- Skiing and Boarding – Spectacular vistas, champaign powder, bright sunshine and world-class skiing are some of the main ingredients.
- Nordic Skiing - Crested Butte boasts over 30 km of well-maintained cross country ski trails!
- Sleigh Rides
- Dog Sledding
- Snowshoeing
- Telemark Skiing
- Tubing
- Snowmobiling - We'll set up guided and unguided tours of our local trail system (check out our photo gallery!)
- Ice Climbing
- Fly Fishing (even in the winter!)
- Backcountry Skiing
- Photography
- Powder Horseback Riding
Ski Free!
You read that right - ski FREE! Stay at The Ruby of Crested Butte, Colorado's top rated inn, and Ski Free at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The free shuttle bus to and from skiing, will pick you just down the block from our doorstep. All rates include our delicious, gourmet breakfast each morning of your stay. Valid November 25, 2009 through December 16, 2009.
Contact us for more information.
Moonlight Snowshoe Tours
There is nothing quite like our nighttime sky. Join the Crested Butte Nordic Center on the stunningly scenic Magic Meadows Trail network on a tour to a secluded tipi for a woodstove warm-up with hot drinks and yummy treats. Equipment rentals available. Available on the following dates:
o Thursday, December 31, 2009
o Saturday, January 30, 2010
o Sunday, February 28, 2010
o Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Please contact us to set up your moonlight snowshoe tour experience!
Annual Nordic Ski Swap
Bring your used Nordic and Telemark equipment to the Crested Butte Nordic Council’s annual Ski Swap for a 20% consignment, and shop among hundreds of great new and used bargains! Snowshoes, clothing, and accessories on sale too! Proceeds from your consignment benefit the Crested Butte Nordic Council. Drop off is Friday, November 6th, from 9am to 7pm, and the Ski Swap is Saturday, November 7th, from 9am to 2pm. Visit the Crested Butte Nordic Center website for more information or call (970) 349-1707.
Alley Loop Marathon
The 24th annual Alley Loop Nordic Marathon is scheduled for February 6, 2010. This event is not only the highest-altitude Nordic marathon in the United States, it also reflects the athletic and free-spirited nature of Crested Butte. This American Birkebeiner qualifying race, Colorado Cup Series Race, and Crested Butte's largest costume party, starts and finishes in the heart of Crested Butte's Elk Avenue, one of Colorado’s largest National Historic Districts. The race winds its way through streets, alleyways and the extensive Nordic trail system located on the outskirts of this historic mining town.
The Alley Loop combines Crested Butte’s laid back atmosphere with the locals’ play-hard nature to create an event that embraces all abilities and ages competing on skate or classic skis. Course lengths of 1.5K, 3K, 5K, 10K, 21K and 42K are offered, allowing all skill levels and ages to participate. Organized by the Crested Butte Nordic Center, the races begin at 9:30 a.m.
While the Alley Loop has a serious side as a qualifier for the American Birkebeiner, North America’s largest cross-country ski marathon, locals host parties on their decks to watch racers from across the country and survey the attire of less-serious competitors. Be on the lookout for pirates, ladybugs, Vikings, lizards, disco kings and queens. New Belgium Brewing’s Taste of the Alley Beer Garden on the deck of the Brick Oven also offers a great spot to watch the race.
Prizes are awarded at a post-race ceremony to the overall winners and to the “The Croatian” (the lucky racer who finishes with the exact median race time), and there’s an abundance of raffle prizes for racers and volunteers. Visit the Crested Butte Nordic Center website for race information and online registration instructions or call (970) 349-1707.
Winter Carnival
With a reputation for hosting off-the-wall events, Crested Butte, Colorado, has done it again with Winter Carnival. Since striking a gold mine of fun in 2003, this event is back and promises to be bigger, better and even more zany. The event runs in mid-March, with each day showcasing outlandish events, terrific educational exhibitions, and spectacular prizes.
Romance in the Rockies
Crested Butte invites you to experience Crested Butte’s annual Valentine’s Week celebration, Romance in the Rockies. This Rocky Mountain event is full of special events to set the mood for the perfect Valentine’s Day celebration. These seven days are packed with splendid concerts, outdoor events, wellness activities and workshops, a wedding showcase, theatre, ballet and more. Performances at the local Center for the Arts during Romance in the Rockies include the Aspen Sante Fe Ballet, Dueling Divas, Reeltime Travelers, U.S. Air Force Academy Band's Rampart Winds and “The Vagina Monologues”.
The Gunnison-Crested Butte Wedding Council will also host its Winter Wedding Showcase. The Crested Butte Nordic Council’s Progressive Bonfire Dinner is an exquisite four-star, four-course, four-fire dining experience you cannot miss! Participants ski or snowshoe along a luminary-lit 4K trail to enjoy warm bonfires and fine food prepared by some of Crested Butte’s finest restaurants. Proceeds benefit the Crested Butte Junior Nordic Team.
U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships
The first in the U.S. to launch an extreme skiing contest, Crested Butte marks seventeen years of freeskiing competition this season. February 17 - 22, competitors vie for the largest cash purse on the freeskiing circuit and sweet prizes from all the sponsors. The 18th Annual US Extreme Freeskiing Championship is open to anyone over the age of 18.
There will also be a Junior competition for ages 14 - 17. Call (970) 349-2221 for more information.
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras in Colorado? It’s not as outlandish as it may seem. While traditional Mardi Gras celebratory bashes will be plentiful, Crested Butte is celebrating this traditional French holiday in its own special way again this year. Skiers and snowboarders and carnival lovers alike are invited to join the Mardi Gras fun in Crested Butte on February 24, as the town prepares to send off Fat Tuesday with a bang.
Beads and masks will be available at the theatre’s Malardi Cabaret (located in the historic town hall building at the corner of Second Street and Elk Avenue) and Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce. Beads also are sold outside of the post office on Elk Avenue. Mardi Gras is a fund-raiser for Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, the longest continuously running community theatre in Colorado with 36 years on the stage.
Enjoy a wide array of snow sports and off-mountain activities in the area during the day before joining locals for let-your-hair-down for fun in the evening.
Masquerade Ball - Saturday, February 21
The Crested Butte Mardi Gras king and queen will be crowned at the masquerade ball to be held at Malardi Cabaret on February 21. Along with the coronation and great live music for dancing, hors d’oeuvres will be served and prizes awarded for the best Mardi Gras costumes. A cash bar will be available. Costumes are not necessary to attend. Cost to be announced.
Mardi Gras Parade - Tuesday, February 24
On Fat Tuesday, February 24, catch flying beads and trinkets and revel at the krewes during the colorful Mardi Gras parade that fills the streets of downtown Crested Butte, starting at 4 p.m. after the ski slopes close. Numerous local entries and even some that make the trip from New Orleans are part of the celebration. Past parades have included a 100-foot long dragon and Crested Butte Mayor Alan Bernholtz jumping over fire on his parade float, with gently falling snow often providing a magical backdrop.
Spring Break March - April
A Spring Break full of Skiing & Snowboarding with Apres Ski Parties, Pub Crawls, and Concerts awaits you this winter at the Butte. Call for great deals and details!
Elk Mountains Grand Traverse - Crested Butte to Aspen March 26-27
Crested Butte’s 13th annual Elk Mountains Grand Traverse is a one-of-a-kind event in the United States. The backcountry ski race is a test of endurance and smarts--following the mail routes that connected the Colorado mining towns of Crested Butte and Aspen in the 1880s--and requires avalanche awareness, backcountry athleticism, winter camping knowledge and map reading skills all wrapped in one.
The Grand Traverse is not a Nordic or downhill race, but instead tests skiers overall skills and goes from town-to-town, covering 40 miles of rugged trails in the Elk Mountains. When the Grand Traverse began several years ago, it was fashioned after similar events in Europe that connect various villages. At the stroke of midnight, approximately 250 racers (125 teams of two racers each) will depart from the base of Mount Crested Butte.
After a parade review, the teams climb up and over Crested Butte Mountain Resort terrain, exiting just below the East River lift, crossing the East River valley, turning down stream and rejoining the course on Brush Creek Road before climbing over two mountain passes. Several hours later, on the next morning, racers arrive in Aspen bleary-eyed and exultant in their accomplishment. More than 40 support team members are present in the backcountry during the race to insure skier safety. Some crews are out in the backcountry for a week before the event, assessing avalanche conditions and moving supplies into remote camps. Local pilots also assist by airdropping supplies into alpine basins.
In addition to providing a quality wilderness race experience for entrants, race organizers make safety of all participants and minimal impact on the environment top priorities. The unusual start time is scheduled so that entrants will reach the high point of Star Pass (12,303 feet) before the warmth of the day increases the likelihood of avalanches.
Because of the remote route through the Elk Mountains, each team of two is required to carry enough food and supplies to sustain themselves for 24 hours. Before the race start, the teams packs will be checked for essential gear such as bivy sacks, stove, fuel, avalanche beacons, rescue gear, first aid and repair kits.
The cost of entering the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse is $250 per team. Registration opens in early December, with numbers limited to 125 teams. It is important to enter early as the race quota fills fast.
Flauschink March 31 - April 4
Locals and visitors will be flushing out winter and welcoming spring with the 42nd Annual Flauschink Celebration. Flauschink is the traditional Crested Butte spring festival of renewal, the release of winter’s worries and woes with the welcoming of the days of spring when hope springs eternal. (The event is the flip side of the town’s Vinotok, a medieval fall festival that celebrates Crested Butte’s Eastern European heritage at the end of September. Vinotok invites people to come outside and play, be merry and enjoy fall before the snow begins.) This spring, Flauschink will include a parade, the crowning of the new king and queen, and many other traditional celebrations.
Mother's Day Event May 7-9
For mothers and daughters ONLY, The Ruby Mother's Day celebration includes two nights lodging, dinner at the Timberline Restaurant, a girlie girl spa day-which includes a manicure, pedicure, a one-hour massage, and a one-hour facial. There will also be a skincare and makeover party!!
The perfect way to show your mom you care.
Contact us at 1-800-390-1338 to schedule your Mother's Day celebration with us!
(Make sure to tell your friends and their moms!)
Starting at $475 per person.
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