Legendary Backcountry Race Challenges Athletic Skills & Smarts, March 25 - 26

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO (February 15, 2011)- One of the most sought-after and rugged backcountry ski races on the planet celebrates 14 years of memorable moments and amazing athletic feats on March 25 - 26.  The Elk Mountains Grand Traverse follows historic mail routes that connected the Colorado mining towns of Crested Butte and Aspen in the 1880s.  For the first time, Trackleaders will provide SPOT-based tracking so the progress of racers can be monitored on http://www.elkmountaintraverse.org/ and http://www.trackleaders.com/.

Toast a full moon during this four-star, four-course, four-fire meal on March 19

The Crested Butte Nordic Council's annual Progressive Bonfire Dinner is a unique culinary journey that takes participants along a luminary-lit 4K trail for a four-star, four-course, four-fire meal.  Snowshoes and Nordic skis are the mode of transportation, and the camaraderie of sitting around crackling fires and dining on good food and warm drinks along the way makes this event on March 19 one truly for the memory books.

Beginning at 5 p.m., diners will be greeted at the first fire at the Town Ranch trailhead located behind Crested Butte Community School with a cup of hot wine or cocoa to sip to enjoy while sitting on straw bales.  The next three stops are for the appetizer, soup, entrée, and dessert courses.

1.5K to 42K courses appeal to all levels of racers ... costumes welcome

The 25th annual Alley Loop Nordic Marathon on Feb. 5 not only is the highest-altitude Nordic marathon in the United States, it reflects the athletic and free-spirited nature of Crested Butte, Colo.  This American Birkebeiner qualifying race starts and finishes in the heart of Crested Butte on Elk Avenue (a National Historic District since 1974) and winds its way through streets, alleyways and Nordic trail system located on the outskirts of this historic mining town. 

January is an ideal time to visit Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado.  There are less-crowded slopes, amazing conditions, great deals and a jam-packed calendar of events, plus Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Jan. 17 offers a great chance to sneak in a three-day weekend getaway.  


January 2011 Calendar of Events
1            "A Tuna Christmas" Presented by CB Mountain Theatre, Mallardi Cabaret Theatre
1 - 2     International Ski Federation Slalom Races, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
2 - 9     College Ski Week, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
6            Learn to Skate Ski for Free, Crested Butte Nordic Center
7            First Friday Gallery Crawl & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison

Offering an unmatched spirit, outdoor paradise and vacation values

1. The skiing & snowboarding rock
Inspire your passion for adventure on Crested Butte Mountain Resort's legendary extreme terrain or get your fill on beginner, intermediate and advanced slopes that cover 1,167 acres and include 121 trails.  Try some tricks at the intermediate terrain park or on the legendary superpipe and the latest features at the DC Terrain Park.  Or enjoy the more than 95K of Nordic trails groomed by the Crested Butte Nordic Center and the Gunnison Nordic Club.  Go on your own or with a guide to try something new or hit some secret powder stashes. 

2. Drink in the atmosphere & culture

International Pro Cyclists to Compete Throughout Seven Stages, 11 Host Cities, &
 Nearly 600 Miles of Colorado's Most Challenging Terrain

1.  The skiing & snowboarding rock
Inspire your passion for adventure on Crested Butte Mountain Resort's legendary extreme terrain or get your fill on beginner to advanced slopes that cover 1,167 acres and include 121 trails.  Try some tricks at the intermediate terrain park or on the legendary superpipe and the latest features at the DC Terrain Park.  Or enjoy the more than 95K of Nordic trails groomed by the Crested Butte Nordic Center and the Gunnison Nordic Club.  Go on your own or with a guide to try something new or hit some secret powder stashes.  Visit www.skicb.com, www.cbnordic.org and www.gunnisonnordic.net.

Learn, Tour and Ski Your Heart Out - Nov. 26 - 27, 2010

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (October 27, 2010) - Work off turkey dinner and start the Nordic season off right with fun, informative cross-country ski clinics and activities at the Crested Butte Nordic Council's annual Thanksgiving Training Camp on Nov. 26 - 27.  Skate and classic Nordic skiing and racing clinics for various levels will be offered by professional instructors, including three-time Olympian Ingrid Butts, Masters Nordic World Champion Murray Banks, and Ross Matlock, a PSIA Nordic and Telemark examiner.