Cottonwood open in nick of time for Ride the Rockies

Kebler Pass still a guessing game

Cottonwood Pass opened last weekend, just one week shy of Ride the Rockies, when 2,000 bikers will ride up and over the pass on their way from Crested Butte to Buena Vista, Colo. It took a motor grader with a wing and a plow, a dozer and a loader to clear the road—typical equipment, according to Gunnison County public works director Marlene Crosby. But it took the crew twice as long to finish the job as it normally does.

“We normally [clear Cottonwood] in four, maybe five days. This year we were there nine or ten days,” said Crosby. “The snow was very dense. It has a lot of water content. Normally, we plow and [the snow] flies off the road, but this year we had to physically push it off the road.”
On a typical year, according to Crosby, Gunnison and Chaffee counties start clearing the pass from their respective sides at the same time. Chaffee reaches the top first and starts plowing past the Gunnison County line.
“They push snow down on our side—it’s easier to plow downhill,” Crosby said.
But this year, there was so much snow on the Chaffee side of the pass that it took the Chaffee crew a few days to even reach the point where they normally begin plowing. Gunnison County had the opportunity to return the favor.
“We actually came down on their side with our dozer to help them out,” Crosby said.
Kebler Pass, on the other hand, is still a waiting game. Snow has been removed to the Y at the turnoff for Irwin, and now the county is waiting for the ice to thaw. Several inches of ice remain on the road that has been cleared—a great time, according to Crosby, to move snowmobiles to the Y.
“It’s going to be touch or go if Kebler will be open by this weekend,” Crosby said, “but people are welcome to call or check the web site for updates.”
The Gunnison County Public Works Department can be reached at 641-0044 or found online at www.gunnisoncounty.org/public_works.html. Cottonwood Pass will remain open for traffic during Ride the Rockies