CBMR getting ready for winter season– what about you?

Here, then, are five reasons why or why not to pull the trigger. Reason number one: Last year on-hill operations were amazing. By and large CBMR knocked it out of the park when it came to opening terrain, controlling for snow hazards, keeping visitors safe and stoking out long-time skiers. On top of that the CBMR ski patrol operated one of the west’s best avalanche dog programs, dropped ropes in time for the holidays and celebrated the season like gods. If the mountain keeps it up and the weather allows, skiers and snowboarders could once again see minimal hassles on the hill and the extremes open by Christmas. However, if for some reason operations suffer and the snow doesn’t fall, it’s possible that parts of the resort will remain closed, forcing large groups of schralpers to compete for that bit of fluff along the rope line. Reason number two: More and new terrain continues to be developed. For the second season running, CBMR employees have worked with the Forest Service to identify and clear appropriate areas for gladed skiing. According to CBMR innovations manager Erica Mueller, “Intermediate skiers looking for more gentle terrain should get ready to weave through the trees in the East River area and off the Teocalli Lift.” This means there will be more room for skiers to spread out, and more opportunities to introduce friends and family to what the mountain has to offer without scaring the pants off them. The development has not led to the opening of Teo 2, or more extreme/hike-accessed terrain, yet. Reason number three: Get fit, get fast. After a less than well received announcement regarding the cost of skiing uphill, CBMR will continue its decision to NOT charge Peak Pass and Peak Pass Plus holders for uphill access. Those men and women who want to spend their mornings skinning up the resort’s avalanche-controlled trails can keep on doing so. Those looking for a little more spice to their up and down can head to the nearby backcountry; however, there’s a cost to that as well, and skiers with brains will factor in the price of beacons, shovels, education, probes and friends before walking out the door. Reason number four: Tubing, snow bikes, increased ski storage and deals on lift tickets at partner resorts are all perks of the Peak and Peak Plus Pass. Though most pass holders will use their passes for skiing on the mountain, CBMR is offering a host of perks to pass holders including deals on lift tickets to Loveland, Grand Targhee and Taos, and snowbike rentals for touring around the resort. For more information on the benefits beyond on-mountain skiing, visit www.skicb.com/passbenefits. Reason number five: It’s skiing on some of the best in-bounds terrain in the nation. Over and over this summer the News has received letters and comments about why “we all moved/live here.” People have written in about the beauty, the views, the flowers and the community. Those things are great, but we moved here for the skiing. We wanted to scare ourselves on Fredo’s, make four huge sweeping turns down the Headwall, billy goat through Highlife and race our friends down International. This is a mountain town. Having a pass is a celebration of our culture, a ticket for admission to the party. It can also, however, be one more expense and Crested Butte is blessed with a big backcountry back yard, although as mentioned above, that too comes with a price. Right now CBMR is working to ready the resort for the upcoming season. Work on the Silver Queen lift will start after September 14 and crews around the mountain will be working to ready all facilities for winter, said Mueller. In addition, the marketing group is working on selling the resort to new and familiar markets and the lodging and travel departments are putting together visitor packages and deals. “Things are busy with winter, already,” said Mueller, despite this summer’s not being quite over. “The bike crew is still working away at getting the new beginner trail done in the next couple of weeks. If you ride the Red Lady lift, you can see the work in progress and it looks awesome. Kudos to the bike crew for keeping our summer riding in tip-top shape and continuing to add more trails to the Evolution Bike Park.” With that, it’s time to revel in what’s left of summer and plan for winter.