The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
New events and classics to mark end of ski season on the mountain
By Cayla Vidmar
What better way to ring in spring than with closing weekend festivities, warm temps and even the chance for some snow? This weekend marks the end of the 2017/18 ski season at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, and you can expect crowd favorites such as the Landshark Pond Skim plus new events and live music all weekend long.
A party at Butte 66 for CBMR Ambassador and local Olympic skier Aaron Blunck kicks off the festivities on Friday April 6, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Blunck took seventh overall in the men’s freeski halfpipe in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics in February.
“With Aaron being such a great role model, we wanted to make the time for an autograph session with him from 4 to 4:45 for the youth (and youth at heart!) of our community to have a chance to meet him and get a complimentary poster signed,” says CBMR senior marketing manager Erica Rasmussen.
The first 100 people at the party will get a complimentary “Team Aaron Blunck” t-shirt, and the first 200 people will get a complimentary poster, which they can get signed by Blunck during the party. Happy hour drink specials will last throughout the party.
Music is always a part of closing weekend and this season the music offerings have been expanded. “This year, we have multi-day, multi-venue music lineup for Skitown Breakdown over closing weekend. It all kicks off with Trout Steak Revival at 8 p.m. at the Center for the Arts,” says Rasmussen. Tickets are $10 for the show.
Free live music on the mountain will round out the weekend, starting with the Drew Emmitt Band at the Ice Bar at Uley’s Cabin on Saturday from 12 to 2 p.m.
Then, head down to the base area at 3 p.m. on Saturday for the Landshark Pond Skim. Participants in the pond skim can register for $10 at Butte 66 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. This year, there will be no “official judging” of the pond skim, but there will be Landshark giveaways for adult participants. Kids’ prizes will include complimentary SUP rentals courtesy of Crested Butte SUP.
“Pond skimmers never cease to amaze us—and our team will be evaluating a mix of pond skim performance, costumes and group entries to determine who wins prizes,” says Rasmussen.
Rasmussen doesn’t expect there to be any issues building the pond for this year’s pond skim, despite low snowpack, and says, “The beauty of the pond skim is it’s a celebration of spring,” so, in true Crested Butte fashion, the party will go on, regardless of the low-snow year.
Following the Landshark Pond Skim, head to the Butte 66 deck for free live music by the New Orleans Suspects, and hang out for a chance to win Jimmy Buffett/The Eagles tickets for their June 28 concert at Coors Field or a bottle of Montanya Anniversaria rum for those over 21.
On Sunday, keep the party going with free music at the Umbrella Bar with Coral Creek from 12 to 2 p.m., and don’t forget that closing day costume. “It’ll be a great weekend to get outside, enjoy some spring skiing and riding, dance to music, and hopefully enjoy the spring sunshine we all know and love,” says Rasmussen.
Closing out the weekend is the opportunity to purchase next year’s season pass at the reduced rate. The 2018/19 winter season passes are on sale now at their lowest prices of the year until April 8. The Peak Pass Plus is currently on sale for less than it was during last year’s spring sale, at $859 for adults, which will increase to $929 on April 8. All other season passes will also increase in price after April 8, including the Peak Pass, which is available right now for $669.
New benefits for the Peak Pass Plus include more buddy tickets, “and buddy tickets for both passes next season will be 50 percent off then-current window rates so this is a reduction in price for next season,” says Rasmussen. All season pass holders will also receive 50 percent off window lift ticket prices at all Vail Resorts-owned mountains, a new benefit developed from CBMR’s inclusion on the Epic Pass for the 2018/19 winter season.
Season passes can be purchased online at the lowest prices of the season through Sunday, April 8 at www.skicb.com/seasonpasses. And one more thing— OpenSnow is calling for a spring storm coming in Friday with possible accumulations over the weekend of 5-10 inches. Snow or shine it’s still time to ski!
