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Crested Butte


Epic Pass

Crested Butte Ski Resort


Epic Pass
Crested Butte Lodging Map M
Crested Butte Snow Totals
Upcoming Snow Potential
3-Day
0"
5-Day
1"
10-Day
12"
This is About Average for Crested Butte
THE
LOW
DOWN
Crested Butte Key Knowledge: Crested Butte is a well-preserved Colorado mountain town. It also happens to be a ski hill that includes some of Colorado's most technical terrain. As a town, it's rivaled only by Telluride and Aspen in Colorado. As a mountain, it has few peers. This is a far quieter resort than those in the I-70 corridor of the state. There's no better place to be during a dump.

Of the ski resorts to which the Epic Pass grants unlimited access, Crested Butte is perhaps the most interesting, as it's far less crowded than most Vail-owned mountains. It's harder to get to Crested Butte, even harder than Telluride for most destination skiers, but that's what keeps crowds mild. There is a good amount of lodging at the base of the mountain.

Crested Butte skiing by month:
Crested Butte
By Month

Core Strengths

Crested Butte
Travel Ease
80.6
Overall
79.5
Snow Quality
61.7
Overall
Overall PAF Score

Overall
Rank

28

Rank in
Region

21

Rank in
State

10

This resort is often compared with:

A-Basin
Monarch
Snowbird
Crested Butte Snow Quality Across Full Winter
Click ON/OFF:
Crested Butte Snowfall Last 10 Days (inches)

Powder
Forecast

Powder Forecast
ZRANKINGS EXCLUSIVE
Monday
Day
0"
Night
0"
Tuesday
Day
0"
Night
1"
Wednesday
Day
0"
Night
0"
Thursday
Day
0"
Night
0"
Friday
Day
0"
Night
1"
True Snow: 253" per year
Snow Quality Rank

70

Accounts for resorts' snow quantity, moisture content, latitude, elevation, and slope aspects.

Dump Potential Rank

163

Crested Butte Ski Resort is ranked No. 163 in North America for its total snowfall during an average season.

Historical Powder Odds
Daily Lottery

% of days with more than 6" of snow

9.7%

Extended Stay

% of months with more than 90" of snow

5.5%

Drought Threat

% of months with less than 30" of snow

38.0%

*Special thanks to Tony Crocker and Bestsnow.net.

Dump Potential Rank

163

Crested Butte Ski Resort is ranked No. 163 in North America for its total snowfall during an average season.

Snow
Quality
Rank

70

Accounts for resorts' snow quantity, moisture content, latitude, elevation, and slope aspects.

Total Snow Score

This score accounts for total snow quantity, its moisture content, the resort's latitude, elevation, and its slope aspects, which affect total snow preservation.

Comparables

Crested Butte Ski Resort

Trail Breakdown

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Vertical Drop

2500 ft

11875 ft
Base Elevation: 9375 ft

Slope Aspects

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A few words on the Snow at Crested Butte Ski Resort

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.