The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Freestyle center would take advantage of views, improved snowmaking
Monsoon season makes fall feel too close for comfort, unless you’re chomping at the bit for ski and snowboard season. A number of changes and improvements are slated for the ski area before the winter season kicks off, aimed at improving the overall mountain experience for guests and locals alike.
There’s a proposal from Crested Butte Mountain Resort to relocate the superpipe and terrain park to Gold Link’s Cascade Trail, creating a new freestyle focus for that area of the mountain. The proposal was accepted by the U.S. Forest Service; however, there is still some environmental analysis to be done before a final decision on the project is issued.
By pairing the proposed Gold Link park and pipe with the beginner’s park on Painter Boy, freestyle skiers and riders will have all their park and pipe features in one space. It will also free up valuable intermediate to upper intermediate terrain off the Paradise pod, since the freestyle features would theoretically be removed from Canaan and below Ruby Chief.
It’s tough to argue with making the best of the views off the top of Gold Link. Picture freestyle skiers and riders throwing down with a clear view of the Elk Mountains as a backdrop. According to CBMR’s vice president for sales and marketing, Daren Cole, the new location offers a number of advantages.
“It will offer better viewing for special events” compared to the previous site, said Cole.
He also said the new park and pipe will require less energy for snowmaking, and the resort will likely be able to get the pipe and park open earlier in the season. Also, Cole said, the Gold Link lift would offer more direct access to the park and pipe, versus skiers and riders having to ride off the Paradise pod and down to the features.
“The water we used for the Canaan Park had to be re-boosted mid-mountain, versus just having to pump it once to Cascade,” Cole explained. “We will be adding a NASTAR race arena on part of the Canaan trail, where part of the old park was, to increase visibility and keep a fun activity in that pod. We should be able to drive a much better experience compared to where it was hidden away on Smith Hill in previous years.”
CBMR needs to go through a NEPA process with the Forest Service before the plan can be put into action. Thus far, the Forest Service has completed its pre-NEPA analysis and accepted the proposal. NEPA is next, and is likely to start in August.
Recreation manager for the Gunnison District Bill Jackson said CBMR first proposed the idea back in late winter. The Forest Service did its pre-NEPA analysis, bringing a forest hydrologist, soil scientist, and timber specialist to assess the site and potential impacts of the new features.
Jackson said they were investigating potential resource impacts, like whether “the slope can sustain additional water due to a park and pipe feature. We had three total field visits before we decided to accept the proposal—two on snow; the third trip was done during snowmelt to see the lay of the land during snowmelt, what are the meltoff patterns…
“Based on those three visits, [the Forest Service and CBMR] tweaked the proposal to bring the superpipe a little lower on the slope. One of the mitigation measures is CBMR would push the snow down to some flatter ground near the bottom terminal on their private land [at the end of the ski season].
“Now that we’ve accepted it, we’ll do NEPA on the proposal,” Jackson explained.
The proposal is open for public comment through August 20.
Other 2011 Ski Area Improvements/Additions
• CBMR has added 15.3 acres of intermediate terrain on Columbine trail from the top of Painter Boy/Gold Link to the base area.
• Crews are in the process of glading Horseshoe Springs, opening up more tree skiing and making the terrain more accessible to upper intermediates.
• Increased snowmaking at the base area will allow for Peachtree beginners lift and the Camp CB teaching area and magic carpets to open on the first day of the season.
• A $40,000 National Ski Areas Association grant will translate to 10 new high-efficiency tower snowmaking guns.
