Spring Events + Deals = Stellar Finale to Ski Season in Gunnison-Crested Butte

FestEVOL, Flauschink, Moonlight Tours, Extreme Freeskiing Championships & More

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (March 10, 2011)- With 310 inches of snow already this winter and some of the best ski and snowboard conditions in Colorado, many great deals and events will wrap up the season in style.

Spring Events
March 16-20, 24-26   "The X" Presented by CB Mountain Theatre, Mallardi Cabaret Theatre
March 17 - 19        15th Annual U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Championships, CB Mtn. Resort
March 18        Full Moon Yurt Dinner Tour, Crested Butte Nordic Center
March 19         Moonlight Snowshoe Tour, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
March 19        Progressive Bonfire Dinner (on Nordic skis or snowshoes), Town Ranch
March 19 - 26         Matthew Shepard Foundation Gay Ski Week, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
March 20        Al Johnson Memorial Uphill/Downhill Telemark Ski Race, CB Mountain Resort
March 25        KBUT's Soul Train Night, Tequila's, Crested Butte
March 25         Four Seasons Quartet of The Colorado Symphony, CB Center for the Arts
March 25 - 26        14th Annual Elk Mountains Grand Traverse, Crested Butte to Aspen 
March 26        FestEVOL featuring O.A.R. and Pete Kilpatrick Band with special guest DJ Logic,    
       Crested Butte Mountain Resort
March 31        ArtWalk Evening, Studios & Galleries in Crested Butte
March 31 - April 3     Flauschink, Crested Butte & Mt. Crested Butte
April 2          Bump & Jump Competition & Pond Skimming, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
April 3          Bluegrass by Spring Creek at Uley's Cabin, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
April 3          Crested Butte Mtn. Resort & Crested Butte Nordic Center Wrap Up the Season

Flight Sale
Take advantage of spring break fare deals on Continental Airlines' new direct jet service from Houston to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport by booking travel by March 25. Sample round-trip fares are $267 from Indianapolis, $294 from Jacksonville, $303 from San Francisco and $309 from Chicago. These fares are non-peak examples, do not include taxes or fees and are valid for travel from March 21 - April 1, 2011. A one-night minimum stay is required, and fares are based on availability.  Additional baggage fees may apply.

Crested Butte
With The Inn at Crested Butte's End of Ski Season Celebration, any standard room (all rooms except suites) is available for $115 per night plus tax from March 20 - April 2, 2011.  Breakfast is not offered during this time, but coffee will be available every morning. Visit www.innatcrestedbutte.net or call (877) 343-2111.
 
Depending on length of stay, Save 10 to 20 Percent at Pioneer Guest Cabins, located inside the Gunnison National Forest south of Crested Butte.  Until April 4, 2011, stay two nights, receive 10 percent off; three nights, 15 percent off; and four nights, 20 percent off. Discounted lift tickets are available if you ski two or more days.  This offer is subject to taxes and availability.  Call (970) 349-5517 and ask for the "All Winter Season Deal."   Also visit www.pioneerguestcabins.com.

The Downtown Crested Butte Lodging Association is offering Teacher Appreciation specials from March 18 to April 3, 2011. Examples include 20 percent off at The Ruby of Crested Butte and lodging and lift ticket deals from $77 per person, per night (quad occupancy for a family of four) to $96 per person, per night (double occupancy) at Old Town Inn.  To view more specials from Elk Mountain Lodge, Elizabeth Anne Bed & Breakfast and Purple Mountain Bed & Breakfast, visit www.downtowncrestedbutte.com/teachers. 

The association also is offering several Military Deals this winter, including 25 percent off at The Ruby of Crested Butte for stays of two nights or longer.  At Elizabeth Anne Bed & Breakfast, lift ticket and lodging specials start at $100 per person, per night (2-night minimum).  Three nights of lodging and two days of skiing start at $93 per person, per night at Purple Mountain Bed & Breakfast and Day Spa and massages are $20 off.  Visit www.downtowncrestedbutte.com/military.  For military lift ticket rates, go to www.skicb.com/military.

Mt. Crested Butte
With Crested Butte Mountain Resort's 3rd Night & Day Free deal, enjoy a third night of lodging and third day of skiing free from March 18 - April 4, 2011. This deal is valid on new reservations only, cannot be combined with any other offers and is not available at all properties.  To reserve, call (800) 810-7669 or visit www.skicb.com.

The 3rd Night & Day Free deal also is available for many unit types through Crested Butte Lodging and Property Management from March 25 - April 4, 2011. Call (888) 412-7310 and visit www.crestedbuttelodging.com. The offer is subject to tax and availability.  Also ask about their deals for Grand Lodge, Crested Butte International Lodge and Hostel, and various condominiums.

For FestEVOL on March 26, CBMR is offering a Lift, Lodging & Concert Ticket deal from $149 per person based on two people staying in an Apex Double/Queen Courtyard View room at the slopeside Elevation Hotel & Spa.  Tickets for lodging and the concert only, start at $99 per person, and concert tickets to see O.A.R. and the Pete Kilpatrick Band with special guest DJ Logic run $35 if purchased by March 19 or $40 after that date. Call (800) 810-7669 and visit www.skicb.com.

The Nordic Inn's Sunscreen Required package features three nights lodging and two days skiing for only $309 per person (or $103 per person, per night from March 27 - April 2, 2011. Offer is based on double occupancy.  Daily breakfast and taxes are included in this price.  Call (800) 542-7669 and visit www.nordicinncb.com.

Gunnison & Almont
Gunnison Getaway value season lodging and lift ticket packages for March 27 - April 3, 2011, start at only $68 per person, per night at Wanderlust Hostel in Gunnison. Great deals also are being offered by Three Rivers Resort, Water Wheel Inn and Super 8 ranging from $70 to $94 per night. Go to www.gunnisongetaway.com.

Stay at the Seasons Inn for only $40 per night, which includes free continental breakfast and Wi-Fi.  Offer is subject to tax and availability, and mention the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association when booking.  Call (866) 641-0700 and visit www.seasonsinngunnison.com.

Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages
To find out more about Gunnison County or to book personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's toll-free line, (800) 814-8893, or visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com/packages.  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 with flights from Denver and during the winter season by American Airlines and Continental 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, which offers bachelor's and master's degrees in liberal arts and sciences and pre-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.
 
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Photo: Progressive Bonfire Dinner

For a Word file of this press release, click on the link below.

Contact:                        Beth Buehler                                        

                                    Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association                 

                                    (970) 349-1168 or bethbuehler@qwestoffice.net

                                    http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/