"Ring in 2010 for Only $210" - 2 Night's Lodging, 1 Day Skiing & Bubbly
GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (December 15, 2009) - Kicking off a new decade means it's time to celebrate in style, especially when New Year's Eve falls on a blue moon. It won't happen again for 19 years!
With a variety of wallet-friendly packages and free/well-priced activities, pulling out all the stops doesn't have to be expensive, just memorable. How does skiing or boarding on some of the deepest snow in the state, reveling in the moonshine during a snowshoe or Nordic skiing tour, jogging in the Frozen Buns Fun Run or admiring great art at the ArtWalk Evening sound?
Get warmed up for an evening of celebrating at the third annual Frozen Buns Resolution Run, a 5K organized by the Gunnison Valley Health Foundation that starts at the Crested Butte Visitor Center at 5 p.m. and makes it way toward Peanut Lake with tiki torches, glow sticks, flashlights and alpenglow lighting the way. Each participant carries their personal resolution for the New Year on a piece of paper to the halfway point and places it into a small cauldron of fire, where hot chocolate, cider and cookies also await. Kids can take part, too, with the "Are We There Yet?" one-mile run, also at 5 p.m. Pre-register by calling (970) 641-0798 or visiting http://www.active.com/. The cost is $25, with kids 10 and under only $5. Registration also is available on the day of the race for $30.
If the art scene is more your style, visit a wide array of galleries in downtown Crested Butte during ArtWalk Evening, a popular gallery walk held the last Thursday of December through March from 5 - 8 p.m. Light refreshments, music and on-site artists are featured at many of the locations. For more information and a list of participating galleries, visit http://www.awearts.org/.
Another very family-friendly way to spend to spend the evening is witnessing the New Year's Eve Torchlight Parade and Fireworks on the slopes of Crested Butte Mountain Resort from the Elevation Hotel & Spa and Butte 66 decks or the window of your condo or hotel room starting at 5:30 p.m. The ski area also will be offering a Moonlight Snowshoe Tour with a snowcat ride to the top of CBMR's Red Lady Express Lift and snowshoe excursion down the moonlit mountain trails to the base area. The tour begins at 7 p.m. and costs $75 per person. For more information and snowshoe tour reservations, contact (800) 544-8448 or visit http://www.skicb.com/.
Adults won't want to miss joining the Crested Butte Nordic Center for its Once in a Blue Moon New Year's Eve Party at the Magic Meadows Yurt. Nordic ski or snowshoe the short distance to the yurt to partake in an extravagant four-course dinner accompanied by fine wines and Colorado brewed New Belgium beer. The acoustic trio Alpine Soul will provide live music, with the party kicking off at 7 p.m. and costing $75 per person. Call (970) 349-1707 for reservations (limited to 50 people) and visit http://www.cbnordic.org/ for more information.
In Gunnison, a New Year's Eve Party hosted by the Gunnison Arts Center at the Fred R. Field Western Heritage Center from 8:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. is the hot ticket. The band Country Western Plus will make sure there is plenty of opportunity to dance. Tickets purchased by Dec. 25 cost $25 per person or $175 for a table of eight. After Dec. 24, tickets are $30 or $200 for a table. Dinner deals are being offered by Garlic Mikes, Ol' Miner Steakhouse, Sugah's Cafe and The Trough and lodging specials provided by Water Wheel Inn for ticket holders. For more information or tickets, call (970) 641-4029 or visit http://www.gunnisonartscenter.org/.
On New Year's Day and Jan. 2, Crested Butte Mountain Theatre will wrap up its production of "A Christmas Carol" at Crested Butte Center for the Arts. This is a simultaneous world premiere of a new adaptation by Mark Carey of this famous holiday classic. On Jan. 1, the show starts at 7 p.m., while the Jan. 2 production is a matinee beginning at 4 p.m. Adult tickets cost $20 and student tickets are $15. For information and reservations, call (970) 349-0366 or visit http://www.cbmountaintheatre.org/.
New Year's Vacation Packages & Deals
Watch the fireworks from your slopeside deck at Elevation Hotel & Spa with a glass of bubbly in hand. With the Ring in 2010 for Only $210 package, enjoy two night's lodging at Elevation and one day of Crested Butte Mountain Resort lift tickets for two people as well as a bottle of champagne for only $210 per person. The package is valid for travel between Dec. 30, 2009 and Jan. 2, 2010 only, cannot be combined with other offers and is valid on new reservations only. The price is prior to insurance, taxes and fees. To book call Crested Butte Vacations at 800.810.7669.
Crested Butte Lodging is offering discounts based on the number of nights reserved at its properties with a Stay Longer, Save Bigger deal, starting with 10 percent off for a four-night stay up to 25 percent off for a stay of seven nights or more. The offer is valid from Dec. 26, 2009 to Jan. 2, 2010. Call 866.380.5745 for reservations.
The Nordic Inn's Holiday Happenings package includes five night's lodging and four days of skiing at Crested Butte Mountain Resort for two people starting at $1,346 based on room type. The offer is available from Dec. 26, 2009 to Jan. 2, 2010. For information, call 800.542.7669.
Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages
To find out more about Gunnison-Crested Butte's calendar of events or to book other personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's toll-free line, (800) 814-8893, or visit http://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 with flights from Denver and during the winter season by American Airlines with direct flights from Dallas/Fort Worth and Delta Air Lines with direct flights from Salt Lake City and Atlanta.
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.
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 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.
Gunnison, a real western town located 28 miles from Crested Butte, 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.
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 courtesy of Xavier Fane and Crested Butte Nordic Center.
Contact: Beth Buehler, Public Relations Director
Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association
(970) 349-1168 or bethbuehler@qwestoffice.net
http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/
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