Crested Butte is a Small Mountain Town With a Big Reputation

All Photos: Taylor Ahearn

As part of our Volume 28 People & Places issue, we curated a list of the Top 10 Ski Resorts in North America. Each resort on this list is here for a reason and who better to explain than the people who know the resort best. Every article is penned by journalists who have lived in the ski towns they’re writing about. They know these mountains inside and out, and their love for them shines through every word. From terrain, atmosphere and accessibility, to pure, unfiltered badass-ery—consider this your bucket list for the season. Coming in third place is Crested Butte in Southern Colorado.

Crested Butte. The Butte. Crusty Butt. The Mother Rock. Colorado’s Last Great Ski Town. It’s not the easiest to get to, but that’s what makes the town so special. As for the mountain, it’s as close to gnar-nia as a skier might ever come.

Statistically, when viewed from the base, Crested Butte isn’t particularly impressive, but fear not, there’s more here than meets the eye. The mountain averages 236 inches of snow and offers a modest 1,547 skiable acres. But of those acres, over 60 percent of the terrain is rated black diamond or harder, and 561 of those acres are double blacks. Your average double black in Crested Butte is tougher than anywhere else and, more importantly, most of the advanced terrain is north-facing, meaning ski conditions stay favorable long after a storm blows out. While the overall resort terrain and atmosphere in town are both inviting for all, hardcore skiers come to Crested Butte to cut their teeth on some of the steepest and most challenging inbounds terrain in the continental United States.

The best terrain is accessed by hiking or traversing off the High Lift and the North Face Lift—both of which are T-Bars. The further you’re willing to hike, the more features and fresher snow you’ll access. Teocalli Bowl, Teocalli 2 Bowl, Phoenix Bowl, Spellbound Bowl and Third Bowl all have phenomenal skiing and steep slope angles but it’s important to know where you’re going. If you simply follow others’ tracks then you might find yourself cliffed out above some seriously consequential terrain. If that happens, the best move is usually to hike back up and out. For example, Phoenix Bowl sounds friendly but includes areas known as Dead End Cliffs and Bodybag, both of which require extensive freeride skills to navigate. If it hasn’t snowed lately, you might also find a few sharks lurking beneath the surface, so tread lightly.

On a powder day, keep an eye on the T-Bar openings, which depend on snow and wind conditions. Typically, the High Lift opens first, with Big Chute, Headwall Glades and Headwall offering skiers first dibs on the steep and deep. The Teocalli Bowls will open just after, as more snow blows into that zone. The North Face Lift typically opens next, granting access to areas like the North Face Glades and Hawks Nest. Here, you’ll find the most friendly double black terrain, if you can call any double black friendly. It also contains Rambo, the steepest cut run in North America, made viral by Drew Peterson. It’s probably gotten more hype than it deserves, though props are in order for anyone who can make skiing down it look good.

Spellbound Bowl and Third Bowl open later in the day. These are home to some of the rowdiest terrain you can find at any resort in North America. High Life, The Edge, Sock It To Me Ridge and parts of Third Bowl all have steeps that require technical skills—like hop turning, cliff dropping and straight lining—and are littered with trees and rocks. If that sounds like too much, I’d recommend sticking to the main bowls in Spellbound and Phoenix.

Lastly, look out for the frontside opening. This is the terrain to the skier’s left of the Silver Queen lift, which you can see from the base area. It includes Flat Iron, Banana and Funnel. It can be more sun affected because it’s west facing but it is a locals’ favorite for its sheer vertical, aesthetic rock features and views of Paradise Divide. The traverses into these runs can be tricky, so keep your eyes forward and tips up.

Of course, Crested Butte has plenty of more mellow cruisers for the whole family to enjoy. If you like open bump runs with panoramic views, check out the East River Lift and the bumps in the Twister area. A stellar park setup is conveniently located under the Red Lady lift and is a great way to cap off a lap back to the base area. Another great way to end a day is to ski the west-facing frontside and either snag one more leg burner on Sunset Ridge or point it down the resort’s best groomer, International.

There’s no bushwhacking around it, Crested Butte is a challenging mountain, but that’s the charm. It’s home base for freeski legends like Wendy Fisher and Aaron Blunck, as well as the headquarters of Matchstick Productions, because of its proximity to lift-accessed gnar. Anybody who’s somebody in the industry has flocked to the Gunnison Valley at one point or another for a taste of what the Elk Mountains have to offer. Once you’re here, it’s easy to settle into the pace of small town mountain life. Chock-full of crusty old heads and young skids alike, Crested Butte keeps everyone coming back for the same reason—the magical aura it exudes.