Things To Do in Crested Butte
On the off chance that you need a rest from downhill skiing or snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, there are plenty of things to do in Crested Butte during winter.
Crested Butte Nordic Center
Crested Butte potentially has the best cross country skiing in Colorado with a 50km groomed trail system that meanders around the outskirts of town. The trails are groomed for both classic and skate skiing, and cater for novices up to advanced skiers. The Crested Butte area also offers backcountry skiing opportunities galore.
The Crested Butte Nordic Center (downtown Crested Butte on Second and Whiterock) is the hub of activity where you can purchase a trail pass, rent quality equipment, or get a lesson if you’re new to cross country skiing. You can also pick up a trail map and get advice on where to go.
Keep an eye out for some of the great events they have. The Alley Loop’s race is a great costume party that starts and finishes in downtown Crested Butte. Other events include various brunches and moonlight dinners at the Magic Meadows Yurt. The Grand Traverse is a phenomenal 40 mile backcountry endurance ski race between Crested Butte and Aspen across the Elk Mountains. However this event is a bit difficult to spectate, and it starts at midnight!
The Crested Butte Nordic Centre also offers snowshoe tours, a sledding hill and ice-skating. It’s free to go ice-skating if you have your own skates, and skate rentals are available. The times available for skating are scheduled so give them a call to check times.
Crested Butte Guiding
The Crested Butte area has some amazing backcountry for skiing and snowboarding. Head out with Irwin Guides; they’ll show you the goods. Tours are largely customized so they can design a day trip according to your experience and the degree of skinning you want to do. They also offer half day intro tours if you just want a little taste of the backcountry, or if you’re keen you can do overnight hut trips (including the option of heading across to Aspen).
Crested Butte Cat Skiing
And if you want to hit the fresh powder in the backcountry and not “earn your turns”, the perfect solution is cat skiing with CS Irwin.
Their terrain is pretty small at only 1,000 acres (405 hectares); a little smaller than the ski resort, but the huge plus is that you don’t have to share the powder with the hordes. Another limitation of their terrain is that it lacks the ideal north facing slopes, but amazingly the area gets two to three times the amount of snow that Crested Butte Mountain Resort receives.
Crested Butte Family Activities
The base area of the Crested Butte ski resort has the Adventure Park which provides lots of fun for the family. The Adventure Park has bungee trampolines, rock climbing, mini golf and zip lining.
The resort no longer offers tubing, but for tubing and sledding you can head to the Big Mine Park near the Crested Butte Nordic Center.
Adventure Activities CB
Other winter activities in Crested Butte for those seeking an adventure include snowmobiling, dog sledding, horse riding, ice fishing and fly fishing.
Leisure Activities
You can undertake a DIY walking tour of historic downtown Crested Butte. Many of the old buildings have plaques that explain their history, or alternatively they have a little card in the window that you can scan with your cell phone.
If it’s too cold to be wandering around outside you can warm up from the inside at the Montanya Distillery. One of their chili infused rums is sure to get you toasty! In addition to rum tastings they also have lots of interesting cocktails to try.
Crested Butte Day Spas
Crested Butte Mountain Resort has two day spas: the Elevation Spa at the Elevation Hotel; and the Wildflower Spa at the Grand Lodge. Both day spas offer a large range of treatments including massages, facials, and body wraps. They also have a swimming pool and hot tub to top off the relaxation.