What’s New in Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (March 9, 2010) - There's plenty happening in Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colo., but its always refreshing to add new things that involve snowcats, great powder, bluegrass, beer, art, endurance races and 3-D movies.  Here's the latest news.

Activities

Snowcat skiing is once again available to catch some of the best powder stashes in the Crested Butte area'a backcountry.  In late February, CS Irwin began offering snowcat skiing on more than 1,000 acres of terrain in Irwin area, located 12 miles west of Crested Butte.  Guests will be treated to two new snowcats, a Tucker and a hi-tech Prinoth Bison, and can demo Winterstick snowboards and custom Wagner skis.  The renovated Movie Cabin serves as the base area.  For more information and reservations, visit www.csirwin.com or call (866) 479-4677.

Music & Art

Mt. Crested Butte's first-ever Ski Town Breakdown on March 27 will feature Yonder Mountain String Band performing on Warming House Hill at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.  Blending bluegrass, rock and countless other influences, the Nederland, Colorado-based group has delivered its original sound across the United States. General admission tickets are priced at $35, and there are VIP packages that include an intimate acoustic performance at Uley's Cabin on March 26, lodging, special performance access and more.  For tickets or packages, visit http://www.skicb.com/.

For 13 years, the Crested Butte Music Festival (CBMF) has turned Crested Butte into one big concert hall in July, with music resounding from outdoors venues, hotels, private homes, churches and barns. This summer, for the first time, CBMF will host Bluegrass in Paradise from July 6-10, showcasing both traditional bluegrass and "newgrass" through a three-day camp for kids with the band Bearfoot, workshops for adults, and six top-level concerts. 

The host of the festival is Drew Emmitt, internationally acclaimed newgrass star and Crested Butte resident. For this performance, he will team up with Billy Nershi, founding member of The String Cheese Incident, to form the Emmitt-Nershi Band.  Other great performers include Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, Bearfoot, Shannon Whitworth, Blue Highway and Spring Creek. 

Tickets are $50 for a single day and $90 for a weekend pass.  To purchase tickets for Bluegrass in Paradise and any performances and events taking place during the 13^th annual Crested Butte Music Festival, July 3 - Aug. 5, go to http://www.crestedbuttemusicfestival.com/. 

The Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters National Show, approximately 50 outdoor landscape painters will be in the Crested Butte area for approximately 10 days to create works of art and participate in a large gallery show at Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery on July 16 - 18.  .  There will be various events for the public to interact with the artists.  For information, contact Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery, (970) 349-5936 or visit www.rmpap.org/.  

Races

Three annual races from three different disciplines have teamed up to offer the ideal Memorial Day weekend for endurance athletes called Rage in the Sage.  All the competitions will take place at Hartman Rocks Multi-Use Recreation Area, located 3.5 miles west of Gunnison, and include pre- and/or post-race activities and entertainment at IOOF Park in downtown Gunnison.

• The goal of 24 Hours of Gunnison Glory is to bag as many rock climbing routes as your body and mind will allow from 10 a.m. on May 28 to 10 a.m. on May 29. Climb with one to five of your favorite climbing partners and explore more than 200 routes featuring a variety of traditional, mixed, sport and boulder options.  Entertainment and food will be available, and pre- and post-race activities are planned for May 27 and 29. Details and registration are available at http://www.gunnisonglory.com/; the cost to register is $30.  All proceeds will be used to help create and fund the Gunnison Valley Climbers Coalition.

• The third annual Sage Burner Trail Race is set for May 29 and features 50k and 25k funning competitions, both starting at 7:30 a.m. The cost to pre-register is $55 for the 50k and $45 for the 25K, or add $10 to register the day of the race. Visit www.western.edu/sageburner for information and registration. Proceeds will benefit programs at Western State College of Colorado and Gunnison Trails.

• The local mountain biking race season officially kicks off on May 30 with the Original Growler organized by racing great Dave Wiens. Registration is already sold out for both the 64-mile (two laps) and 32-mile (one lap) competitions, with each lap climbing 4,000 vertical feet.  The races start at 7 a.m., with proceeds benefiting Gunnison Trails.  Go to http://www.gunnisontrails.com/ for information. 

Places

While the Crested Butte Brewing Company label has been known for some time-producing beers such as Red Lady Ale, White Buffalo Ale, Rodeo Stout Oatmeal, Paradise Crisp Golden Ale and Jokerville IPA-its 12,000-square-foot brew house and tap room and adjoining outdoor beer garden in Gunnison is brand new.  The tap room also will feature food and wine, special food nights and live music. 

Brewing operations are set to begin on March 9, with a grand opening planned for April.  Hours of operation will be 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Visit http://www.cbbrewingco.com/ or call (970) 641-4487.

Speaking of beer, the Southwest Colorado Travel Region has a new brewery tour, with a map available at www.swcoloradoheritage.com/heritage-maps-and-trips/suggested-trips/hop-to-it-brewery-tour.  Gunnison-Crested Butte brewers included in the tour are Crested Butte Brewing Company and Gunnison Brewery in Gunnison and The Eldo in Crested Butte.

In Gunnison, Western State College opened its new 70,000-square-foot College Center in January 2010.  There's the Ruby Cinema, a first-run movie theatre with 3-D capabilities, a large ballroom two conference rooms, a boardroom, on-campus dining and more.  This expands Gunnison's meeting and events opportunities and brings a much-desired movie theatre with high-tech capabilities to town.  For information, go to www.western.edu/student-life/college-center.

Vacation Packages & Visitor Information

To find out more about Gunnison-Crested Butte's calendar of events and personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's toll-free number (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. 

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. 

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: Running at Hartman Rocks by David Kozlowski.

For a Word version 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/