The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“It’s a really great attraction”
There’s a new on-mountain dining facility at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, but the cooks probably won’t be serving up chili cheese fries and hotdogs. Beneath a ceiling of snow, diners at this facility should expect something more along the lines of chocolate fondue or buttered crab.
The resort is putting the finishing touches on an “ igloo” that will be available for lunch, dinner and après get-togethers. The 15-foot-high igloo is set up next to the Ice Bar and Restaurant, just off the Peanut ski run at the base of the Twister lift.
CBMR communications director Todd Walton says the igloo should be open for dining this weekend.
But CBMR’s new snow structure isn’t an igloo in the technical sense, built block by block. Walton says the igloo was constructed by inflating a strong balloon, and then piling and compacting snow on top. Once the snow hardened, the balloon was deflated and pulled out, leaving a roomy interior that even a tall person (like this reporter) can stand in comfortably. “It’s pretty cool how it was made,” Walton says.
The big balloon, called an “Igloo Moulder,” is made by Steurer Altach out of Austria. CBMR chief operating officer Ken Stone says Crested Butte is the first ski resort in the United States to use the Igloo Moulder for a dining facility.
“They started developing these over in Europe as on-mountain hut systems,” Stone says. He says a lot of people have been stopping by to check out the igloo. “It’s a really great attraction right now,” he says.
CBMR’s igloo seats about 10 people and features a custom wood table and chairs to dine on.
The igloo will be available primarily for reservations. Although the pricing is subject to change, Walton says, CBMR is anticipating meals at the igloo for $100 per person, including the price of dinner and a reservation fee. Groups may also be able to rent the igloo for $750 per day. “We’re trying to figure out, per use, the actual cost of operating it,” he says.
Walton says the resort’s culinary department is crafting up some unique recipes to match the igloo’s theme, such as crab, fondues, and sushi.
If the igloo isn’t currently reserved, Walton says skiers are welcome to take a look around the inside.
Walton says the resort is considering building another igloo at the top of Painter Boy Hill and maybe one at the base area, but, “We had to get one up and running first.”
“We’re also trying to come up with a name for it, other than ‘The Igloo at the Ice Bar,’” Walton says.
To reserve your one-of-a-kind dining experience, or for more information about the igloos, contact Crested Butte Vacations at 1-800-810-7669 or (970) 349-2222.
