Crested Butte: We Ski Rocks

[goldenboy]

Crested Butte has never had its own thread, so here you go. Even if only a few of us will ever post anything. Lots of terrain openings today, sounds like more to come tomorrow.

[stealurface831]

i'll be following this thread closely. been crusty butt curious for a while now.

[skaredshtles]

i'll be following this thread closely. been crusty butt curious for a while now.

Eleventy billion times better than Park Shitty.

[Name Redacted]

i'll be following this thread closely. been crusty butt curious for a while now.

The locals love it when you call it that.

[snowaddict91]

i'll be following this thread closely. been crusty butt curious for a while now.

Fly into MTJ, ski CB, Telluride, Silverton. Just remember, all skis are rock skis.

[Danno]

Just remember, all skis are rock skis.

truth.

Goldenboy didn't finish the statement. "We ski rocks", and we like it!

[beaterdit]

Love the place, miss it. Remember skiing there with some locals who literally had large sections of bondo/JB weld where their edges used to be. Ripping it up no sweat. Was young and at the peak of my Alpine skills and fitness. Was very proud when one of the locals said “nicely done” after threading the needle through a particularly ratty section.

Then later skiing the Tele comp and Al Johnson Classic there at the height of my Tele skills a couple times, awesome vibes!

Nowhere better to hone your technical skiing and billy goating skills.

[The SnowShow]

Love that view and feeling at the top of Banana/Funnel after traversing over and looking straight down that perfect steep pitch, with the valley/town below and the Elks beyond, and knowing you have that sick run to drop into. Stunning.

[Danno]

It really is one of the best mountains anywhere. And I love that once you get "back there" on the mountain, it has a very wild feel to it. Very little signage anywhere, no views of the lodges or lifts. Definitely don't want to just be sending it over headwalls without looking, if you were expecting a "Warning: cliffs" to be warning you of the dangers ahead you will be disappointed (and possibly sailing 50' over cliffs and rocks).

CB was the last place I locked my heels down, some 25+ years ago. But nobody cares.

[goldenboy]

Love the place, miss it. Remember skiing there with some locals who literally had large sections of bonds/JB weld where their edges used to be. Ripping it up no sweat. Was young and at the peak of my Alpine skills and fitness. Was very proud when one of the locals said “nicely done” after threading the needle through a particularly ratty section.

Then later skiing the Tele comp and Al Johnson Classic there at the height of my Tele skills a couple times, awesome vibes!

Nowhere better to hone your technical skiing and billy goating skills.

Haha, I definitely had some skis that were mostly JB Weld back in the day.

[Full Trucker]

Just remember, all skis are rock skis.

Some skis have never had bindings mounted.

[adrenalated]

A friend of mine who lives in CB once attempted to warranty a pair of skis on like day 2:

Friend: "These edges blew out on the second day."
Tech: <checks bases> "It looks like you've been jumping on rocks."
Friend: "Of course I was jumping on rocks, it's CB! But they were soft rocks and I didn't jump on them very hard!"

[Name Redacted]

I took a brand new fancy carbon Jones snowboard to CB on a really nice 12"+ day and followed some local friends around all day. Blew an edge, and a few core shots. So much for ever selling that board. Fucking great day though, it was so worth it.

[byates1]

Ended up in CB in fall '98 running the pm kitchen at the Marriott. Was only there 5 or so months. Blown knee again, bounced.

Always wanted.to get back. Cool place.

[Kevo]

My CB friends tell me that no ski lasts longer than one season.

From an avalanche perspective, is there anywhere in the world with a worse snowpack? I really don’t think so.

[Name Redacted]

My CB friends tell me that no ski lasts longer than one season.

From an avalanche perspective, is there anywhere in the world with a worse snowpack? I really don’t think so.

Summit county is worse. We get more wind.

[doebedoe]

Summit county is worse. We get more wind.

CB and Irwin have to deal with consistent avalanche problems on most aspects of the compass. Summit and FRange can almost always ski westerlies since there's no snow there thanks to the wind.

[snowaddict91]

In my Avy 1/2 with Crested Butte Mountain Guides, it was said several times that it could be worse, we could be in Silverton.

[Foggy_Goggles]

My CB friends tell me that no ski lasts longer than one season.

From an avalanche perspective, is there anywhere in the world with a worse snowpack? I really don’t think so.

Yes, many if not most places with a Continental Snowpack get less snow and frequently more wind that the Mountain Ranges surrounding CB. So yeah, strongly disagree with that statement. But I'm guessing you don't care.

It's been too long. I was an every year type of mutha fucka with Free Ski and then the Shell Half Off Coupons. They we went IKON/Epic and I play on the other team.

[Danno]

yeah, I had some of my best days during that free ski period. Skiing for free, sleeping on Pete's couch, and then -- was it 1996? -- them getting so hammered with snow that everything was open for the free skiing. Good times.

[Name Redacted]

I remember a late 90s trip down there for free skiing and a lot of the steeps were still open. We had a blast. I crashed real hard trying to point a rock chute that went into a compression. Went home with some big bruises.

[duffski]

lived in cb for the 93/94 season worked at rafters and sometimes the saloon apres so got to ski over 100 days that year. finally went back to visit a couple years ago and i was absolutely gripped in some of that terrain i used to hit all the time back then on skinny skis. i'll still ski just about anything on kt22 on a good day so shows just how steep and rocky it gets out there.

[gaijin]

Cool thread. I hope I get to see some puckered billy-goating pics.

A lot of guys from CB would show up at Mammoth or Kirkwood comps and choose the techiest lines.


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[stuckathuntermtn]

...Just remember, all skis are rock skis.

That's some Big Sky energy right there

[swimmy]

That's some Big Sky energy right there

Read my mind.

Big Mike Houser Panic fan here. In 1996 they played Crested Butte as part of the Sit-N-Ski tour. I was a senior in high school and not able to attend but both shows are fantastic.

https://www.panicstream.com/vault/wi...sted-butte-co/

https://www.panicstream.com/vault/wi...sted-butte-co/



I listen to each at least once a year. I can only think how fun it would've been to shred all day and then cozy up in the evening with a couple hundred of my best friends listening to our favorite band.

Sorry for the thread jack. Would love to ski there one day.