Crested Butte Mountain Resort

Crested Butte Mountain Resort is a ski area on Crested Butte Mountain, above the village of Mt. Crested Butte and about 3 miles from the old coal-mining town of Crested Butte, in Gunnison County. It opened for the 1960/61 season and is now owned by Vail Resorts, which bought it in 2018. It is further from Denver than the I-70 resorts, about four and a half to five hours by car, so it is quieter and feels more remote.

The resort covers about 1,550 skiable acres with 15 lifts and roughly 3,000 feet of vertical, from a base at about 9,375 feet to a hike-to summit of 12,162 feet. It is best known for its extreme terrain: the Headwall, the North Face and the double-black "Extreme Limits", steep chutes and cliffs reached by traverses and short hikes. There is also gentler terrain for beginners and intermediates around the base and on the lower mountain.

Crested Butte is on the Epic Pass, with unlimited days; lift tickets are needed, and an Epic Day Pass bought before the season is usually the cheapest way to ski a few days. For 2026/27 the resort is scheduled to open on 25 November 2026; it usually closes in early April. Cross-country skiing is run separately, in and around town, by Crested Butte Nordic.

The town of Crested Butte is a National Historic District with painted wooden buildings on Elk Avenue, and it is the base for summer mountain biking and wildflower walks. Gunnison–Crested Butte Regional Airport is about 30 miles south, and a free Mountain Express bus links the town with the resort.