Top 10 Ideas for a Winter Girlfriend Getaway in Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colo.

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (November 5, 2009) - A girls outing filled with let-your-hair-down laughs and adventure can do wonders for the soul in Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colo.  Here are 10 great ways to indulge in a getaway in "Colorado's Last Great Ski Town." 

1. Unleash your inner dog-sledding fantasy

There is nothing quite like the freedom of being pulled by a team of dogs in the thick of stunning mountain terrain capped with snow.  Dog sledding with Lucky Cat Dog Farm is one of those lifetime experiences not to be missed.  Visit http://www.luckycatdogfarm.com/ or call (970) 641-1636 for details about lunch tours and short tours. 

2. Go to dinner ... on a sleigh

• What better way to go to dinner with your gal pals than on a horse-drawn sleigh at Lazy F Bar Ranch south of Crested Butte? Enjoy a scenic, 35-minute ride to a rustic 1950s cabin overlooking the East River and indulge in a five-course meal that most importantly includes five kinds of homemade desserts. Visit http://www.lazyfbarranch.com/ or call (970) 641-0193.
• Another option is hopping on an open sleigh pulled by a snowcat at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) ski area and dining at the newly renovated and expanded Ice Bar at Uley's Cabin. Call (800) 810-7669 for reservations and prices or visit http://www.skicb.com/.

3. Bond with your skis and your buddies

Set up a ski or snowboarding clinic just for you and your gal pals at CBMR (http://www.skicb.com/) to learn and laugh together or take part in women's camps led by world champion extreme big mountain champions Kim Reichelm on Dec. 10 - 15 (Kim Reichelm's Women's Ski Adventure Camp, http://www.skiwithkim.com/) and Allison Gannett (Rippin Chix Steeps Camp, http://www.alisongannett.com/) on Feb. 13 - 14 and March 6 - 7.   National telemark champion Heather Paul's K2 Ultimate Groove Women's Telemark Camp, http://www.ultimategrooves.com/, also returns to CBMR on Jan. 16 - 17. 

4. Create a colorful memory on monthly ArtWalk Evenings

Visit the wide array of art galleries in downtown Crested Butte any day of the week, but the art scene really comes alive during ArtWalk Evenings held on 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, which include GO WEST, Susan Anderton Fine Art Gallery, Paragon Gallery, Rijks Family Gallery, Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery, Piper Gallery at Crested Butte Center for the Arts, and Kate Seeley's Studio Gallery.  For more information, visit http://www.awearts.org/.  

5. Moonlight ski & snowshoe tour will leave you star struck

Join the Crested Butte Nordic Center for moonlit tours to Magic Meadows yurt for a New Year's Eve party on Dec. 31 (7:30 - 10 p.m. to ring in the East Coast New Year's and 10 p.m. to past midnight to ring in 2010 on Mountain Standard Time) and gourmet dinners prepared by Maxwell's Steakhouse on Jan. 30, Feb. 28 and March 30.  Dinners begin at 6:30 p.m. and costs $60 per person, which includes a trail pass and equipment rentals.  The New Year's party costs will be announced soon.  Lunch and brunch at the yurt also are available.  Go to http://www.cbnordic.org/ for costs and more information or call (970) 349-1707.

6. Go to the theatre or tap your toes at a concert

• Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, established in 1972, will be presenting "Miracle on 34^th Street" and several other productions this winter and spring. For tickets and information, call (970) 349-0366 or visit http://www.cbmountaintheatre.org/.
• Crested Butte Center for the Arts offers a Winter Season series of concerts and regular art exhibitions. For more information, call (970) 349-7487 or visit http://www.crestedbuttearts.org/
• The Gunnison Arts Center hosts theatre productions, art exhibitions, art classes and more year-round. For information, call (970) 641-4029 or visit http://www.gunnisonartscenter.org/.

7. Make your own tracks to dinner
Ride the Red Lady Express Lift at CBMR and ski, snowboard or snowshoe to an extraordinary gourmet dinner at the Ice Bar at Uley's Cabin.  Start off with a cocktail on the patio at a bar made from ice and watch the sunset before going inside for a relaxing and delicious dining experience.  A member of the professional ski school or ski patrol will escort you back to the base area with headlamps to light the way. Call (800) 810-7669 for reservations and visit http://www.skicb.com/.

8. Ice skate, sled and cross-country ski all in one place

Stop being an adult for a morning or afternoon and relive childhood memories while ice skating and sledding with your girlfriends at the Crested Butte Nordic Center.  Skates and sleds are available for rent, and the Nordic Center is the launching point for many great cross-country skiing trails with instruction and ski rentals available.  Learn to Skate Ski for Free clinics will be offered at 1 p.m. on Dec. 3, Jan. 7, Feb. 4 and March 4.  Call (970) 349-1707 or visit http://www.cbnordic.org/.

9. Head to the spa or let it come to you

For spa lovers, we have fantastic news.  The slopeside Elevation Hotel and Spa in Mt. Crested Butte reopened for the winter 08/09 season as a fully-renovated property with a brand new, luxury, 11,000-square-foot spa and fitness center.  Look for nine treatment rooms, a full range of spa services all using environmentally friendly products, women's and men's locker rooms with steam showers and saunas, a full-service hair and nail salon, a state-of-the-art athletic fitness equipment room and a juice, smoothie and herbal tea bar.  Visit http://www.elevationhotel.com/ or call (800) 810-SNOW.  The Grand Lodge in Mt. Crested Butte also has a spa, and many lodging properties have masseuses on call to set up right in your condo or room or in on-site treatment rooms. 

10. Go gourmand at laid-back cooking classes

After a day outdoors or at the spa, what could be a better conclusion than cooking classes?  Two of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Valley's most popular chefs offer hands-on workshops.

• In downtown Crested Butte, Keely Murphy offers a schedule of classes and custom classes for groups of eight people at her Arrangements Catering & Events kitchen. Call (970) 349-0956 or visit http://www.arrangementsandevents.com/.
• Mike Busse, proprietor of Garlic Mike's Italian restaurant and winner of the 2009 Chefs on the Edge competition, hosts classes at the Interiors with Oohs & Aahs' demonstration kitchen in downtown Gunnison. People also may gather their own group (minimum of 12) to book class as well. To find out more, call (970) 641-2493 or go to http://www.garlicmikes.com/

Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages

A wide variety of lodging types are available from cozy bed and breakfasts, historic lodges, spacious condos and easy-going hostel to boutique and full-service hotels.  For tourist information, a calendar of events and great deals on vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's toll-free line, call (800) 814-8893 or visit http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/. 

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 Chicago 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.

[###]

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/