The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Donation Day, live music, AJ, Pond Skim
by Kendra Walker
It’s March, which means lots of activity at Crested Butte Mountain Resort as we head into the final weeks of winter ski and snowboard operations. With many events benefiting local Gunnison Valley organizations, there’s no better reason to get out for some spring turns, don a costume or two, and celebrate an exceptional winter season.
Donation Day
On Thursday, March 16, CBMR will hold its annual Donation Day to benefit local non-profit Mountain Roots Food Project. Mountain Roots helps address food insecurities in the Gunnison Valley through various food assistance and education programs. Mountain Roots will be collecting donations at the base area from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and individual donations will be matched up to a guaranteed total of $2,500 from the EpicPromise Foundation. Last season, CBMR’s Donation Day raised $14,143 for Mountain Roots.
Events galore
Throughout the month of March, CBMR is hosting a Ski Town Breakdown concert series with free live music at on-mountain restaurants every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. On March 11, DJ Viking Sound Machine will play at the Umbrella Bar and on March 18, Tyler Hansen Band will perform at Paradise Warming House. For the final spring concert of the season, reggae-rock group Luna Shade will provide tunes at Butte 66 and the base area from 2 to 5 p.m., complete with swag giveaways and beverage sampling.
On March 19, the 49th Al Johnson will take place, as participants equipped with telemark skis and costumes climb 660 vertical feet before descending 1,200 feet down the mountain’s notorious extreme terrain. It’s all for fun and a good cause, as proceeds benefit the Crested Butte Avalanche Center, the valley’s avalanche and weather forecasting non-profit. Registration is now open, visit www.skicb.com/blog/spring-events-at-crested-butte-mountain-resort to register and for more info.
Then on April 1, CBMR will host its annual Pond Skim event for one final celebration before closing day on April 2. All proceeds go toward Crested Butte State of Mind, a local non-profit that provides mental health resources to people in the Gunnison Valley. Registration will open in the coming weeks.
With a busy spring break season on the horizon, CBMR vice president and general manager Tara Schoedinger confirmed with the Crested Butte News that CBMR has a fully staffed team this year. She also refuted recent rumors of guest services staff and part-time employees being let go.
“I can confirm that we have not laid off any team members this season,” she said. “Every season has peak times and non-peak times, and as we do every season, my team and I flex employee hours based on the needs of the business. With a fully staffed team this year, we recognize that more team members are seeing variations in their scheduled hours between peak and non-peak times, and we are being mindful of the requests and needs of each employee as best we can.”
She concluded, “The work our team members do every day provides our guests with the best possible experience at CBMR, and I am incredibly proud of everyone’s hard work and dedication. Because of the hard work of our amazing team and the generosity of Mother Nature, it has been a fantastic season so far. We have 100% of our terrain open for only the third time ever. We are looking ahead to a great March with the fun events we have planned for our community and our guests and spring skiing and riding—right around the corner.”
2023/2024 passes on sale
And even though this ski season isn’t over quite yet, Epic Passes for the 2023/2024 season went on sale this week. Epic Local Passes, which include unlimited days at CBMR, are currently $676. Starting next winter, guests will be able to buy their pass or lift ticket online, store it on their phone with the new My Epic app and get their phone scanned to reduce the need to visit the ticket window or wait for a pass in the mail. Plastic cards will still be available for those that do not want to use their phone as their pass or lift ticket.
