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    Colorado, USA · Epic

    Crested Butte

    1,547 acres, 121 runs near Gunnison. Legendary extreme terrain, historic mining town, Epic Pass.

    Season 2025 - 2026
    Opens
    27 Nov 2025
    Closes
    5 Apr 2026
    Days open
    129
    Annual snow
    15ft
    The Overview
    MF
    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

    View all news →
    FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032

    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 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 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

    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 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

    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

    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

    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 Snow Report

    Snow Report
    Updated 10 Sept 2026
    12,162ft
    summit
    +0in
    new snow · last 24 hours
    Clear38°F / 74°F · NW 12mph
    Snowfall
    24 hours
    0in
    48 hours
    0in
    7 days
    0in
    Base depth
    0in
    Season total
    0in
    Total lifts15

    Live open status isn’t available right now.

    27 Nov 2025 - 5 Apr 2026

    Hour by Hour

    Next 47 hours· Updated Sep 10, 2026 at 6:02 PM
    Thu7pNow9p10p11pFri12a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a10a11a12p1p2p3p4p5p6p7p8p9p10p11pSat12a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a10a11a12p1p2p3p4p5p
    Conditions
    Temp°F · feels
    6556
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    5044
    5348
    5350
    5856
    6259
    7066
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    7465
    7363
    Snowfallin
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
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    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
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    0
    Precip chance%
    0%
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    15%
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    4%
    4%
    2%
    2%
    2%
    2%
    2%
    Precipin000000000000000000000000000000000000000.000000000
    Wind / gustmph
    7G15
    8G9
    9G9
    9G9
    6G6
    2G2
    1G2
    0G2
    1G2
    1G2
    1G2
    3G4
    3G3
    3G3
    4G6
    2G12
    9G20
    12G23
    17G27
    16G26
    15G26
    17G20
    10G20
    11G20
    6G16
    8G8
    7G7
    6G9
    9G21
    8G9
    7G7
    4G4
    4G10
    4G4
    6G6
    4G9
    9G9
    6G19
    4G15
    3G12
    6G10
    9G13
    12G17
    16G19
    16G20
    17G20
    17G19

    Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo

    7-Day Outlook

    12,162 ftUpdated Sep 10, 2026 at 6:02 PMOpen-Meteo

    Days 1–7

    0.0"

    Days 8–14

    0.0"

    Unlock days 8–14

    Free account required

    Thu, Sept 10

    Clear
    Temp74° / 38°°F
    Snow0.0"
    Wind12 mph NW

    Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.

    Understanding the Crested Butte snow report

    Planning a day at Crested Butte? Our snow report combines official mountain data with live weather so you know exactly what conditions look like right now, from the 2857m base to the 3707m summit.

    Snow measurements

    Our snow reports measure snowfall in centimeters over multiple time windows — last 24 hours, last 7 days, and the season total. Base depth reflects accumulation at the 2857m base area, while summit depth captures conditions 850m higher at 3707m, where snow typically stays colder and lingers longer. Imperial conversions are shown alongside for convenience.

    Weather conditions

    Snow quality tracks closely with temperature and wind. We surface both alongside the snowfall data so you can judge whether conditions at Crested Butte are holding up or starting to soften.

    Data sources

    Crested Butte snow data is collected through a combination of on-mountain reports and weather forecasting services, giving you both official resort updates and independent forecast data in one place. The mountain is served by 15 lifts, including 7 quad chairlifts.

    When to check

    The biggest swings usually happen right after a storm. Check Crested Butte's report in the morning for the freshest numbers, and again in the afternoon as conditions evolve.