The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Pond skim and live music
[ By Kendra Walker ]
Another winter season comes to a close this weekend as Crested Butte Mountain Resort celebrates its 60th anniversary with some favorite activities, including the pond skim, live local music, and of course, costumes.
The annual CBMR Pond Skim is back after a two-year hiatus, taking place on Saturday, April 2 from 1-3 p.m. Prizes will be given out for best costume, best style and best splash. Following the pond skim, the Ski Town Breakdown after-party will take place at the Butte 66 deck with DJ Triple L from 3-5 p.m.
For Closing Day on Sunday, April 3, more live music will ensue at Butte 66 with Coal Creek Connection from 3-6 p.m. “We look forward to the community coming out to celebrate another great season and the spirit that makes Crested Butte so special,” said CBMR vice president and general manager Tara Schoedinger.
Shoedinger reflected on this winter season’s successes. “This season marked CBMR’s 60th anniversary, giving us the opportunity to celebrate the resort’s rich history. We were excited to welcome back several of our legendary events this season, including the Al Johnson Memorial Telemark Race, Donation Day, Ski Town Break Down, and the Pond Skim coming up on April 2. After having to cancel events the last two seasons due to COVID, it’s been great to see the mountain coming back to life and bringing the community together.”
She continued, “We were thrilled to launch the new Peachtree Lift and learning terrain this season, and it has definitely been a big highlight for our guests and employees, especially our SRS instructors. Personally, it has been a privilege to lead the resort in my first season here as general manager of Crested Butte Mountain Resort. I want to thank our entire team and this community for welcoming me. I’m grateful to be a part of this community and to get to work with so many passionate and supportive neighbors.”
She added, “We’re grateful to everyone who helped us navigate our second full winter season with COVID-19. Our county public health leaders have done an incredible job encouraging vaccinations and keeping our community safe, which has allowed us and our guests to enjoy skiing and riding all season. And we’ve been able to pull back many of our COVID-19 safety protocols this season, giving us the opportunity to return to a more normal mountain experience.”
Season challenges
Shoedinger also noted the challenges the resort faced this year, especially due to COVID-19 and short-staffing. “This was a very unique season, impacted by the challenges of the pandemic – including the global labor shortage. Short-staffing was a real challenge at CBMR this season. I take full responsibility for the impact this had on our guest experience, and I’m confident we are addressing the challenges with investments in our employees. Our goal is a fully staffed team next season, which is one of the reasons we are making such a large investment in our employees’ wages.”
In March, Vail Resorts announced a new $20 per hour minimum wage, a $5 per hour increase at CBMR, effective for the 2022-23 ski and ride season. Entry-level ski patrollers and maintenance team members will start at $21 per hour.
“As we look to summer and to next winter season, we will continue to find ways to invest in our employees and the employee experience so that CBMR is an amazing place to work,” Shoedinger concluded. “This includes continuing our efforts to pursue affordable housing options for our employees in the valley.”
The mountain will open for summer operations on Saturday, June 11, and CBMR representatives said they will announce more details and activity offerings soon. To participate in the pond skim this weekend, register at https://www.skicb.com/explore-the-resort/activities-and-events/crested-butte-events.aspx.
