Over $315 million has been invested in on- and off-mountain improvements and amenities at Crested Butte Mountain Resort since Tim and Diane Mueller purchased the ski area in 2004. Under the new ownership of CNL lifestyle properties, with the Mueller’s still at the operational helm, the 2009-2010 season is no exception. The Muellers remain committed to evolving the resort in a responsible manner that answers the needs of a growing community and an increasing number of visitors, while respecting the surrounding native environment.

Improvements at CBMR for the coming winter season include: a complete remodel of the beloved Ice Bar on-mountain restaurant; the addition of a new base area Adventure Park complete with year-round synthetic ice rink, bungee trampolines, and a climbing wall; installation of a lift-served tubing hill; the addition of a new combined beginner learning area for children and adults; and upgrades to the Outpost Building Day Lodge.

The Ice Bar Remodel

The Ice Bar restaurant remodel will nearly double the size of the existing space increasing the capacity to 63 in the dining room, 12-15 in the lounge and 20 at the outside bar. The existing deck will also be expanded.  According to CBMR the new design of the restaurant will feature a simple, subtle and understated feel with rustic undertones and an intimate setting. The building will be completed in November 2009.  Serving gourmet lunches of upscale regional American Cuisine with French influences and exotic drinks at a bar made completely out of ice, CBMR’s Ice Bar is a key feature of many's CB skiing experience.  Sip on a specialty beverage at the end of the day on the large sunny deck, and enjoy the beautiful vistas. The Ice Bar is located on the mountain at the base of the Twister Lift and is open for lunch and evening Last Tracks dinners – a gourmet meal followed by skiing or riding down the mountain after dark. Sleighride Dinners will also be operated out of the Ice Bar this coming season. Reservations are required for Last Tracks and Sleighride dinners and recommended for lunch.

The Adventure Park
New this year, CBMR introduces the base area Adventure Park complete with year-round ice-skating, bungee trampolines and a climbing wall. The skating rink is made from Super-Glide® synthetic ice and represents the first synthetic ice-skating facility in Colorado. Super-Glide synthetic ice is a high-tech skating surface created by skaters, and the rink was recycled from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, NY, where it was part of a display on climate change. The bungee trampolines provide a turbo-charged, gravity-defying ride up to 30 feet in the air, while the Climbing Pinnacle features a 28-foot, 6-route tower with auto-belay. The Adventure Park will be open year-round.

Lift Served Tubing Hill
In addition, the resort will add a lift-served tubing hill to the Adventure Park scene for winter. Located on warming house hill in front of the Crested Mountain condominium complex, in the area previously occupied by the adult learning area (which has moved to the same location as the children’s learning area), the Tubing Hill will be re-graded featuring a new tow lift and multiple tubing lanes.

Beginner Learn to Ski & Snowboard
The Ski and Ride School boasts a new beginner learning area for the upcoming season. The current kids’ area will be re-graded and expanded to include beginners of all ages. Both adult and children’s ski school lessons will operate out of the same area, making the morning drop-off seamless and stress-free.

The Outpost Building
The Outpost Building, located at the base of CBMR, will be upgraded with new paint, expanded restrooms and interior enhancements. The Outpost Building serves as a base area warming hut and gathering place.

Improvements over the past five years, since the Muellers initially took ownership of CBMR in 2004, include: a new base area village called Mountaineer Square; new lodging (Elevation Hotel & Spa, Lodge at Mountaineer Square); Teo 2 and Teo 2.5 ski area expansions in the Teo Bowl area; expanded DC Terrain Park; snow igloos – solid snow structures – set up in the kids’ play area outside of Camp CB and as cocktail hotspots near the Ice Bar restaurant; new snowmaking and grooming; a lift system expansion; the Treasury Center remodel; a new children’s facility called Camp CB; the introduction of the Mountain Sports Team accessible to a wide variety of athletes from kids enjoying local recreational programs to driven student athletes and the addition of the Outpost Building Day Lodge.

It may not be Crested Butte but this promo video by Telluride makes you want to hit the slopes fast, particularly when you're in the grip of a hot, hazy and humid Caribbean summer:

Venture Out [4min cut] from felt soul on Vimeo.

Shot and edited in the winter of 2009 in collaboration with the Telluride Visitors Center, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, Telluride Ski Resort and Telluride Mountainfilm in hopes of giving viewers a soulful, non-commercial look at the winter experience in Telluride. Filmed & edited by Ben Knight | Music by Explosions in the Sky

Crested Butte's Adventure Park is going up fast. The concrete for the skating rink has been poured and the roof is going on. Here's a cam shot from this morning:

Click here for more details on the park.

The Elk Mountain's Grand Traverse is an annual backcountry ski race from Crested Butte, CO to Aspen, CO which starts at midnight. This is a trailer for the film documentary of the 2009 race. The film will be released in Fall 2009.

Produced by: Friends of Friends Productions

Posted by: E. Conor Hagen -Director/Editor

Music: "Triumphant" by Royksopp

GRAND TRAVERSE TRAILER from Conor Hagen on Vimeo.

http://www.elkmountaintraverse.org

This face mask became a vital piece of kit. In fact, the difference between staying out and going home. This moisture-wicking, fleece-lined neoprene face guard gave great wind and water (read: driving wind and snow) protection.

The neofleece® face mask has vents/holes at nose and mouth which allowed easy breathing; we've tried pulling neck gaiters up over our noses in the past but quickly ran out of air.

The mask and integrated polyester fleece neck gaiter secures at the back with hook-and-loop tabs. Lycra® spandex binding trims the edges.

The mask tucked nicely under googles to give a draught-free fit and is cut so the back of the mask secures easily under the back of your helmet (yes, we all wear one, all the time). This mask/gaiter combo, combined with another neck gaiter and attractive skull cap, made a winning team in keeping the cold out and our heads toasty.

The downside: any inevitable nose seepage tends to accumulate on the inside of the mask, so if you're carrying them for family members, make sure you know which one is yours... On a two-week trip ours hit the washing machine a couple of times.

But at $20 each, money well-spent. As I said, the difference between staying out, or going home.

Construction of Crested Butte Mountain Resort's (CBMR) Adventure Park is well underway with a planned opening date of July 4, 2009.

The new Adventure Park is located at the Mt. Crested Butte base area. Adventure Park activities include year-round ice skating, bungee trampoline and a climbing wall. Activities can be purchased à la carte or you take advantage of the Adventure Ticket and enjoy unlimited access to chairlift rides and all Adventure Park activities. Tickets are available at the Adventure Center in Mountaineer Square.

Year-Round Ice Skating
The Adventure Park will be home to the first synthetic ice-skating facility in Colorado. This skating rink will be made from a Super-Glide® synthetic ice and promises to be fun for beginners and experts alike. "Super-Glide® synthetic ice is a high-tech skating surface created by skaters for skaters to offer the ultimate “skate-like ice” experience," according to CBMR. Apparently, Super-Glide® synthetic ice is used on more than 400 skating facilities worldwide.

Climbing Pinnacle
Towering 28 feet over the Adventure Park, the all new Climbing Pinnacle is sure to challenge climbers of all abilities. Six different routes ranging in difficulty from beginner to expert are available for adventures of all ages and ability. The tower is equipped with an auto-belay system that ensures the safety of all participants. Once you reach the top, you are rewarded with spectacular views and promised an exhilarating rappel down.

Bungee Trampolines
Using multiple bungee cords the traditional trampoline has been turbo charged to give a gravity defying ride that gets the adrenaline pumping in a totally safe environment. Jumpers are able to reach heights that would be impossible using a trampoline alone. Secured and safe they are free to experiment with acrobatic movements and somersaults (the record is 5in one jump) or to simply jump as high as they can.

An Adventure Ticket - $30 for under 18s and $40 for adults - includes unlimited use of the Red Lady Express and Silver Queen Chairlift, Ice Skating Rink, Climbing Wall and Bungee Trampoline. It also includes complimentary disc golf rentals.

The Adventure Park Summer Season Pass - $145 for adults and $85 for under 18s - includes unlimited use of Ice Skating Rink, Climbing Wall, Bungee Trampoline and Disc Golf Rentals.

Pricing details can be found at CBMR's site

Ski passes for Crested Butte are on sale until September 7. Buy early and save up to 30% off most adult passes. The 15-Day Mountain Card (no blackouts) has 32% off at $629 - it will go up to $925 from September 8 onwards.

But the big savings are on the kids' passes - 63% off the platinum passes for kids up to 17 years old. Platinum Passes (for adults and kids) provide unlimited skiing and riding with no blackout dates, and are valid for both the winter season and the summer season. If you purchase a Platinum Pass during the 2009 Spring Sale, you'll get lift access during both the 2009 and 2010 summer seasons.

Looks like one of the best savings is the Young Adult (13-17 year old) Gold pass with 65% off. $159 now, $455 from September 8. Gold Passes provide unlimited skiing and riding with no blackout dates, and are valid for the winter season.

Crested Butte Mountain Resort is also offering a Season Pass Financing Program - financing options for the purchase of all Platinum and Gold passes. For a $40 processing fee, they'll break your season pass purchase into four equal payments when you place your first payment by July 31st. Additional payments will be due on the last day of August, September and October.

Pass financing will only be available between June 1, 2009 and July 31, 2009. However, financing will only be accepted with the use of a credit card on file.

Finally, there's the Family Value Program where you receive one free child or young adult pass with every adult full season pass purchased. The Family Package includes one Adult Platinum or Gold pass and one pass of the same type for that adult’s legal dependent child, age 17 and under.

For more details visit CBMR's site.

Crested Butte is renowned for its extreme skiing but there a little gems of green and blue runs that are just plain nice to do - particularly for the kids. Bubba’s Shortcut - sandwiched between Mineral Point and Poverty Gulch - is one of those. At the beginning it’s narrow, tree-lined and only really wide enough for kids. Halfway down it opens out to some nice gentle undulations and finishes with a tuck-fest to try and get uphill on to Houston without having to pole.

The first section is very narrow and tough for adults to slow down, so I found it hard following the kids in – and had to bail out of the path to stop at one stage – but you can join about half-way down from Poverty Gulch. It’s not always groomed which can add the fun…

The kids only started to ski last year and had black runs in their sights this year (which they did) but they kept heading back to Bubba’s Shortcut every time they could…

Technically, we did go cat-skiing in Crested Butte. We got in a “toast rack” behind a snowcat, were taken up a portion of a mountain and, eventually, skied back down the mountain. Admittedly, we were taken up a green run (Painter Boy) to get to some blue runs - after a nice warm cup of Joe at Camp4Coffee…

The snowcat ride had been kindly laid on by Crested Butte Mountain Resort while they fixed Painter Boy Lift. We were second or third day into our trip and weren’t heading higher in that weather…