CBCS IS A TOP FIVE SCHOOL IN COLORADO
The Crested Butte Community School's high school just received a ranking of #5 in Colorado by US News & World Report, it was also ranked #236 nationally out of 23,000 schools. To really understand the importance of that ranking, one must consider the pool from which it exists. Of all the schools in Colorado, I would guess CBCS's high school is the smallest, with a total of 195 students. The other top 10 schools have enrollments ranging from 306 to 2178 students. As a parent of a senior, I can attest to the small size and quality of teaching. My daughter knows all of her teachers quite well, and has known most of the kids her whole life. Due to the lifestyle offered here, we get top notch teachers who really want to be here - there is a high level of competition for full time teaching jobs.
Read the CB News article here, and the US News article here.
The Crested Butte Community School's high school just received a ranking of #5 in Colorado by US News & World Report, it was also ranked #236 nationally out of 23,000 schools. To really understand the importance of that ranking, one must consider the pool from which it exists. Of all the schools in Colorado, I would guess CBCS's high school is the smallest, with a total of 195 students. The other top 10 schools have enrollments ranging from 306 to 2178 students. As a parent of a senior, I can attest to the small size and quality of teaching. My daughter knows all of her teachers quite well, and has known most of the kids her whole life. Due to the lifestyle offered here, we get top notch teachers who really want to be here - there is a high level of competition for full time teaching jobs.
Read the CB News article here, and the US News article here.
Vail Resorts is buying CBMR
So what does this mean for Crested Butte, and especially for real estate in Crested Butte? It's only a positive for both. The mountain resort gets much needed experienced resort management, and a corporation running it. What we have lacked for decades is real money and know-how behind the scenes at the resort. If you have skied here in the past, you are aware that some of our amenities on the mountain are a bit lacking. Not enough dining options, bathrooms, lodging, and transportation added up to a resort that is not only hard to get to, but hard to navigate once here. I think this change will result in a more professionally run organization and investment being put in towards upgrading the resort.
As far as real estate, I've always put a $0 valuation on the ski resort in pricing residential properties in Crested Butte. This will make that $0 a positive number and increase the valuations. I see an initial pop in valuations, but the real test will be this winter. I expect we will see a lot more people coming here that haven't been here in the past. If they see what most of us do, that will increase demand on the buy-side and drive up prices. I don't think it's the end of the world, as some people will speculate. The large evil corporation taking over the underdog resort. More like a savvy investment company seeing the potential here and being willing to risk assets towards that end.
So what does this mean for Crested Butte, and especially for real estate in Crested Butte? It's only a positive for both. The mountain resort gets much needed experienced resort management, and a corporation running it. What we have lacked for decades is real money and know-how behind the scenes at the resort. If you have skied here in the past, you are aware that some of our amenities on the mountain are a bit lacking. Not enough dining options, bathrooms, lodging, and transportation added up to a resort that is not only hard to get to, but hard to navigate once here. I think this change will result in a more professionally run organization and investment being put in towards upgrading the resort.
As far as real estate, I've always put a $0 valuation on the ski resort in pricing residential properties in Crested Butte. This will make that $0 a positive number and increase the valuations. I see an initial pop in valuations, but the real test will be this winter. I expect we will see a lot more people coming here that haven't been here in the past. If they see what most of us do, that will increase demand on the buy-side and drive up prices. I don't think it's the end of the world, as some people will speculate. The large evil corporation taking over the underdog resort. More like a savvy investment company seeing the potential here and being willing to risk assets towards that end.
Existing Home Sales Rise
Existing home sales in October rose 2% to 5.6 million units, a level not seen in 9 1/2 years.
See the article here: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/22/existing-home-sales-for-october-2016.html
See the article here: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/22/existing-home-sales-for-october-2016.html
Crested Butte Resort sells to a hedge fund: see Denver Post article here.
The resort has sold to a NY based hedge fund. The Muellers are still managing it though, so no big changes on the horizon yet. Hopefully, they will decide to inject some new capital into the resort and improve things. There has been a dearth of infrastructure and improvement investment since the Muellers have been in charge, though we are getting more skier visits. Stay tuned for news as the deal doesn't close until the second quarter of 2017 at the earliest.
The resort has sold to a NY based hedge fund. The Muellers are still managing it though, so no big changes on the horizon yet. Hopefully, they will decide to inject some new capital into the resort and improve things. There has been a dearth of infrastructure and improvement investment since the Muellers have been in charge, though we are getting more skier visits. Stay tuned for news as the deal doesn't close until the second quarter of 2017 at the earliest.
Ballot issue 2A passes - The ballot issue regarding the molybdenum mine on Red Lady has passes, so the threat of mining very close to town is now moot. See the article in the Crested Butte News here.
From the AP wire:
Leaders in the historic Colorado mining town of Crested Butte have unanimously approved a plan to turn it into the fictional "Whatever" town for a Bud Light ad campaign.
Town councilors only gave their OK only after Bud Light maker Anheuser-Busch InBev doubled its payment to $500,000.
The Denver Post reports ( http://dpo.st/YYwaQp ) fencing has already been installed for the Sept. 5-7 event that has divided the town.
The beer company has been working with town officials on the plan since the spring, but word only leaked out recently. In the meantime, the mysterious Bud Light event has been promoted online.
Bud Light marketing director David Daniels says the company picked the town for its beautiful location and its reputation for having fun.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/crested-butte-oks-bud-light-promotion-25170122
Leaders in the historic Colorado mining town of Crested Butte have unanimously approved a plan to turn it into the fictional "Whatever" town for a Bud Light ad campaign.
Town councilors only gave their OK only after Bud Light maker Anheuser-Busch InBev doubled its payment to $500,000.
The Denver Post reports ( http://dpo.st/YYwaQp ) fencing has already been installed for the Sept. 5-7 event that has divided the town.
The beer company has been working with town officials on the plan since the spring, but word only leaked out recently. In the meantime, the mysterious Bud Light event has been promoted online.
Bud Light marketing director David Daniels says the company picked the town for its beautiful location and its reputation for having fun.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/crested-butte-oks-bud-light-promotion-25170122
Ski area selling?
Article in the Denver Post about a potential change of ownership and management. Hopefully we will find out before the end of the ski season. http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_24565451/crested-butte-ski-area-operator-mueller-discussing-sale
Article in the Denver Post about a potential change of ownership and management. Hopefully we will find out before the end of the ski season. http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_24565451/crested-butte-ski-area-operator-mueller-discussing-sale
Wall Street Journal Article on driving a snowcat in Crested Butte. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303997604579240432802077414
ON COLD WINTER nights, pinpoints of light float above the darkened ridges of Crested Butte Mountain, a 12,162-foot peak in central Colorado. When I moved to the town of Crested Butte, on the valley floor below, I thought they looked like angels or the northern lights of the West.
That the flickers came from snowcats—grooming machines that turn rutted, tumbled ski runs into neat stretches of corduroy—made them no less mysterious. I was fascinated by stories about snowcat drivers using winches to lower their machines down the resort's steepest runs so they could make it back to the top. I pictured Zambonis built for snow, boxcars on treads, balanced precariously on the mountain. I longed to see them for myself.
One sunny morning last winter, I pulled on four layers of clothing, knee-high boots and a down jacket and drove to the slopes. I'd signed up for Crested Butte Mountain Resort's two-hour snowcat driving experience, which was inspired by the Big Dig in Las Vegas, where wannabe earth movers learn to run excavators. I would learn to mold snow on a course below the resort's terrain park. I was prepared for a cold and uncomfortable ride.
When I arrived, the snowfield was empty. Then a gentle hum filled the air, the purr of the snowcat, and a sleek black machine appeared. It wasn't boxy or clunky, but looked like an industrial-strength Maserati, low to the ground, fast and agile. The rounded cab had floor-to-ceiling windows that glinted in the sun. Even the plow on its front looked nimble.
The cat pulled up in front of me and its driver, Alan Gruber, hopped out. Mr. Gruber has been grooming since the late 1970s—long enough, he said, to drive a snowcat before the word "ergonomics" was invented.
"In the '70s, snowcats were pretty primitive," he laughed, and pointed to the machine's rubber tracks, lined with 58-inch-wide steel blades that looked like extra-long ice skates. Each had a nub on it to keep the machine from sliding sideways. The treads of old weren't so reliable.
"I've probably done 30 miles an hour sideways in one of these, back when grooming was a little more exciting," Mr. Gruber said
He spoke with the sort of enthusiasm most Coloradans reserve for powder days, showing me the front plow, or blade. Fourteen feet wide, it could be raised and lowered, tilted front to back and angled side to side. Teeth on its bottom edge scarified—or loosened—the snow. A power tiller in back drew from the machine's 350-horsepower motor to mold the snow into lines. Wires warmed the windshield and mirrors; even the windshield wipers were heated. The windshield alone, Mr. Gruber told me, cost $5,000.
"That's why the normal person, even if he could afford to buy one of these, couldn't afford to keep it up," he said. I wondered what kind of damage I could during my lesson.
Mr. Gruber drove first, taking laps around the snowtrack to show me how everything worked. There was nothing familiar—no steering wheel, no brake. There was one knob to rev the engine and another to set the speed; two joy sticks to steer the tracks; and a throttle with color-coded buttons to control the blade and the tiller.
The Lowdown: Snowcat Driving in Crested Butte, Colo
Getting There: Crested Butte is a 4½ hour drive from Denver. You can fly direct to Gunnison Crested Butte Regional Airport, about 45 minutes from the resort, from several cities, including Houston, Dallas and Denver.
Staying There: Crested Butte Mountain Resort has 1,547 acres of skiable terrain in the heart of the Gunnison National Forest. The Lodge at Mountaineer Square is a high-end condo-style hotel 50 yards from the slopes; many of the suites have full, modern kitchens (from $235 a night,skicb.com/lodging/mountaineer-square ). Also at the base area, the Elevation Hotel & Spa is the area's only ski-in/ski-out accommodation and has a full-service spa (from $189 per night,skicb.com/lodging/elevation-hotel-spa ).
Learning There: The Snowcat Driving Experience is two hours long, and includes transportation from the resort's base area to the course. Classes are typically offered between late December and early April, but the schedule varies with snow conditions ($199 a person, 970-349-4554).
When it was my turn, we headed across a field of fresh snow. The ground speed of a snowcat is 10 to 11 miles per hour and the machine weighs 17,000 pounds, but I felt like we were floating. Snow billowed up in front of the plow. We crested a hill and plunged over the other side as through riding a wave. On the mountain above us, skiers in helmets, goggles and thick winter jackets caught air in the terrain park, but it still seemed as though we were bobbing on an ocean.
Mr. Gruber soon deemed me ready for more. He instructed me to loosen the snow in front of us with the blade and lay a track behind us with the tiller. Under the pressure of remembering whether the green button controlled the blade or the tiller, I completely fell apart. I dug the plow so deep into the snow that chunks of dirt flew up toward the windshield. I tried to pick the blade back up but jerked the cat to the left instead. I tapped the floor with my foot, looking for a brake where there was none.
Mr. Gruber reached over and took the controls. He raised the plow, eased the cat to a stop and laughed. I looked behind us, expecting to see a giant hole or streaks of dirt marring the snow, but somehow, the trail looked perfectly groomed.
I took a few more clumsy laps around the field, practicing with the controls until I could avoid ramming the plow into the ground. When it was time for Mr. Gruber to take the driver's seat, I could not believe two hours had passed—it felt like 30 minutes.
He maneuvered the snow cat with grace and, of course, made it look easy. It occurred to me that this class was like learning to drive stick shift in a parking lot—fun and games when all you have to do is drive in circles. It's a whole different story when you get caught in rush hour traffic for the first time. Or, in Mr. Gruber's case, when you lower a snowcat down a mountain on 3,000 feet of cable. (Those stories I'd heard were true.) Driving a snowcat is probably nothing like driving a Zamboni.
ON COLD WINTER nights, pinpoints of light float above the darkened ridges of Crested Butte Mountain, a 12,162-foot peak in central Colorado. When I moved to the town of Crested Butte, on the valley floor below, I thought they looked like angels or the northern lights of the West.
That the flickers came from snowcats—grooming machines that turn rutted, tumbled ski runs into neat stretches of corduroy—made them no less mysterious. I was fascinated by stories about snowcat drivers using winches to lower their machines down the resort's steepest runs so they could make it back to the top. I pictured Zambonis built for snow, boxcars on treads, balanced precariously on the mountain. I longed to see them for myself.
One sunny morning last winter, I pulled on four layers of clothing, knee-high boots and a down jacket and drove to the slopes. I'd signed up for Crested Butte Mountain Resort's two-hour snowcat driving experience, which was inspired by the Big Dig in Las Vegas, where wannabe earth movers learn to run excavators. I would learn to mold snow on a course below the resort's terrain park. I was prepared for a cold and uncomfortable ride.
When I arrived, the snowfield was empty. Then a gentle hum filled the air, the purr of the snowcat, and a sleek black machine appeared. It wasn't boxy or clunky, but looked like an industrial-strength Maserati, low to the ground, fast and agile. The rounded cab had floor-to-ceiling windows that glinted in the sun. Even the plow on its front looked nimble.
The cat pulled up in front of me and its driver, Alan Gruber, hopped out. Mr. Gruber has been grooming since the late 1970s—long enough, he said, to drive a snowcat before the word "ergonomics" was invented.
"In the '70s, snowcats were pretty primitive," he laughed, and pointed to the machine's rubber tracks, lined with 58-inch-wide steel blades that looked like extra-long ice skates. Each had a nub on it to keep the machine from sliding sideways. The treads of old weren't so reliable.
"I've probably done 30 miles an hour sideways in one of these, back when grooming was a little more exciting," Mr. Gruber said
He spoke with the sort of enthusiasm most Coloradans reserve for powder days, showing me the front plow, or blade. Fourteen feet wide, it could be raised and lowered, tilted front to back and angled side to side. Teeth on its bottom edge scarified—or loosened—the snow. A power tiller in back drew from the machine's 350-horsepower motor to mold the snow into lines. Wires warmed the windshield and mirrors; even the windshield wipers were heated. The windshield alone, Mr. Gruber told me, cost $5,000.
"That's why the normal person, even if he could afford to buy one of these, couldn't afford to keep it up," he said. I wondered what kind of damage I could during my lesson.
Mr. Gruber drove first, taking laps around the snowtrack to show me how everything worked. There was nothing familiar—no steering wheel, no brake. There was one knob to rev the engine and another to set the speed; two joy sticks to steer the tracks; and a throttle with color-coded buttons to control the blade and the tiller.
The Lowdown: Snowcat Driving in Crested Butte, Colo
Getting There: Crested Butte is a 4½ hour drive from Denver. You can fly direct to Gunnison Crested Butte Regional Airport, about 45 minutes from the resort, from several cities, including Houston, Dallas and Denver.
Staying There: Crested Butte Mountain Resort has 1,547 acres of skiable terrain in the heart of the Gunnison National Forest. The Lodge at Mountaineer Square is a high-end condo-style hotel 50 yards from the slopes; many of the suites have full, modern kitchens (from $235 a night,skicb.com/lodging/mountaineer-square ). Also at the base area, the Elevation Hotel & Spa is the area's only ski-in/ski-out accommodation and has a full-service spa (from $189 per night,skicb.com/lodging/elevation-hotel-spa ).
Learning There: The Snowcat Driving Experience is two hours long, and includes transportation from the resort's base area to the course. Classes are typically offered between late December and early April, but the schedule varies with snow conditions ($199 a person, 970-349-4554).
When it was my turn, we headed across a field of fresh snow. The ground speed of a snowcat is 10 to 11 miles per hour and the machine weighs 17,000 pounds, but I felt like we were floating. Snow billowed up in front of the plow. We crested a hill and plunged over the other side as through riding a wave. On the mountain above us, skiers in helmets, goggles and thick winter jackets caught air in the terrain park, but it still seemed as though we were bobbing on an ocean.
Mr. Gruber soon deemed me ready for more. He instructed me to loosen the snow in front of us with the blade and lay a track behind us with the tiller. Under the pressure of remembering whether the green button controlled the blade or the tiller, I completely fell apart. I dug the plow so deep into the snow that chunks of dirt flew up toward the windshield. I tried to pick the blade back up but jerked the cat to the left instead. I tapped the floor with my foot, looking for a brake where there was none.
Mr. Gruber reached over and took the controls. He raised the plow, eased the cat to a stop and laughed. I looked behind us, expecting to see a giant hole or streaks of dirt marring the snow, but somehow, the trail looked perfectly groomed.
I took a few more clumsy laps around the field, practicing with the controls until I could avoid ramming the plow into the ground. When it was time for Mr. Gruber to take the driver's seat, I could not believe two hours had passed—it felt like 30 minutes.
He maneuvered the snow cat with grace and, of course, made it look easy. It occurred to me that this class was like learning to drive stick shift in a parking lot—fun and games when all you have to do is drive in circles. It's a whole different story when you get caught in rush hour traffic for the first time. Or, in Mr. Gruber's case, when you lower a snowcat down a mountain on 3,000 feet of cable. (Those stories I'd heard were true.) Driving a snowcat is probably nothing like driving a Zamboni.
It's been snowing! We received about 12" on Tuesday, and there is more potentially in the forecast. In Crested Butte we are hopeful (as we always are) that the snow will continue to fly and we will have a great snow year. The Red Lady lift has been open since opening day, but the Silver Queen is set to open tomorrow, Dec 6, and the East River lift the next day. I hope we have a great season, and so far, so good.
Ski area rumors and new snow
There are ample rumors flying about Crested Butte about potential new management at the ski area and its real estate properties. Nothing has been confirmed and the buyer's identity is hush hush, but there has been activity at the resort and men in suits carrying clipboards and interviewing department heads.
Here is the latest press on the rumored takeover: http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_24565451/crested-butte-ski-area-operator-mueller-discussing-sale
http://www.crestedbuttenews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5288&Itemid=40
I will keep this page updated with any confirmed news.
It is not rumor, but fact, that we have been getting snow. Another 7 inches so far today, and it's still coming down. If we get enough, the resort will try to open the Paradise lift, as well as Red Lady and Teocalli on opening day, Wednesday November 27. That would be terrific!
Here is the latest press on the rumored takeover: http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_24565451/crested-butte-ski-area-operator-mueller-discussing-sale
http://www.crestedbuttenews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5288&Itemid=40
I will keep this page updated with any confirmed news.
It is not rumor, but fact, that we have been getting snow. Another 7 inches so far today, and it's still coming down. If we get enough, the resort will try to open the Paradise lift, as well as Red Lady and Teocalli on opening day, Wednesday November 27. That would be terrific!
Crested Butte’s hippie flair is like a high-altitude Austin
From the Austin Statesman: American-Statesman Staff
Here’s what you do if you land in Crested Butte (lucky you!) in the middle of winter:
You wake up. You peel back the curtain, happily exposing the white-washed world outside. You tug on ski pants, jackets and boots, stuff a few hand warmers in your gloves (it’s cold here in the mountains) and head for Camp 4 Coffee, where you make like a local, stuff $2 in the “espresso-lane” can and pour yourself a cup of SledgeHammer.
Properly warmed, you head to the base of the ski area, where you click into skis, pull on goggles and coast to the lift, where rarely do you have to wait in line. Soon you’re whisking up the mountain, skimming over a panorama of frosted hillsides and craggy cliffs, where in one glance you take in runs that look alternately inviting and terrifying.
You spend the next six or seven hours careening down slopes until your quads burn with happiness. If you’re feeling good, you dip into the expert terrain of Teocalli Bowl, not even minding the 20-minute slog back out with skis on your shoulders. Then you reward yourself with some easier runs off the Paradise Express lift.
Finally, blissfully exhausted, you enjoy an apres-ski beer at the Avalanche, a local’s favorite, or a mojito at 9380, the slopeside patio outside the Elevation Hotel. Then there’s time for a quick soak in the hot tub before you shower up and head to town for dinner.
Crested Butte’s granola-and-pickup-truck atmosphere puts it at the top of my list of best ski towns in America. It’s real, and it puts off a hippie vibe that makes it feel like a high-altitude Austin before the tech boom hit.
We flew into Montrose, rented a car and drove two hours to Crested Butte. Midway through the week, we packed up and transferred to Telluride, about 3 hours away. Together the two ski towns make for a ying and yang sort of vacation: One half in a funky old mining town that prides itself as the birthplace of American telemark skiing, the other a more bustling, glitzy resort on its way to becoming the new Aspen.
Crested Butte isn’t on the road to anywhere; you have to be headed there to wind up in this dreamy little town.
In the late 1800s, miners flocked to the area in search of gold but didn’t find any. They found a little silver, but what kept them there was the coal. The town incorporated in 1880. An influx of Eastern Europeans, already familiar with the work, kept the mines running, and today their portraits hang on the wall of the local Mountain Heritage Museum, headed for the last 38 years by one of the town’s newer characters, Glo Cunningham.
“The old miners were so great,” Cunningham says. “They were characters in a different way. It was a very tough to be a miner. They bonded because it was such a dangerous life.”
The mines closed in 1952, but in the early 1960s the first tow bar was installed on the steep mountain just north of town and a new industry was born — skiing.
Besides a collection of skis that’ll make you appreciate modern technology (how did they ski on 10-foot planks of wood?), the museum is packed with treasures like old mining equipment, a potbellied stove and a diorama that depicts Crested Butte’s 16 square blocks in the 1920s. Really, it’s not so different now. Roads here weren’t even paved until 1975, and to this day ranchers still drive their cows down Elk Avenue.
Crested Butte attracts mostly visitors who prefer bikes, fishing rods and snow skis to designer shops, flashy galleries and high-brow eateries. (Although Soupcon, a gourmet restaurant tucked in a comfortably un-showy structure, serves notably sophisticated fare.)
“They’ve done a beautiful job of maintaining (the town’s) own character,” says Pamela Loughman, executive director of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association. “There’s a realness about it, a true sense of character and integrity. People don’t change and adapt just for the visitor.”
Crested Butte hosts a calendar full of festivals, from spring-welcoming Flauschink, where toilet plungers double as scepters, to a wildflower festival in late June.
Most winter visitors book a hotel room in Mount Crested Butte, at the base of the ski area, a few miles north of the historic old mining town. A free shuttle scoots between the two, making it easy to leave the car in the garage and hitch a ride wherever you need to go.
In town, Slogar has long ranked as my favorite post-mountain meal. Belly up for bowls of creamed corn and mashed potatoes, baskets of skillet fried chicken and homemade biscuits, all served family style. For dessert, it’s vanilla ice cream. If you somehow wind up with leftover chicken, ask for a doggie bag. Cold chicken and biscuits make a great skier’s breakfast, too.
Or slurp up some pad thai at Ginger, an amazing Thai restaurant in a vintage house.
MontanyaDistillers, a homegrown business that started in nearby Silverton, Colo., churns out barrels of light and dark rum and is open daily for tastings.
Indulge, because you’ll need fuel for the next morning, which could find you skinning with the locals.
That’s what we did, renting special narrow skis with fabric “skins” on the bottom that provide traction as you hike up the mountain at sunrise. At the top, we peeled off the skins, locked down our boots and glided back to the bottom.
Ready, of course, for a repeat performance of the previous day.
If you go: For more information about Crested Butte Mountain Resort, go to www.skicb.com. Camp 4 Coffee is located in Mountaineer Village and at 402 1/2 Elk Ave. downtown; www.camp4coffee.com. Montanya Distillers offers distillery tours daily during ski season; www.montanyarum.com. The Slogar is located at 517 Second St.; 970-349-5765. The Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum is located at 331 Elk Ave.;www.crestedbuttemuseum.com. Most restaurants and attractions close for the off-season and reopen in late November or early December to coincide with ski season. Calling ahead to check hours is recommended.
Uncrowded ski resort offers great skiing, skinning and apres-ski suds
Here’s what you do if you land in Crested Butte (lucky you!) in the middle of winter:
You wake up. You peel back the curtain, happily exposing the white-washed world outside. You tug on ski pants, jackets and boots, stuff a few hand warmers in your gloves (it’s cold here in the mountains) and head for Camp 4 Coffee, where you make like a local, stuff $2 in the “espresso-lane” can and pour yourself a cup of SledgeHammer.
Properly warmed, you head to the base of the ski area, where you click into skis, pull on goggles and coast to the lift, where rarely do you have to wait in line. Soon you’re whisking up the mountain, skimming over a panorama of frosted hillsides and craggy cliffs, where in one glance you take in runs that look alternately inviting and terrifying.
You spend the next six or seven hours careening down slopes until your quads burn with happiness. If you’re feeling good, you dip into the expert terrain of Teocalli Bowl, not even minding the 20-minute slog back out with skis on your shoulders. Then you reward yourself with some easier runs off the Paradise Express lift.
Finally, blissfully exhausted, you enjoy an apres-ski beer at the Avalanche, a local’s favorite, or a mojito at 9380, the slopeside patio outside the Elevation Hotel. Then there’s time for a quick soak in the hot tub before you shower up and head to town for dinner.
Crested Butte’s granola-and-pickup-truck atmosphere puts it at the top of my list of best ski towns in America. It’s real, and it puts off a hippie vibe that makes it feel like a high-altitude Austin before the tech boom hit.
We flew into Montrose, rented a car and drove two hours to Crested Butte. Midway through the week, we packed up and transferred to Telluride, about 3 hours away. Together the two ski towns make for a ying and yang sort of vacation: One half in a funky old mining town that prides itself as the birthplace of American telemark skiing, the other a more bustling, glitzy resort on its way to becoming the new Aspen.
Crested Butte isn’t on the road to anywhere; you have to be headed there to wind up in this dreamy little town.
In the late 1800s, miners flocked to the area in search of gold but didn’t find any. They found a little silver, but what kept them there was the coal. The town incorporated in 1880. An influx of Eastern Europeans, already familiar with the work, kept the mines running, and today their portraits hang on the wall of the local Mountain Heritage Museum, headed for the last 38 years by one of the town’s newer characters, Glo Cunningham.
“The old miners were so great,” Cunningham says. “They were characters in a different way. It was a very tough to be a miner. They bonded because it was such a dangerous life.”
The mines closed in 1952, but in the early 1960s the first tow bar was installed on the steep mountain just north of town and a new industry was born — skiing.
Besides a collection of skis that’ll make you appreciate modern technology (how did they ski on 10-foot planks of wood?), the museum is packed with treasures like old mining equipment, a potbellied stove and a diorama that depicts Crested Butte’s 16 square blocks in the 1920s. Really, it’s not so different now. Roads here weren’t even paved until 1975, and to this day ranchers still drive their cows down Elk Avenue.
Crested Butte attracts mostly visitors who prefer bikes, fishing rods and snow skis to designer shops, flashy galleries and high-brow eateries. (Although Soupcon, a gourmet restaurant tucked in a comfortably un-showy structure, serves notably sophisticated fare.)
“They’ve done a beautiful job of maintaining (the town’s) own character,” says Pamela Loughman, executive director of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association. “There’s a realness about it, a true sense of character and integrity. People don’t change and adapt just for the visitor.”
Crested Butte hosts a calendar full of festivals, from spring-welcoming Flauschink, where toilet plungers double as scepters, to a wildflower festival in late June.
Most winter visitors book a hotel room in Mount Crested Butte, at the base of the ski area, a few miles north of the historic old mining town. A free shuttle scoots between the two, making it easy to leave the car in the garage and hitch a ride wherever you need to go.
In town, Slogar has long ranked as my favorite post-mountain meal. Belly up for bowls of creamed corn and mashed potatoes, baskets of skillet fried chicken and homemade biscuits, all served family style. For dessert, it’s vanilla ice cream. If you somehow wind up with leftover chicken, ask for a doggie bag. Cold chicken and biscuits make a great skier’s breakfast, too.
Or slurp up some pad thai at Ginger, an amazing Thai restaurant in a vintage house.
MontanyaDistillers, a homegrown business that started in nearby Silverton, Colo., churns out barrels of light and dark rum and is open daily for tastings.
Indulge, because you’ll need fuel for the next morning, which could find you skinning with the locals.
That’s what we did, renting special narrow skis with fabric “skins” on the bottom that provide traction as you hike up the mountain at sunrise. At the top, we peeled off the skins, locked down our boots and glided back to the bottom.
Ready, of course, for a repeat performance of the previous day.
If you go: For more information about Crested Butte Mountain Resort, go to www.skicb.com. Camp 4 Coffee is located in Mountaineer Village and at 402 1/2 Elk Ave. downtown; www.camp4coffee.com. Montanya Distillers offers distillery tours daily during ski season; www.montanyarum.com. The Slogar is located at 517 Second St.; 970-349-5765. The Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum is located at 331 Elk Ave.;www.crestedbuttemuseum.com. Most restaurants and attractions close for the off-season and reopen in late November or early December to coincide with ski season. Calling ahead to check hours is recommended.
Uncrowded ski resort offers great skiing, skinning and apres-ski suds
Hunting for Gold - by Stephen Meyers
I drove back to Fort Collins after a visit home to the Western Slope this weekend, opting to take McClure Pass over Colorado Highway 133 from Paonia to Carbondale. I chose this way for two reasons: I hadn’t driven over the high-mountain pass through the White River National Forest in years, and I was hunting for gold.
Golden aspens that is.
Autumn has crept into Colorado’s high country, and its golden show is just around the corner. I hoped to catch the shimmer of the shaking aspen trees over McClure Pass, but alas, the trees haven’t quite turned yet. I bet if I return in a couple of weeks I’d have better luck, as Colorado’s peak autumn foliage is usually from mid-September to mid-October. This is when the large aspen groves turn stunning yellow and gold. Weather.com has a good map showing the peak times for fall foliage across the country.
Now that you know when to watch, we can help point you to where to watch the show. Read on for our top fall foliage drives across Colorado. Stock up on batteries for you camera, and send your best autumn photos to StephenMeyers @coloradoan.com.
• Kebler Pass: West of Crested Butte on Gunnison County Road 12, this 30-mile gravel road is considered by many to be the supreme color drive in the state, in part because it boasts one of the largest aspen groves in the world. The road provides quite the show, especially if you have a sunroof. Travel to the east, just below the 10,007-foot Kebler Pass summit on Ohio Pass to Gunnison for a solid one-two punch.
• McClure Pass: This 8,763-foot pass south of Carbondale along Colorado 133 and the Crystal River offers spectacular views of Ragged Peak and Chair Mountain, and the colors of the aspens and cottonwoods pop. Check out the iconic Crystal Mill.
• Maroon Bells: Be prepared to jostle for position with other sightseers as Maroon Creek Road, just southwest of Aspen, is one of the most photographed areas in Colorado. For good reason. The 14,000-foot Maroon Bells are stunning. Add a trip over Independence Pass east of Aspen to maximize the area’s beautiful country.
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Golden aspens that is.
Autumn has crept into Colorado’s high country, and its golden show is just around the corner. I hoped to catch the shimmer of the shaking aspen trees over McClure Pass, but alas, the trees haven’t quite turned yet. I bet if I return in a couple of weeks I’d have better luck, as Colorado’s peak autumn foliage is usually from mid-September to mid-October. This is when the large aspen groves turn stunning yellow and gold. Weather.com has a good map showing the peak times for fall foliage across the country.
Now that you know when to watch, we can help point you to where to watch the show. Read on for our top fall foliage drives across Colorado. Stock up on batteries for you camera, and send your best autumn photos to StephenMeyers @coloradoan.com.
• Kebler Pass: West of Crested Butte on Gunnison County Road 12, this 30-mile gravel road is considered by many to be the supreme color drive in the state, in part because it boasts one of the largest aspen groves in the world. The road provides quite the show, especially if you have a sunroof. Travel to the east, just below the 10,007-foot Kebler Pass summit on Ohio Pass to Gunnison for a solid one-two punch.
• McClure Pass: This 8,763-foot pass south of Carbondale along Colorado 133 and the Crystal River offers spectacular views of Ragged Peak and Chair Mountain, and the colors of the aspens and cottonwoods pop. Check out the iconic Crystal Mill.
• Maroon Bells: Be prepared to jostle for position with other sightseers as Maroon Creek Road, just southwest of Aspen, is one of the most photographed areas in Colorado. For good reason. The 14,000-foot Maroon Bells are stunning. Add a trip over Independence Pass east of Aspen to maximize the area’s beautiful country.
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RMBL's Marmots
A colony of small mammals lives high above Crested Butte, just on the other side of West Maroon Pass from Aspen. And, for more than fifty years, the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory there has been watching the daily lives of these yellow-bellied marmots. It’s one of the longest running animal studies in the world. Our science reporter Ellis Robinson spent several days hanging out with the marmots and the “marmot-teers” who study them. In the first of two reports, Ellis explores what data the researchers are collecting.
Listen
The mountains and meadows around the town of Gothic are outdoor laboratories for UCLA Professor Dan Blumstein. But to get an interview with the guy, you better be able to keep up. On a mountain bike.
“What scientists do you think are in the best shape?” I asked him during our ride-interview. “I don’t know.” He answered, distractedly “Ok, we’re gonna park right here.”
Blumstein directs a field ecology study of yellow-bellied marmots at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, RMBL (pronounced “Rumble”) for short.
Now on its 53rd year, the marmot research at RMBL is one of the longest-running animal field studies in the world. And its long-term dataset has led to a number of important insights both within the field of ecology, and beyond.
“Marmots understand the academic calendar. And because they understand the academic calendar, you can get most of their life when school’s aren’t in session.”
What this means for Blumstein’s team of researchers, is skiing up to the field site in the spring, where they live in cabins until the marmots hibernate, in the fall.
“Climate change of course is changing that because now they’re getting up a day earlier every year. So that’s actually, in the long-run, a good chunk of time.”
As they began emerging earlier each year, RMBL’s marmot population sky-rocketed in the early 2000‘s. Because the marmots were coming out of their burrows earlier, they had the chance to fatten up longer and reproduce more. You might call them one of the early winners of climate change. But that’s just one of the questions being answered by the “marmot-teers.”
“I can’t keep track of them all. I’ll show you the spreadsheet, it’s out of control,” says Blumstein.
The list is long. And on it is the question how individuality emerges in marmots? Believe it or not, the personalities of individual marmots can have big impacts on the larger population numbers. Blumstein relates the story of one grumpy female marmot who controlled an entire meadow and chased her daughters out, not allowing them to breed. After she died, 5, more peaceful female marmots moved into her territory and began reproducing.
“The real interesting questions are what are the benefits of having different types of animals around in the first place. So when there are lots of predators around, maybe it’s not good to be bold, maybe it is good to be bold. And so we’re testing some of those, as we speak.”
Marmot personality is something the team spends a whole lot of time looking at. “We are out in the field like... a lot of time (laughter).” That’s graduate student Adrianna Maldonado Chaparro. We spent an afternoon sharing a pair of binoculars. “We are out in the field since seven in the morning til ten, ten-thirty. And then in the afternoon, we come around four and we stay out until six, six-thirty.”
After awhile, two females emerged and started playing. “So that’s what we do all day long. You know... line-dot-line greets musical note,” says Chapparro. Line-dot-line? Musical note? Those are the names of the marmots, identified from a distance by marks that the researchers put on their backs.
Across the meadow at another burrow, PhD student Tiffany Armenta weighs marmots she trapped earlier. It is a routine measurement, but one that allows the team to understand why some marmots live, others die, and helps explain why the marmots began to thrive when climate started changing.
For more than 50 years up here, in lonely Gothic, Colorado, a small team has spent countless hours observing, tagging, weighing, and taking blood from generations of yellow-bellied marmots. The resulted data they have collected has featured in discoveries about such diverse topics as mammalian personality traits, climate change, and the evolution of fear.
And these insights would not have been possible without the solitary work of graduate students, spending their days sitting in fields looking at marmots with funny names. Armenta: “Like who are we missing here... Dracula?”
For Aspen Public Radio, I’m Ellis Robinson
Listen
The mountains and meadows around the town of Gothic are outdoor laboratories for UCLA Professor Dan Blumstein. But to get an interview with the guy, you better be able to keep up. On a mountain bike.
“What scientists do you think are in the best shape?” I asked him during our ride-interview. “I don’t know.” He answered, distractedly “Ok, we’re gonna park right here.”
Blumstein directs a field ecology study of yellow-bellied marmots at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, RMBL (pronounced “Rumble”) for short.
Now on its 53rd year, the marmot research at RMBL is one of the longest-running animal field studies in the world. And its long-term dataset has led to a number of important insights both within the field of ecology, and beyond.
“Marmots understand the academic calendar. And because they understand the academic calendar, you can get most of their life when school’s aren’t in session.”
What this means for Blumstein’s team of researchers, is skiing up to the field site in the spring, where they live in cabins until the marmots hibernate, in the fall.
“Climate change of course is changing that because now they’re getting up a day earlier every year. So that’s actually, in the long-run, a good chunk of time.”
As they began emerging earlier each year, RMBL’s marmot population sky-rocketed in the early 2000‘s. Because the marmots were coming out of their burrows earlier, they had the chance to fatten up longer and reproduce more. You might call them one of the early winners of climate change. But that’s just one of the questions being answered by the “marmot-teers.”
“I can’t keep track of them all. I’ll show you the spreadsheet, it’s out of control,” says Blumstein.
The list is long. And on it is the question how individuality emerges in marmots? Believe it or not, the personalities of individual marmots can have big impacts on the larger population numbers. Blumstein relates the story of one grumpy female marmot who controlled an entire meadow and chased her daughters out, not allowing them to breed. After she died, 5, more peaceful female marmots moved into her territory and began reproducing.
“The real interesting questions are what are the benefits of having different types of animals around in the first place. So when there are lots of predators around, maybe it’s not good to be bold, maybe it is good to be bold. And so we’re testing some of those, as we speak.”
Marmot personality is something the team spends a whole lot of time looking at. “We are out in the field like... a lot of time (laughter).” That’s graduate student Adrianna Maldonado Chaparro. We spent an afternoon sharing a pair of binoculars. “We are out in the field since seven in the morning til ten, ten-thirty. And then in the afternoon, we come around four and we stay out until six, six-thirty.”
After awhile, two females emerged and started playing. “So that’s what we do all day long. You know... line-dot-line greets musical note,” says Chapparro. Line-dot-line? Musical note? Those are the names of the marmots, identified from a distance by marks that the researchers put on their backs.
Across the meadow at another burrow, PhD student Tiffany Armenta weighs marmots she trapped earlier. It is a routine measurement, but one that allows the team to understand why some marmots live, others die, and helps explain why the marmots began to thrive when climate started changing.
For more than 50 years up here, in lonely Gothic, Colorado, a small team has spent countless hours observing, tagging, weighing, and taking blood from generations of yellow-bellied marmots. The resulted data they have collected has featured in discoveries about such diverse topics as mammalian personality traits, climate change, and the evolution of fear.
And these insights would not have been possible without the solitary work of graduate students, spending their days sitting in fields looking at marmots with funny names. Armenta: “Like who are we missing here... Dracula?”
For Aspen Public Radio, I’m Ellis Robinson
Crested Butte-Aspen hike on West Maroon in Fodor's Top 7 hikes in the US
If you're looking for a full-day adventure without the fuss of preparing for an overnight, the Maroon Bells hike from Aspen to Crested Butte should make the grade. Many visitors opt to hike from Aspen, spend the evening dining in Crested Butte, and take a shuttle back to Aspen for the night. The trail promises spectacular views of the Maroon Bells, which are a pair of peaks in the Elk Mountains with elevations above 14,000 (also known as "fourteeners"). You'll also see Pyramid Peak, Crater Lake, and into the peaks around the Gothic Valley. In the summer, the trail is home to a colorful array of wildflowers. At almost 12 miles with a 3,400 foot elevation gain, this hike can take about 6 hours depending on your level of fitness. (Those still acclimating to altitude may want to plan for a few extra stops.)
Be sure to start early as afternoon thunderstorms are common and dangerous. Wear waterproof footwear as there are a few areas with stream crossings depending on the weather. Parts of the trail can be strenuous with a number of steep climbs and loose talus rock, but the views make it well worth the effort. Hikers and backpackers start the West Maroon Trail at about 9,500 feet with a glimpse of the tranquil Crater Lake about 2 miles into the hike at about 10,000 feet. The apex of the pass includes a rather steep ascent, be prepared to pace yourself.
There are a variety of shuttle options that will pick up at the end of the trail to take you into Crested Butte or back to Aspen. Dolly's Mountain Shuttle and Alpine Express Shuttle are both recommended. Also,Maroon Bells Shuttles offers to transport your own vehicle to either trailhead.
http://www.fodors.com/news/7-best-hikes-in-the-us-6892.html
Be sure to start early as afternoon thunderstorms are common and dangerous. Wear waterproof footwear as there are a few areas with stream crossings depending on the weather. Parts of the trail can be strenuous with a number of steep climbs and loose talus rock, but the views make it well worth the effort. Hikers and backpackers start the West Maroon Trail at about 9,500 feet with a glimpse of the tranquil Crater Lake about 2 miles into the hike at about 10,000 feet. The apex of the pass includes a rather steep ascent, be prepared to pace yourself.
There are a variety of shuttle options that will pick up at the end of the trail to take you into Crested Butte or back to Aspen. Dolly's Mountain Shuttle and Alpine Express Shuttle are both recommended. Also,Maroon Bells Shuttles offers to transport your own vehicle to either trailhead.
http://www.fodors.com/news/7-best-hikes-in-the-us-6892.html
Home Sales at highest level in 5 years
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100841346
Sales of new U.S. single-family homes rose to their highest level in nearly five years in May, confirming the housing market's strengthening tone.
The Commerce Department said on Tuesday sales increased 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 476,000 units - the highest level since July 2008. It was the third straight month of gains in new home sales.
Sales increased 3.3 percent in April. Economists polled by Reuters had expected new home sales to rise to a 462,000-unit rate last month.
(Click here to track the U.S. stock market reaction to this economic report.)
Compared with May 2012, sales were up 29 percent.
Home sales data will be closely watched in the coming months for signs of strain from the rise in mortgage rates.
The housing market recovery, which is helping to soften the blow on the economy from tight fiscal policy, has been largely driven by record-low mortgage rates, thanks to the Federal Reserve's generous monetary stimulus.
The Fed last week said it expected to start slowing the pace of its bond-buying program later this year, bringing it to a halt around the middle of 2014. That has pushed up mortgage rates, which had already been rising since early May.
Economists do not believe the increase in mortgage rates is sufficient to undo the housing market recovery. Data last week showed confidence among home builders spiked to a seven-year high in June and they were upbeat about sales over the next six months and prospective buyer traffic.
Last month, the inventory of new homes on the market increased 2.5 percent to 161,000 - the highest since August 2011 - as builders ramp up production to meet the growing demand.
Still, supply remains tight, putting upward pressure on prices. The median new home price increased 10.3 percent from a year ago.
At May's sales pace it would take 4.1 months to clear the houses on the market, up from 4.0 months in April. A supply of 6.0 months is normally considered as a healthy balance between supply and demand.
Sales last month were up in the Northeast, Midwest and West. They fell in the South. Sales in the Midwest were the highest since November 2007.
Sales of new U.S. single-family homes rose to their highest level in nearly five years in May, confirming the housing market's strengthening tone.
The Commerce Department said on Tuesday sales increased 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 476,000 units - the highest level since July 2008. It was the third straight month of gains in new home sales.
Sales increased 3.3 percent in April. Economists polled by Reuters had expected new home sales to rise to a 462,000-unit rate last month.
(Click here to track the U.S. stock market reaction to this economic report.)
Compared with May 2012, sales were up 29 percent.
Home sales data will be closely watched in the coming months for signs of strain from the rise in mortgage rates.
The housing market recovery, which is helping to soften the blow on the economy from tight fiscal policy, has been largely driven by record-low mortgage rates, thanks to the Federal Reserve's generous monetary stimulus.
The Fed last week said it expected to start slowing the pace of its bond-buying program later this year, bringing it to a halt around the middle of 2014. That has pushed up mortgage rates, which had already been rising since early May.
Economists do not believe the increase in mortgage rates is sufficient to undo the housing market recovery. Data last week showed confidence among home builders spiked to a seven-year high in June and they were upbeat about sales over the next six months and prospective buyer traffic.
Last month, the inventory of new homes on the market increased 2.5 percent to 161,000 - the highest since August 2011 - as builders ramp up production to meet the growing demand.
Still, supply remains tight, putting upward pressure on prices. The median new home price increased 10.3 percent from a year ago.
At May's sales pace it would take 4.1 months to clear the houses on the market, up from 4.0 months in April. A supply of 6.0 months is normally considered as a healthy balance between supply and demand.
Sales last month were up in the Northeast, Midwest and West. They fell in the South. Sales in the Midwest were the highest since November 2007.
Home prices up 10.9%
Wildflower Festival coverage in SF Chronicle
