CBMR enjoys strong summer

Get your season pass for less, for now

Labor Day has come and gone, but the summer party isn’t finished at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR). Coming off of an exceptional summer season—lift ridership was up 21 percent—the resort is gearing up for the Chili and Beer Festival this weekend and the Alpine Odyssey 100k bike race on September 15. Plus, there’s a little thing called the winter ski season coming up, and there are just a few weeks left to purchase discounted ski passes.

Free Fridays, which boasted free lift rides, and the addition of the Frequency Trail certainly didn’t hurt summer attendance. But according to Erica Reiter, public relations and communications manager for CBMR, the trails crew headed by bike park manager Christian Robertson has provided steady improvements to the Evolution Bike Park. Even the rolling Primer Trail at the top of the Red Lady Lift got a facelift so that a once-straight line now meanders through the trees.
Reiter says the busy feel on the mountain this summer is in part a result of a deliberate effort to offer more year-round activities. “The strategy of offering more amenities in the base area and the ‘build it, they will come’ mentality has been realized up here for the summers. We’re excited to see that and become more of a four-season resort as much as possible,” she said.
And with the aspen trees just turning there’s still quality time left to hit the trails—though lift hours have been reduced. There’s one last free Friday this week and the Red Lady Lift will be open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through September 30 (the Silver Queen Lift is closed until ski season for winter maintenance).
Even though the USA Pro Cycling Challenge has come and gone, the bike events are not over. The Alpine Odyssey is making its second appearance in Mt. Crested Butte on September 15. A qualifier for the Leadville 100, last year’s inaugural race in July, brought about 300 people to the valley including Lance Armstrong. According to information provided by race director Dave Ochs, more than 170 racers are signed up and 250 to 300 are expected.
The tactic to move the race to September came at the request of the Alpine Odyssey itself to capitalize on the recent publicity of the Leadville 100. “They thought after the hype of Leadville it would be the biggest attendance,” Reiter explained. “We already had the biggest attendance last year.”
If more than 60 miles of riding with more than 2,000 feet of climbing isn’t your cup of tea, Ochs says that when it comes to volunteers, “We are in dire need!” Volunteers can contact him directly by calling 349-7324 or emailing redridgedesign@msn.com.
In the meantime, those looking for their fill of beer and chili (does that count as carbo loading?) can head up to the mountain this weekend for the Beer and Chili Festival on Saturday, September 8. “Mama’s Cookin will be playing on the Red Lady Stage with all-you-can-drink beer and chili,” Reiter said. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
While Buttians pack in the last of summer fun, Reiter says the rest of the resort is prepping for winter. The facelift continues for Paradise Warming House, which is getting a new carpet, new furniture and a new bar. There are also new snowmaking pipes going in to fix some old ones and increase efficiency.
“We also want to give East River better coverage so we can get that open sooner and with more coverage when we do get it open,” Reiter said. The resort is also trying out a new strategy for its “Book Early & Save” promotions. Last year, winter visitors had until November 1 to book early.
This year, Reiter says, the resort has offered three early deadlines: 30 percent off by August 15, 25 percent off for booking by September 15 and 20 percent off for booking by October 15. So far it seems to be paying off; numbers weren’t available but Reiter said, “August 15 was one of our busiest days ever in Crested Butte Vacations.
“We’re doing the tiered approach to get people to commit early,” she continued. “It also gave us a reason to start talking about winter in July and August. People do start booking then, especially for December and Christmastime.”
If you’re hoping to book early on ski passes and save, the early season pass sale is good until September 28 at midnight. At that time, the adult platinum will go from $1,199 to $1,549 and the Gold Pass will go from $1,049 to $1,399. Prices for Mountain Cards and the 12-day pass will also increase, with full pricing available online. Enrollment for the Choice Pass will also begin soon, with $99 passes available for all participating middle and high school students.
So while you purchase lift tickets and make the most of these last autumn days? Take Reiter’s suggestion: “From now and until winter, start praying for snow.”