Tell me about Crested Butte

[Kimmyt]

It's 102F here and I'm hiding in the air conditioning and dreaming of winter. SO, I'm planning a trip to CB this winter and haven't been there before. Mostly looking for some info on lodging locations, for various reasons mostly boiling down to the fact that we will have the baby there and be skiing in shifts, I'd like to book something slopeside so we can easily get into and out of the rental with minimal time spent traveling to the lifts. Where are the best locations for slopeside lodging, preferably with easy-ish access to advanced terrain? Any recommendations on rentals used in the past (we will have 6 adults and one baby, will need three adult-sized beds, queen or king)? Good places to eat, good ski trails to hit? FWIW we are almost all advanced skiers. Is there hike to terrain and if so what is it like in terms of terrain it accesses and hike length? Also if anyone knows of a reputable babysitter we will be considering hiring one for at least one day so that me and my husband can *gasp* actually ski together!

Thanks in advance!

 

[tjm235]

I looove CB, one of my top 5 favorite places. Amazing terrain and even more amazing views. If the mountain is 100% open and if everyone is advance skiers, there is tons of terrain to explore, a majority of which requires no hike. I believe Teocalli and the peak were the only places that required a hike and neither were really worth it at the time. The whole skiers right side of the mountain (Spellbound, Phoenix, Third bowl, etc) never gets boring. That area takes three lifts to lap, however very much worth the time. The quad out of the base (Silver Queen) also accesses some great terrain very quickly (Banana Funnel/Peel, or take the tbar to Headwall), so you can easily do laps to the base to pass off the kid. I guess the only bad thing about their terrain is if your group has mixed abilities... if everyone isn't a good skier, it's a tougher place to ski together as a group.

If you have a nice sunny day where you can sit outside, there was a little food shack on top of the Painter Boy lift that offered up an amazing view that was worth going out of the way for. For dinner, only place I remember is the Secret Stash that everyone recommended... food was only okay, but fun atmosphere.

 

[pinto]

I stayed at the Nordic Inn, which is a hotel at the mountain (not town), highly recommended! Proprietors are wonderful. They have a chalet that would fit your group, just up the hill. It's a brief walk to the lifts (as in, maybe 4 or 5 min) or you can take a little shuttle from the parking lot across the street. I will definitely stay there again. They do offer specials, although their winter ones aren't up yet.

I have eaten at the Gas Cafe (huge greasy perfect breakfast sandwiches), Ryce Asian Bistro (very good), and Montanya (the rum company that originated in Silverton but since moved to CB; wonderful cocktails and tapas). Would go back to all of them.

If the upper mountain is open, try to find a local to guide you, or sign up for the North Face guide class through the ski school; it really helps to know where you are going. I did the North Face guide and lucked out big time -- my guide was a 40-yr local, and I was the only client. It was seriously the best day....

That said, CB's expert terrain needs a lot of snow, so be flexible in your scheduling, if you can. The lower mountain is not much to write home about (although the town is so fun it is still a nice vacation). You will love it there.

 

[tjm235]

We actually stayed at the Nordic too! Cute place, and I ate roughly 5,000 of the cookies she baked. Good to know they also have a cabin, I assumed it was just the motel. The proprietors were very nice... turns out we had a lot of mutual acquaintances because they used to live in Steamboat so it was fun chatting with them. The hot breakfast in the morning was also very convenient.

 

[Kimmyt]

I would love to plan something last minute to take into account the weather, but I'm not sure it's feasible when looking for a larger rental? I don't know, I don't usually ski this way, typically we will just roll into town and find a cheap hotel room when the storms hit. Gotta love how babies change your way of life!

 

[pinto]

I would love to plan something last minute to take into account the weather, but I'm not sure it's feasible when looking for a larger rental? I don't know, I don't usually ski this way, typically we will just roll into town and find a cheap hotel room when the storms hit. Gotta love how babies change your way of life!

Well, this is one reason I was wondering if the inn might work. Hotels usually are more lenient in canceling reservations than condos/houses are, but I haven't read the fine print for the Nordic. It might still be 30 days. Depending on when you plan on going, though, you might be able to wait to make any reservation. I don't know anything about lodging capacity in CB, but it seems like other than xmas/pres day, you wouldn't have too much trouble getting a place. But again, I don't know.