The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Crested Butte's summit reaches 12,162 feet, dropping 2,789 vertical feet to a base at 9,373 feet across 121 runs spread over 1,547 acres near Crested Butte, Colorado. Terrain splits 36 per cent expert, 25 per cent each for advanced and intermediate, and 14 per cent beginner, with average annual snowfall of roughly 184 inches. The resort carries Epic Pass affiliation. Twelve lifts, including seven quad chairs and two triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside one double chair, three surface lifts and two t-bars.
Crested Butte markets itself as home to extreme terrain in what it calls Colorado's last great ski town, a reputation built on legendary steeps and a historic mining-town atmosphere that has resisted the more polished development seen at many Colorado competitors. Its considerable 36 per cent expert-terrain share reflects a mountain built around serious, committed skiing.
Fred Rice and Dick Eflin purchased the 880-acre Malensek Ranch on the northern flank of Mount Crested Butte in 1960, receiving US Forest Service approval for an operating permit the following year. The resort struggled through its first decade, though it built a top-to-bottom gondola in 1963, the second such lift installed in Colorado after Vail's gondola the previous year, before financial difficulties led to bankruptcy in the mid-1960s.
The Callaway and Walton families brought fresh capital and enthusiasm in 1970, expanding the terrain and lift system and renaming the resort Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Triple Peaks LLC acquired the resort in 2004, before Vail Resorts announced its purchase in June 2018, buying Triple Peaks for 82 million US dollars alongside sister resorts Okemo and Mount Sunapee. Adult daily tickets run from 169 to 219 US dollars.
2,789ft
Vertical
121
Runs
1,547 acres
Skiable
15ft
Annual snow
Epic
Pass
The Terrain
121 runs across 1,547 acres skiable
Crested Butte spreads 121 runs across 1,547 acres skiable of terrain. It leans expert at 36%, with 17 beginner runs to find your feet and 74 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
121
runs
121 runs across 4 grades
Beginner17 runs · 14%
Intermediate30 runs · 25%
Advanced30 runs · 25%
Expert44 runs · 36%
Time it right
When to visit Crested Butte
The 2025-26 season at Crested Butte ran from 27 November 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly nineteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 184 inches. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Crested Butte's heavily expert-weighted terrain. As an Epic Pass resort within the Vail Resorts network, Crested Butte draws substantial visitation from Epic Pass holders alongside dedicated skiers specifically seeking the mountain's legendary extreme terrain and historic mining-town atmosphere.
Given Crested Butte's remote location relative to Denver, the resort draws a genuinely dedicated visitor base willing to make the longer journey, rewarded by comparatively lighter crowds than more accessible I-70 corridor resorts. School holiday periods bring family visitation to the resort's more moderate terrain, though the overall visitor base skews toward experienced skiers.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Vail Resorts' June 2018 acquisition, Crested Butte has continued building on more than six decades of history since Fred Rice and Dick Eflin's 1960 founding. The resort's identity as Colorado's last great ski town remains central to its seasonal character.
Season 2025 - 2026
27 Nov 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
129
Days open
15 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Crested Butte, and where to stay
Crested Butte sits near the town of Crested Butte, Colorado, with a base elevation of 9,373 feet and a summit at 12,162 feet across a 2,789-foot vertical drop over 1,547 acres. This remote setting in the Colorado high country places the resort well off the Interstate 70 corridor that serves many of the state's other major resorts.
The town of Crested Butte, a genuinely historic former mining settlement, offers extensive lodging, dining and a distinctly authentic mountain-town atmosphere within a short drive of the resort's base at Mount Crested Butte. The broader Gunnison Valley surrounds the area with additional outdoor recreation.
Colorado State Highway 135 connects the town of Gunnison to Crested Butte and the resort itself. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, and the resort's remote location means travellers should allow additional time compared with I-70 corridor destinations. There is no direct public transport service beyond regional shuttle connections.
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, a manageable drive from the resort, offers direct seasonal flights from several major US cities, providing a genuinely convenient option for visitors flying directly into this otherwise remote mountain destination.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Crested Butte, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Crested Butte Webcams
3 live angles across the mountain. Tap any camera to go full-screen.
About Crested Butte's live webcams
Check live conditions across Crested Butte with 3 real-time webcams showing snow, weather, and lift operations, updated every 10 minutes. Check high-elevation cams for powder visibility and base-area cams for crowd levels before you head up.
Camera guide
- Base Cam9,101ft
- Monitor base area operations and arrival conditions with this essential Crested Butte webcam positioned at 2774 meters elevation. This strategic Crested Butte live cam captures the bustling activity at the resort's main base area, where skiers and riders begin their adventure on Colorado's legendary extreme terrain. Perfect for checking current conditions and crowd levels, this Crested Butte web cam provides crucial intelligence for planning your visit to this iconic resort that pioneered extreme skiing and continues to challenge the world's best athletes on its famous steep terrain and deep powder runs.
- Umbrella Bar11,299ft
- Experience the authentic Colorado mountain dining atmosphere with this Umbrella Bar Crested Butte webcam positioned at 3444 meters elevation. This elevated Crested Butte webcam captures the vibrant on-mountain social scene at one of Colorado's most beloved ski resort restaurants. Monitor current mountain conditions while watching the legendary après-ski energy that has made this Crested Butte live cam a favorite among locals and visitors seeking the genuine mountain town experience that defines this historic extreme skiing destination in the heart of the Elk Mountains.
- Paradise Warming House10,801ft
- Monitor mid-mountain conditions from the Paradise Warming House with this strategically positioned Crested Butte webcam at 3292 meters elevation. Located at the base of the Paradise Express lift, this essential Crested Butte web cam provides real-time views of one of the resort's key terrain access points. Perfect for assessing conditions before venturing into the resort's famous extreme terrain, this Crested Butte live cam helps you plan your approach to some of Colorado's most challenging and rewarding skiing on terrain that has defined extreme skiing culture for decades.
Crested Butte snow cams FAQ
How often do Crested Butte snow cams update?
All Crested Butte snow cams and webcams update every 10 minutes with fresh images showing current mountain conditions. This frequent update schedule ensures you have access to near real-time conditions for planning your ski day at Crested Butte.
Which Crested Butte webcam shows the best powder conditions?
The high-elevation Umbrella Bar webcam at 3,444m provides the clearest view of powder conditions and snowfall. These Crested Butte webcams capture fresh snow accumulation and visibility better than base area cameras.
Can I see Crested Butte lift queues on the webcams?
Yes. Multiple Crested Butte snow cams specifically show lift queue areas and chairlift operations, helping you time your arrival and avoid peak queue periods.
When is the best time to check Crested Butte snow cams?
Check Crested Butte webcams early morning (7-8am) for overnight snowfall assessment, and mid-afternoon for current crowd levels and weather. The live cams are most useful after storm events to assess fresh powder.
How can I check current conditions before buying Crested Butte lift tickets?
Use our Crested Butte webcams alongside the live snow report to assess conditions before purchasing lift tickets. The webcams show real-time visibility, snow quality, and operational status.
Do Crested Butte webcams work on mobile devices?
Yes. All Crested Butte snow cams and webcams are optimized for mobile viewing, so you can check live conditions from anywhere using your phone or tablet.
More Crested Butte intelligence: snow report, lift tickets, trail map, resort overview.