Irwin Returns

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Irwin Backcountry Guides (IBG), permit holder for CS Irwin, has cleared all of the bureaucratic hurdles to making their snowcat skiing operation a reality this winter. Their crew has covered the terrain to be sure the snowpack is stable and safe; the neighbors have been consulted about access; the accommodations have been prepared; and the menu is set. Now CS Irwin is ready to make some turns. 

CS Irwin Mountain Manager Alan Bernholtz says all the steps have been taken to ensure a quality experience for clients, and now it’s time to get on with the show.
“We just launched the website [the week before last] and we’re taking reservations. I’ve skied with a lot of snowcat skiing operations and this is really nice, and we have the ability to provide a product that is unique and unparalleled in North America,” Bernholtz says. “Right now there’s a fairly stable snowpack and we’re trying to stay on it, so when we do open for business there’s deep, stable snow.”
Already this year, more than 225 inches of snow has fallen on the 1,000-plus acres of backcountry terrain where IBG is permitted by the Forest Service to take clients. And although the permit would have granted the company access as early as December 1, timing is everything.
“We’ve skied every single run that we have and we get up there as much as we can,” Bernholtz says. “We’ve been maintaining our snow pack and trying to dial in the facilities. We don’t want it to feel like a start-up company.”
But after a couple of years in the works, CS Irwin is starting up and Bernholtz is anticipating that February 22 will be the beginning of a new era of snowcat skiing in the mountains around the Irwin townsite.
Instead of a used snowcat and hand-me-down gear, IBG “didn’t cut any corners,” Bernholtz says, with two brand new Tucker snowcats (one complete with an audio/visual package) backcountry safety equipment and “nice Wagner skis.” Once clients are in the mountains, the company will have a base of operations at the renovated Movie Cabin, which is “state of the art, but still has a rustic feel.”
The company has even lined up Fête Catering to provide the fare and the IBG staff has been “testing out the food like we’re testing out the slopes,” according to Bernholtz.
In town, CS Irwin has taken over two buildings; the former Crested Butte Club on Second Street that will be used as a lounge and lodging for clients, along with a guide headquarters and snowcat garage at 330 Belleview, known as the Irwin Building, but neither building will likely be open this year.
For now, CS Irwin will be sticking with the best of the basics: deep snow in terrain to suit intermediate skiers on up.
“I would say we have everything from green to black runs with some big cliffs, but there really isn’t any real extreme terrain,” Bernholtz says. “Our terrain is intimidating, but it’s really user friendly for everybody. There are even some mellow low-angle runs. Nobody’s going to be bored up there.”
CS Irwin snow safety manager Billy Rankin says he’ll be guiding clients into all parts of the permit area and that the actual amount of snow is closer to 250 inches with a 60-inch base at the bottom of the terrain.
“The last 22 inches has come in really nicely, at about four to six inches at a time,” Rankin says. “There hasn’t been any avalanche activity in a while and we have great coverage for this time of year. The routes are being covered. Cliff bands are getting filled in and lines are getting nice coverage. The skiing has been fantastic.”
Because of the scenery, aspect of the slopes, deep snow and tree cover, CS Irwin is hoping to lure some ski and snowboard camps or companies looking for a location to have a photo shoot of upcoming products into the area late in the season.
“I think we’ll do a lot of that kind of stuff,” Bernholtz says, but the one reason that sets CS Irwin’s location apart from the others is the location itself.
“The scenery up there always blows me away,” Bernholtz says. “We don’t have this really good westerly view of Maroon Bells and Snowmass down here [in Crested Butte], but out there we do and we can see all the way out to the Utah flats. It’s incredible.”
And while the cost of a day in the Irwin backcountry can cost you around $450, anyone with proof of living locally will be able to slide into an unclaimed seat on a snowcat the day before a trip, with the same high-dollar service, for $200, Monday through Saturday.
If someone from the Valley wants to take friends from out of town on a snowcat skiing tour, but doesn’t want to pay the full price themselves, CS Irwin will let them go along for $250 if they bring two or more full-priced friends.
For more information about snowcat skiing with CS Irwin, check out their website, www.csirwin.com, or call 1-866-IRWIN-77.