Crested Butte takes the title in Ski Town Throwdown

And it’s only going to get better with CBMR openings and festivities

Not only is new ski terrain, including some of the steeps, opening the earliest in years, the community helped push the town into a prominent place in the ski world this week. After two months of online voting and five rounds of competition Crested Butte was awarded the title of Best Ski Town in North America by Powder Magazine.

According to Powder, “Crested Butte was rated as a 15-seed in the Rocky Mountain West region, but the mountain beat the odds in the 64-town/ski area field, overcoming Powder Mountain/Snowbasin, Aspen, Big Sky, Sun Valley, Stevens Pass, and the tournament runner-up, Eaglecrest, Alaska, by a record final score of 17,156 votes to 17,063.”
This was Crested Butte’s second year as a serious contender in the Throwdown, having finished in eighth place last year, and many people were determined to see the town go all the way.
“It was a community push,” said Crested Butte Mountain Resort marketing director Erica Mueller. “The magazine contacted CBMR, but it was truly about the town.”
At each stage in voting, CBMR employees and vested locals worked to spread the word about the competition and the greatness of Crested Butte. From the writing on the sidewalks to the chatter at local watering hole Kochevar’s, every effort was made to get out the vote.
Like many others, local extremes skier and regular CBMR coverman Jack Weise went to Facebook to spread the love of Crested Butte and encourage participation in the Throwdown.
“Alright everyone, last and final round,” said Weise in a post from December 9. “The support and the community make our town the greatest (a really rad mountain helps, too) show your support and Vote!!!”
It was that kind of enthusiasm that brought Crested Butte the win.
“Everyone should be proud,” said Mueller. “This was not just a CBMR effort. To be a town of 3,000 and to reach the number of people we did, and to go up against some of the towns we went up against speaks volumes to who we are and who we can be.”
In its profile of Crested Butte post-win, Powder quoted Gabe Martin, owner of the Colorado Freeskier as saying, “Crested Butte is known for steep terrain and for hosting one of the longest running big mountain competitions in the country (Freeskiing Extremes, a FWQ 4-star event), but it’s also the kind of place where fundraisers are thrown for your neighbor’s dog who needs surgery—and the entire town comes out to show support.”
Mueller said CBMR has plans to showcase its new title on marketing materials and in advertising campaigns, but that the win was about more than just bragging rights.
“One of my biggest hopes was that we could come together as a community,” she said. “That’s been accomplished. Now we want to let it be known how great this little town is. To be able to say we are the number one town in North America is pretty powerful.”
With the competition over, Mueller said, CBMR will continue to push the envelope with new terrain openings, holiday celebrations and hopefully an increasing snow pack.
“So far this winter has been awesome,” she said. “The snow has been great and unlike in the recent past we’ve been able to open new terrain, including areas of extreme terrain, at a steady rate.”
CBMR opened the North Face lift on Wednesday, December 18 and will open the Prospect and Goldlink lifts on Saturday, December 21.
According to CBMR, the response to these openings and others earlier in the season has been incredibly positive with lots of visitor days and advanced bookings. As of press time Mueller said room nights were just 1 percent off of last year for the week of December 20-27, with the drop likely being attributed to the timing of school vacations. However, for the week of December 28-January 4, bookings are up 20 percent to-date.
“Get ready,” said Mueller. “We should see a big push the last week of the year.”
To celebrate what may be the busiest time of the year, several events are happening in the next few weeks. The ice carvers are currently working in the base area and Mountaineer Square to create one-of-a-kind sculptures, and the gingerbread house contest is under way with all entries having to be submitted at Trackers by Sunday, December 22. Local radio station KBUT will also be broadcasting from the Butte 66 deck December 28-30.
“Having KBUT there always heightens the energy at the base area,” said Mueller. “It’s a fun time.”
CBMR will once again be a landing pad for Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. The sleigh will be coming down Warming House hill at about 4:30 p.m., and will be followed by a torchlight parade at 5 p.m. There will be opportunities for kids to meet and have their picture taken with Santa.
New Year’s Eve will see a second torchlight parade and a fireworks display at the resort.
“We’re looking toward a busy, festive season,” said Mueller. “Now let’s all hope it snows!”