 $67,235 2004 70 $80,039 2005 49 $174,003 2006 18 $196,711 2007 11 $172,667 2008 7 $143,143 2009 6 $71,000 2010 2 $77,000 continued on page 8

Meridian Lake Park Home

With real wood floors throughout, huge pine beams accenting soaring vaulted ceilings, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, this one acre home site is just a short drive to Mt. Crested Butte skiing and minutes from downtown Crested Butte. A massive, stone fireplace & huge picture windows frame mountain views of Whetstone, Mt. Emmons and the Mt. Crested Butte ski slopes. Exterior has been completely renovated and painted October 2014. Fishing rights on private Meridian Lake are included at $619,000.

Whetstone Mountain Crested Butte, Colorado

Ranch

Luxury Penthouse in Crested Butte PENTHOUSE top floor office, Ore Bucket Commercial Center, Downtown CB. Tastefully remodeled with 3/4 bath/ shower, mini-kitchen, bar sink, refrigerator and microwave. 1/2 block from 4-way, the main traffic corner in downtown Crested Butte. For more info and photos: http://www.unitedcountry.com/CommercialProperty/Colorado/CrestedButte_Colorado_05097-37342.htm. $298,000.

Whetstone Mountain Ranch is one

of Crested Butteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most distinctive larger acreage neighborhoods & includes only eight 35 acre, private home sites within this 290-acre setting. You will find a world of recreational options like private fishing on local ponds and the Slate River and miles of groomed nature trails. Take in spectacular mountain views, wide-open spaces & heavilytimbered hideaways. One Ranch sold November 2014, only two remaining!

Mindy Costanzo Broker/Owner 970.209.2300

Mindy@CrestedButte.net GunnisonCO-RealEstate.com

photo by Bob Brazell

WrightAngleConstruction.com

970-349-5478

11/13/14 8 •PMPCBNewsWG14Laurel_PMPPostcardLaurel Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

stateofrealestate.

11:47 AM Page 1

continued from page 6

Laurel Walker ~ Premier Mountain Properties

2011 13 2012 13 2013 9 2014 (first 10 months) 10

» Are you in the market to buy or sell a home and need a broker? If so, then...

$37,238 $43,807 $43,861 $60,800

There are currently 39 residential lots for sale in CB South averaging $82,409 per lot. Prices range from $29,500 to $199,000.

Laurel is in the House!

RANCHES/11+ACRE SITES

Ranches and tracts of land between 11 to 45 acres in the Crested Butte area (CB area = Rural CB, CB South, Town of CB, Mt. CB & Rural Mt. CB). Statistics show the following in this market: Year Parcels Sold Average Sale Price 2000 10 $352,700 2001 7 $313,000 2002 3 $371,667 2003 11 $428,955 2004 35 $380,003 2005 35 $911,943 2006 10 $971,700 2007 11 $1,250,591 2008 7 $1,019,286 2009 4 $1,410,000 2010 3 $758,000 2011 4 $277,250 2012 4 $287,500 2013 9 $442,111 2014 (first 10 months) 3 $210,000

» I recently sold a listing in just 2.5 months and I am ready to work hard to help you unlock paradise. » Paradise has an address. Please call or email me to find out more.

Laurel Walker Broker Associate/REALTOR®

608.347.4906

laurel@pmpcb.com

WWW.PREMIER-MOUNTAIN-PROPERTIES.COM 970.349.6114 • 318 Elk Avenue • Box 1081 • Crested Butte, Colorado 81224

Currently there are 61 listings of ranches/11+acre parcels in the CB area, ranging in size from 11 to 45 acres. These parcels have an average asking price of $1,011,547 per homesite. Most of the larger parcels can be found at the Danni Ranch, Whetstone Mountain Ranch, Red Mountain Ranch, Trappers Crossing, Roaring Judy Ranch, and The Smith Hill Ranch.

OVERALL PICTURE

THE LODGE AT MOUNTAINEER SQUARE Mountain residences centrally located at the base area. Extensive amenities with strong optional rental program. Starting in the low $200Ks

WESTWALL LUXURY SLOPESIDE RESIDENCE Ski-in/out 4 Bdrm, 4 ½ Bath at the base of WestWall lift. Alpine Club Membership is included with purchase. visit: www.WestWall301C.com $1,950,000

101 TIN CUP PITCHFORK SUBDIVISION 3 Bedroom/ 3 ½ bath single family home in quaint neighborhood on the mountain, finished basement. Low dues, on shuttle route $569,000

Overall, real estate sales in all categories (residential, vacant land, ranchland and commercial) have resulted in the following numbers in the Crested Butte area: Year Listings Sold Total Sales Recorded 2000 414 $90,723,414 2001 246 $65,546,541 2002 240 $64,932,448 2003 311 $93,986,592 2004 723 $212,509,165 2005 627 $309,479,724 2006 294 $204,764,749 2007 283 $195,843,989 2008 155 $109,126,355 2009 160 $84,438,857 2010 172 $80,472,462 2011 275 $107,199,003 2012 265 $102,499,018 2013 329 $144,299,223 2014(first 10 months) 270 $127,947,140 As of November 1, 2014, there were 46 properties under contract totaling approximately another $19M in potential closed sales.

GRAND LODGE CONDOS PLAZA CONDO #333 HIDDEN MINE RANCH Base area location, turnkey condos with Renovated 3 bedroom, 3 full bath condo 35 Acre homesites just outside of town at extensive hotel amenities. Full ownership located across from the slopes. Great the base of Whetstone Mountain. Gated with rental income. Studios, One & Two views of Mt. Crested Butte and down community with 550+ acres of shared Bedrooms from $55,000 valley. Offering many amenities and recreational land. Starting at $289K proven rental history. $399,990

continued on next page

948 RIDGE ROAD GOLF COURSE HOMESITES FISHING CABIN ON THE RIVER Private wooded homesite with 3.64 acres Skyland community located 2 miles from Located on the Taylor River, one located in Skyland overlooking the golf downtown. Great views, fishing rights, bedroom plus sleeping loft with large course and mountain views. Dan Murphy biking/ ski trails. Clubhouse with covered front porch. Managed by Three design 6 BD house plans included in ski amenities. Rivers Resort with great optional price $795,000 Starting at $135,000 rental program $169,900

Meg Brethauer Broker Associate

Mobile: 970-209-1210 mbrethauer@cbmr.com

R E S O R T R E A L E S TAT E

photo by

Lydia Stern

stateofrealestate.

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 9

Providing Superior Service to the Crested Butte Real Estate Market

continued from previous page

Crested Butte saw record numbers of visitors this past summer. Many lodging establishments on the mountain were reporting business being up 20 percent over last summer’s record numbers. And again, the Fourth of July was crazy with reports of more than 15,000 people in town for the parade and festivities. Every week this summer was full of events and activities. We are optimistic that we will continue to experience more robust real estate activity this winter. Our inventory levels continue to drop throughout the area and foreclosures and short sales are no longer part of the norm. Other agents are starting to say that they need more properties to sell. And there are more rumors of developers with plans to build. All these are very encouraging signs of continued strength in our market. Consider the special nature of Crested Butte–its unique wilderness setting, its deep history and amazing collection of people. Account for the fact that millions of people over the next 10 years will be buying homes in destination resorts. Look at the commitment of the community, local government, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, area businesses, developers and non-profits in the valley. Add it all together and your opportunity to live in this enchanting place knocks here and now.

LUXURY LOG MOUNTAIN HOME 613 Forest Lane, Skyland Subdivision In the Aspens, Steps to Upper Upper Loop. Fully Furnished 4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths.

SKI-IN/OUT GATEWAY CONDO 18 Snowmass Road, #104 Fully Furnished, 2 Bedroom, 2 Baths. Covered & Heated Parking Garage.

LUXURY TOWN HOME WITH VIEWS 196 Coyote Circle, Skyland Subdivision Quality Finish-out, Vaulted Ceilings, views. 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths, 2 Car Garage.

MLS #38180, $1,095,000

MLS #38396, $465,000

MLS #37418, $845,000

SKI-IN/OUT COLUMBINE CONDO 52 Whetstone Drive, #1204 Fully Furnished, 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths. Also Includes Rare Garage.

LUXURY TOWN HOME IN SKYLAND 3 Mountain Horizons Drive On the Golf Course with Awesome Views, Fully Furnished, 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths.

VILLAS TOWN HOME - VIEWS! 215 Mineral Point , Mt. Crested Butte Quality Finish-out, Many Extras, Views! Fully Furnished, 4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths

MLS #37933, $489,000

MLS #38564, $669,000

MLS #38524, $759,000

The above figures and data were taken from Gunnison Country Association of Realtors’ MLS system.

See Additional Listings and Crested Butte Real Estate Market Reports At ChrisKopf.com

Doug Duryea is the Managing Broker for Crested Butte Resort Real Estate in Mt. Crested Butte, CO. He can be contacted at (970) 275-2355, dduryea@cbmr.com or www.cbliving.com.

81 Anthracite Dr, Mt. CB

32 Treasury Road, Mt. CB

the sure sign of success

205 Pitchfork, Mt. CB

225 River Front Road, Almont

Unit 34, Redstone Condo

Unit 339, Plaza, Mt. CB

66 Whetstone Vista

Pepper Ridge Ranch

310 Meridian Lake Drive

Units 112, 252, 254 Grand Lodge

Maggie Dethloff

405 Upper Highlands

305, Black Bear, Mt. CB

broker associate rsPs, e-Pro, cne

970-209-7880 322 Wapiti Way

Maggie@redLadyrealty.com

92 W. Silver Sage

CrestedButteNow.com 716 Whiterock 17280 HighwayAvenue 135

657 Ridge Road, Skyland

4 Ruth’s Road, CB

368 Meridian Lake

228 Whiterock Ave, CB

Lot 39, Red Mountain Ranch

4 Moon Ridge Lane

10 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

The

community.

Ski Haus

Immerse yourself in the history of skiing | by Liz Le Coq Currier An invitation into the very special home of Paul and Kathy Hooge is a lift ticket into the romance and history of a ski industry’s past.

photos by

Lydia Stern

ourteous service With integrity. A full service community mortgage department offering the stability, service & integrity you need in today’s unpredictable marketplace. Beth Ware

bware@gunnisonbank.com 970-641-7841

Genelle Warren gwarren@gunnisonbank.com 970-349-5953

232 W. Tomichi Ave., Gunnison 970-641-0320

6th (Hwy. 135) & Gothic Ave., Crested Butte 970-349-0170

www.gunnisonbank.com

www.crestedbuttebank.com

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 11

community.

Molly Eldridge (970) 209-4234 molly@redladyrealty.com CRS, ABR, RSPS, SFR

Built handsomely on the slopes of Mt. Crested Butte stands the Hooges’ home, with a private museum inside. It is a fitting and natural location for an outstanding collection of ski memorabilia. An archeologist by profession and a historian by nature, Paul Hooge found his interest in skiing under the Christmas tree as a little four-year-old boy in Ohio. Inspired by his parents, who were very early enthusiasts of a sport considered “new” in America in the late 1930s, Paul learned to ski on a 250-foot-high “ski bump” near Mansfield, Ohio. Rope tows pulled him up the hill and weather dictated when he would go. His passion for the sport had been driven by his mother, whose vintage ski outfit drapes a mannequin inside the family’s showcase museum/home. As a student at Ohio State University, Paul was spotted by famed ski instructor Walter Neuron, a member of the 10th Mountain Division and a protégée of Hannes Schneider, still considered to be the most important technician and influential ski school instructor in the history of the sport. Neuron hired 17-year-old Paul to teach skiing. “In those days,” said Paul, “Anyone who could make a parallel turn reasonably well was considered a good skier.” Paul’s association with the master of skiing, along with his trendy job as a ski instructor, led to his integrating himself into the greater ski culture. By the 1960s, Paul had methodically begun collecting ski items. Now, almost 50 years later, Paul, fit and youthful at 70, still skis upwards of 30 days a year. The sport is in his blood. It has helped to define a piece of his life and his heart. His collection of ski memorabilia is on exhibit throughout the Hooge’s house, built in 1994 and designed specifically to contain and exhibit his collection. Paul’s collecting began when the golden boy of skiing, Jean Claude Killy, was being promoted all over the world in connection with the 1968 Olympics in France. Ski posters and photographs of Killy were sent to ski shops in the United States in hopes of bolstering the winter games. Many of these posters were discarded, but Paul, who was working at one of these shops, helped himself to the trash. Some of those very collectible and priceless posters now adorn the walls of Hooge’s home. Paul’s passion as a ski historian and his profession as an archeologist are intrinsically intertwined—both containing elements of digging and discovering, archiving and preserving the treasures. What distinguishes the Hooge home from traditional museums is the opportunity to live among the collection. “You can collect yourself to death,” he declares, “unless you have a clear and specific focus to collecting.” Paul’s intention all along in building this house was to produce enough income through renting the house to support his continuing search for unique ski objects. So only those visitors who choose Crested Butte as a town in which to vacation might be lucky enough to stay there as a vacation rental. The high ceilings and open floor plan of the house lend a natural frame to the living room exhibition. Along the walls, showcased in artistic handmade iron racks crafted by a local iron worker, are the first of 120-year-old wooden skis; many skis in his collection date back more than 200 years. “There is concrete evidence of skiing across Scandinavia and Siberia and into Northern Mongolia that dates back 10,000 to 12,000 years ago,” Hooge explains.

MollyInCrestedButte.com

O’Hayre DawsOn & nOrris

RobeRt M. o’HayRe MicHael c. Dawson Jill t. noRRis

attOrneys

at Law

The Gunnison Country’s Preeminent Full-Service Law Firm

120 n. tayloR stReet Gunnison, co (970) 641-3326

• • • • • •

Real Estate Land Use and Planning Water Rights Business & Corporate Construction Estate Planning and Probate • Employment • Mediation

www.crestedbuttelegal.com info@guclaw.com

BUY & SELL WITH MICHELLE!

continued on page 12

Michelle Gerber

Resort and Second Home Specialist Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource ePro Certified

Call Me TODAY!

970•275•2384

MichelleGerberRealtor@gmail.com www.bighornrealty.com www.MichelleGerber.com

bighorn realty Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

305 Sixth Street

Downtown Crested Butte at the 4-way Stop 970-349-5313

12 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

community.

Innovative ... Green ... Reliable ... Honest Innovative ... Green ... Reliable ... Honest

End Of ThE ROad COnsTRuCTiOn, inC. Dedicated to

Designing and Building

Healthy, Super Efficient, Custom Homes www.crestedbutteconstruction.com

Robb Fessenden

970-275-1120

The

Ski Haus

continued from page 11

Colette E Kraatz Broker Associate

Crested Butte Resort Real Estate P.O. Box 5700 620 Gothic Rd Mt. Crested Butte, CO 81225

970-349-4991 Office 970-376-7304 Mobile ckraatz@cbmr.com www.cbliving.com Lucky enough to call Crested Butte my home!

old west design with the advantages of modern technology

remodels & additions :: custom residential :: commercial design historic preservation & rehabilitation

Jody Reeser AIA, NCARB office: 970.641.4740 cell: 970.389.7576 117 W. Georgia, Gunnison jody @jreeserarchitect.com www.jreeserarchitect.com

This seems obvious to Paul as the most logical means for humans to move around in the winter to survive. The unique design of the metal racks allow the skis to “pop” out from the wall, displayed three-dimensionally instead of being lined up flush along the wall. This design projects the skis into the room and invites you in to enjoy the collection. Behind these arcs of iron and skis are the walls, painted in a soft patina of earth tones, all holding framed pieces of the past. The design is elegant and simple, inviting and encouraging inspection, and feeding natural curiosity. There are layers of ski memorabilia, all of it presented in a cohesive and easy-to-understand way. The collection flows. It invites you to keep moving along, continuing to read and learn. Every wall is covered in the design sense Paul refers to as “Victorian.” “This is not a minimalist experience,” Paul says. “It is designed as a Victorian collection.” The chronological history of the ski itself fascinates Hooge. The length of the ski, the width of the ski and even the shape of the tip can all help determine geographically where the skis came from. Hundreds of skis, antique bindings and ski boots, snowshoes and vintage ski attire fill the living room as the introduction to the history of the sport. Unlike other ski collections, which tend to focus on ski personalities and paper (poster)-related items, Paul’s collections start with the ski. How else can one start to understand this sport without first examining the ski? Attached to each item is a handwritten description with as much information as Paul could find. The investment in time alone is heroic. The rich and varied collection takes you from guest room to guest room, each room beautifully appointed as solace for houseguests, but every room tastefully encouraging walking through the story of skiing. There are ice skates dating back thousands of years, with blades made of animal bones. There are framed illustrations of winter scenes from the famous Minnesotabased C.A. Lund catalog covers. Old black and white photographs of climbing ascents are reminders of precarious, daring and dangerous excursions. Wandering from one fascinating room to the next, you are traveling along a timeline of this most romantic sport. One room unveils the early modern ski, many of which baby boomers learned to ski on. The early pioneers of modern skiing—Warren Miller, Stein Erikson and others— are part of the world in the Hooge family museum. Dashing ski racers like Spyder Sabich and Jean Claude Killy are featured. Famous freestyle aerialists like Wayne Wong are reminders of what was considered “wild.” Big mountain skiers like crazy Glen Plake and the darling of the sport, Suzy Chaffee, are included in Hooge’s collection of ski personalities. The magic of the world of skiing is here to read about, dream about and, for some, to remember. It is a rare collection from a man who loves everything about the sport. Paul honors the men who deserve praise—those of the 10th Mountain Division and their role in why and how and where we ski today. Their story, and that of their WW2 training in the brutally cold winters of Colorado, will remind even the most hearty that everything pales in comparison to this bravery of yesterday. He has a tribute to the late and most great Walter Neuron—a man of extremes— remembered for his heroic escapes from the Nazis prior to reaching America. Walter Neuron was dedicated to a movement that burned in his soul. Although unknown to many, Neuron is recognized in this museum collection as a maverick and a man devoted to the sport. There are ghosts on the walls and encased in frames—more than 400 of them— of men and women most modern skiers have never heard of. Without their being archived in collections such as Hooge’s, the legacy of people who have affected and elevated the sport of skiing could have vanished. Paul Hooge’s passionate intention is to keep the memory of those people alive to inspire the younger ski enthusiasts that there was a world of skiers more adventuresome, wilder and braver than all of the new generations of skiers combined. Paul Hooge is a curator. A collector. A museum director. His collection is masterful. It reflects his passion and his aesthetic. It’s a treasure. For a virtual tour go to http://fusion.realtourvision.com/12455.

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 13

preservation. t

Crested Butte

Land Trust

PEAK

Consider the Peak Magazine in your business’ advertising plan for 2015. This FULL COLOR GLOSSY Magazine has been awarded Best Advertising Special Section FOUR years in a row by the Colorado Press Association.

The Crested Butte Land Trust works to ensure the Gunnison Valley landscapes you treasure are preserved forever. In the winter, the Land Trust provides use of our lands for the Nordic Council to set track for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. Discover the beauty of the Slate River Valley cloaked in white. Bring your four-legged friend on the dog-friendly “Pooch’s Paradise.” Reach pristine backcountry wilderness areas via the Slate River Trailhead while taking in breathtaking views of Paradise Divide and the surrounding peaks. Planning a summer or fall wedding? Experience your special day surrounded by wildflowers, aspens and fir trees, snow-capped mountains, winding rivers, and tranquil lakes. The Woods Walk, Lower Loop, Gunsight Bridge, and Peanut Lake serve as popular wedding sites. Get the entire family outside with letterboxing, a treasure hunt on several of the Land Trust’s scenic parcels. To learn more about the Crested Butte Land Trust, visit cblandtrust.org or call Ann Johnston, Executive Director, at (970) 349-1206.

helps preserve the reasons we come here

by Molly Murfee It may be skate skiing on groomed track through the aspens, evergreens and open meadows of the Red Lady and Magic Meadows trails. Or, perhaps your adventures pull you further into the backcountry, cross-country skiing into the expansive valley of the Slate River. You may live for the thrill of snowmobiling over Kebler Pass, or for the simple beauty and comfort of the ranchlands that shoulder the drive up the East River Valley. However you enjoy the outdoors here in Crested Butte, chances are you will cross paths with land preserved through the help of the 1% for Open Space program. The 1% for Open Space program is a voluntary 1% donation on top of products and services when you visit the over 100 participating local businesses. Crested Butte Mountain Resort, contractors in the building industry, newspapers, landscapers, body workers, artists, guide services, real estate offices, retail stores, pet services, property managers, teachers, restaurants, beauty services and lodging establishments have all agreed to put their time and effort into collecting these voluntary funds for the program. Once collected, 1% for Open Space grants this money to requesting organizations for the preservation of land in Gunnison County. So far, the program has had the privilege of assisting such organizations as the Crested Butte Land Trust, the Gunnison

Ranchland Conservation Legacy, the Trust for Public Land, the Town of Crested Butte, Trout Unlimited, Gunnison County and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. Through your donations, and the efforts of these businesses, 1% for Open Space has raised over $2 million, mere pennies at a time. Added up, they have helped to preserve over 5,100 acres of land throughout Gunnison County. Open space has both aesthetic and ecological value in its stream corridors, wetlands, forests, and sage meadows. It provides habitat for birds, such as the bald eagle, and potential habitat for endangered species like the lynx and boreal toad. It protects our cultural land – that which has been farmed and ranched for generations and is so important to this valley. It is the home for crosscountry and backcountry skiing, snowmobling and the incredible views that surrounds Crested Butte. So when you buy that new snuggly down coat, a warm bowl of soup, or relax by the fire of your lodge, your purchase, like Crested Butte, can also become quite unique. You have the opportunity to give something back to a place that gives a lot, preserving the very reason you came to Crested Butte in the first place. For more information about the 1% for Open Space program please contact Executive Director Molly Murfee at (970) 349-1775, director@1percentforopenspace.org or visit www.1percentforopenspace.org.

Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley is

“Here for Good”

Donors, nonprofits and the community – that’s who the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley (CFGV) serves. With a perpetual vision, the Foundation is “Here for Good.” What the donor wants comes first! Want to make a difference? Call the Foundation and they will match your passions with the right cause in the Valley. Want to volunteer? They’ll help with that, too. The Community Foundation can put you in touch with a specific nonprofit; talk about a field, like youth or health, and let you know what’s happening. If you have a desire to give back, the Community Foundation is here for you – available, flexible and ready to serve! The Community Foundation is here for the vallye’s nonprofits, too. The organization makes grants (because our donors are so very generous) - last year the Foundation gave more than $700,000 in grants! Pretty great for a tiny mountain valley! The Foundation also serves as a resource in other ways for nonprofits. From help with grant preparation to leadership development and donor referrals, they are here for the Valley’s nonprofits. For the community, the Community Foundation serves as the neutral convener with the skills to tackle the difficult conversations. The Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley is flexible, accessible, and ready to serve. Call Pam at 641-8837 or 349-5966, mail us at P.O. Box 7057, Gunnison, CO, 81230 or find CFGV on the web at www.cfgv.org.

a special publication of

For more information contact: Jen Nolan 970.349.0500 x111 nolan@crestedbuttenews.com

Move up to ... 7 Glacier Lily Way

You’ll be amazed with the outstanding mountain views from the home and deck. Immaculate 3 bdrm, 2 bath home with prowl design-vaulted ceiling living room and features a large open kitchen-dining area with den. Home is on 1.13 acres that backs to dedicated green space, located in the coveted Glacier Lily Estates, a small low density development just off Washington Gulch Road. Reduced to $795,000

Joyce “JR” Roloff Broker Associate, CNE

cell: 970-209-4895 joyce@redladyrealty.com

pecializing in your residential real estate needs from homes to condos to residential lots and vacant land

Gary Huresky Realtor

970.209.2421

Gary.Huresky@SothebysRealty.com

www.CrestedButteSales.com

14 • Winter 2014/15 • Crested Butte News

TEMPERATURE Crested Butte Average Temperatures Low High January 4.0° 28.4° February 0.9° 32.2° March 7.0° 38.4° April 18.0° 46.9° May 27.7° 58.7° June 33.2° 70.4° July 38.3° 75.4° August 37.5° 74.0° September 30.1° 66.2° October 20.6° 55.9° November 8.4° 41.8° December 1.9° 31.0°

ELEVATION Gunnison 7,703 ft. Almont 8,025 ft. C.B. South 8,515 ft. Crested Butte 8,885 ft. Mt. Crested Butte 9,350 ft. Gothic 9,500 ft. Irwin 10,000 ft.

ANIMAL POPULATION Cows 30,713 Sheep 7,924 Deer 17,000 Elk 10,300 Beaver 1,500 Antelope 290 Big Horn Sheep 700 Dogs in Crested Butte 329

MEDIAN AGE

photos by Lydia Stern and Alex Fenlon

CRESTED BUTTE 1990 30.2 2000 30.6 2010 34.4

COLORADO 1990 32.5 2000 34.3 2010 36.1

This list contains a selection of animals in the Gunnison Basin. Cow and Sheep are from the Federal Census of Agriculture. Dog statistic from 2010 Crested Butte Census.

EDUCATION

Crested Butte Community School Enrollment 2004-present 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Kindergarten 33 32 47 50 56 49 59 43 43 44 60 1st 39 33 34 56 52 58 50 63 41 41 62 2nd 35 37 37 33 56 50 54 54 75 74 48 3rd 41 31 40 44 38 55 51 52 54 53 40 4th 32 40 33 44 46 37 55 51 56 56 71 5th 29 29 43 37 45 41 37 57 53 54 49 6th 29 35 26 46 36 41 39 36 58 58 59 7th 22 27 37 29 46 32 40 42 36 38 49 8th 25 22 28 32 35 47 30 42 41 40 60 High School 90 83 78 102 105 109 136 131 135 137 150

MT. CRESTED BUTTE

Crested Butte News • Winter 2014/15 • 15

ASSESSED VALUATION

Crested Butte

2001 $47,132,070 2002 $48,354,590 2003 $51,638,000 2004 $51,617,230 2005 $62,907,190 2006 $63,863,380 2007 $103,108,270 2008 $103,625,840 2009 $106,712,940 2010 $106,373,220 2011 $84,931,910 2012 $83,983,950 2013 $79,564,700

Mt. Crested Butte $58,574,700 $58,978,210 $70,610,730 $63,398,060 $78,286,010 $148,431,460 $160,881,610 $165,912,960 $171,604,450 $172,236,500 $106,732,960 $108, 922,510 $77,740,440

CRESTED BUTTE

POPULATION Figures updated by the Towns of Crested Butte & Mt. Crested Butte

CRESTED BUTTE 1,522 1,629 1,534 1,518 1,530 1,537 1,525 1,603 1,555 1,560 1,522 1,487 1,497 1,502

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

707 707 750 750 750 750 765 847 864 873 801 799 805

N I SO NN GU TO

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

MT. CRESTED BUTTE

BUILDING PERMITS AND SALES TAX SALES TAX REVENUE Crested Butte Mt. Crested Butte 2004 $1,721,824 2005 $1,887,237 2006 $2,060,743 2007 $2,170,959 2008 $2,115,764 2009 $1,930,976 2010 $1,963,859 2011 $1,781,910 2012 $2,217,714 2013 $2,600,600

CB AVERAGE SINGLE FAMILY HOME PRICE 1996 $250,000 1997 $295,000 1998 $300,000 1999 $294,000 2000 $427,496 2001 $579,288 2002 $423,778 2003 $424,095 2004 $675,833

2005 $951,467 2006 $937,323 2007 $942,666 2008 $1,071,875 2009 $919,853 2010 $778,175 2011 $1,260,956 2012 $699,359 2013 $765,792

Source: Reports to Crested Butte for Real Estate Transfer Tax

$1,215,474 $1,365,105 $1,721,819 $1,602,354 $1,667,226 $1,259,780 $1,490,169 $1,592,005 $1,526,402 $1,804,508

CRESTED BUTTE BUILDING PERMITS 2004 85 2005 59 2006 66 2007 58 2008 88 2009 45 2010 58 2011 67 2012 67 2013 62

Sam Lumb 970.275.2448

Sam.Lumb@SothebysRealty.com Knowledge and Experience

535 Journey’s End Rd. Crested Butte Outstanding thirteen room (6 bd/7.5ba) mountain home situated a short walk from downtown Crested Butte in a promontory location w/ broad, majestic, mountain horizon views. Incl. tall great room, large stone terrace, Thermador kitchen, extraordinary master, 35’ sunroom, game room, media room & exercise room all on 35 quiet acres. $4,595,000. Co-listed with Cathy Benson

726 Maroon Ave., Crested Butte

Large home on a large lot in Town near Rainbow Park. 4 bd 3,000+ sq. ft. incl first flr master w/ walk out patio, natural rock fireplace, spacious, sunny, play room, bedroom balconies. $875,000

18 Buttercup Lane, Mt. Crested Butte

Five bedroom, 3,928 sq. ft. promontory home with immense views overlooking Mt. CB and the entire valley. Includes decks on 3 levels (incl. hot tub deck), large viewing windows, family room, 4.5 baths, private office, Jacuzzi, cool breakfast nook, many features. $1,095,000

809 Elk Ave. Crested Butte New 5 bd 4.5 bath home on the park and along the greenbelt in CB. Luxury home by Faust Builders includes lots of artisan ironwork, stone fireplaces, premium finishes, finished landscaping, attractively fenced, 2-car garage, great protected views in all directions. $1,950,000.

26 Appaloosa Rd., Wildhorse

Luxury residence w/ 4 bedroom 4.5 baths in a quiet location 5 minutes from Gold Link lift. Extensive log detailing, ample family room, junior master, beautifully furnished throughout and ready to move in. $1,095,000

Red Mountain Ranch

Home in the aspens on 35 horse-friendly acres, 3 bedrooms and a 1,700 sq. ft. barn, prime Crested Butte Mountain & south valley views, convenient living in a private, forested, location. $1,289,000

Land Opportunities 233 Kubler, River Rim — Large level homesite overlooking the East River & the natural area, great views, quality neighborhood. $145,000 1555 SIOUX RD WILDERNESS STREAMS — 7.9 ac. lakefront homesite, aspens, meadow. $269,000 104 Big Sky Drive

3-bedrom home built in 2005 in like-new condition w/ fireplace & balcony living room, large maple kitchen w/ lots of granite, great master bath, 2-car garage. $659,000

650 Journeys End Rd. Crested Butte

.22 acre building lot with open space on 2 sides, elevated views to Crested Butte and the mountain horizon. Only a short walk to the hockey rink and Nordic Center. $975,000

1759 BRYANT AVE. — CB South, .39 ac., elevated, views, streamlet, nice neighborhood. $64,800 467 MERIDIAN LAKE DRIVE — Views, above the road. $137,500 SKYLAND LOT S-156 — Half acre nearby to clubhouse & Grant Lake. $395,000 HIDDEN MINE RANCH — Lot 17, 35 acres, views, close to town. $650,000 COPLEY LAKE AREA — Two cabin parcels, level, very private, National Forest on 2 sides, Forest King No. 2, 8+ ac. $70,000 & Mountain Bell 9.9 ac. $80,000

Mt. Crested Butte Condominiums GRAND LODGE 567 — Terrific mountain view, owner’s closet, top floor, overlooks the pool w/ fitness, spa, restaurant, a great rental at the base area epicenter. $129,0000 Meridian Lake Meadows Homesite

One and a half acre homesite with 240’ of National Forest boundary at the rear. Quiet location, paved street, level terrain, aspen and spruce trees, view of Mt. Crested Butte. $379,000

Wilderness Streams

Super fine cabin property, easy access, electricity & phone, flowing springs, level, trees, meadows & fabulous views. $159,000

Plaza 131, Mt. Crested Butte

Mountainside 2/2, 1,040 sq. ft., fireplace, wood beams, conveniently located in the complex, sounds of Wood Creek from your balcony. $238,900

Whetstone Business Park

13 acre commercial/residential business park land located 2.5 miles south of Crested Butte. Development previously approved. $1,295,000

GRAND LODGE 368 — Spacious 783 sq. ft., super convenient complex w/ pool, fitness, spa, restaurant. Attractively priced. $64,900

22 Riverbend Drive

Only a short distance from Town on new pedestrian path, 2 bd/2ba on .36 ac., generous windows, lofty living room, great views, new kitchen & bath, 1-car garage. $519,000

618 9th St., Crested Butte 4 bd/2.5 ba duplex townhome, oversized corner lot, living & family room, granite kitchen, cherry floors, central vac, 1-car garage $699,000

401 Elk Avenue, Crested Butte • 970.349.6653