The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
It’s snow dance time
By Kendra Walker
Given the exceptionally long, dry fall we’ve had here in the Gunnison Valley, it’s hard to believe that ski season is already upon us. But thanks to the hard work of the mountain operations teams, Crested Butte Mountain Resort is gearing up for Opening Day on November 26 for the 2025/2026 winter season.
“It’s our 64th season, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome skiers and riders back to the mountain,” said CBMR communications manager Katie Lyons. “It takes hundreds of hours of work to prepare the resort for Opening Day even with the most optimal weather conditions, so we couldn’t be more grateful to our teams working around the clock to make this happen.”
According to Lyons, snowmaking efforts are primarily focused on the lower-mountain zones near the Red Lady Express. “We anticipate that we’ll be able to offer skiing and riding off the Red Lady Express on Opening Day. Guests can look forward to fresh corduroy on classic runs like Warming House Hill and Keystone,” she said.
CBMR’s Opening Day celebrations will include a first chair banner break at 9 a.m., poster handouts and a costume contest at 2:30 p.m. Check-in for the costume contest is from 1-2 p.m. at Rooster Run restaurant (top of the Treasury Building).
Uphill access will also resume and while there aren’t any immediate changes to routes or policies, Lyons encourages the community to continue using the CBMR uphill access hotline to check for route status updates and familiarize themselves with the mountain’s uphill policies found on skicb.com/uphill.
“We’re excited to welcome our enthusiastic uphill community back to the resort this season,” she said. “We also want to invite our community to our second annual Uphill Access Town Hall. Hosted on December 4 at Rooster Run, this discussion-based forum will be used to share the latest uphill info with our community and hold space for community members to voice questions about the program and receive real-time answers.”
Lyons said that the mountain ops teams also worked on some trail upgrades over the summer and fall months, cutting brush on various mountain zones including Bakery Trees, Bambino Glades and kids’ trails near the Painter Boy lift to create a more enjoyable ski experience on those trails.
“Beyond that, we’re looking forward to getting back to what we do best: offering unmatched extreme skiing and riding opportunities, fun events and some of the best views found at any ski resort in Colorado and beyond!” she said.
If you haven’t bought your ski pass yet, Epic Passes go off-sale for the season on December 4. See you on the slopes!
