Crested Butte's snow record is below average in Colorado. 10.1% of winter days with 6 inches or more of snow is middle of the pack for western destinations, while 6% of months with 90 inches or more and 38% of months with 30 inches or less are worse than average. Snow density as in most of Colorado is as light as it gets. Deep powder skiing is rare but should last awhile in the North Face served only by a surface lift.

Accumulation and Preservation

Crested Butte has the steepest, most technical terrain in Colorado, and consequently the most difficult to cover. While the frontside beginner and intermediate 40% of the mountain is usually open for the holidays, the North Face is open by Christmas in less than 20% of seasons. Sectors such as Third Bowl and Banana/Funnel never open at all in some seasons. Experts should avoid Crested Butte before February except when there is unusually abundant early season snow as in 2007-08. Altitude range of 9,100 - 11,900 feet is excellent for snow preservation. The frontside terrain faces mostly west so melt/freeze conditions are likely in March if it has not snowed recently. The High Lift and North Face steeps will usually retain packed powder conditions up to the early April closing date.