News Releases

Crested Butte’s season gets underway Wednesday, November 22 with skiing and riding off Red Lady Express and Peachtree Express

Opening day festivities will include a DJ; tutu, swag and poster giveaways; free snacks; a first chair banner break; and the debut of a brand-new pizza restaurant 

CBMR is looking forward to an exciting season of events, which includes celebrating the 50th Al Johnson Memorial Telemark Race and welcoming the YETI Natural Selection Tour DUELS to Crested Butte 

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. — Nov. 20, 2023 – Crested Butte Mountain Resort will kick off its 62nd season of skiing and riding on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Guests will be able to enjoy plenty of opening day fun to mark the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday. With Beaver Creek also opening on Nov. 22, skiers and snowboarders can access all five 5 Epic Pass resorts in Colorado starting Wednesday. 

CRESTED BUTTE MOUNTAIN RESORT KICKS OFF 62nd SEASON 

Crested Butte’s 62nd season will get underway at 9:00 am on Wednesday with skiing and riding off Red Lady Express, Peachtree Express and Aspen Conveyor. Crested Butte will open with nearly 35 acres of terrain, thanks to more than three feet of natural snowfall so far this season combined with the work of CBMR’s impressive snowmaking team and all-new air compressors to support snowmaking operations. Open trails will include Peanut, Lower Keystone, Warming House Hill, Augusta and High Tide, as well as the Ski and Ride School learning areas. Widened sections of Houston and the intersection of Peanut and Lower Keystone, some of the most popular beginner trails, will give guests more space to make turns this winter. 

We will kick off the season in true Crested Butte style with high-energy fun, including a banner break, free snacks and Be Wild neck gaiters, opening day poster giveaways, a tutu station, and a DJ on the snow by Red Lady Express. As skiers work up an appetite, dining options will be available throughout the base area at Butte 66 Bar & Grille, Coal Breaker Coffee Co, and our brand-new pizza restaurant, Highlife Crust and Crafts. Butte 66 will be offering happy hour specials all day. 

“We are so excited to welcome guests back to CBMR for the 23/24 winter season,” said Tara Schoedinger, vice president and general manager at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. “From tutu giveaways and limited-edition, locally designed posters to the highly anticipated banner break, it’s going to be a day filled with smiles and stoke. We can’t wait to carry that energy throughout the entire ski and ride season!”  

Signature Events Return to Crested Butte Mountain Resort 

The Mt. Crested Butte community is thrilled to welcome back some of its most cherished winter traditions as well as fan favorites. Events this season include: 

• Light Up the Night – Dec. 9: In partnership with the town of Mt. Crested Butte, we invite you to join us at the Lodge at Mountaineer Square for the annual lighting of the tree and menorah. 

• Rock on Ice – Dec. 14-19: Renowned ice carving artists from the group 'Rock on Ice' return to the base area to ply their skills in celebration of the holiday season. Join us throughout the process for carving demonstrations and to watch the sculpture garden grow. Guests may then enjoy the sculptures in the base area for as long as they last! 

• New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade and Fireworks – Dec. 31: Crested Butte's finest ski and snowboard instructors wind their way down the mountain bearing torches that light up the night – followed by a fireworks show to celebrate the new year!  

• Ski Town Breakdown Presented by MTN DEW– Jan. 13, Feb. 17, Mar. 16: One Saturday a month, enjoy live tunes, cold drinks, good vibes and swag giveaways at CBMR’s free concert series in the base area sponsored by MTN DEW. Look forward to a big President’s Day weekend Base Bash complete with a DJ, prizes and free beverage sampling. 

• Natural Selection Tour DUELS Celebration – Feb. 7: The brainchild of snowboarding icon Travis Rice, the Natural Selection Tour features the world’s top snowboarders competing on natural and naturally enhanced terrain to crown the top men’s and women’s all-around snowboarders in the world. Crested Butte Mountain Resort will host one of six YETI Natural Selection DUELS events: a series of head-to-head competitions deciding who will advance to the final two stages of the Tour in Revelstoke, British Columbia. While the DUEL itself is not open to the public, the entire community is invited to celebrate YETI Natural Selection DUELs coming to town with a free concert and party on snow next to Red Lady Express on Feb. 7. Video edits of the Crested Butte-area DUELS will be available online in late February 2024, when people can see all the action from Natural Selection DUELS and find out who will move on to the next round. 

• Toyota Music Den Spring Après Series – Mar. 15, 22 & 29: A Our partners at Toyota are bringing the party to the base area with a three-part Friday spring music series at the Toyota Music Den! Enjoy live local music after coming off the slopes, plus drinks from the Butte 66 pop-up bar. 

• 50th Annual Al Johnson Memorial Telemark Race – Mar. 17: Back for its 50th year! In tribute to a rugged 19th century mailman, competitors test their strength and endurance while wearing wild costumes and Telemark skis! First they climb 660 vertical feet, then descend 1,200 feet down double-black diamond steeps. 

• Pond Skim – April 6: The end of ski season is one last excuse to celebrate, dress up in silly costumes and gather for fun events like CBMR’s pond skim, where contestants skim across water on their skis and snowboards, all while trying to put out the best trick.   

NEW: Pizza is Back in the Base Area! 

Highlife Crust & Crafts, formerly known as Woodstone Grille, is bringing the après pizza party back to Mt. Crested Butte this winter! Located in the Grand Lodge next to the Transit Center, Highlife Crust & Crafts will serve up a variety of pizzas and draft brews in addition to happy hour specials with to-go pizza slices from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. The pizza will be hand-tossed with dough made in-house from scratch, using the highest quality ingredients. In the morning, Highlife Crust & Crafts will serve made-to-order breakfast options for dine-in and take-out, including breakfast burritos, egg scramblers and fresh-baked cinnamon rolls. 

More Food and Beverage Upgrades 

Guests will also have new menu choices this season at several food and beverage outlets, along with the return of many popular items: 

• Located at the base of Paradise Express, Paradise Warming House will introduce all-new pho-inspired noodle bowls for winter 2023/24, for a lighter experience that's still comforting on a cold day. Paradise will also have your classic ski lodge eats, from burgers to soups and chili. Epic Pass Holders save 20% on food and non-alcoholic beverages at Paradise with Epic Mountain Rewards. 

• Butte 66 Bar & Grille will be offering full bar service in the base area this winter with a barbeque-inspired menu and a lively après scene, including happy hour specials and extended hours on the weekends beginning in late December. 

• Back for its second season, Rooster Run is located adjacent to Butte 66 in the base area and will operate Friday through Sunday for winter 2023/24. It’s a quick option for dine-in or take-out, with a menu specializing in chicken and fries (with a vegetarian option, of course!). 

• Coal Breaker Coffee Co. will expand its offerings to include smoothies for winter 2023/24, in addition to artisan-style sandwiches, house-made pastries, soups, and grab-and-go salads and breakfast sandwiches. 

• Located at the bottom of Peanut run off Red Lady Express, Uley’s Cabin will continue to offer its classic upscale Colorado-style menu indoors. Reservations are recommended through OpenTable and will become available in early December. Outdoors, guests can play games like cornhole and giant Jenga while enjoying creative American-style favorites on the grill. 

• The Umbrella Bar at Ten Peaks will have quick comfort eats, cocktails, and signature views of the Gunnison Valley from the top of Painter Boy chairlift. New for winter 2023/24, Epic Pass Holders can get 20% off food and non-alcoholic beverages at The Umbrella Bar with Epic Mountain Rewards!