Crested Butte Magazine by Stephen Mabry

crestedbutte magazine Summer 2009

Complimentary

Crested Butte Magazine

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Table of Contents 7

Long story short

Sans derailleurs, sore derrieres

A new kids’ museum, 12 months of skiing, words both spoken and sung, the pup-arazzi and other one-page wonders.

by Erin English n For hard-core Bridges of the Butte townie jocks, 24 hours in the saddle challenges both seat and psyche.

Science, art and corn-lily parade garb

by Molly Murfee n A study on the evolution of veratrum tenuipetalum coverage of homo sapiens epidermis in select scientist populations during Crested Butte’s annual paradus populous on the fourth day of July.

Friends in high places

The Red Lady meets Annapurna

by Erin English n For outdoor adventurers, novice to hardcore, guides can open the wonders of the backcountry.

by Dawne Belloise n A tortured trekker sends forth Crested Butte’s prayers from the glorious flanks of Annapurna.

A bit of history unearthed

by Sandra Cortner n Highway commuters whiz by the Jack’s Cabin Cemetery every day, unaware of the characters and tales that lie beneath its wildflowers.

Photo gallery

Welcome to the world!

Mooseheads optional

The yak-path less traveled

Worth a thousand words... and counting. Young poets celebrate “the awe, the wonder, the promise” of new life in the springtime. by Sandy Fails n Mountain decorating trends: less clutter, pretension and rules; more meaning, fun and individuality. Like life in Crested Butte. by Dawne Belloise n With her selfsufficiency skills, Shannon Holder has forged a life from the ground up.

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Crested Butte Magazine

: photo by Xavier Fané

Breath and light, joy and possibility

Bringing Hannah home

Hearts and tamales

Chalking up victories

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by Shelley Read n Monica Mesa’s mission: to change the world one yoga student at a time. by Sandy Fails n New adoptive mom Susan Gellert: “I felt like the whole town was waiting for her, too.” by Gregory Pettys n In tough times, kindnesses shine brighter. by Luke Mehall n As young climbers clinch national honors, the Butte Bouldering Bonanza and Gunnison Glory bring competition to the valley.

Calendar Lodging guide

84 88

Dining guide Photo finish Crested Butte Magazine

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Vol. XXXI, No. 1 Published semi-annually by Crested Butte Printing PUBLISHER Steve Mabry EDITOR Sandy Fails ADVERTISING DIRECTOR M.J. Vosburg GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jessy Moreland PRODUCTION Christopher Hanna Keitha Kostyk WRITERS Dawne Belloise Sandra Cortner Ella Donovan Willa Emmitt Erin English Sandy Fails Avery Forsythe Owen Forsythe Luke Mehall Molly Murfee Gregory Pettys Shelley Read Taylor Tyzzer

PHOTOGRAPHERS Dawne Belloise Nathan Bilow Sandra Cortner Dusty Demerson Amy Deskin Xavier Fané Alex Fenlon Paul Gallaher Brooke Harless Kevin Krill J.C. Leacock Andy Richter Jan Runge James Ray Spahn Tom Stillo Andi Tippie Mike Tittel PRINTING David Zembower Chris Eshbaugh Ryan Law COVER PHOTO Xavier Fané

E-MAIL happy@crestedbutte.net SUBSCRIPTIONS Crested Butte Printing P.O. Box 1030, Crested Butte, CO 81224 970-349-7511 • $8/year for two issues ADVERTISING 970-349-6211 e-mail: mjvos@adelphia.net

Crested Butte Magazine

Editor’s Note

Most of us lost something last year: portfolio value, a job, a home, a dream — or merely permission to buy a daily latte instead of brewing Folgers in the kitchen. Wherever we fell along the spectrum, it’s been easy to pay attention to what we lost. But a glorious Crested Butte summer day might give us pause to remember what we still have. On a typical summer day, I still walk my dog as the sun’s first rays illuminate the summit of Gothic. Around me, the warming air lures out other dog walkers, joggers, mountain bikers and stroller-pushers.

I work at the family business, the Old Town Inn, suggesting where guests can hike to waterfalls, fish in beaver ponds or throw summer snowballs with their kids. Later I’ll hear the follow-up tales from sunburned but gleeful adventurers. I pedal my red townie to the post office and catch up with my neighbors: who’s sick, pregnant, moving back to town or getting a body part replaced. My wilder neighbors wear feathers or fur: geese, bears, coyotes, deer and foxes. I can hike from my door to quiet, forested hillsides

: photo by Kevin Krill

Truer riches

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SUMMER HOURS: 8AM TO 6PM 7 DAYS A WEEK

or grand summits or hidden alpine lakes. From a friend’s deck, I toast the sunset glowing gold on Crested Butte’s spires. As the evening cools, our families swap stories around the firepit, and we head home under the Milky Way shining against the darkness. My husband and I are in our fifties, and we’ve worked, saved and invested like good American Dreamers. Then the great economic storm rained on our balance sheet and washed our retirement down the road a ways. Sure, I hated to see our careful plans undermined. But on a daily basis, how have our lives changed from a year ago, when our numbers were fat and sassy? Back then, we hired more people to work at the hotel, drove a car to the post office, ate out a lot, wore new clothes and planned exotic vacations. What hasn’t changed? Sunsets, hikes, affection, kids, and most of what really matters. This reminds me of two contrasting childhood memories. The first is our annual family pilgrimage to Six Flags. We’d get there early to beat the oppressive heat and crowds. When the gates opened, we were off... to throw ourselves on mechanical devices designed to manufacture exhilaration, fear and excitement. Eight hours later, we’d trudge back out the gates, our bellies slightly queasy, fingers sticky with cotton-candy pink, and ears ringing with loud-speaker carnival racket. A gentler childhood recollection centers on the back porch of Granddad’s tiny rock farmhouse, where the family gathered, slurping juice and spitting seeds from a just-picked watermelon, with soundtrack provided by crickets and barn owls. To me, the economic downturn has been like getting kicked out of Six Flags, with its fun but artificial stimulation. In some ways I’m happy to rediscover the satisfaction of watermelon on the back porch. I realize that many people this year, depending on their professions and life circumstances, got hit at a survival level. My heart goes out to those facing huge hardships. May all of us, whether we were knocked to our knees or just sent home early from the carnival, find some joy in remembering what we still have. May this issue of the Crested Butte Magazine be part of that, reaffirming the blessings that endure. May it remind us that no matter what the stock market does tomorrow, the sun will rise magnificent over the mountains. We will still be enveloped by beauty, adventure, community, humor and a backyard wilderness — and these are truer, steadier riches.

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— Sandy Fails

Long Story | Short

Forget the candles;

bring on the snow

Summer skiing highlighted Kevin Krill’s 40th birthday campaign to ski all 12 months of the year.

By Sandy Fails

evin Krill’s 40th birthday celebration spanned 12 months and had its ups and downs. Several hundred thousand feet of ups and downs. The avid skier/photographer decided to ski every month of his four-decade birthday year — a record he barely missed when he turned 30. For his January 15, 2008, birthday, he got “powder day after powder day” at the ski resort, as Crested Butte racked up a record 450-plus inches of winter snow. When the lifts closed that spring, he played on the snowy slopes above the Irwin Lodge, where he’d worked as a ski guide years before. But the highlight of his 12-month campaign came in June and July, skiing Purple and Augusta mountains – “hiking up through the wildflowers in tank tops and

shorts with our ski boots in our packs.” “People thought I was crazy,” he said, “but well into the summer the mountain bike trails were still too muddy, and the skiing was fantastic.” In July he and his wife Marilyn left home at 4 a.m., negotiated rushing streams and lush green meadows, then climbed up Purple Mountain to “endless snowfields of perfect corn, smooth as silk.” Below them, vast white stretches gave way abruptly to verdant green valley. With mid-summer’s warmth, the snow receded quickly. For the hardest month, August, Kevin packed lightweight short ski blades for the hike to the avalanche chute above Emerald Lake. He later regretted that convenience, riding the skittish mini-skis on “avalanche debris that was more gravel than snow.”

By September, new snow covered Baldy’s left-over snowfields, and by October other skiers were joining Kevin to ski freshies on Baldy’s Halloween Bowl. For November, Kevin headed up Elk Creek to Copley Lake to find prime skiing. His quads got a break when the ski lifts opened again and 120 inches of December snowfall brought another series of powder days. In his circle of diehard skiers, Krill figures a few other people — like Denis Hall and steepster Nick Danni — skied almost every month of 2008. A Wisconsin native, Kevin came to Crested Butte in 1989 to be a lift operator on a semester off from college. He was first a laborer and eventually a co-owner of Rocky Mountain Trees and now does landscape architecture. Luckily, that allows him time for skiing... all 12 months of it.

: photos by Kevin Krill

Bryan Wickenhauser and Jonathan Augello climb up through wildflowers to ski down on snow; Brian Krill (left) flies back down from white to green.

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Long Story | Short

Not your

parents’ museum

ontributors to Crested Butte’s Trailhead Discovery Museum and Arts Center this summer won’t just help buy exhibits; they’ll be part of an exhibit. Each founding donor (of $100-5,000) can paint a ceramic tile (or have a child, grandchild or artist paint it) for permanent display in the museum’s entryway. Crews planned to break ground in June for the building at 618 Gothic, and the children’s museum will open its doors in summer 2010. “Library voices” will not be required at The Trailhead Discovery Museum and Arts Center. Instead, climbing, sliding, splashing, digging and laughing will be taken as proof that learning is, indeed, taking place.

Even donors get to be hands-on at the proposed Trailhead Discovery Museum, where kids will laugh, climb, splash and learn through play.

The central feature of the 5,000-square-foot museum space will be a two-story, handicapped-accessible play structure, “because kids need to move their bodies,” said Meike Meissner, museum development coordinator. The museum will also house a big sandbox and hands-on, interactive exhibits. Some of those, like a magnet table and pretend grocery store, may be built locally; others, like a light room, may be purchased from specialty suppliers. Museum classrooms will host music classes, art workshops and birthday parties. Though the discovery museum is designed for youngsters up to age 12, it can also provide classroom/workshop space for the Center for the Arts, community school

and other organizations. Exhibits will be tailored to both local and visiting children, such as an up-close and splashable water exhibit about the Gunnison watershed. The idea for the museum came from “a group of moms facing another long, cold winter with our children,” Meissner said. “We thought, wouldn’t it be great to have an indoor space where kids could play, learn and have fun – something stimulating physically and culturally?” The Association of Children’s Museums cited many studies confirming that “kids are at their best, and they learn best, through play,” she said. As research continued, museum proponent Kara Miller and her husband Scott began planning a building to house Scott’s business, Action Learning. They decided to combine efforts and asked architect Andrew Hadley to design the building to incorporate the goals of The Trailhead. Trailhead organizers had raised $50,000 by spring 2009, including individual donations and a grant from the Festival of the Arts/CB Society. Meissner is seeking larger foundation and corporate grants as well as individual donations to raise an additional $150,000 for the exhibits and play structure. “We’ve had a lot of community support; people are extremely enthusiastic,” Meissner said. Want to be part of a Crested Butte children’s museum? Call 970-901-7591 or go to www.thetrailheadcb.org.

Calendar dogs

Do we love our dogs or what? Last February Liz Currier floated an email to friends and acquaintances, asking who would buy a calendar page featuring a photo of his or her dog. Within a week she’d sold a third of the 52 pages available for the inaugural 2010 “Dogs of Crested Butte” desk calendar. “I couldn’t believe the response,” she said. A fundraiser for the Paradise Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), “this is going to be the cutest calendar ever, very professional, something that would fit at Barnes and Noble,” said the energetic Liz. An equestrienne and dog lover, Liz recruited “pup-arazzi” Jan Runge, an artistic local photographer, and her brother John <8>

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LeCoq, a world-renowned cameraman, to shoot portraits of the calendar canines. Dog owners will pay $250 per page ($350 for two dogs). A back section will display smaller $50 photos, including memorials. Local retailers will sell the calendars for around $9.95 starting in November. Liz, a stockbroker turned dog-bed entrepreneur turned mom/community dynamo, hopes the calendar will raise $10,000 to help build a Crested Butte animal shelter. “So many people love anything related to animals. It pulls at the heart strings,” she said. Want Fifi to be Miss First-Week-ofAugust? Contact lizlecoqcurrier@yahoo.com.

: photos by Amy Deskin

Immortalize Fido and help build a Crested Butte animal shelter.

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Long Story | Short

New owners,

same leaders

: photo by Dusty Demerson

Tim and Diane Mueller remain at the helm of the ski resort, despite an official sale to CNL Properties. By Erin English

iane Mueller’s nametag at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) reads: “Director of Stuff.” Her job description will remain unchanged despite the recent sale of the ski area to real estate investment trust CNL Lifestyle Properties. In early December, Tim and Diane Mueller sold Triple Peaks Resorts – including Okemo in Vermont, Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire and CBMR — to CNL for a reported $132 million. CNL owns 21 mountain properties, including 14 ski areas. Under a 40-year lease agreement, operational control of Crested Butte’s ski

Makeover,

area will effectively remain with Triple Peaks. The Muellers and their son Ethan, vice president/mountain operations, will continue to run the ski area and will own the resort again at the end of the lease (technically called a sale-leaseback). The Muellers also held on to some key real estate interests. From the resort’s standpoint, the infusion of capital from CNL offers stability in tough economic times. “The sale has enabled us to take some of the pressure off and move forward in a progressive way,” said former CBMR spokesperson Todd Walton. “Instead of a

two- to three-year plan, we can look three, five and ten years down the line.” With CBMR’s “Director of Stuff” still very visible on the mountain and the Muellers’ Master Development Plan unveiled in early March, the ownership shift will impact the resort mostly behind the scenes. “Overall it’s a pretty sweet deal,” said long-time resident Gary Huresky of Benson Sotheby’s International Realty. “It builds confidence in our ski area, which helps everyone here. In our little valley, the trickle-down effect is enormous.”

country club edition

The Club at Crested Butte greets the summer with a big birthday and $2.6 million remodel.

he Club at Crested Butte will celebrate its 25th birthday with a $2.6 million gift. In June the clubhouse at the country club unveils its remodeled ground floor, focused on sophisticated fitness facilities, locker rooms and pool/hot tub areas, plus a larger deck outside of Remi’s Restaurant. Details include: • new member locker rooms (including a family locker room) with oversized steam rooms and flat-panel televisions; • individual televisions on the state-of-the-art fitness equipment; • 40% larger fitness facility and additional class space; • remodeled pool with more lap lanes and panoramic views; • new, private hot tub with wraparound windows; • 60% more outdoor seating for diners. The $2.6 million ground-floor makeover is the first of a four-phase remodel of the clubhouse. The country club invested an additional half million dollars in its Robert Trent Jones II championship golf course. The public is invited to check out the new clubhouse facilities at an open house in June. The Club at Crested Butte (initially named Skyland Country Club) will celebrate its birthday with a member dinner party and dance on July 17.

: photo by Tom Stillo

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Long Story | Short

: photo by Brooke Harless

Rapt crowds at poetry readings? Yes... when poets animate their words with music, comedy and theatrics.

Luke Mehall puts his poetry through its paces.

Off the page, onto the stage by Luke Mehall

To some, poetry that stays on the page is kind of, well, boring. But when the written becomes the spoken word, sparks can fly. WordHorde, Western State College’s official English club and the valley’s purveyor of performance poetry, has raised eyebrows and earned an avid following with its quality shows. During the school year WordHorde organizes events every other week at

various Gunnison Valley locales, from Crested Butte’s Mallardi Cabaret to Mochas coffeehouse in Gunnison. The wellattended events range from open-mic, variety-style shows to performances by bigtime talents from across the United States. (See western.edu/wordhorde.) The path to this pinnacle has been bumpy. People groan recalling WordHorde’s early open-mic nights that suffered from a little too much freedom.

“Any geek of the street could have full rein of the microphone with no time limit,” lamented one poet. This, according to Mark Todd, professor of English at Western and WordHorde’s co-advisor, inspired the group to institute a five-minute performance limit. Around that same time, Todd started a slam poetry competition within one of his poetry courses. In general, slam poetry consists of judges who rate poems and performers who (if they want to win) memorize works for the audience. “We wanted to make sure people learned how to perform,” Todd explained. The slam poetry competition jumped from classroom to center stage, eventually drawing standing-room-only audiences at the Gunnison Arts Center. As Todd, also a performance poet, mentored young writers on their delivery and stage presence, he watched two things happen: “One, we have a loyal following of community members and students. And two, the English students here have a strong sense of community among themselves.” David Moore, owner of Blue Moon Books in Crested Butte, supports another branch of that community. He hosts open poetry readings on the last Saturday night of each month. A poet himself, he appreciates the “creative, high-energy aspect” of the sessions. “People typically have a limited vision of poetry,” Moore said. “The spoken word gives a whole new aspect to it.”

Culture in a barn

The Crested Butte Music Festival proves world-class music can touch, tickle and thrill. Think culture has to be snooty, predictable, boring and expensive? Surprise. The Crested Butte Music Festival (CBMF), July 4-26, will bring internationally acclaimed soloists and bands to Crested Butte for opera, symphony and chamber music, bluegrass, jazz and dance...but none of that stuffy business. Snooty? Does “Have a Beer with Beethoven” (held in a barn) sound snooty? Predictable? Ever heard of the ney, or Persian flute? It’s the CBMF’s highlighted new instrument, played by celebrity Arabic neyist Bassam Saba from Beirut. Boring? Yodel with Wylie and the Wild West before you answer that question. Expensive? How about a schedule with eight free and several “pay what you can” performances, plus great package discounts? Here are a few highlights of CBMF 2009: • Composer-in-Residence Daniel Schnyder, one of the world’s leading jazz saxophonists and composers, known for combining composition and improvisation, jazz and traditional chamber music; • London’s Benjamin Wallfisch, 29, international up-and<12>

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coming conductor, who will celebrate the 200th anniversaries of Joseph Haydn and Felix Mendelssohn with symphony performances in the Ein-Lynch barn; • “The Marriage of Figaro,” Mozart’s brilliant social satire showcasing the rising stars of the Opera Young Artist Program alongside singers from the most prestigious opera houses in the world: Milan’s La Scala, the New York Metropolitan Opera and London’s Royal Opera House. For the full story, see www.crestedbuttemusicfestival.com.

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Long Story | Short

Saving more

than money

In pledging to buy nothing new for a year, local members of the Compact discover some surprising paybacks. By Molly Murfee iana Ralston walked past the Starbuck’s stand at City Market and stopped. Travel mugs on clearance, only $4. She picked up the mug. What a deal. Then she reconsidered, put it back and walked away. “It felt a little funny,” she admits. “I don’t consider myself a huge consumer, but if I saw some earrings I liked at the store, I would buy them if they were reasonable.” Diana put the mug back because she has made a commitment to the Gunnison Valley Compact. These 40 people (lawyers, teachers, massage therapists, non-profit staffers, etc.) have agreed to not buy anything new for a full year. They are allowed to purchase food, hygiene products like shampoo, emergency items such as brake fluid and underwear. For the rest, they borrow, trade or buy used. The idea emerged when Gary Dotzler visited some Washington friends, who asked him to wash and save a plastic bag he was about to throw away. Why? The Compact. The first Compact began in 2006 with ten friends out of San Francisco. The grassroots phenomenon has grown to coastto-coast “sub-compacts,” a whopping 10,000 members. Local Compactors frequent thrift stores like Crested Butte’s La Escondida, which helps sustain a safe home for women and children who have been abused. They might find a blender at Six Points, a second-hand store that supports people with disabilities. They post notices for needed items on town bulletin boards and in the local shopper. They trade through Freecycle and post items to buy, sell or trade on their own Yahoo group. For items they can’t find here, they use sites like Craig’s List and eBay. Lawton Grinter, a.k.a. “Disco,” had read a book called Your Money or Your Life. From it, he developed a plan for early retirement through frugal living. Formerly, as a high-paid environmental consultant back east, he found that every penny he earned, he also spent. After moving to Crested Butte, he found the goals of the Compact congruent with his own goals, so he signed up. An avid hiker (he’s logged over 12,000 miles on the trails) he needed a hose for his hydration system. Instead of buying a new system, he bought a half-price used hose on one of the national clearinghouses. New wind jacket for his upcoming marathon? With some research fortitude, he found a $125 jacket (worn twice) for $40.

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Crested Butte Magazine

: photo by Alex Fenlon

Jeff and Oz Scott, ready to share their earthly goods with fellow Freecyclers. “These people wanted to get rid of their stuff, and I wanted to buy it,” he says, beaming. Now, though he makes less money, he puts more into savings. Participating in the Compact has given its members more than good deals. Instead of purchasing pre-made Valentines, Diana bonded with her two children through a twoweek watercolor card-making project. Kiki Dotzler, organizer with her husband Gary, hopes to create a thriving, supportive community. When the group meets for its monthly potluck to share ideas and challenges, each person brings a homemade dish and a trade item in that month’s allotted category: e.g. kitchen appliances, tools or clothes. For book-trading month, Maureen Hall, a retired Crested Butte resident, took home The Better World Shopping Guide. With fabric scraps, an old picnic tablecloth and a borrowed sewing machine, she and other members one evening made “sami shells.” As an enthusiastic hiker and skier, she’s thrilled to stuff her sandwiches in the reusable bags.

With the money they’re saving, members can put their hard-earned cash to other uses. Gary and Kiki deduced they would save approximately $50 each month, so every 30 days they donate to a local non-profit. A chart on their wall tracks their donations. Others find they have more money for treats like dining out, movies, theater, massage or yoga. Instead of spending time shopping, Diana can go on a run or visit family. “It’s kind of a relief,” she sighs, “refreshing and liberating. It makes you think – what do you really need, and what can you get used.” The Compact brings Maureen more awareness of her shopping habits. Gary comments that he must practice patience. Instead of impulse shopping, it might take time and creativity to find what he needs through other means. Kiki is excited to purchase things without wasteful packaging. “Consumerism can be out of control just like eating can be out of control,” Gary says. “That kind of consumerism is bad for the planet.”

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: photo by Alex Fenlon

Sans derailleurs, sore derrieres

: photo by Paul Gallaher

For hard-core Bridges of the Butte townie jocks, 24 hours in the saddle challenges both seat and psyche.

by Erin English

eed Betz sat at a corner table in Josephine’s Soul Food Restaurant, silently staring at his glass of water. The dazed look in his heavy-lidded eyes revealed pain, exhaustion and bewilderment. Around him, music played, New Belgium Beer flowed, and the lively, sweaty crowd scarfed deliciously greasy fried green tomatoes to crown the Bridges of the Butte 24-Hour Townie Tour. Just outside, dozens of “townies” — beater and cruiser bikes ridden by locals year-round in Crested Butte — lined the curb with kickstands engaged and handlebars facing out, aluminum fenders glinting in the sun. Betz didn’t notice. Along with five other stalwarts, he had just spent 24 hours on his vintage Schwinn cycling around Crested Butte, pausing only for pit stops in the Town Park and to rehydrate and refuel. All told, Betz rode his ancient one-speed just under 262 miles — roughly like riding from Crested Butte to Denver – in one day. The discomfort was almost too much for him to bear. “After the awards ceremony, I tried to get on my bike just to coast down Elk and go home,” Betz recalled later. “Everything hurt too badly; it put tears in my eyes. I couldn’t do it. I walked my bike home, and even walking hurt.”

Bridges of the Butte takes place each June as part of Fat Tire Bike Week. More than 100 cyclists collect pledges and raise money for the Adaptive Sports Center’s outdoor adventure programs for people with disabilities. The 2.4mile course winds pleasantly around town, down Elk Avenue and over Crested Butte’s numerous wooden foot bridges. Cyclists may participate as individuals or, more commonly, as teams, breaking the ride into manageable one- to two-hour shifts. Most participants ride at a leisurely pace — taking in the views, waving to friends and watching the cycle of activities unfold in town. The 24-hour contingent, while comparatively small, is a growing and competitive bunch, with the first two female cyclists, Daniela Runge and Krista Powers, participating in last year’s tour. “I couldn’t pass it up,” Runge said. “I knew it was going to be fun.” Twenty-four-hour riders witness a true “day in the life” of Crested Butte. The ride starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday, as lazy afternoon shoppers mill about Elk Avenue and friends and family lounge in the sun on the Brick Oven Pizzeria deck. Later, cyclists bear witness to

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: photo by Alex Fenlon

the early and late dinner crowds, then the last stragglers leaving the bars after 2 a.m. Riders describe the time between 3 a.m. and sunrise as one of the toughest shifts, but peaceful in its own right. The night air turns cold and frosty, the bridges twinkle with strings of multi-colored holiday lights, and the stillness and quiet of night set in. With dawn, town slowly comes alive again: early morning dog walkers, cyclists and runners, followed by the breakfast and lunch crowds. “When you see how the town goes to sleep, it’s beautiful,” said Runge. “Last year, Craig from Izzy’s put breakfast out for us in the middle of the night and it was like heaven, all those rolls and coffee. I watched him working through the night making bagels for the next day.” Riding a townie around Crested Butte for a day straight is no easy task. It requires mental strength and physical stamina, careful consideration of hydration and caloric intake (think carbs, loads of water and espresso shakes from Pitas in Paradise), sunscreen, and perhaps most important, gobs of chamois butter, a personal lubricant used to reduce chafing associated with long-distance running or biking. “Most of the 24-hour riders buttered up,” laughed Runge. Endurance athletes tend to become hooked on their sport, and 24-hour townie tour riders are no exception. Several of the hard-core will ride their third or fourth 24hour events this June. Even Betz, who by all accounts seemed in worst shape after last year’s ride, sitting in Josephine’s with his head in his hands, will take on the tour again this summer. “I pulled off 109 laps last year, and I’m shooting to break my own record,” Betz said. “I plan on raising as much money as I can and hopefully raising the bar from last year.” Runge will return as well, and is hoping this tour will be less taxing. The chamois butter, so it seems, is not a cure-all for what hurts the most post-event: the behind. “You obviously don’t train for this event. I mean, it’s a 24-hour townie tour,” she said. “I need to figure out the rash situation this time, though. It took a while last year before I was able to sit down again.” <18>

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b r a g e d a r a p y l i l n r o c Science, art and

sapiens uipetalum coverage of homo the ten um atr ver of ion lut evo lations during A study on the Biological Laboratory popu in nta ou M y ck Ro in is of July. epiderm ed Butte on the fourth day est Cr of s lou pu po us rad annual pa By Molly Murfee

bove the red, white and blue din of Crested Butte’s Fourth of July parade, you’ll hear them. Banging pots, pans and garbage can lids. Chanting something about science. Then you see them. Their gowns are as elaborate as the newest Oscar de la Renta runway fashion. Off the shoulder. To-the-ankle formal. Modernly above the knee. Wide-brimmed hats. Saucy skirts (even on the men) partnered with barely-there bikini tops. But instead of silk, satin or even polyester, these outfits are constructed of the broad leaf of the Veratrum tenuipetalum, a

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Crested Butte Magazine

plant that can grow as much as two inches in a day, resulting in a six-foot-tall botanical giant. ‘Round here we call it the corn lily or sometimes skunk cabbage, and in the parade it adorns the bodies of some of the most prestigious scientists in the nation, along with their graduate and undergraduate protégés. They are (if you listen closely enough) residents, researchers and students of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) of Gothic, one of the largest and oldest independent, high-altitude research field stations in the world. It all began in the bicentennial year of 1976, when Crested Butte’s main drag was

still a pothole-pecked dust strip, and lack of hot water in Gothic, according to the gleeful reports of one scientist, encouraged communal showering. Isolated from the rest of the world, the quizzical residents there found little reason to venture out from the wilderness, except to poach hot tubs at mountain condo decks and catch an occasional women’s softball game in Crested Butte. To entertain themselves in between, they played music — mandolin or penny whistle, talented or not, it didn’t matter. Steve Nowiki (then a graduate student at RMBL, now an internationally renowned scientist studying such thick subjects as neurobiology and animal behavior, with bachelor’s degrees in biology and music

coc : photos by J.C. Lea

from Tufts University and a PhD from Cornell, currently serving as the dean and vice provost of undergraduates at Duke University) had hitchhiked into Gunnison to purchase a cheap trombone to join the jam sessions. Nick Waser (B.S. from Stanford University in biology, PhD from the University of Arizona with a minor in genetics and a major in ecology, a retired professor from the University of California system who studies the pollination of flowers and has been researching in RMBL since 1972) already had a clarinet. Both had participated in the rebellious, counter-cultural scatter bands that sprouted out of the sixties and seventies – like the band at Stanford, where Dr. Waser played the clarinet, and Tufts, where Dr. Nowiki

served as the drum major and trombone player. Even today such bands are known for their irreverence, with stunts such as the Stanford band’s mimicry of a spotted owl at an Oregon State football game, which earned them a three-year ban from the entire state of Oregon. The two used their infamous experiences to conspire for the bicentennial parade, co-creating what became the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab’s Forward Backward Marching Band. It was so named because back then, Crested Butte’s parade was so small that participants marched to the end of Elk Avenue and then back again. RMBL folks marched backward on the return leg. In the beginning there was music. The Mickey Mouse theme song. “When

the Saints Go Marching In.” “The Beer Barrel Polka.” Those who could play instruments did. The others grabbed whatever creative percussion (i.e. garbage can lids as cymbals, pots as drums) they could find. With a rousing 15 minutes of practice, the pedigreed, prestigious scientists descended, with a cheer that spelled out “R-O-C-K-Y-M-O-U-N-T-A-IN-B-I-O-L-O-G-I-C-A-L-L-A-B-O-R-A-T-OR-Y ROCKY! MOUNTAIN! BIOLOGICAL! LABORATORY! FOUNDED! 1928!!” led by the leaping Dr. Waser in what he admits to be a “total rip-off” of the Stanford band’s cheer. The icing on the cake came from Bobbi Peckarsky (B.S. in biology, M.S. in biology and education, PhD in stream ecology and zoology, all from the University of Wisconsin; professor at Cornell for 26 years; has studied stream Crested Butte Magazine

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ecology and evolution since 1974 at RMBL). Dr. Peckarsky and her research assistants formed the Sensuous Benthettes, so named because “benthos” is the term for the bottom-dwelling stream bugs she studies, “sensuous” because of the little black boots they sported. The Sensuous Benthettes led the show, twirling their butterfly nets in high-stepping majorette style. The corn lily attire so famously attached to RMBL’s Forward Backward Marching Band (which doesn’t really play music any more, or walk backwards, for that matter) by all fuzzy deductions came in around 1983, pioneered by Alex Flecker (then a graduate student studying stone flies, now a PhD-touting professor at Cornell in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department looking at the consequences of changes in biodiversity in ecosystems). For that landmark parade, Flecker fashioned a skirt out of veratrum leaves, reputedly with nothing underneath. The fad exploded. “Maybe it was because when we went skinny-dipping in the ponds above Gothic, we used the corn lily to swat the black flies,” speculates Dr. Nowiki of the origination of the material. Today, corn lily attire is de rigueur for the “band.” On the third of July the Gothic dining hall becomes heavily vegetated with corn lily and duct tape as undergraduates, graduates and their professors race to fashion the most inventive leafy outfit. Dr. Peckarsky still twirls a butterfly net, though in her retirement years she admits, “It’s getting a little embarrassing.” Dr. David Inouye (PhD in zoology from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, professor in the University of Maryland’s biology department, studying at RMBL since 1971 evaluating the patterns of population and pollination biology of wildflowers in regard to climate change) teeters skillfully on a pair of stilts he’s been parading in for almost as long as he’s been studying the aspen sunflower. While there are no longer formal musical instruments, the chant has been expanded. It now includes such proclamations as “Save a marmot, close a lid,” referring to the fuzzy creatures’ proclivity for crawling into the murky depths of outhouse holes and meeting their demise. Now an organic part of both RMBL and Crested Butte lore, the once-a-year Forward Backward Marching Band has grown and adapted as surely as Gothic’s well-studied plant populations. Dr. Nowiki reminisces, “In collecting Fourth of July experiences, I have never found another that beats the combination of small-town fun and avant garde artistic vision in the adventurous West as the Crested Butte Fourth of July parade.”

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Crested Butte Magazine

Inspired Mountain Living You want to feel at home in Crested Butte before you buy. You want regular communication and unparalleled service by sales professionals who live and work in the area that inspires you. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where Prudential Becky Hamlin Realty, Inc. comes in. Our sales professionals have the knowledge and skills to make your experience of home ownership a delight while treating you to a Crested Butte only locals know.

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22 Gold Link Dr – Mt. Crested Butte Excellent ski-in location in Gold Link Subdivision. The ultimate ski and vacation home with 4 fireplaces and hot tub. $2,625,000. Call Joel or Charlie of the Mtn Office at 970.349.6692. CBProperty.com

710 Skyland Dr – Lake Grant in Skyland Stunning 4 BD retreat overlooking Grant Lake featuring great room, massive rock fireplace, gourmet kitchen, media room, office, 3-car garage and mature landscaping. $2,595,000. Call Jana at 970.209.9510. BuyCrestedButte.com

63 Pristine Point – Pristine Point This 4 BD / 4 BA mountain getaway is just minutes from skiing as well as shopping and amenities of historic Crested Butte. $1,875,000. Call Karen at 970.209.2668. CBProperty.com

3 Black Diamond – Summit at Mt. Crested Butte Ski-in/ski-out luxury. Four Master suites, 1 bonus room, 7 baths, walk-out garden-level rec-room with full bar and stone wine room. Fully furnished. $4,500,000. Call Tim at 970.209.3004. CrestedButteAgent.com

2 Aspen Hill – Treasury Hill Nestled in the aspens this 3260 s.f. home with many luxury features offers a walking town lifestyle. Zoning here allows additional s.f. $2,350,000. Call Joan at 970.209.6897. CBProperty.com

160 Shavano – Crested Butte South Extremely efficient single family home on a beautiful half acre lot in CB South. This home is warm and inviting with a comfortable floor plan and spacious living areas. $430,000. Call Jesse at 970.901.2922.

2 Ridge Lane – Overlook at Mt. Crested Butte Extraordinary new custom home in a quiet cul-de-sac. 4 BD / 4.5 BA on a half acre home site just steps from the National Forest and Upper Loop Trail. $2,195,000. Call Darci at 970.596.4958. RealEstateinCB.com

704 Whiterock – Crested Butte Wow! One of the coolest homes in town. 5 BD / 5.5 BA, 3975 s.f. Formerly the Claim Jumper B&B, this home has undergone a total remodel. Unbeatable views and location. $2,400,000. Call Doug at 970.275.2355. CBProperty.com

20 Ruby Dr – Mt. Crested Butte Beautiful 5 BD / 3.5 BA home with apartment on a quiet street in Mt. Crested Butte. Steam shower. Granite countertops. Partially heated driveway. $1,150,000. Call Dalynn at 970.596.3397. BuyinCB.com

75 Alpine Court – Skyland River Neighborhood Gorgeous 3 BD / 2.5 BA home with views of town, Red Lady, Paradise Divide and Mt. Crested Butte. Landscaped yard. $585,000. Call Darci at 970.596.4958. RealEstateinCB.com

711 Teocalli – Crested Butte Quality 3 BD / 2.5 BA home on three town lots. Beautifully landscaped home site with perennial wildflower gardens and fenced back yard. Call Joel at 970.209.1581. CBProperty.com

Site D5 – Skyland Situated on the golf course, this is one of the best building sites at Skyland and the only duplex-zoned site available on the golf course. $595,000. Call Karen at 970.209.2668. CBProperty.com

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Crested Butte MagazineCrested Butte Downtown

970.349.6691 – Slopeside in Mt. Crested Butte 970.349.6692 – CBProperty.com

© 2009. An independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. “The Rock” is a registered service mark of the Prudential Insurance Company of America. Equal Housing Opportunity. If your property is currently listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Inspired Mountain Living Inspired Mountain Living

18 Aspen Lane – Mt. Crested Butte Amazing location surrounded by aspen trees with beautiful views. Located at the end of a cul-de-sac within walking distance of the slopes. $2,250,000. Call Joel or Charlie of the Mountain Office at 970.349.6692. CBProperty.com

#501S The Lodge at Mountaineer Square – Mt. Crested Butte Penthouse living at its best in this 3 BD / 4 BA residence with high vaulted ceilings and tall windows framing Crested Butte Mountain. $2,195,000. Call Karen at 970.209.2668. CBProperty.com

#C Owl’s Nest – Skyland Creative custom home building at its best. Design details thought through for exceptional comfortable living. $995,000. Call Tim at 970.209.3004. CrestedButteAgent.com

29 Gothic – Crested Butte Charming 3 BD / 2 BA home located on the desirable west side of town just a short walk to Elk Avenue. Large backyard with room to expand. $665,000. Call Darci at 970.596.4958. RealEstateinCB.com

289 Nicholson Lake Ridge Rd – Crested Butte Located on the waterfront with views of the lake and surrounding mountain. This quality 3 BD home sits on 1.25 acres. $1,275,000. Call Bill at 970.209.5799.

#3C Whetstone Village – Riverbend Fabulous investment opportunity. This adorable 2 BD / 1.5 BA condo offers outstanding views. Located only 5 minutes from Crested Butte. $199,000. Call Jesse at 970.901.2922. JesseEbner.com

157 Silver Sage Dr – Silver Sage Located along the Slate River, this beautiful 4 BD home is located on a 0.89-acre site just a few minutes from town. $1,925,000. Call Joel or Charlie of the Mountain Office at 970.349.6692. CBProperty.com

New Building at Outrun – Mt. Crested Butte A brand new building among the recently upgraded Outrun Condominium complex located on the bus route to skiing. From $495,000. Call Tim at 970.209.3004. CrestedButteAgent.com

#2 Pinnacles – Mt. Crested Butte Unwind after a day of skiing on the deck of this sundrenched 4 BD / 4 BA mountain home. Luxurious finishes and in-home theater. $890,000. Call Joan at 970.209.6897. CBProperty.com

12 Anthracite – Mt. Crested Butte One of the finest homes in Mt. Crested Butte. Gorgeous, brand new 6190 s.f. timber frame home. 5 BD / 4.5 BA with many amenities. 2 master suites. $3,400,000. Call Doug at 970.275.2355. CBProperty.com

#F1 Crested Mountain Condos – Mt. Crested Butte Incredible location for this ground-floor 3 BD / 2 BA condo right on the slopes. Ski straight to your living room door. $900,000. Call Bill at 970.209.5799. CB-RealEstate.com

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Crested Butte Magazine Downtown Crested Butte 970.349.6691 – Slopeside in Mt. Crested Butte 970.349.6692 – CBProperty.com

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Crested Butte Magazine

Jayson Simons-Jones (in blue) and Tom Kaptur celebrate a summit moment in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

: photo by CB Mountain Guides

Friends in high places

For outdoor adventurers, novice to hardcore, guides can open the wonders of the backcountry. By Erin English eaumont, Texas (population: 113,000), sits at sea level, pancake-flat, its hot and humid summers punctuated by hurricanes. Crested Butte, with its wild, majestic mountains and cool summers, could not be more different. So when Beaumont resident Karen Fontenot takes her annual trek to “experience God’s country” in Crested Butte, she enlists the guidance of Jayson Simons-Jones of Crested Butte Mountain Guides. Rock climbing and hiking in the backcountry, Fontenot finds that a guide offers safety and comfort so she can fully enjoy the outdoors. She has hired Simons-Jones for the last ten summers. “I don’t know the terrain, I don’t know the hazards, and I still don’t feel confident out there because it’s so different from my normal routine,” said Fontenot. “I feel like I might get lost without a guide service.” In Crested Butte’s huge backcountry, the challenge for those who don’t live here year-round is how best to experience the wilds, often in a short amount of time. Finding trails, navigating routes and interpreting hazardous terrain features can be daunting. Not to mention finding the “best” wildflowers, vistas, campsites or single-track bike trails in such a vast landscape. “To some extent people are intimidated by traveling in the

backcountry so they want a guide to help manage the risk for them,” said Ben Pritchett, co-owner of Colorado Backcountry. “That’s our first and foremost role. Second, people like having logistics taken care of. Third, I’d say people want to learn about the environment they are in, to take advantage of our experience and knowledge of the terrain to make their experiences even better.” Colorado Backcountry, run by Ben and his wife Janae, puts together “high-quality, personal and customized trips,” including guided hiking, backpacking, cycling and catered picnics. The Pritchetts also serve folks who just want help planning an excursion — say a multi-day mountain biking trip with friends or a backpacking trip suitable for young children. “We’ll plan out a route and build detailed itineraries for them, tell them great places to camp, great places to get water… tricky places along the route, places where the trail kind of fades away,” Pritchett said. “We’ll let them know about places to look for certain kinds of wildlife, great viewpoints. They get the same kind of information they would have with us as a guide, without us actually going.” For a shorter, motorized visit to nature’s splendor, Alpine

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Express runs a hugely popular, twicea-day Jeep tour, heading up Slate River road almost to Paradise Divide, with jawdropping views in all directions. Befitting the mountain West, some guests choose from the handful of horseback tour companies in the valley. Harmel’s Ranch Resort leads trips for an hour, a day or longer. On overnight, wrangler-guided trips to a remote site in the Gunnison National forest, groups ride two and a half hours to a set-up camp, dinner, campfire stories and songs, and usually a late-night serenade by coyotes. “Most people want the western experience when they come here,” said Ami McKown with Harmel’s. “Also, it’s pretty difficult to come up and hike at this altitude, and this way the horses do the work.” People with disabilities can tap into the Adaptive Sports Center’s (ASC) expertise and adaptive equipment (from modified wheelchairs to hand-powered bikes to adaptive paddling systems) to do backcountry adventures, including mountain biking on Reno Divide, hiking in the Gunnison National Forest and river trips in Escalante Canyon. “Having the tools and creativity to get someone to a cool location they never thought they’d be able to go to is pretty amazing,” said Chris Read, ASC program director. Adventurers of all levels can find

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plenty of other resources: fishing and boating guides through local rafting/angling companies, hunting outfitters, rides or hikes led by local bike and outdoor shops, regular High Country Citizens Alliance summer hikes, programs through the National Park Service or Rocky Mountain Biological Lab and excursions slated during events like the Wildflower Festival and Wild Mushroom Festival. Not everyone who hires a guide is a novice in the outdoors. Guides also cater to hardcore backcountry enthusiasts who want to further build skills and knowledge. Sometimes time is the factor; a guide can research and develop complex trips so the client can dive right into the adventure. An expert guide can help a client tackle a more difficult task, like a technical 14,000-foot peak, or discover a little-known wonder. “Some places are sacred,” said SimonsJones. “I’ve told the guys you just can’t go there. They are the serious local gems, pretty prime, pristine spots. But then, there are a lot of those around here; we have plenty of gems to share.” With confidence in her Crested Butte guides, Fontenot has plenty of gems on her exploration list, past and future. “I told Jayson I wanted to go into the Black Canyon for my 50th birthday,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to go there, and I thought, damn it, I can do this… and, with Jayson’s help, I did.”

Crested Butte Magazine

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The Red Lady meets Annapurna

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Crested Butte Magazine

{

Tortured trekker Dawne Belloise sends forth Crested Butte’s prayers from the glorious flanks of Annapurna.

}

hoever said, “What doesn’t kill me will make me stronger” never climbed the endless steps through Nepal’s Himalayan mountain villages, the uneven pathways to the massive Annapurna sentinels. Months on a Stairmaster couldn’t prepare a trekker for the relentlessly vertical stone steps of torture one must ascend and descend through villages, bamboo forests and mountainsides to reach the Annapurna Base Camp. My journey began deceptively easy, reading online journals with alluring photos of the world’s highest peaks. Noting the relative calm in the Nepalese political climate, I called the cat sitter, bought a backpack and booked a flight. “Take Red Lady prayer flags with you,” insisted Wendy McDermott of the High Country Citizen’s Alliance. So my pack bore three small, tightly wound rolls of rich red prayer flags designed by Crested Buttians, from children to grandparents, to bring awareness and affirmation to the cause of saving Mt. Emmons – a.k.a. The Red Lady – from a proposed massive molybdenum mine. Where better to send forth the petition of an entire town than from the heaven-tending peaks of Annapurna? After 30 hours of airports and cramped jets, I arrived in the chaotic craziness of Kathmandu – cows, dogs, touts and mass throngs of humanity clamoring in the sweltering dirty heat of midday. After a few days of jet-lag recuperation, it was time to escape to Pokhara, the gateway to the Annapurna trailheads. The bus rattled out of the dingy city up through cleaner mountain air and narrow, curvy, nail-biting roads for eight hours to the lakeside resort town. “No problem, I can get you a good guide, been in mountains many times, from good family,” my hotel and trekking company owner promised. Everyone in Nepal is a guide, was a guide or owns a trekking company. “I want a woman guide,” I stated matter-offactly. He looked horrified, like I had just kicked his dog and spanked his kids. “Women are not good guides, they aren’t strong and can’t carry the weight. They want to turn around when it gets hard,” he said. Yet, it was the women I saw carrying baskets ten times their own weight with rocks, hay and goods piled high. An American living in Pokhara confirmed my suspicions. “Oh, all the men tell you that — because they see women coming into the trekking business as a threat.” I was directed to the north end of the village, just past the clutch of tourist spots where the road became dust, to Three Sisters Adventure Trekking and Guest House. In a school building next door to the lodge, a sign read “Empowering Women of Nepal” – the perfect guide to help deliver the Red Lady prayer flags to Annapurna. Dhanu, a softspoken 20-year-old with some miles under her belt, was to be my trek sister. Back at the hotel, the halfdozen men always hanging around the front desk drinking tea went wide-eyed, shaking their heads in horror as I told them I’d booked a female porterguide. The next day we headed out into thunderous skies and rain that turned to downpour. The way was wrought with uneven boulder and stone stairs, which became even steeper as the trail progressed Crested Butte Magazine

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â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a treacherous slip-and-slide with torrents of water cascading down the smooth rocks. I felt like a lightning rod with my metal hiking poles. We ducked for cover under the rickety porch of a home with goats, chickens and toothless old men until the deluge stopped. For the next few days I was constantly trying to out-pace donkeys laden with bags of rice or supplies. They slid into me, almost knocking me off the path, losing their otherwise sure footing on the slippery boulders, their bells jangling like an alarm. More stairs... always stairs... step step breathe, step breathe, step stop pant... while the now-blazing sun devoured both color and energy. Along all the places I had to stop to catch my breath, native women passed, smiling casually, full of ease with baskets strapped across their foreheads bearing 50-pound bags of rice, vegetables and small children piled on top. They navigated the steps in flip-flops. The trek was a social foray on the trails and in the lodges. Every morning after a 6 a.m. breakfast, everyone packed and headed either up or down to conquer their own personal stairs. The days were long, six to eight hours of hiking down to the valley floor, across stick bridges precariously dangling over deep rushing gorges, and then back up, zig-zagging across the opposite mountain and through beautiful bamboo jungles â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the scenery breathtaking. In many places the trail was washed out by landslides, making it difficult to navigate. In the solar smelter of up and down, my daypack felt like a large German shepherd on my back, growling and snapping at me. In Deurali, the last village before the final ascent, the day dawned bluebird and clear, still damp as the sun moved slowly up the valley from far below. At 7 a.m. on the fifth day of the trek, we started the final four hours to Annapurna Base Camp. Shafts of light forced their way through wedges of mountains, and the river rushed down below, cutting sheer rock walls. The Annapurnas loomed across the entire viewscape until clouds descended from nowhere to obscure both sun and scenery; the air became damp and cold with their mist. At almost 14,000 feet, Annapurna Base Camp sits in a bowl surrounded by overwhelming vertical splendor reaching 25,000 feet into the heavens. Up on a ridge are prayer flags, poems and memorials to those lost on the mountains. Although I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see through the clouds, the glacier below was noisily moving, taking rocks with it in its eerie descent. All around us, avalanches caused by late rains crashed thunderously every few minutes. With a sense of flying, I walked the edge high above the glacier among the prayers, seeking a niche to hang the Red Lady flags I carried from my own beloved <32>

Crested Butte Magazine

and threatened mountain. I planned to ceremoniously string up the flags in the morning. The next day, sunrise humbled my soul and elevated my spirit as the light moved down the goddess-face of the Annapurnas. Flags and camera-toting people were silhouetted on the ridge where the sun had not yet reached. Across the bowl behind us was The Fishtail still bathed in shadow; a white veil of light was dancing with rays of shadows cast from its peaks. Suddenly bright streaks shot upward from a jagged point with the explosiveness of a sparkler on the Fourth of July. The sun formed a perfect diamond bead visible for only five seconds as it rose into the sky. Five seconds of starburst, and stripes of prisms welcomed the day. I gathered the red prayer flags and headed up the ridge. As I began my silent prayer request, tying one end of the prayer flag string to the pole above the other flags, a bellowing voice reverberated through the morning’s solitude: “Playing through!” Golf club in hand, a dreadlocked, surly-bearded elderly man with aboriginal tattoos across his forehead and a mischievous smile

suddenly appeared and set his tee in the ground next to me on the ridge. He screamed, “FORE!” and hit the ball high over the nest of flags toward a makeshift hole marked by a tin can atop a pole way down on the camp floor. Chortling, he turned and tromped back down to finish his game. It was then, standing among the magnificence on a glorious day, that I laughed aloud, knowing the universe had just sent a bit of Crested Butte wackiness to help celebrate and confirm the auspiciousness of the Red Lady. It was late morning when I pulled myself away from the mountains I’d spent a knee-destroying five days to get to. As I looked back over my shoulder, the flags fluttered high above the backdrop of the Annapurnas, a waving, joyous red flash surrounded by glory, hope and an impromptu golf course. Dawne Belloise is a freelance journalist, photographer, traveler and one of the notoriously outrageous Red Ladies of Crested Butte. Contact dbelloise@gmail. com or follow her adventures online at rubysroad.com.

Lifestyle Choices Photo by Rob Pennie / Picture taken from: The Smith Hill Ranches

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photo by Tom Stillo

Real Estate that Fits Your Lifestyle

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Crested Butte Magazine

Joe Danni reads the gravestone of the Rider family at Jack’s Cabin Cemetery.

Highway commuters whiz by the Jack’s Cabin Cemetery every day, unaware of the characters and tales that lie beneath its wildflowers. Photos and story by Sandra Cortner

ild roses, purple lupine, scarlet gilia and paintbrush, fleabane, pink geranium and brilliant fireweed obscured a dark cow pie. Sure enough, I squished it while surveying the beauty of Jack’s Cabin Cemetery on a dewy July morning. The cow pie is not surprising, as the Trampe Ranch hay meadows surround the cemetery, with only twisted wire fences to (mostly) keep out the cows. To the south is Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery, to the north Crested Butte Mountain. Many old western cemeteries are wild with sagebrush, grass and flowers and, like Jack’s Cabin, perhaps a few elk and deer droppings. This one,

despite its proximity to Highway 135, is pretty much closed for business, according to Gunnison County officials. I’ve been visiting the cemetery since the 1970s, but until researching this article I knew little about its occupants or their stories. Now I live above the Jack’s Cabin Cut-off Road within sight of the unassuming little cemetery, and nothing except the height of the trees has changed in the interim. In fact nothing has changed much since 1963 when Mary J. Bottenfield (“Mama” 1874-1963) joined her husband Samuel G. (“Daddy” 1872-1957), who was laid to rest with a Mason insignia on his tombstone. Crested Butte Magazine

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GUNNISON - Main Office 112 W. Spencer Avenue SALIDA Arkansas Valley Physical Therapy 735 Blake Street MONTROSE TELLURIDE 330 South 8th Street Telluride Medical Center 500 West Pacific

Crested Butte Magazine

Rhett J. Griggs, M.D. + Board Eligible Orthopaedic Surgeon + Orthopaedic Residency and upper extremity fellowship at University of Florida, GATORS + Team Physician of Western State College of Colorado + Specialty training in shoulder, elbow, hand, sports medicine, joint replacement & trauma + Proprietor of Teton Professional Training where he trained cyclists, runners and triathletes + Formerly an Occupational Therapist with specialty in hands + Accomplished ski racer and professional cyclist

Alonso Escalante, M.D. + Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon since 1970 + Medical School graduate at National University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico + Fluent in Spanish - Bilingual (se habla Espanol) + Orthopaedic Residency and fellowship in surgery of the hand at Tulane University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana + 30-year private practice in general orthopaedics and hand surgery in San Antonio, Texas and relocated to Gunnison June 2008

The pair had been married 64 years. Today, could they hear, they might be startled by the cars whizzing by on the highway, mere steps beyond their plot. Four other Bottenfields rest near Mary and Samuel, their plots hidden from travelers by a row of 40-foot-tall pine trees. The trees are watered by the Richard Ball ditch that parallels the highway. I carefully counted. Five spruce on one side of the gated entrance and six on the other. Odd. Surely, they intended the rows to match. In the center of the cemetery is another tall pine. Irises surround the roots that are crumbling the plot’s concrete border. The stone reads, “Mother Mary Jane Imobersteg 1858-1897 and son Fredrick D. 1884-1908.” The cemetery contains 21 marked graves, plus a number of burial sites outlined by rocks. Probably they were ranch families who lived in the valley, but none of the names are those of today’s ranchers. Who could relate their history or point to their former homes? Once my curiosity was piqued, I craved a connection. I found it in valley residents Joe Danni, Sandy Allen Leinsdorf and Lee Spann. Joe, whose grandfather homesteaded just up the road in 1902, said that he and his late wife, Gwen, used to care for the cemetery. “We’d go down and pull weeds and clean the trash. We saw that people were putting flowers on the graves, so we’d put some on, too.” Joe recollected that rancher Virgil Spann built and maintained the fence. But he was at a loss to explain why all his Danni ancestors were buried in Gunnison, not Jack’s Cabin. He showed me a map that his father drew in 1923 of the ranches in the area. Many of the surnames match those on the headstones, including Imobersteg, Lorr, Lucero, Hayes, and S.H. Rider and his wife, Elizabeth A. (Dec. 29, 1869-July 7, 1907), and their children Blanche E. (Feb. 16, 1892-Dec. 21, 1899) and Charles S. (Feb. 3, 1903-March 19, 1904). Only the Lucero name is familiar to me. Rudy Sedmak, Crested Butte native, once told me that laid-off miners hired on at the Lucero Ranch to dig potatoes. Sandy’s Allen family ranch, with its distinctive white barn and rolling pastures, lies within sight of the cemetery on the Cut-off Road. Sandy said that Budgie Bottenfield, cousin to my former Crested Butte neighbor, Lyle McNeill, used to herd cows for the Allen Ranch and the East River Cattlemen’s Association. Perhaps those buried are his relatives. When I asked about Edith (1894-1918) and James J. Ogden (1898-1920) and their baby, she only knew that their property is now a part of the Trampe Ranch. “Baby Allen” under one of the markers is not of her family, she said. Joe, too, knew Budgie, but not any other Bottenfields. “I remember Lyle

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used to come down here to care for the Bottenfield graves.” Later I found my photo from 1971, which shows tall crimson Oriental poppies blooming at the Bottenfield plot, probably planted by Lyle and his wife Mildred with seeds from their own garden. I e-mailed Lyle’s granddaughter Michelle Starika Asakawa, who found a box of family photos and replied. “Mary J. (Jane) Bottenfield was the sister of my greatgrandmother Henrietta (Stobbs) McNeill (Lyle’s mother).” Michelle’s photocopies from Lyle’s scrapbook arrived the day I met Joe Danni for a stroll through the cemetery. It was his first visit there since losing his wife. He walked from fence to fence pointing out depressions and scattered rocks that once outlined gravesites. We found a pink wildflower blooming among them that neither of us could identify. Afterwards, we sat in my car and marveled at a photo Michelle had sent: a group shot of Mary J. and Samuel G. Bottenfield on their 60th wedding anniversary, circa 1953. In the back row are Lyle, Budgie and a number of unidentified relatives. Ten-year-old Michelle stands in front. Months later, thanks to a conversation I’d had at the summer Crested Butte Reunion, I met Lynell Arnott via e-mail, who sent more Bottenfield history. She is a great great granddaughter of Shadrach and Sarah McCormick Bottenfield. Shadrach was a Civil War veteran from Ohio, who grazed his cattle on BLM land near Jack’s Cabin. He must be buried under the etched headstone, “S.M. Bottenfield-Sgt Co D; 27 Ohio Infantry.” My final visit was with Lee Spann. Lee is the family patriarch of Spann Ranches — the Y-Bar across the highway from the Danni Ranch, another farther up valley and a third in Delta. I thought I needed to talk to him only for a couple of minutes at the end of his busy day haying. However, one answer led to another question, and by the end of our 45-minute phone conversation, we were joking about writing a book. Only I don’t think he was joking. According to Lee, John Howe, the “Jack” of Jack’s Cabin, and his sister Mary Ett Lorr homesteaded what they called Howeville in 1875. Their land bordered Country Road 817, known as the Jack’s Cabin Cut-off Road. By researching records in the Gunnison County Courthouse, Lee discovered that when Mary Ett Lorr willed half her property to her son, John Lyman Lorr, an acre was dedicated as a public cemetery. Born Feb. 10, 1858, she was the first burial in her cemetery in 1899. Her son’s gravestone beside hers reads, “John L. Lorr, Born April 7, 1872-Died July 9, 1932.” John’s daughter, Esther, married Rudy Verzuh, Crested Butte’s long-time postmaster. She inherited the cemetery and with Lee’s help turned it over to <40>

Crested Butte Magazine

Ken Spann explains some of the history behind Jack’s Cabin and its humble cemetery.

the Gunnison Cemetery District on July 10, 2001. The District’s Board agreed to “maintain the Jack’s Cabin Cemetery in its natural state…” Lee shed more light on those buried there. Mary Lucero taught Lee’s dad Virgil and uncle Aubrey Spann at the Jack’s Cabin school at the corner of Highway 135 and the Cut-off Road. Mrs. Lucero’s daughter, Mary (1900-1911), and several members of the family died of meningitis. The Lucero family homesteaded what is known today as the Roaring Judy Ranch, owned by Mary Frame and Nick Lypps, relative newcomers to the valley (early 1970s). Mary owns the old school site as well, living there for several years until a fire destroyed the historic building. Several weeks after my conversation with Lee, I hiked with Mary Frame to the remains of S.H. Rider’s Howeville Dairy at the foot of Round Mountain—a barn, house, cistern and spring. On the way back, she pointed out a crumbling foundation, all that remains of the Lucero home. The Imoberstegs turned out to be Lee’s great-grandparents. In 1880, Mary Jane Imobersteg and her husband, Robert,

settled on what is now the Reserve a few miles up the road from the Y-Bar Ranch. Fredrick D. was one of their nine children. After dying of scarlet fever, Frederick was buried on the ranch, as was customary at the time. Years later, his and his mother’s remains were moved to the new cemetery. And the missing pine tree? Thanks to Mary Jane Imobersteg’s daughter Olive, six pines were planted on each side of the gate on June 12, 1935, during a picnic to dress up the cemetery. “I remember the date,” said Lee, a toddler at the time, “because that’s when Esther and Rudy Verzuh’s son was born. The whole county was invited and on that same day, Olive planted the pine tree over Mary Jane and Fredrick D.’s grave.” After they were planted, some scroundrel stole one of the trees. The one mystery we haven’t solved yet was why there are no other Spanns or Imoberstegs buried at the cemetery. Ah, another puzzle to pursue for the book. Author of Crested Butte Stories…Through My Lens, Sandra Cortner is on a new quest. If you have any Jack’s Cabin stories, e-mail her at scortner@crestedbutte.net. Crested Butte Magazine

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B U I L D YO U R D R E A M H O M E APPROVED HOME DESIGN

SECLUSION IN THE TREES

STEPS TO SKI LIFTS

LOT ON PRIVATE CUL-DE-SAC

SKI-IN/SKI-OUT

M T. C R E S T E D B U T T E C O N D O S

Prospect, Lot C-6 • $825,000

A MUST SEE!

This .80 acre ski-in/ski-out home site is located on a private cul-de-sac in the northern perimeter of the Prospect neighborhood. Included are pre-approved architectural concept drawings by Sunlit Architecture for a 5,000 sq. ft. home, at a $50,000 savings. Joint ventures and financing options available.

Ruby Road, Lot 31 • $357,000

Premier Mt. Crested Butte ski-in lot is the perfect alpine setting for your mountain retreat. Numerous mature pine and aspen trees provide privacy and minimize required landscaping costs; allowing buyer the option to build a larger home.

This well kept ski-in 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath, garage end unit is offered turn-key with all furnishings. Extra windows with majestic views of Mt. Crested Butte. More square footage can be added to include another bedroom and bath. Conveniently located just 50 steps from the West Wall Lift and on free shuttle route. GREAT PROTECTED VIEWS

RIVER ACCESS PROPERTIES

Beautiful and level site is the largest on Hunter Hill Road. Amazing views of Paradise Divide and Mt. Crested Butte. Cherish the easy access to the West Wall lift and base area from this .50 acre lot, with a 1,200 sq. ft. build-out minimum! Assumable loan, NO closing costs.

ACCESS TO 3 RIVERS!

FISHERMAN’S’ DREAM

Prospect, Lot C-3 • $495,000

HIDEAWAY ON THE RIVER

R E C R E AT I O N A L R E T R E AT S BORDERS NATIONAL FOREST

GOT ELK?

MINDY STURM

BUCK STURM

41 Acres, Powderhorn • $145,000

FISHING ACCESS

Near Highway 149, minutes from Cebolla Creek & Iola boat ramp on Blue Mesa. Flat building site with southwest exposure. Views of Powderhorn, Lake Fork Valley and Uncompahgre Peak. Neighbors have utilities and year round access, so with little effort you could too.

35 Acres, Doyleville • $135,000

Got Elk? This 35 acre parcel does! Private location in Doyleville with year round access. No HOA covenants! Electricity, phone & septic are in, well is needed. Located in hunting section #551, surrounded by conservation ranch and BLM land without any neighbors! MELANIE SWAINE

114 East River Lane • Almont $ 485,000

Rare Find in Almont! This quaint 3 bedroom log cabin has a covered breezeway that attaches the home to the garage. Bonus! There are no HOA covenants or fees on this .79 acre property and there is possibility for expansion. Fishing out your door on the East, Gunnison & Taylor Rivers!

Lapis Lane, Lot 4 • $585,000

Seller will pay first year of taxes while you build on this 1.19 acre home site in the most desirable Mt. Crested Butte neighborhood. Steps from the Prospect ski lift and fishing on the East River. Forever protected views of the Whiterock Range. Can build up to 5,000 sq. ft. Will trade boat, plane or property.

Ski Jump, Unit 7 • $289,000

WOW! What a great price for this sunny 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo with a large garage. It’s only $242 per square foot! Check out the protected views of the ski area and Mt. Crested Butte. This unit is only a short walk to the ski lifts and is on the free shuttle route.

Hunter Hill, Lot 40 • $355,000

Located in the coveted Gold Link neighborhood on a private cul-de-sac this .34 acre has easy ski-in/ski-out access! Enjoy this very private setting with amazing mountain, valley and ski area views. There is no HOA, hence no HOA fees. Owner financing possible.

West Elk Condo, Unit 1 • $339,000

LARGE FENCED CORNER LOT

Let our team of professionals help you to

Rainbow Acres • $145,000

River front subdivision with fishing rights on the Gunnison River. Lot 12 is just shy of an acre, has a well, is above the flood plain and offers unobstructed river and valley views. You will enjoy the immense privacy of this parcel and the convenience to the City of Gunnison.

Riverfront Property • Gunnison

Fish, recreate and relax on the Gunnison River in this park like setting with mature landscaping! All three parcels located on County Road 11. #125; 1 bed/1 bath cabin, .36 acre ......$197,500 #129; 3 bed/1 bath cabin, .49 acre .....$249,500 #127; waterfront property, .51 acre........$297,500 All three parcels, 1.36 acres......................$715,000

114 Diamond Lane • $327,000

Craftsman style home built with great care and love, perfect family home. This 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath has ample storage, large, warm attached 2 car garage and hand crafted features throughout. Private cul-de-sac location is just a short walk to fishing on the Gunnison River and minutes from downtown shopping and restaurants.

18 Bambi, Gunnison • $229,500

Newer, sunny 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhome with a super-sized garage. Best priced unit in the neighborhood, at $170/square foot. You will fall in love with the large fenced corner lot and open floor plan! Very well kept and clean unit with a 1st floor master bedroom and vaulted ceilings.

Unlock Paradise.

WWW.PREMIER-MOUNTAIN-PROPERTIES.COM Promoting and Supporting a Positive Community and Lifestyle. 970.209.0911 <42>

303.249.2606

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Crested Butte Magazine

970.349.6114 • 318 Elk Avenue • Box 1081 • Crested Butte, Colorado 81224

ROBERT TRENT JONES JR. GOLF DAN MURPHY DESIGN

TBD Country Club Drive $ 2,287,500

4,500+ sq. ft. golfer’s dream home located on a .73 acre lot in Back Nine golf course neighborhood. Five bedrooms, bonus room, extra living & entertaining spaces and a large two car garage. Gorgeous mountain views and private outside living spaces. ON THE 10TH HOLE

Lot S-105, Back Nine, Skyland PRICE REDUCED $475,000

Located on the 10th tee of the Robert Trent Jones Jr. Course at Skyland overlooking the Club House. Plans for a home include unique feature which will take you from your garage to the cart path! Majestic mountain views. Builders are ready to construct your dream mountain home. NEW LISTING

Lot S-148, Skyland • $350,000

Elevated .73 acre lot located in the Back Nine neighborhood enjoys many amenities and commanding views of the Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course, Mt. Crested Butte, Whetstone and Emmons Peak. Home plan negotiable. HAS A LOFT

Skyland Lodge Penthouse Unit 401 • $100,000

This backside unit has a remodeled kitchen and a loft. Enjoy the ample morning sun and views of Mt. Crested Butte. Amenities included access to Grant Lake and neighborhood trails that lead into the National Forest. GROW YOUR FAMILY HERE

83 Alpine Court • $653,000

Beautifully hand-crafted home with great attention to detail. Located in a family-oriented neighborhood, this 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath features wood floors, granite countertops, custom wrought-iron railings, tile bathrooms, beetle-kill ceilings and wainscoting. Third floor junior suite offers large bedroom/ playroom space for kids!

F LY I N , S K I A N D F I S H ! FLY-IN TO FISH AND SKI

Aviation Club, Lot 67 $ 397,000

Fly to Crested Butte, park your plane in your private hangar, walk to your mountain home with ease and relax! Rare opportunity to purchase a spectacular 1.43 acre runway home and hangar site. Panoramic mountain views. END OF THE ROAD

Brookside Lots on Fence Line

Best view lots on the market! Lots feature desireable cul-de-sac location on the fence line, bordering open space. Lavish in the amazing unobstructed majestic mountain views. South Avion, Lot M3-52 .........................$190,000 Bridle Spur, Lot M3-34 ............................$185,000

DUAL PURPOSE IN GUNNISON COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL

110 S. 12th Street • $249,000

This property is 11,500 sq. ft. with 3 buildings and 2 sheds. Building 1 is a residential home/commercial 1,357 sq. ft. building. Building 2 is a 300 sq. ft. retail space. Building 3 is a detached 322 sq. ft. garage. Occupy the home and generate income from retail space, or use as an investment property.

W W W.

M CO . S TIE MIE R-MOUN IN-PROPER TA

PRE

E X Q U I S I T E M O U N TA I N L I V I N G 21 Walking Deer, Prospect $ 2,790,000

SKI-IN/SKI-OUT

This 5,000 sq. ft. estate is situated high a-top the East River Valley in Mt. Crested Butte’s most exclusive ski-in/ski-out neighborhood. Pike Builders has approval and is ready to build the home. Joint venture possibilities and purchase options.

20 Glacier Lily • $1,250,000

NEW LISTING! This 3,616 sq. ft. Lindal Cedar home features post & beam construction, open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, gourmet kitchen, separate entertainment room, sun room and magnificent protected views in all directions. Oversized 2 bay attached garage includes a 775 sq. ft. caretaker apartment. Home is situated on oversized 1.58 acre lot and borders 3 acres of open space.

720 S. Avion Drive • $1,249,000

360˚ MOUNTAIN VIEWS

ON FENCE LINE

Latest creation by Hillside Custom Homes maximizes the commanding 360˚ views of Whetstone Mountain, Red Lady Peak, Mt. Crested Butte and Star Peak. Designed with a rustic elegance and an open floor plan, this spacious 4 bedroom, 3,000+ sq. ft. home enjoys year round sunsets from large back deck.

391 White Stallion Circle • $899,000

BRAND NEW HOME

This 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath mountain retreat boasts walk-in closets and decks in each bedroom, big windows with breathtaking views and a 2 car garage! 2,670 sq. ft. of brand-new construction! Fly in to a recreational paradise only minutes from skiing and downtown!

550 Lower Highlands Rd. • $1,248,500

MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN RETREAT

Perfect mountain retreat nestled in the tall aspens on 15+ acres with well and water rights. Dining and living room windows frame spectacular views of mountain sunsets. Home features granite slabs, stone tile, vaulted ceilings, master suite, spacious entertaining room, large loft, expansive decks and outdoor hot tub. Offered furnished.

93 Meridian Lake Drive Washington Gulch • $597,000

ENJOY THE SERENITY

171 Cascadilla • $649,000

OVERLOOKING RIVER

3 Bed/2 Bath/garage Meridian Lake Park home is on a .49 acre lot bordering open space with National Forest access. Protected views and an easy hike to Long Lake and many other trails. Tennis courts and fishing rights, too!

Warm and cozy single 4 bedroom home, bordering open space and overlooking the East River. View wildlife from the sun drenched, south facing deck. Unobstructed, dramatic views of Whetstone and Red Mountain. With 4 bedrooms, a finished walkout basement and 2 kitchens, there are many possibilities.

All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Crested Butte Magazine

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Photo gallery

^ photo by Mike Tittel <44> Crested Butte Magazine

photo by J. C. Leacock

^ photo by J. C. Leacock

< photo by Dusty Demerson

^ photo by Xavier FanĂŠ Crested Butte Magazine <45>

Photo gallery

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^ photo by Mike Tittel Crested Butte Magazine

photo by Xavier FanĂŠ

< photo by J. C. Leacock

< photo by Xavier FanĂŠ

^ photo by J. C. Leacock Crested Butte Magazine <47>

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Crested Butte Magazine

Welcome to the World! Young poets celebrate “the awe, the wonder, the promise” of new life in the springtime. Photos by Jan Runge

* Mother Song * I was born into this unknown world, Full of odd smells, sharp strange sounds. I felt scared, at first, Alone in this mysterious place. But when I looked up and saw Two soft brown eyes of adoration Welcoming me, I no longer felt fear, I felt love. I wobbled up, Snakes for legs, And nudged into the warm fold Of my mother’s neck. I put my ear to the lullaby Of her heartbeat. This sweet song, the only familiar comfort, Had made the journey with me. I knew the melody of my mother’s love Would sing me through My whole galloping life.

— Avery Forsythe, age 11

Spring Joy Spring, spring, You make me sing! Flowers are blooming, The bees are zooming, Butterflies flutter The color of butter. The birds are chirping, The river is burping, And bubbling over the rocks.

— Willa Emmitt, age 6

Willa Emmitt is an artist, musician, avid reader and fashionista extraordinaire.

Avery is an award-winning poet and artist, world traveler, and budding actress. Crested Butte Magazine

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Dad All rentals include a helmet and water bottle.

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* Welcome * A cool breeze and light Awakens me out of my slumber. The first thing I see, with my newborn, blurry eyes Is my mother looking lovingly at her gift. I stand up awkwardly and take my first steps, Clumsy as a puppet. I see my new friends wobbly walking, Falling over, Getting right back up again. As we explore our freshly opened world, I can hear many voices singing, “Spring is here!” and calling, “Welcome to the world, young goats!” I leap forth into glorious life, Feeling the embrace of A cool breeze and light.

— Taylor Tyzzer, age 11

Taylor is a dancer, soo bahk do champion, writer and super rippin’ skier. Crested Butte Magazine

Crested Butte Magazine

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u n e e D v e A ntal k l E Center Michael Faktor, DMD, Fellow, The International Congress of Oral Implantologists Don Brown, DDS, Fellow, The Academy of General Dentistry Kalee Olmstead, RDH

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One of our many patient’s smiles we can share with you

* The Cradle of Life * You can see it in her eyes The minute she takes her first breath— The awe, the wonder, the peacefulness. She has seen nothing but what lies before her now, Yet she knows this is where she belongs. The spring air carries on its back the fresh scent of grass So the little one will have Some sweetness for her first breath. The sky makes itself bluer than the surrounding bluebells So the little one will have Something promising to look up at. The sun turns warmer and more golden than hope So the little one will have Something soothing to bask under. Pure love, joy, and curiosity show on her face, For spring is magical, And life is a journey just beginning.

— Ella Donovan, age 11

Ella is a talented pianist, fiction writer and poet, and celebrated dancer. Crested Butte Magazine

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The Dodd home in Crested Butte

Mooseheads

optional

The trends in mountain-home decorating: less stuff, more meaning. Less pretension, more fun. Fewer rules, more individuality. Hmmm, sounds like life in Crested Butte. Story by Sandy Fails Photos by James Ray Spahn

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Crested Butte Magazine

The Tillery home in Trappers Crossing

ant a moosehead in your living room? Go for it. Or would you prefer to sip your morning coffee gazing on the giant drum you brought back from Africa, or the clay horse your granddaughter sculpted for you, or the antique lamp you unearthed at the thrift store? Then go for it... and consider yourself on the cutting edge of mountain-home interior design. The current trends in alpine decorating sound like the dominant philosophies of life in Crested Butte. The first tenet: less stuff, more meaning. Nix the clutter, pretension and rules in favor of simplicity and meaningful content. The sub-tenets also reflect life in this quirky mountain town; it’s all about fun, color, individuality, nature, art, common sense, connecting and

The Campbell home in Skyland

authenticity. Several local designers gave their advice for shaping interior spaces that feel like they belong to you, belong in these mountains, but don’t belong in a generic “mountain home” display in some urban chain furniture store. These thoughts apply to lavish second homes on remote hillsides or tiny old miner’s houses cozied into downtown Crested Butte. Less is more. “We want to de-clutter our lives,” said Kim Walter, who studied interior design and used it in her own homes and in her career as a marketingbranding exec. Even before the recession, decorating was tending toward simple, clean and minimal. Personalize. “For a long time,

so many mountain houses looked the same. There’s a shift now toward more personalization,” said M-J Farnan of Interiors West. “It’s a home, not a showcase. It should make you feel good.” Roxanne Loyed added, “Use accessories that mean something to you – artwork, photos, things you’ve collected, things that have memories attached.” How do you make it personal but keep it minimalist? Cluster a few of your favorite things into “focal points,” Walter said. “The point is to create drama, not clutter, to be selective in the number and location of focal points.” Mix it up. People often think their mountain decorating options are limited to “overstuffed couches, big log furniture, Crested Butte Magazine

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moose and bears everywhere,” said Heidi Sherratt of Interior Visions. “You have to think outside the box. Many ideas from a city or beach interior can be tweaked slightly to fit in a mountain home. Use what is relaxing and comfortable for you.” Loyed didn’t want traditional “lodgycabiny” decor in her Red Mountain house. “I love European antiques and architecture,” she said. Her home, with its old-English-barn exterior and antique mounts and horns inside, might be styled more for the Bavarian/Swiss Alps than the Rocky Mountains, but it suits her and its alpine setting. Many more mountain-home owners are incorporating contemporary elements these days. Walter’s Treasury Hill home has a sleek modern kitchen, glass-top dining table and low-slung, 1950s Bauhaus-style furnishings in the living room. Artwork adds touches of intrigue, from old saddles to large African sculptures displayed in custom wall nooks. Not a moosehead or hewn log in sight. Yet the home fits into its forested alpine setting with its use of natural materials: stacked rock walls, horizontal wooden-slatted walls, stained concrete floors, and a slab of rough granite as a hearth. Walter mixed ranchhouse trim in some places with trim-less windows in others. “A discordant mountain contemporary to me would be all cold colors, mostly shiny/hard surfaces, etc. We chose honed granite instead of shiny granite to keep it soft,” she said. Sherratt added, “You can incorporate materials from the mountains but use them in a more contemporary way. Maybe choose a different color of slate, or lay it on a bias or in some other unexpected configuration.” Have fun. Got a formal house in Dallas? Then use your Crested Butte getaway to do something playful or bold. Live here year-round? Then you should know by now how to have fun. In a beautiful riverside home in Almont, builder Scott Hargrove designed an outhouse-theme bathroom, complete with a crescent moon on the door and a galvanized bucket for the sink. The bathroom adjoins the homeowner’s “fishing room” where he displays his fish mounts, which had threatened to overtake the rest of the house. Linda Mladenka, owner of At Home in Crested Butte, added a whimsical touch to an elegant West Wall condo, trimming a shower curtain valance with feathers. “We were just playing,” she said. “People loved it.” Decorators often advise their clients to stay fairly neutral for the big, expensive items like sofas, then be brave with adornments: an antique chest, old sled, hickory chair or quirky art. “People find things that tickle them,” Mladenka said. <56>

Crested Butte Magazine

The Collins home in Trappers Crossing

There’s no reason a fine house can’t also have a sense of humor and fun. Play with color. In a world with long white winters, who wants white walls? “I love color,” Farnan said. “By the end of the ski season, I’m dying to buy tulips. I always encourage people to use color in their homes.” Walter noted that color has many uses: “It creates interior harmony, drama, emphasis, disguise and more.” Which colors? No rules. You didn’t sign a color-use contract when you moved to the mountains. But... if you decorate in the summer, when all the world is green, remember it will be cold white for many months and your eyes will long for warmth. If you decorate in the white of winter, remember that your picture window will likely invite vibrant shades of green into your color scheme once summer arrives. Choose the colors you want to surround you. Despite our assumptions (red excites, green calms, etc.), colors affect people differently. Find your own balance

of peacefulness and excitement. “Natural or organic colors tend to soothe and endure,” Walter said. “Saturated and intense colors tend to draw out design elements and create personal flair.” Her list of “nature’s timeless colors” includes sage, oatmeal, cocoa, sunflower, tangerine and azure. If people are uncertain about colors, Mladenka encourages them to use neutrals for larger areas, with punches of dramatic color. Color accents can come in many forms, from pillows to floral arrangements. Mladenka adds non-seasonal elements like pine and berries to create florals with yearround appeal. Work those windows. In cities, decorators adorn windows with opulent, multi-layer coverings. In the mountains, people want big windows with minimal coverings to maximize the views. But the intense sun at this elevation requires some sort of effective sun shade. Luckily, there are innovative products: top-down/bottomup shades that stack to almost nothing,

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shades that block damaging rays but let in light, even a local artisan, Paul Gallaher, who can transfer your photographs onto windowshade fabric. Connect with the valley’s artists. “Use them early and often,” Farnan said. “You don’t have to pay shipping, and they’re right there to meet with you and go over exactly what you want.” Whether you use a local artist to create a one-of-a-kind antler chandelier or custom iron railing or stained glass accent, “you’re inviting people in the community to become part of your home. It’s another personal connection,” Mladenka said. Tap into local retailers. Get insider info from the retailers who live in this dry, demanding environment: what kinds of woods and finishes work best, how to protect your furnishings and accessories from the sun, what kind of outdoor furniture will survive. For example, Mladenka said, “Sometimes furniture that isn’t kiln-dried will crack when it’s delivered up here. And very deep and rich finishes make a huge difference in the look you get and how it wears.” In general, local retailers bend over backwards to help clients. “People are welcome to borrow from the store – lamps, small accessories, art, small upholstered chairs,” Mladenka said. “Sometimes people can’t quite visualize what something will look like; just because a piece will fit doesn’t mean the scale will be right.” Jeff Deutsch at Artesanos will help homeowners try out rugs in their houses to find just the right touch. Jos and Teresa Rijks of the Rijks Family Gallery also encourage people to test-drive the art. “If you have a problem, we’re here to take care of it,” Mladenka said. Remember the lifestyle. “You want your mountain home to be people-friendly and low-maintenance,” Farnan said. “You don’t want to be fussing at people about your house.” Sherratt added, “Think about the mountain lifestyle when choosing flooring and furniture. We live in a dusty, dirty environment (muddy paws included).

Choose items that will hide the dirt, like a medium stain-colored wood floor. We all love the darker woods and countertops, but be prepared to dust them daily.” Be smart about spending. To get maximum impact for your money, use less expensive field tiles for most of your shower walls, and save the expensive accent tiles for an eye-catching decorative band. In choosing fabric, wood or countertops, once you find a look you want, search for products that give you the same effect for less money. For example, new products mimic the rich appeal of reclaimed wood at a fraction of the cost. “You can often do the same look with a much smaller budget,” Farnan said. Use different base and case in different areas of your home, suggested Sherratt. “Spend more on natural woods for your living areas and maybe use a paintable, less expensive wood in the bedrooms and bathrooms.” Stay away from trendy styles that will be quickly outdated. Where should you spend? Cabinetry, flooring and counters, said Sherratt. “Those items get a lot of wear and tear and are more difficult to replace.” Go green. Use paint with fewer VOCs (volatile organic compounds), energy- and water-efficient appliances, and sustainable products like cork flooring, bamboo or man-made materials. Support conscientious companies, like the carpet manufacturer that sells carpet tiles, so if an area is damaged, that square can be replaced and the damaged one sent back for recycling. For help going green, consult Crested Butte’s Office of Resource Efficiency. Where to start? Start with a favorite color, rug, painting or piece of furniture, and build from there. Consult an expert or just start playing. The goal isn’t “designerperfect” but making your home suit you. “You can stress for years,” Farnan said. “Just do something. Paint a wall; one thing leads to another. Have fun and don’t be nervous. Step out a little. It’ll make you feel good.”

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The road less traveled?Who needs a road? With her yaks, garden and skills at self-sufficiency, Shannon Holder has forged a life “from the ground up.”

Photo and story by Dawne Belloise

hannon Stuplich was two years old, propped up in her parents’ Spring Creek garden planting peas and contemplating the relevance of dirt and greenery in her young world. That moment, and others like it, formed the foundation for her philosophy of sustainable living – even at the wizened age of seven, when she left with her mother for Colorado Springs. “I felt like a fish out of water there. I was never comfortable in the city. I wanted to get back as soon as I could,” she recalls. Shannon returned to Crested Butte to finish high school, where she met her future husband, Paul Holder. Searching for a more meaningful existence, Shannon turned to her love of the outdoors and wide-open spaces.

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“I was trying to get a fresh breath; to get away from society. I was looking at colleges, living out of my truck and trying to decide what to do with my life when a guy gave me Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.” The true story told of a successful 24-year-old college grad who relinquished his material possessions and hitchhiked to the Alaskan Denali wilderness area, completely unprepared except for an edible-plant identification book and a bag of rice. He was found dead in an abandoned bus four months later, having starved. The book sent Shannon on her own quest. Although she hadn’t planned on spending any time in Alaska, her pioneering spirit led her on an exploratory adventure – to a rough, abandoned cabin in Gravina where she and her dog squatted. No roads, no electricity, and only reclaimed rain for water. She existed for an entire winter catching fish and eating canned food. Eventually, the cabin’s owner showed up and hired Shannon to work at his salvage lumberyard. Together they would find and mill floating logs in the ocean. “We’d go up and down the beach looking for logs that had fallen into the water. We didn’t have to cut any trees down, and we just chained them to the boat. After milling, we took them out to homesteaders on other remote islands around Prince of Wales who would look at us as though we were their new best friends.” After eight winter months in Alaska, Shannon left when the cruise ships, like large floating cities, started arriving and the place became too crowded for her tastes. She returned once again to her mountain home with a greater sense of destiny: to become self-sufficient and practice sustainable living. “I got a job with Wilderness Opportunities. We did pack trips and that’s when I realized the yak was perfect for packing here.” Shannon decided to move up to her family’s property in Schofield and live summers at the old townsite. After much research, Shannon’s speculation about yaks proved to be correct. For this harsh mountain environment, yaks make sense for packing and milk products since they can handle the climate and the altitude. From the high plains and mountains of Tibet, yaks have three times more red blood cells than cows, so they are able to live in extreme elevations. Long, thick hair insulates their bodies from doubledigit sub-zero winter temperatures. It is commonly thought that the Tibetans were the first to domesticate yaks more than 3,000 years ago, using the sure-footed animals to carry heavy loads and navigate the high, steep mountain passes of the Himalayas. Almost hunted to extinction, wild yaks still number less than 1,000. <62>

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Myrtle was Shannon’s first yak, come from an animal I know,” Shannon says. Yak manure is used as rich field and bought as a baby in 2004. Because yaks garden compost. “We have grown enough are happier with the companionship of a produce in our garden to feed all our friends herd, Tillie arrived on the scene and both and neighbors through the summer months. were bred for milk production in 2006. To preserve our produce for the winter, I Tillie had rare identical twin girls – Shupa store our potatoes, beets, carrots, rutabaga, and Pawnee; only one in 5,000 births and kohlrabi in the garage. I can pickled produces twins. Myrtle had one girl – Reina. beets and homemade sauerkraut. I dry Later, Myrtle produced a male, which was onions, garlic, fruits and mushrooms, and traded for a breeding-aged bull. With the I freeze greens, broccoli, cauliflower, peas acquisition of Teddy Bear, a handsome and and rhubarb. Other skills I have learned feisty male, the other females will be bred and used for this fall. The herd currently “You are what you eat, what you drive. self-sufficiency include brewing numbers six, I want to understand what beer, making but three are soap, controlling now owned by I’m being a part of and why.” weeds and local professor building natural Steve Griggs. stone and log shelters.” Only Bear and Myrtle are kept in the family Shannon has a concept: that sharing pasture near Crested Butte. her skills would be beneficial to both the Shannon utilizes every resource the yak student and the teacher. “I’m willing to has to offer, making cheeses, kefir, yogurt share my skills in sustainable living with and butter from the half-gallon of milk anyone who wants to participate in my Myrtle produces each day. Although yaks projects for sustainable productivity.” She produce half as much as a milk cow, yak plans to organize a farm-share program this milk is twice as rich in nutrients, protein, summer in which enjoyable labor will be butter fat, Omega 3 and vitamins. exchanged for knowledge, experience and “It’s sweeter, so I don’t add sugar to the local natural consumer goods. ice cream I make. It tastes like cow’s milk Outside in the sun-drenched day, the except it’s sweeter and richer,” Shannon yaks are waiting by the fence for their daily said. afternoon walk, their shaggy darkness a Yak meat is high in protein with dramatic contrast to the snow. only one-sixth the fat of regular beef, but “One of the reasons people are getting Shannon isn’t raising them for slaughter. turned on to sustenance living is that, “Myrtle is my friend and if she got old (970) 349-5132 between the economy and work situations, and wasn’t sick, I would eat her, take her areDonitas) asking the ‘what if’ questions spirituality into mine. If she was 405 having4th Streetpeople (behind and getting back to the basics. Back to the a hard time, I would put her down and P.O. Box 1184 land. always asked a million questions use the meat. I hate waste. I grew up in a Crested Butte, COI’ve 81224 because I’ve wanted to know how things hunting family – and we’re in the ecosystem worked from the ground up – I didn’t really and we’re on the top of the food chain – trust anything. I want to understand what that’s the way nature works,” she reasoned. I’m involved in, the whole process – if it From the yaks’ shed soft winter doesn’t seem like a good and beautiful undercoat, she uses a spinning and felting process to me, I don’t want any part of process to form hats, gloves, scarves and it. Some people are so detached from clothing. The material feels like cashmere in everything, but you are what you eat, what its softness. From the coarser summer hair you drive. I want to understand what of the shaggy yak, she makes rugs, twine I’m being a part of and why.” With that and rope. summary, Shannon rides off into the sunset “I don’t like going to the store and on her buddy Myrtle. buying fabric, I’d rather have that material

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Crested Butte Magazine

: photo by Andi Tippie

Breath and light, joy and possibility Monica Mesa’s mission: to change the world one yoga student at a time. By Shelley Read

oft afternoon sunlight spills into the pale orange studio. Seven yoga students lie prone on their colorful mats, eyes closed, easing into a post-Prana Flow savasana, or relaxation pose. Instructor Monica Mesa silently floats between the bodies, placing fragrant eye pillows and giving each student a loving touch. She takes her place in seated meditation at the front of the class, beneath the large pink OM symbol swirled on the wall behind her. The room is filled with breath and light. Seeing such a humble scene, observers might not immediately perceive the immensity of what is occurring in this small yoga studio tucked near the end of Elk Avenue. But to sit amid the energy of this place is to understand that this little studio has an enormous heart, a direct reflection of its petite but powerful founder, executive director and passionate visionary Monica Mesa. Monica is a yogini and world citizen on a mission, and anyone who walks in the door of her Yoga for the Peaceful (Y4P) studio can feel it. She’s out to transform global consciousness, one yoga student at a time. From her tireless work establishing and running the popular studio, to her many volunteer endeavors bringing free yoga to under-served populations of Gunnison County, to her workshops across the

nation and the world, Monica is living out her dream to bring the gifts of yoga to as many people as possible. “These are transformative times,” she says, with no shred of the anxiety that has become so customary when pondering the state of the world. “We need people to really believe in global change, to feel the infinite possibilities that are sprouting.” Yoga, she explains, is not the only path on this journey toward positive change, but yoga’s profound ability to enrich individual lives makes it a significant force for good in the world. “Yoga practice cultivates the ability to engage with the world through a place of centeredness,” she says. “It helps us meet the challenges of our times with love, grace and wisdom. Now, more than ever, we need people with inner peace, strength and lots of shakti — that divine, dynamic life force and creativity within us all.” Unleash that shakti in the collective consciousness, Monica believes, and a new era of peace and awareness will dawn. Most first-time Yoga for the Peaceful students know nothing about shakti, let alone seeking to set theirs aflame to transform the world. By design, Y4P students are a varied

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bunch — from children to elders, athletes to meditators, locals to visitors, of all incomes, backgrounds and paths — each welcomed with open arms. From its inception, Y4P has been dedicated to providing yoga for everyone, regardless of motivation, skill level, preferred yoga style or even ability to pay. “Not everyone comes to the studio hoping to change the world,” Monica muses, “but ultimately most do so anyway, even unconsciously. With the increased inner power that yoga can provide, practitioners begin to walk in the world in a different way, whether they are fully aware of it or not.” Monica herself is an “accidental yogini.” A self-proclaimed “fitness freak” as a young woman, it took a serious injury to steer her toward her first yoga classes, “basically because I couldn’t do anything else,” she recalls. It wasn’t love at first asana. In fact it took almost a decade of practice and the birth of two of her three sons before Monica fully surrendered her old definitions of “fitness” to the realization that yoga was all she needed for physical, mental and spiritual health. “Slowly yoga began to open me up,” she recollects. “Eventually it began to permeate my life in new ways I never could have anticipated. It gave me a deepened awareness of literally everything in my life.” After living in Crested Butte for seven years, she headed to California in 2004 to more seriously pursue the yogini path as well as her lifelong dream of learning to surf. She speaks reverentially of meeting her maha, or great teacher, Shiva Rea — with whom she still studies and teaches regularly — and discovering her spiritual guru, Neem Karoli Baba, crediting both mentors with “filling my life with grace.” “I have had a lot of challenges in my life,” she says. “Without yoga and my beloved teachers, I don’t think I ever would have gotten through them.” Upon her return to Crested Butte in 2006, Monica began dreaming of opening a grassroots community studio that offered all styles of yoga, outreach programs and access to anyone. When, in the fall of 2007, she noticed a “for rent” sign on the building she had long imagined to be the perfect studio space, there was no looking back. With few resources and no personal investment funds, she can only explain as “magic” the positive energies that converged to open the studio’s doors just one month later. “The love and support of many, many people who believed in the project enough to donate their time, energy and money was and still is crucial,” says Monica. “We wouldn’t be open today if it weren’t for a myriad of volunteers and supporters. It has been a true community studio from day one.”

Monica Mesa

: photo by Andi Tippie

Yoga for the Peaceful boasts a full schedule of classes and events led by a variety of talented teachers. In keeping with the studio’s devotion to community service, many potential yoginis have the gifts of yoga brought to them. Y4P’s outreach programs serve area non-profits such as the Adaptive Sports Center, Six Points, High Country Citizen’s Alliance and the Office for Resource Efficiency and provide free employee yoga classes for the Crested Butte Community School and Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Closest to Monica’s heart are the programs for children and teens, helping them “grow up from the

beginning seeing light and beauty within and developing peaceful practices.” The defining mantra of Monica’s life — Neem Karoli Baba’s quote of “Love everyone…serve everyone…remember God”— is displayed in the studio founded on and guided by these principles. “I want to help raise the vibration, to help people feel great joy and the infinite possibilities that exist for us, individually and collectively,” says Monica. “I read once that a true yogini is someone who takes adversity and turns it into something divine. I want to do that for people. I want to make the world a better place.”

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Bringing

Hannah home New mom Susan Gellert: “I felt like the whole town was waiting for her.” By Sandy Fails

s a young woman, Susan Gellert vowed she would never be a single mom, partly because she’d have no one with whom to share the worries and wonders of parenting a new little human. But years later when she decided to adopt a child from China, she found sharing was not an issue: a good portion of Crested Butte rode the ups and downs with her. Through four years of hopes, delays and long-distance love, friends and neighbors asked Susan almost daily about her adoption-inprogress. When Susan and her sister Ann (a.k.a. ABG) left for China in February to pick up Susan’s new daughter, much of the town followed them via the blogspot ABG created. On March 12, little Hannah Mei-Li Gellert arrived in Crested Butte to a celebrity’s welcome. “I felt like the whole town was waiting for her with me. That kept it alive over all that time,” Susan said. “Now that we’re home, the response is overwhelming. It’s beyond words.” Since having her 16-month-old daughter handed to her in a Chinese hotel room filled with nervous adults, screaming babies and general mayhem, the ups and downs (mostly ups) have been intense. Hannah, probably neglected in an orphanage crib for most of her life, couldn’t roll over or sit by herself, didn’t speak or respond to her Chinese name (Hua), and seemed vacant and withdrawn. “She was so scared and unresponsive,” Susan said. “She couldn’t stand to be touched or have eye contact. She would shake and go rigid. She cried and didn’t eat.” With soft voice and gentle touch, Susan tried to reassure Hannah, to give her love and tell her she was safe. “I let her come to me, in her time.”

In those early days, Hannah’s first smile was “like winning the lottery,” Susan said. Other joys followed quickly. “She was like a butterfly. I met her in her cocoon, a shell-shocked child. By the third day she started reaching for me, which was huge.” Now, Susan said, “Hannah’s whole persona has changed.” She loves to accompany Susan to the post office or grocery store, to bestow smiles and highfives on the audiences she attracts. When ABG hosted a late-March gathering so well-wishers could meet the little girl to whom they’d sent their love, Hannah held court with irresistible charm. She giggled playing peek-a-boo with a new friend, gobbled hot-pink icing from her “Welcome Hannah” cake and flirted with her long parade of admirers – while keeping an eye out to make sure Mom stayed close. For Susan, the plunge into motherhood has been exhausting, exhilarating and strangely natural. “Most people are pregnant for nine months,” she said. “I had four years of carrying

her; I was carrying her before she was conceived.” Susan began researching Chinese adoptions after learning about the plight of infant girls there. To curb its population problem, China enacted a policy of one child per couple. Because a son is key to a family’s future in poor agricultural regions, female babies are sometimes killed or abandoned. “When I learned how many children have no one, I was a goner,” Susan said. “I knew in my heart this was what I was meant to do with my life.” Susan could glean little reliable information about Hannah’s infancy. Following an adoption tradition, she bought 16 gifts from China to give Hannah on her next 16 birthdays (including enough cute shoes to make her “a little Imelda Marcos”). With four years’ worth of hand-medowns from family and friends, Susan has all the baby gear, toys and clothing she needs. The best gifts now, she said, are the ones that can’t be wrapped: “What Hannah needs most is love.” Crested Butte Magazine

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Hearts and

tamales In tough times, kindnesses shine brighter. By Gregory Pettys

Gregory Pettys and Davin Sjoberg: solid generosity in a shaky economic era.

e who live, play, love and learn here in the Gunnison Valley have it good. Wild open spaces inspire our spirits and fuel a drive inside us. Serious crimes and prejudices are rare. We live in a sort of bubble that seems distant from the complications facing the “real world.” Yet the nation’s economic downturn has rippled its way to the high country, and we all feel it. This magical valley taught me what it means to have a sense of place. I have relations with the people and the land; I know certain aspens as intimately as my friends. In this tight-knit town, we have learned to work together in times of abundance... and now in times of scarcity, as I learned last winter. After the autumn off-season, I returned to Crested Butte expecting, as always, to find work, a place to stay, a ski pass, a girlfriend and the other mandatory elements to survive winter habitation in this quirky paradise. However, shaky economics made this return different. The town was nervous, of course, but unlike other places around the country where people seemed to be completely freaking out, here I found people opening up even more, extending whatever they had to offer. Word spread that I, a committed member of the community, was out of a job and a home. Soon miracles started happening — the kind of miracles that are occurring in places where people live not just for themselves, but also for each other. My dear friend and off again-on again employer Davin Sjoberg, owner of Teocalli Tamale, was first to step in. Though for the

first time in six or so years he had no work for me, he made it clear that if things got too bad, I would always be fed. My winter culinary fare consisted mostly of Mexican. Shortly after I’d polished off a delicious tamale, a friend who works at a local bed and breakfast called to inform me of a work-trade situation opening there. Within a week I was living comfortably, with work in exchange for a room plus a little extra work for pay. The next step: a ski pass. To endure a winter here without riding on our majestic snow is unthinkable. But finding enough cash for a pass was equally unthinkable. Luckily, I attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver in support of local visionary Tom Laughlin’s heart-opening art installation, which encourages viewers to consider the humanness of our so-called “enemies.” At the convention, the friend who found me my new home connected me with the program supervisor at Crested Butte’s Adaptive Sports Center, which engages disabled persons with adventures in our beloved mountains. I fell in love with the program and wanted to be involved however I could. As it turned out, the sheer joy of sharing my passion for snowboarding reaped another reward: a ski pass for volunteering my time. It’s often in our darkest hours that we discover what is most important. For me last winter it was community. Love. The simple acts of giving, sharing, receiving and participating. And, as seems to be the case around the country, hope. Oh, and as for the girlfriend, well, I suppose that’s where the “hope” comes in... Crested Butte Magazine

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Ben Johnson spots Kirky Olsen, Western State student and international climbing competitor, at the Skyland boulders.

Chalking up

victories

As young climbers clinch national honors, the Butte Bouldering Bonanza and Gunnison Glory bring competition to the valley.

By Luke Mehall

: photo by Andy Richter

ow that “climbing” and “competition” belong in the same sentence, Gunnison Valley climbers are chalking up an impressive slate of national and international victories. This spring, ten-year-old Sebastian Infantes, of Gunnison’s youth climbing team The Peaceful Warriors, won a national championship in bouldering (climbing short rock “problems” without the use of ropes) for his age category in Boulder, Colorado. Daisy Willis, also a Peaceful Warrior, broke into the international climbing scene, taking eighth place in her age group at this past winter’s North American Continental Championships in Montreal, Canada.

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Several other members from The Peaceful Warriors, the country’s most successful city-supported climbing team, also made it to nationals, thanks in part to their months of training with coach Alec Solimeo. Kirky Olsen, who recently finished her sophomore year at Western State College, took fourth in the nation in the roped climbing series in Sunnydale, California, earning a trip to the world climbing championships in Sydney, Australia. In Sydney she finished as the top American, taking 20th place. At Western, inspired by the hardworking but humble Peaceful Warriors, a college climbing team formed and spent the winter and spring competing across Colorado and New Mexico. The team competes in the newly created Collegiate Climbing Series (CCS), an entity of USA Climbing, which also governs the abovementioned national competitions. The flurry of “success” for Gunnison Valley climbers is a new aspect of a long-standing climbing scene here. While climbing has traditionally meant adults scaling the valley’s boulders, cliffs and canyon walls, the nationally sanctioned competitions involve a broad age range of climbers on artificial walls. Two events slated for this summer reflect a desire within the climbing community to bring everyone together: 24 Hours of Gunnison Glory and the Butte Bouldering Bonanza. Gunnison Glory will be the first 24-hour climbing competition held in Colorado, though “endurance climbing festival” better describes the event. It will take place June 26-28 at Hartman Rocks just south of Gunnison. Teams of two, four or six people will climb as many routes as they can in either 12 or 24 hours. Entertainment will include live acoustic music, spoken word poetry, yoga for climbers and several surprises. The Gunnison Glory is part of the annual Gunnison River Festival. The Butte Bouldering Bonanza, another outdoor competition, will also have a festival feel. Climbers will test their mettle at the famous Skyland Boulders along the Upper Loop trail below Mt. Crested Butte. This event, which took place from 2004 to 2006, will be resurrected on Saturday, August, 29, as part of Western State’s Week of Welome (WOW) celebrating its students’ return to school. Luke Mehall has been climbing in the Gunnison Valley for ten years and is the founder of the Butte Bouldering Bonanza. He is the assistant director of public relations at Western State College. His blog is www.lukemehall.blogspot.com

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Events

Summer 2009

^ photo by Alex Fenlon

^ photo by Nathan Bilow

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JUNE 13 Dine & Dance benefits Hospice/Palliative Care of the Gunnison Valley 19-21 Crested Butte Writers Conference, Grand Lodge 20 Readers in the Rockies, Grand Lodge 20-21 Wildflower Rush bike races 22 Chefs on the Edge spirited culinary competition, Center for the Arts 24-28 Fat Tire Bike Week 25-28 Gunnison River Festival/Rock & Race Festival, Gunnison 25-27 “The Music Man,” Crested Butte Mountain Theatre musical 26-27 Bridges of the Butte 24-Hour Townie Tour, benefits Adaptive Sports

l by A photo

l on Fen ex

^ photo by Nathan Bilow

JULY

^ photo by J.C. Leacock

1-3 “The Music Man,” Crested Butte Mountain Theatre musical 2 Black & White Ball, CB Mountain Heritage Museum 4 Street parade & games, free outdoor concert, fireworks 4 Gothic-Crested Butte Run, Walk or Crawl 1/3 Marathon 4-28 CB Music Festival (opera, dance, bluegrass, classical, etc.), see p. 12 6, 13, 20, 27 Free Alpenglow concerts in Town Park 6-12 Crested Butte Wildflower Festival 10-19 Cattlemen’s Days in Gunnison 16-17 CB Land Trust Caddis Cup Fly-fishing Tournament 23-24 Hospice benefit art auction in Crested Butte 23-26 CB Land Trust Wine and Food Fest 23, 30 Powerade Pinnacle Race Series 23-26, 30-31 “The Wild Guys,” CB Mountain Theatre comedy 24 KBUT Friday Night Fish Fry

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AUGUST 1-2 Festival of the Arts 1-2 “The Wild Guys,” CB Mountain Theatre comedy 2-3 Crested Butte Open golf tourney, benefits Adaptive Sports Center 8 Fundraiser for Rocky Mtn. Biological Lab & CB Mtn. Heritage Museum 20-23, 27-30 “Southern Hospitality,” CB Mountain Theatre comedy 29 The Butte Bouldering Bonanza (part of WSC’s Week of Welcome)

September ^ photo by Dusty Demerson

Splendor in September events all month

12 Fall Festival, starring beer and chili 16-19 Vinotok Harvest Festival 24-27, 30 Shakespeare production by CB Mountain Theatre

^ photo by Alex Fenlon <78>

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^ photo by Dusty Demerson

^ photo by J.C. Leacock

^ photo by Jan Runge Crested Butte Magazine

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: photo by Jan Runge

Lodging guide

Establishment CB Vacations Lodging & Vacation Packages Mt. Crested Butte, CO 81225

Reservations

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One-stop shopping for all of your adventures. Crested Butte Vacations can book 1.800.847.6877 your lodging, airfare and services for the perfect mountain vacation. The Moun- 970.349.2222 tain concierge at the Adventure Center can book all of your valley wide activities. www.ridecb.com

Cristiana Guesthaus

Cozy B&B inn with European ski lodge charm. Hearty homemade Continental breakfast served fireside. Hot tub with mountain views. Private baths. Near free shuttle; walk to shops & restaurants.

1.800.824.7899 www.cristianaguesthaus.com email: info@cristianaguesthaus.com

Elk Mountain Lodge

Bed & Breakfast Lodge 129 Gothic Avenue, Crested Butte, CO 81224

Historic inn located in a residential neighborhood of downtown Crested Butte. Just two blocks off the “main street.” 19 rooms individually decorated. Some with balconies.

1.800.374.6521 www.elkmountainlodge.net email: info@elkmountainlodge.net

The Nordic Inn • Hotel 14 Treasury Road, PO Box 939 Mt. Crested Butte, CO 81225

Allen (your host since 1969) and Judy Cox welcome you to this Scandinavian-style lodge. Rooms with two double beds & private baths. Within walking distance of the ski mountain.

1.800.542.7669 www.nordicinncb.com email: info@nordicinncb.com

213 Third Street • Rustic Log Home

Beautiful 7-bedroom, 8-bathroom home. An ideal vacation home and great location for the whole family. Sleeps 19.

1.970.209.6376 keithpayne@yahoo.com www.213third.com

30 Treasury • Luxury Vacation Home

Tastefully appointed 5 bedroom/51/2 bath home with an additional 1 bedroom suite. Sleeps 13 very comfortably.

info@cbbound.com www.cbbound.com

Old Town Inn • Hotel & Family Inn

The warmth of a family inn; value, convenience & amenities of a hotel. 1.888.349.6184 Home-made afternoon snacks, yummy breakfast. Rooms with two queen www.oldtowninn.net beds. On shuttle route, or stroll to shops, restaurants & trailheads. email: info@oldtowninn.net

Peak Property Management & Sales

Specializing in one to four bedroom private vacation home rentals in historic downtown Crested Butte, Mt. CB & the Club at Crested Butte (country club).

1.888.909.7325 www.peakcb.com email: kat@peakcb.com

The Ruby of Crested Butte

Luxury B&B with full breakfast, private baths and concierge in historic Crested Butte. Also pampers pets with in-room dog beds, crates, home-made treats and dog-sitting service.

1.800.390.1338 www.therubyofcrestedbutte.com

Vacation Log Home • Rental Home

Beautiful log home on the mountain; great for families or large groups. Six bedrooms, six baths, sleeps up to 23. Spectacular views!

1.970.209.6376 www.790gothic.com email: keithpayne@yahoo.com

Bed & Breakfast Hotel 621 Maroon Ave, PO Box 427, Crested Butte, CO

213 Third Street Crested Butte, CO 81224

30 Treasury Road Mt. Crested Butte, CO 81225

Hwy 135 & Red Lady Ave. • PO Box 990 Crested Butte, CO 81224

Rental Homes PO Box 2023, Crested Butte, CO 81224

Luxury Bed & Breakfast 624 Gothic Ave, PO Box 3801, Crested Butte, CO 790 Gothic Road Mt. Crested Butte, CO 81225

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Description

Crested Butte Magazine

One-stop shopping for all of your adventures.

The Mountain Concierge in the Adventure Center at Mountaineer Square can book valley-wide activities and adventures.

Lodging Airfare Lift Tickets Car rentals & ground transfers Horse Trailrides Disc Golf Rentals Guided Peak & Mountain Biking Tours Tennis and Golf Spa Services (800)847-6877 Rafting Trips (970)349-2222 Guided Fishing Trips 4WD Drive Tours

ridecb.com

CRESTED BUTTE CRESTED BUTTE va cVA a t iCoAnTs I O N S

Inspire your passion for adventure.

VACATION LOG HOME

The ultimate vacation getaway for large families or large groups. Six bedrooms and six baths including 5 Kings, 1 Queen, 7 Twins plus 2 sleeper couches, sleeps 23 comfortably. Take the free shuttle bus or make the 5 minute walk to the ski base area, lifts, shops and restaurants. After a day of skiing, hiking, fishing or biking, soak in the outdoor hot tub or the indoor spa tub, play a game of pool or just relax gazing out the window at the spectacular mountain views from your rustic paradise. (970) 209-6376 790 Gothic at Whetstone on the Mountain E-mail: keithpayne@yahoo.com For additional pictures and rates visit our website: www.790gothic.com

Crested Butte Magazine

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Crested Butte Magazine

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Italian; Delicious, casual Italian cuisine with marvelous entrees such as veal parmigiana, fra diavolo, or cannelloni for your main dish. Many meatless selections. Extensive appetizer menus and kid’s menu. Happy hours with tapas.

$12-32 Dinner

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Donita’s Cantina • 349-6674

Mexican; Down-to-earth eatery specializing in good food, ample portions, fun service. Fabulous fajitas, enchanting enchiladas, bueno burritos. Local favorite for over 20 years; casual atmosphere.

$4-24

Dinner

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East Side Bistro • 349-9699

Fine Dining; Upscale casual neighborhood bistro. Our menu evolves seasonally & represents the eclectic, creative, sophisticated visions of our passion for food, using locally fresh ingredients & prepared with innovative, contemporary style.

Brunch $10-35 Dinner

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Last Steep • 349-7007

Sandwiches/soup/salads; Casual family dining, relaxing atmosphere. Affordable menu with Caribbean island flair;

$5-16

Lunch Dinner

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Sushi bar & grill; Crested Butte’s original sushi bar serving great seafood, steaks and surf & turf entrees, as well as options for the little ones. In Historic Downtown.

$4-28

Dinner

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Italian; Offering generations of family recipes in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere. The menu features unique pasta-sauce combos, traditional and regional Italian, seafood, veal and elk. Reservations recommended.

$6-30

Dinner

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Fine Dining; CB’s newest steakhouse. HDTVs for watching the games. Great hand-cut steaks, seafood, pastas, lamb, pork, burgers, salads, appetizers, kids’ menu. Extensive wines and beers. Sunday brunch with freshly baked goodies.

$3-31

Lunch Dinner

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Old-Fashioned soda fountain; with malts, shakes, sundaes, banana splits, libations; home-cooked breakfasts and lunches prepared to order. Historic locale, casual atmosphere.

$2-12

Breakfast t t t 86 Lunch

Steaks, prime rib, king crab; Known for the best steaks in town. USDA Prime cuts of beef, Alaska King crab, ribs, pork and lamb chops, grilled seafood, burgers, chicken fried steak and buffalo burgers.

$7-40

Dinner

Establishment Bacchanale • 349-5257

209 Elk Ave. Downtown Open Daily; call for current hours 4th & Elk in Crested Butte Open Daily

435 6th Street, Crested Butte Open Daily

Cuisine

208 Elk Avenue, Crested Butte Cajun chicken pasta, curry shrimp & coconut salad, Sun-Thurs to Midnight, Fri-Sat - 1am artichoke-cheddar soup in bread bowl.

Lil’s • 349-5457

321 Elk Avenue, Crested Butte 5:30 - 10:00 pm

Marchitelli’s Gourmet Noodle 411 Third Street, Crested Butte Open daily at 5pm • 349-7401

Maxwells • 349-1221

226 Elk Avenue, Crested Butte Open Daily

McGills • 349-5240

228 Elk Avenue, Crested Butte Open Daily

Wooden Nickel • 349-6350 222 Elk Avenue, Crested Butte Open Daily

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Crested Butte Magazine

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Price Course

Reservations Children’s Menu Aprés Ski Happy Hour Specials Late Night 10pm > Full Bar Live Entertainment Private Parties Outdoor Dining Televisions/Sports Catering Take Out

: photo by Dusty Demerson

Dining guide

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Energy well spent

he Ruby of Crested Butte bed and breakfast is going for Platinum. Through the Office for Resource Efficiency’s (ORE’s) new Energy Wise Business Program, it has already achieved Gold status, but “there should always be a carrot,” said owner Chris Greene. Following the program’s criteria, businesses can save money while being environmentally responsible. ORE also offers marketing benefits. For Black Tie Ski Rentals owner Roman Kolodziej, some of the commitments were easy. He had already switched from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescents. He already collected newspapers, bottles, cans, plastic, office paper and cardboard for recycling. As a ski rental service, he decided to use biodegradable emulsion for his equipment and chose Purl Wax because of its non-toxic, biodegradable, reducedpackage, wind energy-supported products. “When I needed a new ream of paper, there was no question about buying the recycled brand,” said Roman. “It just becomes habit. This is how we do it in 2009.” Roman (with a Gold certification)

Local businesses go earth-friendly with ORE’s Energy Wise Business Program. shares his energy-efficient practices with the other 11 branches of Black Tie Ski Rentals in the U.S. and British Columbia. The Ruby of Crested Butte also shares its green practices – with guests. Luckily, Chris noted, many energyefficient products are superior in quality, so they meet his goal of sustainability for the environment, the community and the economics of his business. “We won’t settle on something that compromises our guests’ experience.” Chris and his wife Andrea are working toward several green certifications, from local to national. They began weighing their trash, which they’ve reduced by half. They researched cleaning products that are free of phosphate, petroleum and chlorine. For their guests’ breakfast, they use organic ingredients, free-trade coffee and local eggs and produce. They serve Western Slope wines in the afternoon. They would eventually like to install solar panels and a food composting system. “It is more expensive to make these choices,” admitted Chris. “But we more than make up for it with increased loyalty from our customers. We’ve had our biggest

By Molly Murfee

season so far. People feel good supporting a conscious company.” Nancy Wicks, who is responsible for certifying Mountain Earth in ORE’s program, concurs. Some actions, like finding the best lightbulbs for your business, involve research. Other decisions, like not buying plastic shopping bags for customers, align with the values of a grocery store focused on products that are organic, local when possible, traded fairly and toxin free. “Whether we get the decal or not, it is just the way we live,” Nancy said. “I’d love to see the program become a competitive force,” challenged Chris. “Let’s get the big businesses in on this. We can be industry leaders in Crested Butte.”

Crested Butte Magazine

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Last Steep s09

4/14/09

11:29 AM

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Dine In • Take Out Full Bar Late Night Food Smoke Free Outdoor Dining Fish Tacos Cilantro Chicken Salad Spinach Salad Artichoke & Cheddar Soup Cajun Chicken Pasta Steak Great Burgers Kid’s Menu Chalkboard Specials

“We’ll meet ya’ at the Steep.”

Friday, Saturday

11:00AM - Midnight Sunday - Thursday

11:00AM- 11:00PM

off season late hours subject to change

970-349-7007 208 Elk Ave. Downtown Crested Butte

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Crested Butte Magazine

Dinner Nightly 349-7401

Irresistibly Italian Downtown Crested Butte

Italian Dining Pastas Lasagnas Cannelonis Homemade Desserts Nightly Specials Progressive Wine List Wild Pacific Salmon Local Organic Steaks Dinner Nightly

Photo by Chris Ladoulis

Happy Hours 5-6 & 8-9pm with Tapas and Drink Specials

209 Elk Avenue Downtown Crested Butte

349-5257 www.bacchanale.net

Crested Butte Magazine

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: photo by J.C. Leacock

Photo finish

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Crested Butte Magazine

Find your true colors. Crested Butte brings out the colorful,

Photos: Tom Stillo

brighter, more adventurous you.

Get one FREE* child lift ticket with every adult lift ticket purchase!

CRESTED BUTTE

MOUNTAIN RESORT ridecb.com ridecb.com

*Bring this ad to the Adventure Center, courtyard level at Mountaineer Square and get one FREE child (17 and under) summer lift ticket with the purchase of one adult summer lift ticket. Offer good June 17th through Labor Day, 2009. To book lodging and activities call (970)349-2222 or (800)847-6877.