Epic Pass| Crested Butte Lodging Map | M |
| 10-Day Snow Potential - New! | |
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.
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Accounts for resorts' snow quantity, moisture content, latitude, elevation, and slope aspects.
Crested Butte Ski Resort is ranked No. 163 in North America for its total snowfall during an average season.
% of days with more than 6" of snow
9.7%% of months with more than 90" of snow
5.5%% of months with less than 30" of snow
38.0%Crested Butte Ski Resort is ranked No. 163 in North America for its total snowfall during an average season.
Accounts for resorts' snow quantity, moisture content, latitude, elevation, and slope aspects.
This score accounts for total snow quantity, its moisture content, the resort's latitude, elevation, and its slope aspects, which affect total snow preservation.
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 PreservationCrested 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.