Crested Butte’s Flauschink, Pond Skim & Live Music to Wrap Up Ski Season

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (March 16, 2012) — The last weekend of ski and snowboard season isn’t a quiet occasion in “Colorado’s Last Great Ski Town,” Crested Butte, where the expected rarely happens. Locals and visitors will be flushing out winter and welcoming spring at the annual Flauschink, April 4 – 8, and on closing weekend at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.

44th Annual Flauschink, April 4 - 8

• Pre-Flauschink festivities begin at Talk of the Town on Wednesday, April 4 with a 7 p.m. slide show at the Talk of the Town by Dr. Duane Vandenbusche, a Western State College (WSC) history professor and authority on Gunnison County and Colorado history. A Flauschink tale also will be told by George Sibley, founder of Flauschink and a retired WSC professor. The cost is $4 with a Flauschink button and $7 without a button. • Flauschink officially kicks off with a coronation ball held on Friday, April 6 at 9 p.m. to crown the new king and queen and enjoy an evening of polka dancing (a Crested Butte tradition) with the Pete Dunda Polka Band at The Eldo. The cost usually is $5 with a button and $8 without a button. • The king and queen of Flauschink typically have three things in common: they are involved in the community, enjoy longtime resident status, and are held in high esteem by other locals. A parade on Saturday, April 7, honors the king and queen as they proudly raise scepters made from toilet plungers (with a dual function as beverage holders), gives “Has-Been” royalty the chance to wear their crowns and ride on a float again, and provides a reason to rain down fun on Elk Avenue, Crested Butte’s historic business district. The parade will begin at 5 p.m.• On Sunday, April 8, the festival and ski season will draw to a fitting close with the Flauschink king and queen holding court on the slopes at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Skiers and snowboarders pass by Flauschink Hill, above the Uley’s Cabin deck, to toast royalty. Flauschink buttons are sold for $3 at several local businesses in Crested Butte to raise money for the festival and to provide discounts on slide show and coronation ball tickets. Also view memorabilia in the Flauschink exhibit at the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum. For more information, call festival organizer and 1996 Flauschink Queen Michelle English at (970) 349-7348.Closing Weekend Fun at Crested Butte Mountain Resort

During the ski area’s Moonlight Snowshoe Tours on April 6, enjoy the thrill of snowshoeing moonlit mountain trails after being transported by a snowcat. The cost is $75 per person. For information and reservations, call (970) 349-4554 or visit www.skicb.com. The last Saturday of the season means filling up a “pond” at the ski base to watch costumed skiers and boarders attempt to cross the water without crashing or sinking. Fun to participate in, but more fun to watch! The pond skim runs from 3:30 – 5 p.m. (onsite registration on the Butte 66 deck), followed by après ski music featuring local band Buntron Smith at Butte 66.Closing day festivities on April 8 will start off with a noon Easter egg hunt in the Mountaineer Square courtyard, sponsored by the Mt. Crested Butte Town Center Community Association. Two bands, Mine Control and the Bill Powers Trio, will play on the deck of mid-mountain Uley’s Cabin from noon to 6 p.m. For more information about closing weekend activities, visit www.skicb.com.Spring Deal

The “Hot Deal: Ski & Stay in Paradise” is available from March 26 – April 8, 2012. Choose from 19 properties in the Gunnison-Crested Butte Valley starting at $62 per person, with packages priced to include one night of lodging for two adults per room and two adult lift tickets. Additional nights and lift tickets can be added. Go to www.paradisepackage.com. Vacation Packages & Visitor Information

To find out more about Gunnison-Crested Butte’s calendar of events and other personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association’s toll-free number (800) 814-8893 or visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com. Find the Tourism Association on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gcbta or follow us on www.twitter.com/gcbta. The Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is served year-round by United Airlines and in the winter by Continental Airlines and American Airlines.About Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado

Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado. Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing. Gunnison-Crested Butte is also a haven for outdoor summer activities. In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding. Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options — from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels. Gunnison, county seat and a real western town, is home to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Gunnison Valley Observatory, Pioneer Museum and Western State College, a four-year institution offering majors in the liberal arts and sciences and professional fields. Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities. Recognized as the “Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado” by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Dozen Distinctive Destinations” in 2008, Crested Butte is 28 miles from Gunnison and the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Only three miles up the road is the resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, home to the ski area, an active base area, the area’s conference center, and outstanding hiking and biking trails. Marble is located in the Upper Crystal River Valley along the Elk Mountains and is the gateway to nearby Crystal, home to one of the most photographed mill sites in the country. Marble has seven sites on the National Register of Historic Places and is the location of the Yule Marble Quarry.In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado’s largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our country’s newest national parks. Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. Gunnison County is part of the West Elk Loop and Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byways.