CBMR embraces uphill skiing, sees room for growth into “sidecountry”

 Uphill skiing program aims to keep people safe, informed

With backcountry skiing and snowboarding on the rise in the valley, and across the snowsports industry, Crested Butte Mountain Resort is embracing the uphill experience, on both Crested Butte and Snodgrass mountains.

In addition to the formal uphill program at the ski area, CBMR continues to groom a road to the top of Snodgrass, enabling Nordic skiers and backcountry travelers an easy route to the top.
Many mornings you’ll find CBMR chief operating officer Ken Stone climbing Crested Butte Mountain, along with Tim Mueller and other ski area executives and employees. “It’s something we have a passion for,” said Stone. “We really support the uphill program; we want to model it as the best uphill program in the country. As long as we’re going to allow this on the mountain, we should embrace it. We want to promote the safety aspect and give people as much education as possible.”
Uphill use at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) is on the rise, and the resort has re-evaluated its Uphill Access Policy for the winter season, and installed new safety measures to help guide traffic. The resort will open all groomed terrain to uphill traffic, with a few exceptions.
Daren Cole, CBMR’s vice president for sales and marketing, explained, “Crested Butte is an epicenter of backcountry and randonée skiing, and skinning up in the morning or afternoon is as much of a social event as a workout. Last Friday I was out and there were probably 30 people and 20 dogs at 6:30 a.m. By embracing a solid uphill program/policy, we can focus on user experience and safety.”
According to the resort, as it has been in the past, due to frequent winch cat operations, International, Buckley, and Championship are closed in the morning, and all of Upper Keystone, including the Triangle, is closed in the afternoon. Also Extreme Limits access roads and all ungroomed terrain will remain closed due to safety concerns.
“It is our responsibility as operators to ensure we continue to offer a safe program to all users—whether they choose to ski or ride during our normal operating hours, or when our lifts are closed,” said Stone.
There are some changes of note. Skiers should call the snow report line, 349-2323, if they have any questions about what terrain will be open to uphill traffic due to avalanche control work and other mountain operations. Uphill users can also receive Twitter updates from cbpatrol, which include all daily terrain and Ski Patrol information. A red light also has been installed on Tower 3 of the Red Lady Express lift to notify guests when Ski Patrol is conducting early-morning avalanche control work. When this red light is flashing, skiers must take the following specific designated route, as no other trails will be open due to safety concerns: Lower Keystone to Upper Park to Yellow Brick Road to Upper Keystone to Triangle to Windy Gap to the top of Silver Queen. During these times, descending traffic must follow the same route. All other closures will be updated via Twitter.
CBMR requires that uphill skiers using the resort obtain a free uphill pass from the pass office in the Adventure Center, and acknowledge, sign, and abide by all outlined policies. Hours for uphill travel are before 9 a.m. and after 4:30 p.m. every day. Bring a headlamp if you plan on traveling in the dark, and watch out for climbing skiers when schussing the downhill.
Stone said there is potential for expanding the uphill program in the future, and this year the resort is partnered with Crested Butte Mountain Guides, who can take people up the Painter Boy lift and over to Snodgrass for a sidecountry-style experience.
“In the future we’ll see how it [the uphill program on the ski area] dovetails with an uphill program on Snodgrass,” Stone said. “We’ve always felt we had an alternate skiing program over on Snodgrass. We’re still grooming that road; we’re taking suggestions on the program. People appreciate what we’re doing over there, if anyone has suggestions or concerns we’d love to hear from them.
“As I said before, we’re looking at it through a new set of eyes, we’re spending a lot more time over there talking to people to see what they’d like to see on Snodgrass in the future,” Stone continued. “Snodgrass is an added amenity for people that come here to visit, to have a great comfortable sidecountry experience. It’s a unique aspect we’re glad to have.”