Hot Rocks, Psycho Rocks and Monument are open

Extremes could take a little longer

Though some nay-sayers thought this recent storm would produce only an inch or two of snow (perhaps they didn’t want to get their hopes up), by mid-day on Monday, January 28, Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) had accumulated 14 inches. That helped the resort open some new terrain, but it may be a while before the Extremes make their seasonal debut.

As of Monday, Hot Rocks, Psycho Rocks and Monument were all open, and according to public relations and communications manager Erica Reiter, ski patrol was working on the North Face and Big Chute. But in order to see any skier action there, the resort needs still more snow. Reiter didn’t expect the Extremes to open by week’s end.
“This storm really needs to produce,” she said.
She explained that CBMR typically needs to measure about four feet of settled snow in order to open the extremes due to the size of some of the rocks out there.
“This amount provides ample coverage to ensure safety and also allows for the terrain to be covered enough to not get skied off in one day. Currently we’re at about three feet on the snow stake,” Reiter said.
She added that while it might be tempting to compare CBMR to resorts that have opened some of their extreme terrain, it’s not a good comparison. “We are dealing with completely different terrain. Starting with, what does the ground surface look like? Do they have a field of rocks that average the size of an office desk? What is the slope? What is the elevation?”
Safety guides their snowpacking crew, she said, whose efforts have never been greater. When it comes right down to it, the missing link is snow. Opening the Extremes is in Mother Nature’s hands, and that in addition to doing a few snow dances, folks should get out and enjoy the fresh snow.
“The skiing is incredible,” Reiter said, “so make sure you go out and get a few turns.”