The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Municipalities have all expressed support for the proposal
By Alissa Johnson
Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s (CBMR) proposal to expand into the Teocalli Drainage is moving through the Forest Service review process. The Gunnison Valley’s major municipalities have all given their support to the idea—Mt. Crested Butte the latest among them—and the Forest Service has begun collecting public comment, including two public meetings later this month.
At an October 20 meeting of the Mt. Crested Butte Town Council, CBMR general manager Ethan Mueller and director of planning John Sale presented an outline of the proposed expansion, which includes a 500-acre boundary adjustment, two new lifts in the Teocalli Drainage and a replacement of the North Face T-Bar lift.
It also includes new biking and hiking trails for summer.
Sale explained that Gunnison County, the city of Gunnison and the town of Crested Butte had all formally expressed support for the project.
“With your support we will have valley-wide support for this project. It says a lot to the Forest Service that we have this unanimous support to move forward with this project,” Sale said.
“It really is all about skiing and staying competitive in skiing as a skiing destination. You guys realize that we’re hard to get to. People want to ski five or six days and our average is 3.6. We’re looking at attracting new people but also getting people to stay longer,” Sale continued.
Mueller pointed out that summer expansions will help the resort continue to serve an important role when it comes to use of the backcountry and the forest.
“We have the infrastructure and the ability to handle more of the masses than a lot of our forest can, so we want to continue to be that asset for the valley. We can handle a higher level of density,” he said.
The Mt. Crested Butte council voted unanimously in support of the expansion, with one seat vacant due to Sale’s recent resignation after moving out of town boundaries.
While CBMR has led the effort to secure support from significant community players, Sale explained that the Forest Service now has the lead role when it comes to guiding the proposal through its review under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA).
In late October, district ranger John Murphy issued a letter asking for input on the project. In it he stated that the Forest Service is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement “to consider the anticipated environmental effects of implementing select projects from the Crested Butte Mountain Resort 2013 Master Development Plan (MDP).”
Public comments on the proposed expansion may be submitted online at www.crestedbutte-eis.com, where a project overview is also available. They can also be emailed to cbmr@fs.fed.us or mailed to Scott Armentrout, Forest Supervisor, c/o Aaron Drendel, Recreation Staff Officer, Gunnison Ranger District, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests, 216 N. Colorado St., Gunnison, CO 81230.
The Forest Service is also hosting two open houses: November 18 at the Fred R. Field Western Heritage Center at 5 p.m. and November 19 at the Lodge at Mountaineer Square, also at
5 p.m.
Comments are requested by December 7.
