The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Come watch the Scarecrow shred Warming House Hill…
It is shaping up to be one of the best openings for the ski area in years, when the lifts start spinning this Wednesday morning. Copious snowfalls in the past week have guaranteed a white opening beyond the ribbons of manmade snow we have seen in recent years.
“Thanks to Mother Nature last weekend and hopefully in the coming days, we are going to be able to open more terrain off the Red Lady Lift and open up Teocalli Lift this year,” said CBMR public relations and communications manager Erica Mueller. “If snowmaking temperatures start to cooperate a little better, we should even be getting Paradise open soon.”
According to Mueller, four lifts will be running on opening day. Look for the Red Lady Express, the Teocalli Lift, Peachtree and the Magic Carpet to be up and running, taking skiers and boarders to the open runs.
“That is much more than previous years where we haven’t had the Teo lift open on the first day,” Mueller said. “And we’ve been limited to only where we have the snowmaking guns off the Red Lady Lift.”
Runs that are expected to be open on Wednesday include Keystone, Lower Keystone (with two jib lines in the Keystone Jib Park), Mineral Point, Poverty Gulch, Kubler, Tulsa, Roller Coaster, Peanut and Bubba’s Short Cut. The Peachtree area will also be open for business.
First chair will go to whoever is there first. In recent years, local kids who camp out overnight have grabbed the honor.
Mueller said the theme for opening day is “The Blizzard of Oz,” and there will be a little procession to the area, with some of the “characters” skiing down Warming House Hill along the “Yellow Brick Road.”
For the third consecutive year, the cost to ski on opening day will be: Zero. Free tickets will be given to all who come to ride on November 27. Free lift tickets must be picked up at the main ticket office in the Adventure Center prior to going to the lift.
“With Ski Free being such a tradition here in Crested Butte and the excitement that it brings to the mountain on opening day, we wanted to offer the promotion again this year,” said Scott Clarkson, vice president of marketing and sales for the resort. “It is a great opportunity for guests and community members to get a few runs in early season, at no charge, making it an awesome day for all.”
With the theme of “The Blizzard of Oz,” guests and staff members are encouraged to dress in their favorite Wizard of Oz attire. To add to the excitement of opening day, the events team at the resort has planned a showing of Blizzard of Aahhh’s at the Lodge at Mountaineer Square on Tuesday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. Noted as one of the best ski movies of all times, it is sure to get the crowd excited for the 2013-2014 season.
