02/14/2010 - Lansing State Journal
Michael Patrick Shiels, Lansing State Journal
I had bought six bottles of PowerAid in an attempt to stay hydrated but struggled to juggle them as I made my way through the snazzy lobby of the Elevation Hotel and Spa at the Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
"Let me get you a bag, sir," said a young man in casual ski clothes. "I'm off duty now, but I work here, so I'd like to help."
I always thought Midwesterners were the nation's friendliest people until I got that dose of Colorado hospitality.
Sure, I was only 12 miles from Aspen as the crow flies over the mountain ridge, but Crested Butte was figuratively a million miles from the glitz, fashion and celebrity buzz of the Aspen scene. The friendliness at Crested Butte happily felt more like Michigan's Up North ski resorts than what we consider to be the "out west" scene.
Crested Butte, buzzing with everything from international vacationers to dreadlocked locals, was more "hang ten" surfing attitude than "snow bunny" fashion show, making it a comfortable and colorful place for serious Michigan skiers and families to visit.
And did I mention it's affordable?
Big challenges
Experienced and novice skiers will tell you that just getting to the hill is the sport's biggest challenge - layering ski clothes, renting skis, lugging equipment to the lifts, and tromping around in the big, heavy boots.
The intimate proximity of the contemporary Elevation Hotel and Spa, Grand Lodge, and various other lodges and condos at Crested Butte - virtually adjacent to the ski shop and rental center - make getting into the action seamless and painless, with less than 200 feet to cover.
An uncomplicated trail map system begins with two long, fast, side-by-side express chairlifts, The Red Lady and Silver Queen, both of which give skiers and snowboarders the option, once they reached the top, of schussing down a multitude of varied runs in excess of 2.5 miles that lead right back to the starting point. This is handy for families, groups and skiers of various skill and thrill levels who like to ride up the mountain together but prefer to choose their own appropriate route down.
As host of the U.S. Extreme Skiing Championships for more than 20 years, Crested Butte might have been better named "Crested Brute," because the mountain offers more double-black-diamond runs than any other Colorado resort.
Those treacherous challenges and rocky, steep chutes are still the land of the freestylers, but the average, or even cautious, winter enthusiast can admire the peaks - 12,000 feet of elevation, from the tumbling, twisting fast and friendly green and blue runs leading down though the trees to the 9,400-foot base.
Once at the bottom, don't expect to see long lift lines, because Crested Butte, a big-time resort, has the feel of a small-town secret. The secret is getting out due in part to the welcoming price specials and packages that include free lift tickets and complimentary flights. Children 7 to 12 ski free, and some lodging and lift ticket combinations begin as low as $110 per night.
"What is the first thing you think of when I say 'Crested Butte'?" asked Kirsten Texler, the former Olympic figure skater and Ice Capades star, now the resort's public relations manager.
"Where is it?" is the most common reply.
Day on the mountain
Crested Butte is a 30- minute drive from Gunnison, a small Rocky Mountain town, 45 minutes southwest of Denver by air. In this area, skiing is a way of life. After overnight snowfalls, businesses are known to shut down for the morning so everyone can take advantage of the fresh powder. On a Saturday morning, 50 teenagers in colorful hats clutching their snowboards piled onto the 10 a.m. bus to go up Crested Butte and spend a day on the mountain.
After an inexpensive shuttle ride across the same pristine landscape - not a chain store in sight - you'll find a genuine, historic western town: Victorian storefronts, shops, old time saloons and modern restaurants. A 10-minute shuttle ride takes visitors up to the resort area where they can enjoy apres-ski revelry including slopeside or even on-slope dining via sleigh.
When skiing down the Lower Twister run, you come across the opportunity for a gourmet lunch at Uley's Cabin. Uley Scheer, the bootlegger for whom the cabin is named, would be proud to see skiers bellied up to an outdoor bar made of ice in front of the cabin.
The bootlegging Ice Bar, and the Red Lady Lift (named for a "red light" prostitute during the Silver Rush era), are perfect examples of Crested Butte Mountain Resort's claim to be "steeped in history - but salted with irreverence."
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