CBMR summer in full swing

Mountain biking offers major draw

Since opening for the summer season a month ago, Crested Butte Mountain Resort has been rocking with concerts, weddings, mountain bike races and other special events. In addition, daily operations featuring lift-assisted mountain biking and hiking have been seeing steady traffic by both locals and visitors.

“All in all, things have been extremely busy up here on the mountain and going quite smoothly,” said CBMR public relations manager Erica Mueller. “We have busy weekends booked throughout July, while midweek stays rather steady.”
According to CBMR’s lodging staff, area rooms are largely booked through the end of the season, with many hotels reporting full houses.
One of the primary draws to the mountain, especially for the Monday through Friday crowd, is the Evolution Bike Park. Visitors are also drawn to the numerous manicured bike trails that traverse the mountain.
“We have a lot of good things happening in the bike park,” said CBMR bike park manager Christian Robertson. “Captain Jack and Lower Meander are two new pieces of trail to open this summer. Captain Jack is a technically demanding downhill trail moving through steep terrain. Lower Meander is an extension of a long time favorite piece of cross-country trail that allows a rider to stay on singletrack all the way to the Snodgrass trailhead. There are amazing views of the East River while riding this trail.”
In addition to the new trails, CBMR recently opened a practice loop at the top of the Red Lady Express. The loop is comprised of berms, rollers and terrain features like a rock garden and practice jump that mimic what riders will encounter throughout the greater bike park.
“This is a great place to warm up at the beginning of the day or to practice skills before heading out onto the trails,” said Robertson. “Each year our lesson programs gain popularity and now our guides will be able to work with the guests on skills at the top of the lift. We also expect this area to grow and evolve each year.”
 The bike park is a work in progress and continues to evolve to meet the needs and wants of guests, said Mueller. As evidence of this, the trail crew recently began work on a green trail that will leave from the top of the Red Lady Express.
“This trail will be fun for all levels of riders,” said Robertson. “It will offer something similar to Primer and Awakening but moves through different terrain. We hope to see this trail open around the first week of August.”
Currently CBMR maintains 24 trails for summer hiking and/or biking, and the summer season on the mountain runs through September 7.
“We’re in the full swing of summer operations,” said Mueller. “We are looking at another year of ‘Best Summer yet,’ so it is exciting for us.”
For more information about the summer season, upcoming events and passes visit the CBMR website at skicb.com.