TR: Crested Butte and some recommendations for future trips

[lemon boy]

First of all: If you are thinking for some reason of going down to compete in the extremes and are for some dumb reason debating not doing so, GO. They are going to go fucking off this year.

Okay, thursday afternoon no real plans seems like the butte's been good, forecast is reasonably positive and it has been a couple of years since I went. Make a couple of calls, get a maybe from my boy Greg but they just had a baby and confidence is medium low.

Friday morning, forecast improves somewhat, wives give okay for trip. Leave work early pack up, chill at his place off 285 for an hour while he fights death hell traffic home. I've never had as smooth a drive to CB before, 4 hours from Conifer, drove up to MTCB, no bars open at 11. Drive to end of road, puking snow, sleep.

Sat. couple inches on the truck overnight, drove down to the hill ate at the brown dog (fucking awesome baked goods). Reporting 5" I think, skied like more generally. First tracks on hedwall, some fracturing and fast moving sluff but not too bad. First tracks in edge and staircase (staircase was SUPER DUPER DEEP). Rest a blur, hiked to third bowl, sweet as usual. Puked most of the day.

Drove down to gunny stayed at the Wildwood Motel (see Recco's below), ate at the trough, in bed early.

Sun. More snow. First tracks down rabbit ears, got super lucky at the queen when they opened an extra lane just before we got into the maze, much more crowded. Had a loose binding so we kind of bailed down hawks nest to get to paradise. bonked a couple of rocks and I got hung up on one of the stupid uplsope things, tore my shoulder good (works but hurts), stupid, I know those are there. Down the queen, up High Lift, decided to ski teo just cause you can now. It was good, fresh deep. Hiked out to spellbound/pheonix. Still freshiesoft. Skied the rope line (right) all the way down. Soft, steep, fun. Finni. Relatively the butte was uncrowded. The new tbar moves people much better. Line waiting for the weekned was WAY down.

Drive home was cake, 4 hours back to conifer. Had to blast diareahha on the side of the road, that was fun. Roads dry excpet for lightly wet/snowpacked monarch pass (they didn't get 1/4 of what the butte got). 4 hours to conifer.

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Some notes:
the butte is skiing better than it has since the mid 90s, 70" of base is a LOT for that place but there are still plenty of coreshots waiting to happen. This weekend just confirmed that with snow, the butte is my flat out favorite place to ski. Good vibe, stellar terrain. If you've never been, get a buddy who rips and go, buy the extreme limits guide and get on it. If you've been avoiding cause the low snow years, go, NOW. Oh, and they replaced the poma with a tbar, THANK YOU. Relatively the butte was uncrowded. The new tbar moves people much better. Line waiting for the weekned was WAY down.

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Reccos:

Go to the butte, that place is a)super super cool and b)kind of dying after a few rough seasons. There is a good reason why that mountain produced the largest share of rock star skiers in the 90s. It is burly. (and they had their own film company). Bring your balls, you will be needing them.

the Wildwood Motel in Gunny is awesome. Well maintained but basic rooms (with kitchen). Hottub with decent chemicals. Friendly owners. Two queen beds = 50/ night. They allow dogs for an extra 7 a night. Discount lift tixs are 39 bucks (that's right $27 dollars OFF the window price). That right there makes a trip to the butte DIRT CHEAP (basically a free room).

I've always been a bit down on Gunny but it's growing on me. Ate at the Trough, had a ginormous prime rib plus two beers, buddy had ribs and two beers, with tip = 60 bucks total. Good deal on a BIG, good meal.

Sorry no pics.

[xboat]

can't wait to get back to the 'butte. mmmmm...spellbound bowl.

[Buster Highmen]

Thanks for the beta, it's a candidate for early next week.

[lemon boy]

Buster: Strike while the iron is hot.

Jhole, Snowbird, Squaw, all these places are good basically all of the time. CB hasn't been for a long time.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that it seems to me like the % of truely great skiers was down a bit from previous trips. I think a lot of the hardcores abandoned the butte. = less chest thumping 'tude and more unskied lines.

[Buster Highmen]

Buster: Strike while the iron is hot.

Jhole, Snowbird, Squaw, all these places are good basically all of the time. CB hasn't been for a long time.

True, but the other candidate is Taos, which is also going off.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that it seems to me like the % of truely great skiers was down a bit from previous trips. I think a lot of the hardcores abandoned the butte. = less chest thumping 'tude and more unskied lines.

For me, you've struck a chord. Anyone going to be there Monday, Tuesday?

[MacDaddy]

Thanks LB!

nice, easy to read, sharp and consice TR!

I wont make it to CB this winter but maybe this summer!
love that place!

[Steven S. Dallas]

Going to be out there second week in March, looking forward to it. Anyone else planning on being around CB then?

[lemon boy]

Buster-

Taos/Butte, now that is a tough choice.

Dunno if you ever skied at CB before but there used to be a funny weird aggro chest bumping vibe there. That has been way mitigated and in my increasingly decrepit old age, that's a good thing. If I were to just guess, I'd guess that in addition to a lot of folks moving on there is a lot less coke being done (I don't know either of these for sure though, just a guess). The drought seems to have weeded out the weak from the strong CB'ers.

[spanky]

Buster-

Taos/Butte, now that is a tough choice.

Dunno if you ever skied at CB before but there used to be a funny weird aggro chest bumping vibe there. That has been way mitigated and in my increasingly decrepit old age, that's a good thing. If I were to just guess, I'd guess that in addition to a lot of folks moving on there is a lot less coke being done (I don't know either of these for sure though, just a guess). The drought seems to have weeded out the weak from the strong CB'ers.

Could also be because the Mueller's bought it out and are now marketing it to the family/intermediate skier. Although it may be too early for that, it's probably a good sign of the what the future visitors will be like.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Although it may be too early for that, it's probably a good sign of what the future visitors will be like.

Totally. I, for one, look forward to ripping the shit out of the magic carpet and then enjoying a full-body seaweed wrap.

[lemon boy]

From what we saw the new owners are doing a good job but it is a BIG job. the buttians we talked to have a favorable opinion of them and they've started doing good things. The T- is IMVHO a HUGE improvement. Yes, it does have more uphill cap but the lines are shorter. And while it is easier for gapes to ride they are not serious competition for any lines I'm interested in anyway. Reportedly they're opening stuff faster as well (and opened Teo bowl).

Forgot to mention that my rig got 17.5mpgs going/coming hubs locked the whole time.

[Tri-Ungulate]

Thanks for the tip LB, gotta get back down there this year - been too long and too many poor snow years. Hear tell Teocalli's open - what, has it really been 11 friggin' years?

Schweet.

[FigureEleven]

Looks like they are set to get weather of the snowy variety on and off all week. The comp will go off for sure.

[lemon boy]

TU-
Check on Teo bowl, why that was ever closed boggles the mind. :shrug:

figure eleven:

Yes, visibility permitting. just to dangle the possibility, Hourglass (?pretty sure that's what the closure is called?) was looking awfully filled in.

[hev]

kick ass! aspen also ruled this weekend...pics coming

[Xover]

Buster-

Taos/Butte, now that is a tough choice.

Do them both. From what I remember of my last trip there in the mid 90's (back when they used to both get snow like this year) it was something like approx 4 hours drive between them.

Busta, if'n you got 5 days or more it would be well worth your while to do both. Just my $0.02.

[Buster Highmen]

Hmmmm...do I still have enough crazy juice to do that? Factor in this year at T-ride and maybe even getting to ski with some of the local loonies there.

Decisions, decisions. Do I want a wilder tasting skigerette or do I want to hole up and lurk in just one place?

I love Taos, first place I ever skied real deep powder in the west. Never skied the Butte, though and heard many praises by laudable souls such as yourselves. I liked T-ride too.

One-A-Day?

[Xover]

One-A-Day?

... done that too ... it makes for a fun-filled, whirl wind of a TR

however, I'd hit Wolf Creek instead of T-ride; more direct traveling from what I remember

GIT SUM!!

[Benny Profane]

Spellbound bowl:



CB is cool.

[thommy21]

LB Thanks for the tips. A bunch of us are heading to CB tonight staying till Sun. My frist treck to CB in the winter. Have hit there a couple times on MTB trips.

[lemon boy]

Enjoy!

Buy the extreme limits guide in town if nobody in your group has it. Money well spent.

[Tri-Ungulate]

LB - You goin' back down on the 24th? Did you make it to the AM comp?

[Pinner]

I'll vouch for LB's advice...

The place is seriously off the hook right now. Hit it on Sunday and even though we sure weren't getting first tracks anywhere, the conditions were remarkable-- tons of soft, lots of coverage, very few folks to compete with.

The word is out though. We ran into people from Aspen, Boulder, Jackson, Durango etc. Everyone (local and visitor alike) was stoked and friendly, sharing beta, spotting each other and encouraging and congratulating each other at every chance.

Can't wait to head back down for the comp in three weeks!

[lemon boy]

Chance of me going for the comp is very, very remote. I am in retirement and at least this year do not have the guns for a)skiing comp lines and b) skiing them continuously.

Chance of me going to Utah that weekend is ~50% though... :

[Pinner]

To be sure, when I said I'll be there for the comp, that means I will be in town during the comp, not actually competing in it.

There's no way I could hang at the level these guys are pushing these days.

Times have changed. Used to be helmets only came out on comp days. Back then you could find yourself sitting in the starters area with guys in leather boots and three-pin binders. I mean, heck, DFL isn't viewed as a worthy and illustrious accomplishment any more.

At least us old-timer, cube-jockey retirees are in good company and have some excellent stories to tell. Sad as it is to face LB, we're gapers again.

...and the circle is complete.