Crested Butte Magazine Winter 2014/2015

Winter 2014-2015 Complimentary

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’14-’15 CONTENTS SHORTIES 10

12

4

Ol’ Saint Nick – times a thousand

by Katie Onheiber Crested Butte goes for a skiingSanta world record.

Fit and fifty

by Kathy Norgard These feisty friends are heading “over the hill” without taking off their skis or hiking boots.

14

Music in the mountains

by Beth Buehler Famed songwriter Dean Dillon draws headline musicians and fans to the Mountain High Music Fest.

18

Pro skiers tackle new terrain: the office by Erin English Racer Pip Hunt and her former coach, extreme ski champ Wendy Fisher, aim to ramp up the nonprofit Crested Butte Snowsports Foundation.

22

The gift of reading

by Lauren Holbrook Through Imagination Library, local youngsters can get quality books mailed to them every month – free.

24 Sledders, rejoice: the tubing hill

returns by Katie Onheiber

A new surface lift carries

speedsters to the snow-bermed course.

FEATURES 30 Randonaliens

by Drew Holbrook Pain and beauty, dished in abundance by the Gothic Mountain Tour.

36 A night at the museum

by Dawne Belloise Paul and Kathy Hooge’s Ski History Haus is both a vacation rental and a fascinating collection of ski memorabilia.

44 Revved-up snow porpoises

by Scott Clarkson After the lifts close, avid slednecks fly, muscle and dance around the slopes, vying to become The Ultimate Snowmobiler.

51 When “home” is a snow cave

by Erin English A Crested Butte newbie tests his resourcefulness amid the wintry woods.

57 “Tough as all get-out”

by Cara Guerrieri Even wrenching tragedy couldn’t bend the will of Rosaria Guerrieri.

65 Children of the snow

by Steve Church This proud dad taught his son to ski. Well, yes, there was that one small mishap…

71 More than money

by John Norton Second homeowners – and primary homeowners who earn their income elsewhere – contribute time, talent and tender to make the valley better.

78 Mountain movers

by Peace Wheeler The secret life of snowcat operators: What it’s like inside those high-tech bubbles powering uphill to groom the ski slopes into corduroy.

84 Thinking outside the cookie-cutter

by Toni M. Todd Arts advocate Maryo Gard Ewell shows how creativity makes our communities stronger and healthier, not just prettier.

92 Edible history

by Laurel Miller Local foodies revive Crested Butte’s Slavic heritage during Vinotok’s Community Feast. With these recipes, you can, too.

101 Climate, weather and those ornery Niños 108 Calendar | 113 Lodging | 115 Dining | 120 Photo finish Braden Gunem

by George Sibley Sophisticated data and analysis are revealing how our weather works, but can they predict this winter’s snowfall? Um, maybe not.

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Vol. XXXVI, No. 2 Published semi-annually by Crested Butte Publishing & Creative PUBLISHERS Steve Mabry & Chris Hanna EDITOR Sandy Fails ADVERTISING DIRECTOR MJ Vosburg DESIGN Chris Hanna PRODUCTION Keitha Kostyk WRITERS Dawne Belloise Beth Buehler Scott Clarkson Steve Church Erin English Sandy Fails Cara Guerrieri Drew Holbrook Lauren Holbrook Laurel Miller Kathy Norgard John Norton Katie Onheiber George Sibley Toni M. Todd Peace Wheeler PHOTOGRAPHERS Matt Berglund Nathan Bilow Trent Bona Raynor Czerwinski Dusty Demerson Xavier FanĂŠ Alex Fenlon Braden Gunem John Holder Kevin Krill JC Leacock Rebecca Ofstedahl Chris Segal Lydia Stern Tom Stillo COVER PHOTO Crested Butte backcountry Trent Bona ONLINE crestedbuttemagazine.com

Photos by Bob Brazell

E-MAIL sandyfails56@gmail.com

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ADVERTISING 970-349-6211 mj@crestedbuttemagazine.com Copyright 2014, Crested Butte Publishing. No reproduction of contents without authorization by Crested Butte Publishing & Creative.

Editor’s note

Regeneration

Nathan Bilow

I remember two decades ago when young siblings Drew and Lauren Holbrook shuffled along the Nordic trails on their miniature skis; Matt Berglund launched his snowboard off every slope-side whoop-de-doo; and Peace Wheeler frolicked downhill with other snow-suited munchkins. Drew, Lauren, Matt and Peace all grew up in Crested Butte, left for college or other pursuits, and moved back here one by one in their twenties. And all four wrote or photographed for this issue of the Crested Butte Magazine. I love that.

As I reviewed their words and images, it dawned on me that I was in my late twenties – about the age they are now – when I wrote my first article for the Crested Butte Magazine in 1982. I’ve worked for this magazine for the span of a generation.

Still, each issue feels fresh and new to me.

My enthusiasm rekindles because this magazine, like this town, has enduring qualities and a strong identity but is always in the process of renewal.

Part of that comes from an influx of energy and vision. I get a kick out of seeing Crested Butte through the eyes of new photographers and writers. And I’m delighted to watch my 27-yearold son (who made his writing debut in these pages last winter) and his peers take on adult roles in this place I’ve called home for so long.

Yes, this “Millennial” age group is different from those of us who grew up with a family typewriter, a rotary-dial phone attached to the kitchen wall, and a shelf full of encyclopedias to look up information. As members of the “selfie” generation, these young folks have been maligned as self-absorbed addicts of stimulation and instant gratification. But I enjoy and respect the Millennials I know. And I just read a New York Times article that refers to them as “Generation Nice.” This crop of humans, I learned, is earning high marks from analysts for such virtues as empathy, social/environmental responsibility, and freedom from undue materialism.

When I was entering adulthood in the early ‘70s, the Generation Gap was a chasm. My parents grew up in the wake of the World Wars, with value placed on loyalty, courage and hard work. In stormy seas, good citizens did right by God, country and family – and took care not to rock the beleaguered boat. In contrast, I came of age amid government scandals, assassinations,

Vinotok Community Feast foursome on Elk Avenue: Sierra Fairfield-Smith, Anna Roberts, Rachel Christensen and Eli Becker.

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a suspect Vietnam War and the pervasive sense that the boat needed some serious rocking. No wonder the Generation Gap was a proper noun in those days.

I don’t feel such a gap with the next generation, perhaps partly because we’ve found a better balance between protecting what’s worthy and changing what’s not.

Generally, there are also smaller divisions between people in Crested Butte than in the country as a whole. Just by choosing to live in this challenging, beautiful, playful place, we have a lot in common. And in our small, open-minded community, we tend to interact as individuals rather than staying fortressed in our respective cliques while lobbing stereotypes at each other.

The Vinotok fall festival, whose costumed characters are dancing down Elk Avenue as I write this note, shows how our cross-generation interactions help renew our community. An article in this issue on Vinotok’s Community Feast describes young “locavores,” dedicated to eating food raised locally, who are reviving some of the Slavic foods of Crested Butte’s early immigrant miners. What a delicious reinvention of tradition.

On the cool breeze wafting in my window, I can hear the Vinotok mummers chanting: “Oats and corn, oats and corn.

All that dies will be reborn.” The golden aspens surrounding the celebrants sing harmony in this song of renewal. Our mountain horizon hasn’t altered an inch over the centuries, but it’s a palette for the constant play of seasons: immense snows, melting to nourish the summer’s vivid wildflowers, which explode into fiery autumn colors before the snows return.

The ceaseless cycle of revitalization.

Bringing that well-worn metaphor back to the Crested Butte Magazine, I welcome the next generation of writers and photographers to these pages, keeping the magazine awake, open and evolving. And I honor the writers and photographers who have long contributed their heart and talent to this publication, from George Sibley to Sandy Cortner to Nathan Bilow (who almost three decades ago took the baby pictures of some of our new contributors).

Together may we celebrate Crested Butte’s enduring and precious qualities.

And may we be ever curious, brave and open to what can make us even better.

—Sandy Fails, editor

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Ol’ Saint Nick

By Katie Onheiber

times a thousand

Lydia Stern

Mt. Crested Butte goes for a skiing-Santa world record.

‘Twas a week before Christmas in Mt. Crested Butte When hundreds of Santas skied moguls and chutes.

With the slope as their chimney and skis as their sleigh, They zoomed to the Pub Crawl with little delay.

More than 450 skiers and boarders donned those familiar red suits and white beards for the inaugural Crested Butte Santa Ski Crawl in December 2013. This winter, on December 13, even more Jolly Ol’ Saint Nicks will hit the slopes – and it’s not just for milk and cookies. Event organizers want to make history.

While an official world record for the most Santas skiing at one time is absent from the Guinness Book of World Records, Shaun Matusewicz, co-owner of Iron Orchid Events, which organizes the annual ski and crawl, is hoping to get it added. Sunday River Resort in Maine boasted 500 skiing Santas a few years ago. Shaun is striving for quadruple digits, with confidence that 2014 will be the year that puts Crested Butte in the Guinness Book of World Records.

“Santa pub crawls are amazing fun, but I wanted to go beyond the norm and apply that concept to Crested Butte in a way that 10

Nathan Bilow

worked for families and also fit in with our local culture,” said Shaun. “Incorporating skiing was the perfect fit. It gives families a unique event to participate in together and showcases our amazing ski hill.”

Just like Santa’s list, there are two parts to the Crested Butte Santa Ski Crawl — a “nice” family-friendly ski down the mountain and a “naughty” 21-and-over pub crawl.

Last year, there was such high demand, Santa suits ran out two days prior to the event. While there will be a much larger pool of suits this year, participants are encouraged to purchase their Santa attire early (or even make their own). The cost of a Santa suit, including five pub crawl drinks, is $25 – or less for those skipping the pub action. If you have your own Santa suit and aren’t doing the pub crawl, joining the Santa Ski Crawl is free.

Everyone is invited to participate in the group Santa Ski, which starts at Uley’s Cabin.

At 3:30 p.m. the slew of Santas will take off, skimming down Big Al’s to the Base Area.

Last year’s Santa Ski Crawl was a family affair for the Wheelers. Joey, Bill and two of their kids, Justin and Peace, suited up for the festivities. The close-knit bunch had a blast skiing and pub crawling. “It was really fun to see the whole community come together for such a silly event,” said Joey Wheeler. “It felt a lot like a page from ‘Where’s Waldo?’”

Shaun added, “I have never laughed so hard as when I skied down the hill last year surrounded by hundreds of Santas. It was impossible not to smile. Santas of all ages and sizes came together for one amazing day. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Once at the Base Area, Santas participating in the pub crawl will head to Butte 66 for a libation before embarking for downtown Crested Butte.

“Standing downtown on Elk Avenue and watching hundreds of Santas go from bar to bar… it was like a scene out of a movie,” said Shaun of last year’s event. “Everyone was cheering and high-fiving. It became this giant team of Santas, all on a mission to have fun together.”

The event is designed for families who want to create lasting memories as well as folks who just want to party in a Santa suit.

“We absolutely want to make this the biggest Santa ski event in the country,” said Shaun. “It embodies all that makes Crested Butte great: skiing, mountains, costumes and fun!”

Find more about the 2014 Crested Butte Santa Ski Crawl at cbsantacrawl.com.

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Fit and

By Kathy Norgard

Fifty

These feisty friends are heading “over the hill” without taking off their skis or hiking boots.

When local teacher Bobby Pogoloff hit the half-century mark, she skied a 50-kilometer Nordic race with a sign emblazoned on her backside: “50 at 50.” Friends had written the message in pink duct tape to help her celebrate the double milestone.

Pogoloff started a tradition. Since that race, a small, fluid group of Crested Butte women have celebrated their respective arrivals at the mid-century mark with adventures together in the outdoors.

Although these are modern, savvy women, they turn off their cell phones and unplug from their computers for a few days to experience the stimulation of nature instead of technology. Beyond their shared love of the outdoors, 12

Above: Greeting fifty in style: Bobby Pogoloff, Laura Meredith, Joan Swift, Sonda Donovan and Gabi Prochaska. Lower: Adorning Bobby’s backside with a duct-taped message: “50 at 50.”

these women like to challenge themselves physically, stay in shape and enjoy the camaraderie, laughter and energy of their collective friendship.

“Having a common goal encourages us to train together, be together and celebrate,” said Pogoloff.

Gabi Prochaska hired the local band “Dr. Robert” and organized a dance party/ fundraiser for the Mountain Theatre to celebrate her recent 50th. She hopes to trek with her friends next summer along the 500mile Camino de Santiago through France and Spain to mark her new decade.

When Joan Swift turned 50, she invited her companions to do a 50K Nordic ski race, following Pogoloff’s example. Swift lamented that the course turned out to be only 30 kilometers because of weather conditions.

All seven women completed the course in their colorful tights, worn to represent themselves as a Crested Butte team. No slugs on this crew.

All of these adventurous women are married, and most have children. How do their families feel about their all-women escapades?

Most of the husbands have enjoyed adventures of their own with men friends; congregating around physical activity is part of living in Crested Butte. “Our husbands and children like that we’re active and fit; they support our getaways,” said recent 50-year-old Barb Hammond.

Some in this ever-changing group met while hiking up Crested Butte South’s steep cave trail when they were in their twenties, carrying infants on their backs. They also spent time together when their children were toddlers participating in Karen Janssen’s Munchkins Music.

“When we met in our twenties, we thought 50 was ancient, over the hill,” said Jill Van Tiel, another quinquagenarian.

“Now we celebrate turning 50. All of us have stayed fit, and one friend overcame major medical challenges and is back on the trail with us.”

Sonda Donovan is already scheming her adventure to celebrate turning 50 in 2016.

“Whatever it is, I know two things: I’ll have to really train to get ready, and we’ll share lots of laughter.”

In a time when people are living ever longer, these women are helping to redefine what it means to be “middle aged.” Instead of growing old, these women have grown closer, stronger – and more radiant. Even with pink duct tape on their backsides.

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Making music

By Beth Buehler

in the mountains

Photos Lydia Stern

Songwriting icon Dean Dillon draws headline musicians and fans to the Mountain High Music Festival.

Dean Dillon is equally comfortable kicking back at his ranch in Gunnison with his wife, Susie; living in Nashville; and performing on stages throughout the nation. The Broadcast Music International (BMI) Icon honoree and prolific singer/songwriter is throwing his passion for the Gunnison-Crested Butte valley and his extensive network of friends in the country music industry behind his latest creative endeavor, Mountain High Music Festival. The “three-day blast” will debut January 15-18, 2015.

The new event will build on three years of a lower-key Crested Butte Songwriters Festival. “We want to have music from noon to midnight every day,” Dillon said. For example, the music might move from the slope-side deck of 9380 to the on-mountain Paradise Warming House and Uley’s Cabin; downtown to bars and restaurants like Kochevar’s and Bonez; and finally to the Center for the Arts for headline concerts and songwriters in the round.

The inspiration? After being honored in Steamboat Springs last January at the MusicFest 2014 “Tribute To A Legend,” Dillon returned on fire with the notion that Crested Butte was capable of hosting an event similar in magnitude. “I came back, got on the phone with friends, and everyone jumped in,” he recalled. “I’ve been 14

lucky; being in the business 45 years, I have a lot of friends.”

Sometimes Dillon wisely went through alternative channels.

“When I talked to Lee Brice’s wife, she really helped me out,” he said.

“She wanted to go skiing!”

BMI, HD Radio, Texas Roadhouse, LMG, Mt. Crested Butte and host hotel Elevation Hotel & Spa have signed on as sponsors.

Being in Crested Butte is like visiting a foreign country for many country singer-songwriters. “They’re giddy when they first arrive, as they’ve never seen that much snow.” Dillon chuckled. “My friends tell me there’s no place quite like Crested Butte, and they travel all over the world.”

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Mountain High Music Festival will showcase some of the world’s best recording artists and songwriters, along with music’s future hit-makers, providing an eclectic mix of performances in intimate venues. Hosted

by Great American Country and SiriusXM’s on-air personality Storme Warren, the line-up includes headline concerts by Texas mainstay Robert Earl Keen and Curb Records artist Lee Brice, who recently released the album “I Don’t Dance” and received 2014 Song of the Year from the Academy of Country Music (ACM).

Also look for Grammy award-winning songwriter Rodney Clawson, known for such hits as “Drink On It” and “Crash My Party,” ACM award-winning duo Thompson Square, “American Idol’s” Brooke Eden, Nicolle Galyon from NBC’s “The Voice,” and Sonia Leigh, writer of the Zac Brown Band hit “Sweet Annie.” Also on the roster are the vocal group Due West, R&B recording artist Colin Lake, and bluegrass sensations The Crowlin Ferlins from Aspen.

Dillon and local artists such as Chris Coady and Bill Dowell round out the slate, with additional performers still to be announced.

The spirited weekend, revealing the faces, voices and stories behind today’s biggest hits, has a charitable component as well. Last year’s Crested Butte Songwriters Festival raised more than $40,000 for local

charities. In 2015, Mountain High Music Festival organizers aim to raise awareness and even more money for the local Adaptive Sports Center and Gunnison Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough to Wear Pink.

Event organizers chose to hold the festival in January, when snow is abundant but crowds aren’t. “We want music on this mountain in the winter,” Dillon emphasized. “This is not a one-time deal; it’s long-term. We want people to come back every year.”

A native of Lake City, Tennessee, Dillon hitchhiked his way to Nashville in 1973 to pursue his dreams of becoming a writer and artist. Over the years, Dillon’s songs have been recorded by the likes of George Strait, Barbara Mandrell, Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Vern Gosdin, Toby Keith, Keith Whitley and Lee Ann Womack.

He has more than 90 charted singles to his credit and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.

Over the past several years, Dillon has been involved in organizing and performing at Tough Enough To Wear Pink events that have raised money for breast cancer awareness in the valley. “Everything I do here, I try to do for the benefit of the community,” he said.

Find more and purchase tickets at mountainhighmusicfest.com.

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Pro skiers tackle

By Erin English

new terrain: the office

Dusty Demerson

Sassy skiers and snowsports proponents Wendy Fisher (left) and Pip Hunt.

Racer Pip Hunt and her former coach, extreme ski champ Wendy Fisher, aim to ramp up the nonprofit Crested Butte Snowsports Foundation.

For Wendy Fisher, putting together a 60-person cocktail reception felt scarier than hucking a cliff on skis.

An unfamiliar kind of anxiety gripped the former extreme skiing champ and new executive director of the Crested Butte Snowsports Foundation (CBSF) as she assembled local pro athletes, partner organizations and prospective donors for the nonprofit’s first annual Summer Social. She pulled off the event at the WestWall Lodge without a hitch, but she remained unsettled until the eleventh hour.

“Every film shoot I’ve ever done, I’ve been scared, but you don’t have days and months to be overwhelmed by it,” said Fisher, referring to her numerous appearances in Matchstick Productions and Warren Miller Entertainment ski films.

Fisher took the helm of the CBSF last January after the organization’s executive director, Scott Cline, stepped down. She was already a board member, and fellow members considered her a shoo-in for the open slot. The CBSF supports local youth participating in snow sports, a cause that’s a no-brainer for Fisher, who gleefully learned to ski at age two and eventually made a career out of her favorite athletic endeavor.

This is, in fact, the first real “desk” job Fisher has ever taken on, 18

and she admits she shed a few tears as she transitioned into her new position last winter.

“It’s been a fun ride, and I’m glad I hung tough for the first few months,” she said. “I kept telling myself, ‘This is meant for me,’ while juggling so many other things. I am learning so much and trying to do so much, and I definitely feel like we are going to crush this thing.”

By “we,” Fisher means the newest (and only other) staff member at the CBSF, professional skier Phillipa “Pip” Hunt. Raised in Crested Butte, Hunt brings much to the table in her role as CBSF’s marketing and events coordinator: solid knowledge of the valley, a background in ski racing, experience with nonprofit work and a bubbly personality that matches Fisher’s.

A decade ago, Fisher coached teen-aged Hunt to be a pro skier.

Hunt has traveled the world since then but felt the tug of Crested Butte early this summer.

“I was thinking about moving home, and it felt like the time was right,” Hunt said.

For years, the purpose of the CBSF has been misunderstood — particularly back when it was known as the Crested Butte Ski Club — and Fisher and Hunt want to bring clarity to the public. Fisher was instrumental in changing the name of the organization in 2012 and has been slowly rebranding the organization since then.

“Our biggest thing is really creating a connection with town and the whole valley, and differentiating ourselves, so people don’t think we are Crested Butte Mountain Resort,” she said. “Nothing against the ski resort, but they are a for-profit, and we are a nonprofit.”

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variety of local partners, such as the school district’s Ski for PE program, and distributes merit scholarships to local athletes like Olympian Aaron Blunck and Junior Olympian Tanner Perkins. The organization’s biggest priority is helping kids with financial need participate in snow sports just for the fun of it.

The organization is a “four-season support system,” and the board will consider a wide variety of proposals or financial requests from groups and individuals. In a few years, Fisher also envisions the CBSF to be the first stop for anyone wanting to know virtually anything about snow sports in the valley, from Nordic skiing to snowboarding.

“We are like the avocado seed with all the toothpicks sticking out, holding it onto the cup,” Fisher said. “We are the seed that wants to give to the school, give to the Nordic Center, help kids be on the Mountain Sports Team, help kids get to competitive events or get a scholarship at an NCAA school.”

The way Fisher sees it, participation in competitive or recreational snow sports benefits every local child, and can especially provide a sense of purpose for youth who don’t excel academically. In elementary school, Fisher was challenged

with a learning disability, so she developed confidence mostly outside the classroom.

“Skiing was my savior, so I could learn to be a hard worker,” Fisher said. “That’s why this organization is my passion. Skiing is a good growing experience if you are struggling to grow in school.”

For Hunt, the opportunity to be a role model for young athletes, particularly females, makes her even more excited about her CBSF job.

The two clearly love being together, whether it’s on the snow or in the office. As a young woman, Hunt looked up to Fisher, who coached her through many new lines and helped her gain sponsorships with Smith and Salomon. Now Hunt often gives reassurance and encouragement to Fisher, as she did with the much-anticipated Summer Social.

“It was great; it wasn’t five people standing around a chip bowl,” Hunt laughed.

“Ten years ago Pip was leaning on me, and now I’m leaning on her,” Fisher said.

“She used to work for a nonprofit and has more of a background in that world. We’ve always had a connection, and now here we are — together again.”

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The gift

By Lauren Holbrook

of reading

Through Imagination Library, local youngsters can get quality books mailed to them every month – free.

“A book is a gift you can open again and again.” –Garrison Keillor

Boyd Pederson fondly remembers when his son, Noah, burst out the front door of the house in his pajamas on a chilly Gunnison November morning, rushing down the sidewalk to the mailbox as the mailman drove away. Boyd could hear a little voice floating back toward the door. “Is my book here today? Is my book here today?”

Thanks to Imagination Library, Noah and approximately 300 other young children in the Gunnison Valley receive a free book in the mail each month, inspiring a love of language and story.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library began in 1995 with her vision of making reading fun and accessible for all kiddos. Founded in her home county in East Tennessee, the program’s popularity inspired her to make it replicable for any community in the nation.

In the Gunnison Valley, a timely collaboration between a Gunnison Rotarian and the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley (CFGV) resulted in the birth of our own, local Imagination Library in 2007. Thanks to the Dollywood Foundation and CFGV donors, a new, carefully selected book is mailed each month to each youngster registered for the program from birth until age five. Over five years, that’s 60 age-appropriate books per child.

Jacob and Liz With have learned to put their evening routine on hold the day their children’s new books arrive. At ages 2 and 4, Zeke 22

Sarah and Henry Stubbe at their favorite evening activity.

Below: Zeke and Olivia With celebrate the books that landed in their mailbox.

and Olivia insist on reading their new books as soon as they get home from the post office. In the age of electronics, the Withs consider it a blessing that hard copy books can still generate such enthusiasm from their kids.

Recent research into human brain development proves that parents truly are their children’s first teachers. According to the National Research Council, reading regularly to a young child significantly influences later reading achievement. U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley said, “If every child were read to daily from infancy, it would revolutionize education in this country!”

Sarah and Jason Stubbe were ready to sign up for Imagination Library even before their son, Henry, was born. Several friends who already had children told them to keep an eye out for the Imagination Library brochure in their “new baby” packet from Gunnison Valley Hospital. That was more than three years ago, and the new books arriving by mail still make their nightly bedtime reading routine fun. Henry practices his ABCs as he flips through pages of stories about puppies, trains, princes and princesses.

For the last several months, Sarah has been asking Henry to identify words, punctuation and letters as he also points out animals and colors on the pages. Recently, roles have reversed. Henry tests Mom’s skills, praising her correct answers with “Great job!” or “You’re so smart,” causing Sarah to burst out laughing and Henry to smile with joy at “teaching” his mom to read.

As Emilie Buchwald famously said, “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”

Imagination Library is open at no cost to any family living in Gunnison or Hinsdale counties. Sign-up is easy and available at local physician offices, Gunnison County Public Health, Gunnison and Crested Butte libraries as well as the CFGV office.

Support for the program comes from private donations, the CB/Mt. CB Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Gunnison, the Jack H. and William M. Light Charitable Trust and Wal-Mart.

“Imagination Library allows us to help make reading fun and exciting for our valley’s smallest residents,” said Pam Montgomery of the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley. “The books that land in their little hands open up a world of possibility.”

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Sledders, rejoice:

By Katie Onheiber

the tubing hill returns

Nathan Bilow

A new surface lift carries speedsters to the snow-bermed course.

With mere inches between your body and the fluffy stuff, tubing gets you about as close to the snow as possible. It’s family-friendly, physically undemanding fun, and Crested Butte Mountain Resort is bringing it back this winter after a two-season hiatus. It joins other Adventure Park features: the BagJump, Bungee Trampolines, Rock Climbing Tower and Miniature Golf.

The home of the tubing hill, Warming House Hill, remains the same. But the lift is different. The new Magic Carpet, a conveyor belt lift, efficiently transports you and your tube to the top of the hill.

On the thrilling descent, large snow berms alter your course as you rocket atop the snow.

Tubing appeals to those looking for an activity that’s less physically taxing than skiing or snowboarding, yet still exciting.

“Sledding/tubing goes hand in hand with a ski vacation,” said Erica Mueller, CBMR director of innovations and relations. “It was the most popular activity in the Adventure Park. Kids love it.”

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Tom Stillo

The Magic Carpet could be extended in the future to create a longer tubing hill, and the resort is researching other family-friendly base area activities, Mueller said.

In case you want to trade your planks for a cushy ride, the tubing hill operates 1-5 p.m. daily. Tickets for an afternoon of unlimited tubing cost $21. Tickets for the Adventure Park (which includes the tubing hill) are $28, or $20 for those six and under. Peak Pass Plus holders are free.

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BY THE GOTHIC MOUNTAIN TOUR. Words by Drew Holbrook Images by Xavi Fane

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It’s 5 a.m. in mid February. The parking lot behind the Crested Butte Community School sits cold, dark and quiet – until the silence is broken by squeaking-Styrofoam footsteps approaching on the snow-covered road. The sound keeps rhythm with bobbing dots of light. As the lights grow closer, they morph into figures, materializing out of the darkness.

These are obviously not your pre-dawn dog walkers, but rather something resembling astronaut-aliens. Their uniforms include skin suits, backpacks, plastic boots, helmets, eye protection and gloves. In lieu of spaceage weapons, they carry thin skis on their shoulders and long poles in their hands.

These strange people are on a mission.

Today, they will embark on a randonee (uphill/ downhill) ski race from the town of Crested Butte, around Gothic Mountain, to the Magic Meadows Yurt – with 23 miles, 5,000 vertical feet of climbing and plenty of obstacles in between. As crazy as they sound, they are seemingly normal people: professors, lawyers, business owners, schoolteachers, engineers and even the mayor.

Dozens of these “randonaliens” appear.

They huddle in groups, their headlamps and steamy breath creating the illusion of electric fires in the dark. Their silence gives way to muffled chatter and laughter, stifled by sub-zero temperatures and nerves. Their conversation is intermittently overpowered by an artificial “BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!” as they test their avalanche beacons.

The racers shiver and jump up and down; their minimal clothing barely keeps them from going hypothermic as they wait for the start. At 5:55, they click into their skis and gather on the starting line, just as the first glow of dawn brightens the mountainous skyline. The gun goes off, and the randonaliens tear off, skating across the expansive fields that will lead them to the west flank of Mt. Crested Butte.

When they reach the mountain, they stop, remove their skis, and apply their climbing skins to the ski bottoms to begin their ascent. As they climb, the valley below and mountains around begin to reveal their features in the soft, dawning light.

At this point, the extreme cold starts to take its toll, and racers begin to pull off of the trail to fix frozen hydration systems and climbing skins. A man huddles by the 32

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trail moaning. His icy hands are tucked into his pants, and the moans turn into screams when his hands punish him as they warm up with his body heat. The other racers, who have been there before, don’t break stride. They carry on and let the man take care of himself. In a race like this, where dehydration, lack of fuel and frostbite lurk around every corner, this is Rule #1: Take care of yourself, before it is too late.

A few hours later, racers have scaled the slopes of Crested Butte Mountain Resort, descended to the Snodgrass trailhead, climbed Snodgrass, skied down to the Gothic Townsite, and continued on, past Gothic Mountain. There, they wrap around and climb through ancient pine forests and exposed south-facing slopes. Although it’s still brutally cold, the blaring sun bakes the skiers as they labor upward. They sweat and breathe excessively, exhausted from hours of maximum effort. Some are covered in snow from multiple crashes, some in blood, and some in both. Regardless, they carry on, following Rule #2: Don’t stop unless you are observing Rule #1.

As they ascend, those who have remembered to take care of themselves, keeping warm and force-feeding and drinking, keep a good pace. Those who have not, pay the price and slow to a crawl as their bodies begin to shut down.

Nearing the top of the last big climb, the randonaliens cross an avalanche path that’s more than a mile long and five football fields wide. Here, there are no trees; they have been mowed down like grass. Luckily for these skiers, today’s avalanche danger is low.

They reach the aptly named “Top of the World” just in time to remember why they do this. There are stunning views in all directions and more than 2,000 vertical feet of untracked skiing to the Slate River Valley bottom below.

The racers lock down their heels for the eighth of nine climb/descend transitions and push off, arcing perfect powder turns down to the valley floor as if these were their first runs of the day. They zoom out onto the snow-packed Slate River Road with uncontrollable smiles after the long downhill. Another transition sees them skating away, down valley, on the final leg to the Magic Meadows Yurt. There they’re greeted by a host of cheering spectators and rewarded with food, drink – and an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

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A night at the mu seu m Paul and Kathy Hooge’s Ski History Haus is both a vacation rental and a fascinating collection of ski memorabilia.

by Dawne Belloise

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Dawne Belloise

Lydia Stern

Wooden skis were first strapped to the feet of mountain pioneers who had to navigate deep snows for survival. But over time, skiing evolved from transportation to sport, and the equipment changed from long, hand-hewn planks to today’s hightech rockets. The story of that evolution is fascinating – and documented by an unlikely ski collection tucked on the flanks of Mt. Crested Butte.

The Ski History Haus, owned by Paul and Kathy Hooge, has a classic 1990s-skiresort exterior. But its bright rooms house a trove of museum-worthy artifacts it took them decades to amass.

Light pours through the many stained

Dawne Belloise

glass windows, casting hues across walnut floors. The three-story Haus is the Hooges’ cozy residence, which they also offer as a vacation rental. “We built the house partly for displaying our ski collection,” Paul said.

“We live in a museum, as funky and strange as that might be to some people.”

Paul holds a BA in Anthropology, a BS in History/Political Science, an MA and a PhD in Art and Archeology Aesthetics in Prehistory, specializing in Preservation of Archeological Resources. He gives lectures and guided tours through his collections to those renters who are interested, as well as public tours by appointment.

The very old skis with wood and leather

bindings are art in craftsmanship and design, tall and dark with aging, some with intricate decorative carvings. They hang from racks lining the walls, and Paul is happy to tell their story.

Scandinavian ski design can be traced back 5,000 years or more and owes its origins to the Viking era. “Nineteenthcentury Scandinavian immigrants to the U.S. brought these designs with them. We can trace skis made by these immigrants back to their home regions.” Paul’s exhibit begins with these immigrant skis, with their ties to the Old World.

“We are also interested in early ski manufacturing, American and the mostly 37

Custom-made ski boot from Paul Hooge’s father.

Dawne Belloise

Norwegian ski makers from the 1890s through the 1940s and into the mid 1960s,” he said. “Collecting rare examples of immigrant skis and early (pre-1920) manufactured skis takes time, patience and money. It’s getting very expensive to buy them and almost impossible to find them.”

Paul loved skiing from the first time he shussed down the slopes of Ohio ski areas in 1948, when he was four years old.

“My parents started skiing around 1938.

My mother was an enthusiastic skier. She would be on the slopes regardless of the weather and close the lifts down. When Dad had enough he’d just head to the bar for a scotch,” Paul said with a laugh.

Back when it snowed more in the Midwest, the family could ski in Cincinnati.

In 1959, when Paul started high school, his math teacher converted an old bus into an RV specifically for ski trips to Michigan, and they utilized that bus all through high school. In his teens, Paul was hired as a ski instructor at the Snow Trails Ski Area in Mansfield, Ohio. There, he met Walter Neuron, an Austrian Jew who escaped to the 38

Dawne Belloise

Lydia Stern

U.S. when the Nazis invaded his homeland, later joining the U.S. military and fighting in the famed 10th Mountain Division.

“These were the guys who, at the end of the war, were die-hard enthusiastic skiers and were everything to the development of ski resorts across the country. There he was in Ohio, and I was very fortunate to have him as my ski school director and friend,” Paul said. Together they worked on developing children’s ski programs in schools.

Paul worked for ski shops, played on the Ohio State ice hockey team, met Kathy in 1969 and opened a ski shop near Columbus, Ohio, in 1973. The Ski n Wheel boasted a 150-foot artificial ski slope made of Polysnow plastic carpeting, built onto the back of the store. Paul and Kathy helped develop the racing program for the colleges in Ohio as well as the Ohio State University Ski Club, increasing its membership tenfold. They closed the shop in 1975, in part because they had no time to ski.

Paul’s ski collection began with his parents’ gear: his mother’s 1937 ski outfit and father’s WWII ski boots made for him in

Garmisch, Germany, during the occupation.

His dad was an artillery specialist and a Major in the U.S. Army. When he and other officers wanted to ski but could find no boots, they located a cobbler who said he’d make ski boots if they could find him leather. “Dad made a call to requisitions and found a boxcar full of leather. He put the cobbler back in business.”

Paul began to seriously collect skirelated items in 1964 and now boasts a comprehensive array of antique ski paraphernalia. He saved his own 1964 racing sweater and began rescuing promotional items – posters and photos of famous skiers – being thrown away at the Columbus ski shop where he worked.

“I started consciously collecting things from skiing – posters and things like that.

In ‘68, I bought two pairs of antique skis from a Salvation Army store in Columbus, and that got me started. I kept on collecting the history of skiing. When we had the ski shop, people would bring me antiques. We amassed a very large collection.”

At the Ski History Haus, early posters

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and ski art line every inch of wall space that isn’t already colonized by racks of ancient skis, boots and related chotskies, despite Paul’s attempts to be selective in what he keeps.

Immersed in ski history, Paul’s son Erick dreamed of glory as a ski racer, so the Hooges bought a condo in Silverthorne, Colorado, for easy access to Breckenridge, Keystone, A Basin and Copper Mountain.

Later they bought in Vail when Erick joined that ski team. But it wasn’t what Paul or Kathy wanted. They wanted to build and operate a small lodge within walking distance of ski lifts and mass transit, at a ski area that fit their budget. “Our intent was to offer a museum environment for guests,” Paul said.

On Christmas Day of 1992, they visited Crested Butte. As the surrounding vistas unfolded, they looked at each other and said, “Let’s move!”

“We still look at that view, and we still say, ‘That was a good move!’ We went, we looked, we loved, and we moved the following summer,” Paul said.

The Hooges have culled their collection over the years. “Because our home is a

museum, we collect with that in mind.

We also buy for future trade value and to obtain examples that are in better condition than what we have. We also have a mental list of things we want for current or future exhibits.”

The couple finds important pieces of ski history in flea markets, garage sales, garbage cans and dumpsters. Some of their items were found through pickers, described

by Paul as recyclers and business people.

Many rare items can only be found with the help of pickers. “A true picker doesn’t own a store or shop; they are the traffic cops of the collecting industry. They keep various collectable materials moving in positive and profitable directions. In a sense, we are pickers/collectors/museum curators. We have to cover all of the bases, including research, writing academic papers, and creating exhibits that educate our guests and visitors.” Paul still submits academic papers, and much of his research is conveyed to guests at the Haus via his lectures and tours.

One of the items on Paul’s dream list materialized in the fall of 2013 – one of the rarest skis in the country, among American collectors, made by Theodore A. Johnson,

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manufactured in Portland, Maine, under his company’s name TAJCO. Johnson was in business for less than two years, but in 1904 he produced the first book about ski instruction in America. Paul got his hands on an extremely rare, near-mint pair of Johnson’s skis that came out of somebody’s shed, but the real excitement came as another pair surfaced only a few months later, and these turned out to be jumping skis. Only a handful of collectors own a pair of TAJCO skis.

Here in Gunnison County, people were skiing and competing on skis before there was any practical or recreational use of skis in the Alps of Europe. Skiing here coincided with mountain travel and mining, and the first known skiing in our mountains was around 1857. Paul’s oldest American skis are circa 1870s from Frisco, Colorado, and another pair circa 1880s from the defunct silver mining town of Irwin, above the town of Crested Butte.

“Above fifty degrees north, life depended on skis and snowshoes, or sleds and dogs, until the late 19th century. You didn’t live in western mining towns without skis or snowshoes. It could be said that in the early days, skis won the mountain West, not guns or trains or cows,” Paul said. “People today think of skis as recreation devices and not as life-saving modes of transportation. Battles were fought on skis for centuries, and keep in mind we trained mountain ski troops at Camp Hale just seventy years ago. The military continues to do so today.”

Paul’s research is as much about information as about valuable items. For example, as collectors try to reconstruct the story of ski innovation in the mid 20th century, it’s important not only to collect the gear but also to talk to those involved in that innovation – before they forget or die with the knowledge.

“Skiing is part anthropology, archeology, sociology, history, science, industry and recreation. That’s why I collect skis and not beer cans or Barbie dolls,” he said, smiling.

As an archeologist, Paul’s choice of ski relics goes beyond having rare and notable objects. It’s all about the story, both told and untold, the undiscovered history waiting to be written. “Cool things without meaning are just cool things,” he said. “Knowledge gives objects true value. Stories bring them to life.”

Find more at skihistoryhaus.com, or call the Hooges at 970-349-1601.

41

hooge film explores western ski legacy

Lydia Stern

Paul Hooge recently directed and produced a controversial film entitled, “Ski Team, Deep Roots in the Rockies: The Story of the WSC Ski Team.” The 90-minute feature, set for a December 2014 release, follows skiing in Gunnison County, especially at Western State College (now Western State Colorado University). It tracks the progress of skiing and the part that Gunnison played

42

in the creation of ski venues in the valley between 1938 and 1970.

Western was instrumental in building six ski jumps in the valley, all of which were part of the college’s ski team programs. At the end of World War II, the ski team took off like a rocket, with a dynamic program led by coach Sven Wiik; an extremely supportive college president, P.P. Michaelson; and the athletic director, Paul “Frosty” Wright. They drew an outstanding group of athletes to Western at the end of WWII.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the ski team became a major contender in division one skiing in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). The team produced athletes who competed in every Olympics, except for two, from 1956 to 2014. Western won five cross-country ski championships, produced 80-plus All Americans and won more than 400 titles and podium positions.

The ski team brought recognition and pride to the college and the valley for six decades.

In 2008, the varsity ski team program was abruptly eliminated, and by 2010 there was no ski team, ski club or any kind of organized skiing on Western’s campus.

The Mountaineer Sports Club was founded in 2012 at the request of Dean of Student Affairs Gary Pierson, embracing more contemporary ski and snowboard events like half-pipe, skiercross, big mountain and boardercross.

The controversy is why and how the varsity ski program was discontinued. From 1968 through 2008, a battle brewed within the athletic department over traditional collegiate sports versus non-traditional collegiate sports, i.e. skiing. For those 40 years, department officials tried various ways to eliminate the varsity ski team, such as defunding it and directly requesting that the college administration and athletic board cancel it. Those requests were denied until 2004, because the ski team was seen as a great marketing tool. The ski team was eliminated in 2008 not for economic reasons but for political ones. Paul’s film explores the history of varsity skiing at Western and the circumstances around its demise, ending with a look toward the future.

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AFTER THE LIFTS CLOSE, AVID SLEDNECKS FLY, MUSCLE AND DANCE AROUND THE SLOPES, VYING TO BECOME THE ULTIMATE SNOWMOBILER.

By Scott Clarkson 44

Roost the Butte will return to Crested Butte January 9-11, 2015, followed by The Ultimate Snowmobiler April 10-12.

Lydia Stern

As April dawns in Crested Butte, even with ample snow, the skiing hordes dwindle. Locals abandon Elk Avenue for Moab or Mexico, and restaurant schedules are as unpredictable as the weather. But a certain few visitors set their GPS headings for this mountain town. They’re not packed into an SUV with a cooler on the bumper, nor stepping off an aircraft in Gunnison – though they are kindred spirits of the snow. They arrive by trailertowing pickup trucks or sponsored RV rigs that would make a NASCAR crew envious. They are here to race. They are slednecks.

This valley has seen many snowmobile events across the years. Fifteen years ago Crested Butte hosted the 1998 and 1999 Winter X Games, when SnoCross and Big Air were introduced to television screens worldwide.

Fast forward to 2012. Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) was facing one of its worst seasons in the past two decades. By January the resort was buckling down for the worst. Natural snowfall lagged, the nation’s economic rebound had hit big speedbumps, and skier visitation fell far short of the mark. If necessity is the mother of invention, then destiny must be the daughter of desperation. In the short term, little could remedy the poor ski season. Long range, some sustainable answers were needed. What other groups would place a high value on snow in a controlled environment?

Could an organized snowmobile event attract a new business base for the resort and the valley?

CBMR officials set a meeting in Aspen with Joe Duncan, long-time snowmobile sport organizer for ESPN’s Winter X Games. On that January evening, they shared ideas and sowed the seeds of something big. A few months and many discussions later, plans began to germinate. In April of 2013, the vision became the reality with the first annual Roost the Butte, brought to life on Crested Butte Mountain by Duncan and by Mike DePalma of Rocky Mountain Snowmobile Racing (RMSR).

Roost became a large event on a regional circuit sanctioned

by RMSR. It was made up of the four main disciplines in snowmobile racing: SnoCross, SnowOvals, HillCross and HillDrags. While this event was held for its own merits, it was also a test to see if the mountain and the event organizers could achieve enough first-year success to do something bigger after the ski area closed in April of the following year. With 65 competitors and more than 200 race entries (some racers competed in more than one discipline), the answer was clear. It worked.

Roost the Butte returned to Crested Butte in January 2014 with SnoCross and SnowOvals held in the Snodgrass meadow behind Fantasy Ranch stables. Winter X Games team riders Levi LaVallee, Andy Leiders, Jake Scott and Paul Thacker arrived a week early to test their machines on the SnoCross track and tune them for high-altitude competition in Aspen the following week. While training in Crested Butte, they stayed in touch with their fan clubs through Facebook and Twitter, further tying the happenings in Crested Butte to snowmobile enthusiasts everywhere.

April 10-13, 2014, brought the grand event, named The Ultimate Snowmobiler. Ultimate doubled as an end-of-season finale for the RMSR circuit, with finals in the four main competition disciplines. Plus Hillclimb races were added as a Rocky Mountain Snowmobile Hillclimb Association (RMSHA) event. An exhibition featuring tricks and back flips thrilled the crowd on Friday evening as did a Speed ‘n Style event on the 45

Snocross action during the 2014 Roost the Butte.

The Ultimate Snowmobiler skills exhibition: flips, tricks and crazy antics.

SnoCross track. The Ultimate Snowmobiler attracted nearly 200 racers and 600 race entries over the three-day weekend.

Porpoises in the snow. That’s what comes to mind the first time you watch a SnoCross event. Lap after grueling lap, riders and their machines jockey for position, diving and surfacing to the rhythm of the track. They fly 100 feet in the air, then sink out of sight in a deep snow trough, rise again to clear the next snow obstacle and then disappear once more behind a berm. What a thrilling spectacle to see in our valley.

TAPPING INTO THE POTENTIAL

Alex Fenlon

46

Snowmobile hill climb races are fairly rare in Colorado. “Very few places have the terrain diversity and sheer steeps for a true hill climb that would challenge riders of all calibers.

Top it off with a full-blown resort and such amazing people in a great town and it just doesn’t get any better than what we have going on in Crested Butte,” said Duncan.

In Jackson, Wyoming, more than 10,000 people flock to town the third weekend in March to be a part of the Jackson World Championship Hill Climb at Snow King ski area. This annual event has happened for nearly 40 years. It now spans four days and

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RMSHA, which organizes the hill climb competition in Jackson, also sanctions the Crested Butte event. Proponents hope to grow The Ultimate Snowmobiler over time to rival the draw of the Jackson championships. With Crested Butte’s more central location, the event has the potential to draw competitors from several states.

“We’ve put on a lot of races, and Crested Butte, three times now, has been our best host. Our seasoned riders tell me they feel welcome and wanted, they love the resort environment, and the snow and track building ability have been second to none,” said DePalma, RMSR event organizer.

“This event has made some big waves in the snowmobile community, and more professionals are going to be coming. I hope we’ll see even more local participation in some of the amateur events as well.”

The timing of The Ultimate Snowmobiler allows competitors to extend their race season. With most of the year’s racing in the rear view mirror, riders arrive early and stay later to explore the backcountry, or simply to enjoy the relaxed pace that Crested Butte offers.

Most snowmobilers can only dream of

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riding their machines on maintained ski slopes. The sculpted runs of a ski resort that have been groomed and packed all season provide race conditions like no other snowmobile venue. Courses built by experienced snow shapers like Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s grooming ace Aloysha Paden have riders raving and eager to come back for more. Paden has years of amateur motocross racing under his belt and has done some dirt work building those courses. He’s adept at sculpting snow all over Crested Butte, from the Cascade terrain park to Big Air on Elk, and birthing a course from fields of snow comes naturally to him.

For 2015, The Ultimate Snowmobiler promises all of the excitement of 2014’s inaugural event, plus proposed new events such as Big Mountain Cross-Country and Knock-Out. BMXC plans call for a course that frames the entire ski area, each lap measuring 22 miles. This event will not be for the faint of heart, demanding huge stamina and endurance from its challengers and their machines. The Big Mountain Cross-Country event is pending approval from the local district of the US Forest Service at the time of this writing.

In the end, The Ultimate Snowmobiler title is an award for a five-event snowmobile test separated into two stock classes based on motor size: 600cc short track and 800cc long track. All races are scored with a transponder, supplied at registration. The winner is crowned The Ultimate Snowmobiler from the combined results of the five disciplines.

This is an innovative concept, much like a snowmobile festival wrapped inside a competition.

Crested Butte has already felt the economic impact of the return of snowmobile racing. After hosting three snowmobile competitions since the first Roost the Butte in April 2013, the community’s assessment has been overwhelmingly positive. Local businesses have seen a boost to their bottom line during relatively slow tourism times.

CBMR has extended its season in lodging, food and drink sales. The Town of Mt. Crested Butte was impressed enough to award a marketing grant to broaden the pre-event reach. Perhaps the most enduring effect is that snowmobile racers and crew have been reintroduced to this valley, and many plan return to race and to explore our magical, snowy landscapes.

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SNOCROSS involves specialized high-performance snowmobiles on a short-loop terrain course with tight turns, banked corners, rhythm sections, steep jumps and obstacles. Up to 15 riders race head to head at speeds reaching 60 miles per hour. Jumps are up to 30 feet tall, so riders can travel 130 feet before they touch the ground. SnoCross is the most popular form of snowmobile racing.

HILLCROSS is much like a short blast on a SnoCross, with point-to-point uphill routes with jumps rather than circuitous courses, resulting in speeds even faster than SnoCross. Riders line up bar-to-bar and have a short, exciting run to the finish.

HILLDRAGS – think drag racing on a flat groomed slope, usually in heats with three or four snowmobiles. Top speeds often exceed 100 m.p.h. For kicks, watch the open modified class where the big turbo sleds play.

SNOWOVALS – think NASCAR on snow. The course is a tight oval layout with high-banked turns and speedy straightaways (no jumps). Riders try for a strong start and then jockey for the best position in and out of the corners. The faster the racing, the bumpier and more exciting the course gets.

KNOCKOUT scores are based on distance traveled from a steel take-off ramp over a 75-foot gap to a snow landing. In each round, the rider gets two attempts to jump the snowmobile as far as possible. The rider with the shortest distance is eliminated; the others advance. With each round, the start line is moved back, creating more run-in room and farther jumping distances. The last remaining rider wins.

HILLCLIMB incorporates the technical challenge of the steeps. Drawing competitors from several states, hill climbing is big in western snowmobile racing and therefore a prime event in Crested Butte. Last April’s course started in the base area, headed up Sylvanite to International and finished on Silver Queen Road beneath Monument. To hold a sled on course through dips, turns and steeps at full throttle is a technical endurance feat.

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On August 20th Western welcomed the USA Pro Cycling Challenge to Gunnison with the Running of the Red!

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Showcasing Western to the world is one of our favorite things to do, and the British Broadcasting Company agreed that day by calling it one of their top pictures of the day.

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Please support Western, a unique educational experience right here in the mountains.

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Nathan Dougherty in his snowwalled “master bedroom.”

WHEN HOME IS A SNOW CAVE Words and images by Erin English

A CRESTED BUTTE NEWBIE TESTS HIS RESOURCEFULNESS AMID THE WINTRY WOODS.

Of the handful of scary thoughts that crossed Nathan Dougherty’s mind last winter when he lived in a snow cave just outside of Crested Butte, the most horrifying was being crushed by his makeshift home.

“My worst fear was waking up and being pinned down,” he said. “And, ‘I hope the coyotes aren’t that hungry out here.’ That went through my head a bit. I had something ready in case an animal popped its head through my door.”

From sub-zero temperatures to white-out conditions, surviving winter in Crested Butte earns its residents something akin to a badge of honor, and Buttians can weave many a fantastic tale for friends who live in warmer climes. However, most of us retreat to cozy abodes after playing or working in the frigid weather.

Not so for Nathan, a 30-year-old Army parachute rigger who hails from a small town in Maine. Single, and with time off from duty and money in his pocket, he sought more than just a ski bum existence for his first winter in Crested Butte. The idea to brave the elements 24/7 and live in a primitive shelter had been brewing for some time.

“When I was in Telluride seven years ago, a buddy of mine lived in a rustic cabin. I thought it was kind of cool,” Nathan said.

“I thought, ‘I’ll go build my own snow cave. Let’s have at it. I’ll test 51

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my knowledge of outdoor skills and rough it this winter.’ I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.”

Nathan arrived in fall of 2013 and lived on a friend’s couch while scouting out the perfect spot to build his snow cave. For weeks, he wandered the woods looking for a location that was beautiful and had low avalanche risk. Ultimately, a delicate fox path led him to his new home.

“I followed the trail down, and in between six trees there was a branch and another one right on top of it,” he said. “I chuckled and thought, ‘This is the perfect area to build it.’ I looked around for dead trees and started packing the snow in with my snowshoes.”

The next day, the real work began.

Nathan hiked in with a small saw, which he

used to make large blocks out of snow. He chopped up some downed trees to use as support beams.

“I stacked the blocks together to make three-foot-thick walls, and left an opening for a door,” he said. “It was probably seven or eight days of straight working, and I did it over about two weeks.”

Once the basic structure was complete, Nathan fashioned a cot from dead branches tightly bound together with nylon webbing.

He put together a crude set of shelves inside to store his few belongings. With fragrant pine boughs on the floor, a thick blanket hung over the door, and a wooden gnome outside for protection, the cave started to feel downright homey.

Finally one night in late December, Nathan squeezed his 6’3” frame into the

Snow-block walls, a blanket door, and a wooden gnome for company.

cave to sleep for the first time. Zipped up in his sleeping bag and bivvy sack, his face just inches from the ceiling, he drifted off. The temperature dipped to 10 degrees below zero that night.

From that point forward, Nathan followed no schedule. His days were spent observing nature; hiking around on his snowshoes; and slowly expanding the ‘living area’ just outside his cave as the snow piled up. The lack of stress, in contrast to being deployed, gave his days a welcome change of pace.

“It was fun sawing out the snow blocks and maintaining the staircase up to my cave with a shovel,” he said. “I’m pretty simple, so I enjoy that stuff; it helps me relax my mind.”

There were a few missteps along the way – such as trying to power his lantern with paraffin oil, which solidifies at 45 degrees – but mostly Nathan completed his experiment without 53

critical errors. He attributes his preparation to a boyhood spent exploring on five acres out the back door of his childhood home.

While Nathan spent the winter in his snow cave, his family on the East Coast was amused, but never worried.

“My sister says when the zombie apocalypse happens, she’ll come find me because she knows I’ll be able to survive it,” he said.

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In late April, I strapped on a pair of snowshoes and trekked into the woods with Nathan to check out his snow cave.

After 45 minutes of tromping through snow at a steady pace, Nathan stopped and peered out a distance through some trees.

“Can you see it?” he asked, a grin spreading over his face. “It’s so obvious. I can see it from a mile away.”

All I saw was snow, trees and more snow.

We wound a little farther down a hill, stopping three times; twice to look at his favorite spots for taking in the views, and a third time to check out his bathroom — a sharp drop off a cliff — where snowballs were used in lieu of toilet paper.

A few minutes later, we were standing at the front door of his home. It was blissfully quiet but for a whisper-soft rustling in the trees.

“For the most part, it’s peaceful out here,” he said. “The peacefulness outweighs the loneliness. It would be nice if there were another person out here, but I’m good. I have always been a self-reliant, content person.”

After Nathan performed a quick demonstration of the calisthenics needed to squeeze into bed at night, it was time to work on dinner.

Nathan had a fire roaring in minutes and then set about preparing his go-to backcountry meal — foil packets filled with ground beef, frozen vegetables, red potatoes and butter, sealed and tossed into the flames.

He stored his food in a small, soft, insulated cooler inside the cave (and hoped those coyotes didn’t catch a whiff).

As the food popped and sizzled, there was little to do but take in the sights and sounds: dappled light streaming through the aspens and the sound of a distant woodpecker.

When Nathan removed the foil packets from the fire, he warned with a laugh, “I can’t guarantee you won’t find a pine needle in your meal.”

The food tasted delicious, as meals

cooked and eaten outdoors always do. Along with running a load of laundry at the hostel and showering at a local church, grocery shopping was a once-a-week errand Nathan conducted in town.

As dinner wound down, snow flurries fell harder and faster, and it was time to head back to civilization. Nathan hiked out with me and said he was going to stay in town with a friend that night, although he was hardly looking forward to it. One of the few other times he’d slept in a bed instead of the cave, his back had bothered him.

Two nights later, as I loaded my campfire-scented clothes into the washing machine, I thought of Nathan stargazing, tidying up his outdoor kitchen and preparing for another night of sleep in the cave.

Soon he would pack up his belongings to make one final trek out of the forest.

The snow would slowly melt off, and squirrels and chipmunks would scamper over the place where he rested his head each night. Nathan would move on to his next adventure — a solo trip to Alaska — followed by summer on the East Coast with family and friends.

All that would remain? A winter’s worth of memories: witnessing alpenglow; digging out of the cave for two hours after a big snowstorm; listening to coyotes sing across the valley.

“I look back on the overall experience as a positive one,” he recalled four months later by telephone. “I don’t think I have a single negative memory.”

And so, quite naturally, he planned to return to the Butte for a second winter in the woods. Same time frame, same location, same cave — but with a slightly larger space carved out for sleeping this time.

“I’ve never been a real fan of technology, and if anything, after living in the cave, I am more annoyed by it,” he said. “It was nice being off the grid.”

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Even wrenching tragedy couldn’t bend the will of Rosaria Guerrieri.

by Cara Guerrieri

ri in 1931 Rosaria Guerrie ard, one of ch Ri by holding ba bo e re.

14 children sh

The ship was taking on water and had been for some time, and the passengers in third class were stuck in dank, crowded quarters.

They trembled and grumbled, but only one tiny peasant woman dared approach the ship’s officers to protest the conditions. Rosaria Potestio Guerrieri, who didn’t speak the language of the officers, stood before them and insisted that those in steerage be brought topside. She gestured and gesticulated and didn’t back down until all those below, up to 1500 passengers, were allowed on deck as the crippled SS Laura, bound for Naples from New York, struggled across the Atlantic.

The year was 1913. Rosaria and two of her children, 27-year-old Teresa and four-year-old Gennaro (Jim), had hoped to be on their way back to Crested Butte. Unfortunately, Teresa’s entry into the United States had been denied at Ellis Island just days before, and they were forced to return to Italy.

It had been a gamble, bringing Teresa to America, and Rosaria knew it. The U.S. didn’t allow people with physical defects into the country, and Teresa had a cleft palate. Because of it, 13 years prior, when Rosaria had joined her husband, Gaspar, in Crested Butte, she’d left Teresa behind with relatives. But eventually they’d decided

to try getting Teresa into America. If it didn’t work, the family would all move back to Italy.

So Rosaria and little Jim had traveled from Crested Butte to Grimaldi, Italy, to fetch Teresa. When the three finally arrived back in New York, they faced immigration officials. All the immigrants, tickets fastened to their clothing, walked down one of the narrow inspection lanes. Spaced twenty feet apart, each immigrant approached a pair of doctors who surveyed them, looking for deformities or feebleness. Teresa was singled out for “Special Inquiry,” and the three were detained on Ellis Island for three days awaiting their fate. The record of their Special Inquiry has a handwritten note next to Teresa’s name: “Dr. Cert Epilepsy,” a code that meant any mental or physical defect or disease. She was officially deported at 10:45 in the morning and left on the SS Laura with her mother and young brother.

One can imagine the heartbreak as Rosaria sent word to Gaspar that Teresa had been denied entry to the United States; they must now prepare to move the family back to Grimaldi, back to the life of grinding poverty they’d tried to escape. It looked like a sad end for their youthful and desperate dream of a better life, begun when they married in 1881 when he was 21 years old and she was only 16.

As part of that dream, he left for America in 1891 and ended up in Crested Butte, where she eventually followed him.

The 22 years in that small Colorado town had brought him steady work in the mine, an education for their children, and a community to call home. Even so, life was not easy for the Guerrieris. His work was back breaking and dangerous; they lived in company housing; and of their 14 children, seven had already died.

With two more of her children at risk on the SS Laura, Rosaria was desperate to save them. Unfortunately, bringing them onto an 57

So Rosaria and little Jim had traveled from Crested Butte to Grimaldi, Italy, to fetch Teresa. When the three finally arrived back in New York, they faced immigration officials. All the immigrants, tickets fastened to their clothing, walked down one of the narrow inspection lanes.

Spaced twenty feet apart, each immigrant approached a pair of doctors who surveyed them, looking for deformities or feebleness.

Teresa was singled out for “Special Inquiry,” and the three were detained on Ellis Island for three days awaiting their fate.

The record of their Special Inquiry has a handwritten note next to Teresa’s name: “Dr. Cert Epilepsy,” a code that meant any mental or physical defect or disease.

She was officially deported at 10:45 in the morning and left on the SS Laura with her mother and young brother.

One “Everything can imagineabout the her was crooked and bent. heartbreak as Rosaria She carried an old sent word to Gaspar that curved cane, her back Teresawas hadhunched been denied over, and entry she to the United States; had a helluva hook they must now prepare to nose. She couldn’t move the back to havefamily weighed a hundred Grimaldi, backBut toshe thewas life pounds. as tough as all get-out.” of grinding poverty they’d tried to escape. It looked like a sad end for their youthful and desperate dream of a better life, begun when they married in 58 1881 when he was 21 years old and she was only 16.

The S.S. Laura almost sank while carrying the Guerrieris back to Italy.

The 1913 one-page passport Rosaria used to cross the Atlantic Ocean four times in one year attempting to bring the whole family to the U.S.

upper deck was treacherous as well. The crippled ship took on huge waves that swept across the deck, washing all their belongings overboard except the clothes on their backs.

Lifeboats were made ready, but the ship did not sink. The SS Laura limped her way into Italy, but by then Teresa was quite ill. Days later she died of double pneumonia.

Rosaria was 48 years old by then, and for the eighth time she set about burying one of her children, this time without her beloved and gentle Gaspar at her side.

She spent the next six months in Italy before she and Jim finally boarded a ship back to America. Their trip on the Princess Irene was uneventful, and they arrived in New York just as World War I broke out in Europe. Rosaria resumed her place in Crested Butte as a healer of sorts. According

to her granddaughter Pauline Simillion, “All the miners would come to her with aching backs and shoulders. She’d massage them with some kind of oil and sing in Italian the whole time. I went to her with a sprained ankle once, and she made the swelling go down. I loved her, but I thought she was some kind of witch. It was strange, you know, to have a grandmother who didn’t know any English. She was brave, though, and wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone.”

One night Ralph and Amadore Giardino, two strapping miners who lived across the street, rushed to Rosaria for help.

The brothers claimed that something or someone was knocking on the side of their house. Without hesitation, petite Rosaria grabbed an ax and went to investigate. In the dark of night she marched around the Giardinos’ home, only to discover that a broken tree branch was banging against a wall in the wind.

“Oh, Rosaria was always helping somebody,” recalled the late Frances Perri Guerrieri. “She attended all the births in town, even when a doctor was there.” She would massage the women in labor and sing to them, of course. If a male child was born with an undescended testicle, she would massage it until it dropped into place.

She was known as “Grandma” not just to her grandchildren, but to everyone in town. Her grandson Fortes Veltri wrote in his memoir that she was “always there, always caring, lifting the load, filling my heart with courage and warmth.” She lived to age 78, and my father, Richard Guerrieri, remembers his grandmother toward the end of her life: “I can still picture her walking from her house on White Rock Avenue, over what we called Little Hill, and up Elk Avenue. Everything about her was crooked and bent. She carried an old curved cane, her back was hunched over, and she had a helluva hook nose. She couldn’t have weighed a hundred pounds. But she was as tough as all get-out.”

Given her travails, Rosaria had no choice but to get tough. In the end, her strength not only served her well but also benefited the poorest passengers on the SS Laura, the townspeople of Crested Butte, and even the fearful Giardino brothers. The biggest beneficiaries of her life, however, may be those of us who know her story, for she left us the example of a woman who endured terrible hardship but kept her humanity by serving her family and her community.

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This proud dad taught his son to ski. Well, yes, there was that one small mishap‌

By Steve Church

Winter is a frozen playground for the children of Crested Butte, who quickly learn three important survival lessons.

1. Do not eat the yellow snow.

2. Do not stick your tongue on the school flagpole.

3. Learn to ski.

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This final lesson is considered no less important than learning to walk, and it comes right on the heels of most kids’ first steps.

Such a priority is placed on winter recreation that the entire student body of the school is loaded onto buses every Friday afternoon for the winter months and driven to the ski area, where the kids are given their options. Downhill ski, snowboard, or crosscountry ski… but you will get out there, and you will enjoy it.

Consequently, there are no other schoolchildren in America that are more physically fit, mentally alert and in tune with their surroundings than the kids of Crested Butte.

Great pride is placed by the parents of these rosy-cheeked munchkins on whose offspring will be the first to rocket down the North Face. The first to fly off the half-pipe.

The first to bring home the gold...Olympic Gold, that is. So not a moment is wasted getting the precious little yard apes outfitted in the latest gear offered.

Cost is not an object, and never mind that the little bugger will probably outgrow the entire $1,000 outfit within three months, because the shrewd parent can recoup all but $950 of his investment at the annual ski swap.

Tiny helmets, goggles, face masks, mittens, poofy snowsuits and moon-boots turn the precious ankle-biter into a GoreTex R2D2, unable to move, unable to speak.

On his feet are strapped an assortment of downhill boards with curled tips.

Now, any parent can tell you that children, for some reason known only to them, understand nothing about “consequences.” It is truly amazing that the species has survived at all, considering its children’s utter lack of regard for an action’s outcome.

Take, for instance, gravity.

If you place a typical child on any device that aids in propulsion and point him downhill, he will go until one of two things happens: he breaks the world’s land speed record; or something – a.k.a. a building, tree or car – stops his forward momentum.

Hence the ski instructor.

This thankless job is usually given to limber, bubbly teens who not only know how to ski but have no aversion to runny noses, jammed zippers, full diapers and bad attitudes.

Sometimes, though, due to financial

embarrassment or over-ripe affection, the intrepid parent will attempt to be a part of this great milestone in a child’s life, and he’ll proclaim to his nervous partner and doubting friends that he, in fact, will teach his own kid to ski.

On par with squirrel suit base-jumping, this is a bad idea.

My own son Christo, an exceptionally gifted athlete at the age of three, held no respect for gravity, or the consequences thereof. Let loose on skis, he would have ended up below sea level, perhaps in Death Valley, before slowing to a stop.

So it was that the first couple weeks of his instruction required me skiing in a snowplow with the little bottle-rocket held firmly between my legs. For those of you fathers who have never done a bent-over snowplow on skis for eight hours, the resulting pain in the hip joints is akin to giving birth to quintuplets... I should imagine.

Finally from this agony sprung the concept of the “leash.” This simple contraption consists of a rope tied to the child’s waist and held by the following parent, allowing the adult an upright stance that greatly reduces the strain on hip joints and lower back, making the experience more enjoyable for all.

On this particular morning, however, our ski leash was nowhere to be found.

The dog was kind enough to offer up his own leash, and we were quickly on our way amid a hail of “Be careful!” from Christo’s terminally concerned mother.

This was the big day, the day young Christo would graduate to the Silver Queen Lift, the mother of them all. Perched on the rushing chair 200 feet off the ground, I assured my uneasy offspring that there was absolutely nothing to fear, that his father was in complete control of the situation.

As we disembarked at the howling summit, I held his tiny hand and skied down the exit ramp. Suddenly Christo was jerked backward, flying in a wide arc from the chair whipping around the giant turnstile.

I had completely forgotten the dog leash, whose metal clip was now firmly jammed in the back of the chairlift seat.

The lift attendant – this is normally a pretty alert group – seemed to be engrossed in something on his lap and was completely unaware of the situation unfolding out the window of his little booth.

As my precious son pendulumed out from the spinning chair, completely clearing the emergency stop arm, I started screaming:

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“STOP!! WAKE UP!! STOP THE #$@%&! CHAIR!!”

The lift op looked up at me, not quite registering my hysterics. He then, from the corner of his eye, noticed the snow-suited object flying perpendicular and six feet out from the just-spun chair.

He froze.

I screamed again, using considerably more colorful language.

He hit the stop button.

Now, so you know, chairlifts don’t stop on a dime; otherwise their occupants would be launched into space. So as the gargantuan cable slowed toward a halt, my firstborn continued back down the mountain and finally came to a stop dangling by the dog leash six feet below his chair, 50 feet past the lift exit platform, and a hundred feet above the ground.

The episode had played out in seconds. Now we all just stood and stared in shock.

“Dad?” said Christo.

“Christo! Look at you! You’re Batman! You’re flying like Batman.” I tried to sound reassuring, which was far from what I felt. What I felt was mindnumbing panic. Here swung my only child at the time. My reason for living, my beautiful son. I imagined what I was going to tell my wife, who was also very fond of the child.

“Yes, dear...a dog leash...chairlift...oh, about a hundred feet...”

The ski patrol was summoned and within minutes arrived on the scene.

These guys are professional, calm, cool and collected, no matter how many hysterical parents are involved. More patrol arrived; a plan was formed.

One of the younger, more agile types strung a pulley over the cable. From this, a small seat swung in the wind. The patrolman climbed aboard and was let down the cable toward the dangling Batboy.

After 20 more minutes of patrollers

rigging cables and placing a sling about Christo, he was gently lowered to the snowy ground.

A huge cheer rose from the captive audience swinging in the chairs farther down the lift cable.

On the drive home that day, I turned to my son. “You were a brave boy today, Christo, but I think this is something that your mother doesn’t need to hear about.”

Now, almost 20 years later, I still live in fear that somehow, some day, she will.

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SECOND HOMEOWNERS – AND PRIMARY HOMEOWNERS WHO EARN THEIR INCOME ELSEWHERE – CONTRIBUTE TIME, TALENT AND TENDER TO MAKE THE VALLEY BETTER.

By John Norton 71

The hugely successful Adaptive Sports 2014 summer fundraiser.

Lydia Stern

The economic ecosystem has changed here since my family arrived in the mid 1980s. Back then, tourism in winter was king.

Tourism in summer was helpful.

There were always second homeowners, but they came mostly in the winter and for a relatively short time. Outside of boosting the building trades, they played a minor role in the economic life of the valley.

Now that’s not so.

Tourism in winter has softened. Tourism in summer has grown.

But the big change to our landscape in terms of economy and other resources is the growing presence of second homeowners. Even that term — second homeowner — doesn’t work any more. Of course we continue to have second homeowners, but many now have deep roots in the valley. Many second homeowners spend months here each year instead of weeks. And there is a whole new class of primary homeowners who have built careers elsewhere and who earn their income outside the valley or are retired.

That primary homeowner class just didn’t exist until fairly recently. Twenty-five years ago a retirement in our upper valley didn’t have the same appeal it does now. For instance, there was only one doctor in the upper valley, and he was only intermittently available.

There were times of year when almost all our restaurants closed for weeks on end. The high school was in Gunnison. So for many people, the upper valley now is more vibrant and holds more interest than it did back in the day.

The other part of the growing appeal is the extraordinary gains in fitness that have been made by older athletes. In the 1980s, alpine skiers 70 years and older were so rare that almost all ski areas in the Rocky Mountains offered them free skiing. That changed in the late 72

1990s when the industry recognized that there were too many over70 skiers to continue to offer complimentary passes. Today over 12% of Aspen skiers are 70 and older. That number here is about 3%.

How important to our economy is the second homeowner combined with the primary homeowner who earns income elsewhere? Somewhere between 40% and 50% of employment in the valley is generated by these two groups. Winter and summer tourists account for only 11% of employment.

That number seems unbelievably large, but research commissioned by the Red Lady Coalition and conducted by the Center for Applied Research shows it to be true.

The same trend is observed in Eagle, Summit, Grand and Pitkin counties.

Second homeowners and primary homeowners with incomes outside the valley are increasingly generous with our not-for-profit organizations.

In the past ten years, Partners has grown from mentoring 20 kids in the valley to mentoring 200. That couldn’t have been done without increasing support for mentoring from both locals and these other donors.

Here’s another case that illustrates the changing dynamic. We got the Adaptive Sports program going in the 1980s. First Lady Rosalynn Carter joined our board and agreed that she and the President would join us one winter weekend each year for a fundraiser. Herb and Mary Pease agreed to host a cocktail party with the Carters, and we set a price of $50 per couple to attend. We board members hustled tickets. The only second homeowners I can ever remember attending were the Peases themselves. Every other ticket we sold was to a tourist on a ski vacation. We sold all our tickets at the last moment

DAVID WEEKLEY First visited: 1958 First owned: 2006, but my dad Weldon built the second home on the “new ski mountain” back in 1963 Why CB? Been everywhere in the mountains and love the CB culture and beauty; down-to-earth folks, low-key social requirements, and glorious alpine hikes and vistas Number of ski days: Six Favorite run: Everything in the Paradise network Key summer activity: mostly hiking, some fishing Summer or winter: Here 2 ½ months in the summer, one week in the winter Not-for-profit activity: Active at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory and at Oh Be Joyful Church In your other life: Founder of Weekley Homes, one of the largest private homebuilders in America. Houston, TX, is home base.

Married: Bonnie, 38 years Kids: Christopher, Robin and James Perfect day? Working in the early morning, with a hike and picnic into Hasley Basin Change one thing? Two things. A better, more collaborative political relationship between Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. And better air service to the valley.

MARGERY FELDBERG First visited: 1976 First owned property: 1977 Why CB? Came for the skiing, stayed for the beauty and the vibe.

Number of ski days: 25 per winter in CB; 35 altogether Favorite run: Don’t have one.

Key summer activity: Biking Summer or winter: Why choose?

Not-for-profit activity in the valley: Causes that leverage the area’s existing assets such that we maintain the beauty and the vibe but build sustainability.

In your other life: Farmer Married: Yes Kids: Yes Perfect day? Fresh pow, bluebird skies, warm temps… in CB, of course.

Change one thing? In the world: Greater civility. In CB: Greater civility. We should be able to disagree on one issue and be allies on another.

BILL RONAI First visited: 1996 First owned: 1998 Why CB? It felt right.

Number of ski days: 50-70 Favorite run: Pungee V and Figure 11 Key summer activity: Biking Summer or winter? Both Not-for-profit activity in the valley: Mt. CB Performing Arts Center, a.k.a. Biery-Witt Event Center board of directors (chair of Finance Committee); board chair of Red Lady Coalition; Big Institution Group In your other life: Partner and Managing Director at Bankers Trust Company, primarily based in London, involved in private equity and capital markets; Principle/Owner of Riverside Advisors Limited, a consulting practice to firms in transition; Manager/ Partner of Gunnison River Partnership Married: Anne Kids: Christina (pediatric cardiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital); James (financial controller in London) Perfect day? A day ending with “rubbery legs” on the slopes followed by a slice and a brew at the Avalanche or bike ride with some of the CB Wheelmen followed by a slice and brew at the Brick Oven Change one thing? The myopic vision of some

WYNN WILLIAMS First visited: 1987 First owned property: 1992-93 Why CB? Omaha friends bought or built here, and reasonable real estate price. Our kids were here before us.

Number of ski days: 40-50 Favorite run: Hawks Nest Summer activity: Hike, fish, bike. The order changes year to year Summer or winter: Summer… favorite month is September Not-for-profit activity in the valley: Center for the Arts, Crested Butte Film Festival In your other life: In the last 20 years: started, built and sold a grain processing company owned by Kansas wheat and corn farmers who wanted to identity preserve their own production. In that process, became associated with an entity that facilitated the expansion and eventual sale. I am still associated with that entity.

Married: to Leah Williams, former mayor of CB Kids: Bryant, Manhattan; Bradley, Nashville; Jenny, CB South Grandkids: Cohen, 12, and Connor, 11, in Nashville; Nora, 6, and Dylan, 3, in CB South Perfect day? any activity with the grandkids if they’re in a good mood. Used to be: a long day of hiking, biking or hike-in fishing.

Change one thing? The one thing I would change is the idea of “changing one thing.” We came here to fit in, not make Crested Butte like where we came from.

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A V E N U E , C R E S T E D B U T T E K A S A L A G A L L E R Y . C O M

because of this. Our attendees hadn’t been in Crested Butte the week before and weren’t going to be in Crested Butte the week after.

And $50 was too much for locals to spend, even though most were real fans of the Carters.

We raised a couple thousand dollars.

Flash forward 25 years. Adaptive hosts its major fundraiser of the year in the summer now. It sells 425 seats to its Gala, and these seats are sold out months in advance. Tickets are $250 per couple.

It’s a good thing, too, because like Partners, Adaptive has grown. Adaptive now has to cope with 6,000 annual activities, while in our first year we supplied 24.

It’s a whole new world. And a better one for the more than 100 not-for-profits we host here.

The contributions of these folks don’t stop at financial support. They’ve brought their talents here, too, and have put themselves to work helping build a better valley. The four people featured here are just a sampling out of many, but they’re representative.

Bill Ronai chairs the Red Lady Coalition board. He’s also created, with friends in the valley, a fund to jump-start entrepreneurs who live here. He also works long and hard fundraising for the Biery-Witt Center to be located in Mt. Crested Butte. That performing arts center will provide another economic driver in the valley.

Margery Feldberg first owned property here 37 years ago, and there are few keener

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skiers on the mountain than Margery.

Serving on the board of the Crested Butte Land Trust, she works to keep special parcels out of development’s way.

David Weekley first visited the valley 55 years ago. David has been Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Executive Director Ian Billick’s go-to guy on organizational strategy, and along with a team of second homeowners and scientists, he has helped drive the lab’s recent spurt of growth.

Like these others, Wynn Williams stays busy helping the community. He helped start the BMI Songwriters Conference. He devotes time to getting the Crested Butte Film Festival on firm financial ground. And he’s helped the Center for the Arts form strategic partnerships with the Trailhead Museum and the Film Festival.

Are these people — the second homeowners and the primary homeowners whose income is generated out of the valley — that different from the rest of us?

Not really. They’ve found their way here and love most every moment they spend in the valley. They find this place both precious and unique. Most could be anywhere, but they’ve chosen to hang their hats and helmets in the Upper East River Valley. They ski, bike, hike, fish and kayak. They help neighbors. They laugh. They buy locally.

They moan and argue. Just like the rest of us.

And they make the place richer and better by their presence.

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by Peace Wheeler

At the end of the day, when the lifts shut down, the slopes empty of skiers, lift operators and ski patrol, and everyone heads to their favorite après spot, that’s when the cats come out to play. The machines fire up, the operators get their lists of terrain to cover, and we head out on our solo missions to prep the mountain for the next day’s skiers and boarders.

You might think all we do is drive around in circles, and a typical night of Tom Stillo

grooming on the mountain would become boring and repetitive, but there really isn’t anything “typical” about this job. Sure, some nights I might end up with the same list as the night before, and if there’s no new snow, it takes a little extra time to achieve the same final product. But as I enter my fourth year as a snowcat operator, having seen my share of exciting nights, I know I haven’t seen the half of it. Truth is, you never quite know what to expect when you jump into that seat.

I remember those first heart-stopping, absolutely gut-wrenching moments when I’d be given new terrain that made me question my skill and the machine’s tipping point. The very first time I crested over the cat track into Upper Ruby Chief was spine-chilling. I’d skied it a million times, no biggie, but feeling that weightlessness of the machine until it leveled out onto the slope below was exactly like the free-fall rides at any amusement park: momentarily terrifying. But, as with any adrenaline-pumping ride, I couldn’t wait to do it again!

Eventually I got used to the feeling and when to expect it. But there are several factors that can turn even a shallow slope into a tricky run to groom. During our 79

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Tom Stillo

coldest months, if we haven’t seen new snow, certain areas of the mountain are prone to becoming “boiler plates”; equally terrifying for both skiers and cat operators.

Then we have the months when it seems like the snow gods are favoring us heavily, and we can’t even tell where our last pass was because the snow is accumulating three times faster than we can groom it. Both of these combinations make for slippery, heartracing grooming passes. And if we do slide down the run, we’ve got to climb back up and give it another shot. The machines are all well equipped with ice cleats that run the length of the tracks, significantly reducing the risk of going for a ride, but there’s still that possibility. In case you’re wondering, Panorama is the best place to practice sliding; you can trust me on this one.

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Every night when I come into work, I visualize how I’m going to “piece the puzzle back together.” Four passes on this run, five on that. Do I start from the right or the left?

How can I place my turnarounds in a spot where I can easily make one pass to clean it all up? These are the thoughts that run through a snowcat operator’s head.

When I was offered the spot as the driver for the Uley’s sleigh ride dinner, I was both incredibly nervous and “jump out of my skin” excited. I was going to be entrusted with the safety of a fully loaded, 45-passenger open sleigh. I’ve come to know a bit about heavy equipment and hydraulics through my family’s business, the Crested Butte Rental Center, but this was definitely on a much bigger scale; the countless number of nuts and bolts, the sea

of hydraulic lines, the sensors, the gauges.

Having a full season to be in that machine, to get used to the feeling of a snowcat, was key to my confidence for stepping into the grooming position.

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was my dream come true. It’s difficult to put into words the feeling of getting to know a completely new side of the mountain I was raised on. As kids, we never used the actual names of the runs to describe where we were headed; instead we used certain landmarks: “the bumpy terrain in the trees just skiers-left of the lift” or “that tree that has a huge chunk taken out of it” or “yeah, once you get past Paradise, but before Teocalli.” As a groomer, you see the ski area from a totally different perspective. You’re going “bass-ackwards” up runs that you’ve only visualized going down. That can throw you off a little. Then imagine this at night, and with possible whiteout conditions.

Did I mention the tree with a huge chunk taken out of it? Yeah, that was me. I’m sure it’ll become a landmark as future skiers describe how to find their favorite spot.

Growing up here, I never imagined I’d be writing about what it’s like to be a snowcat operator in my home town.

And getting to sit in the operator‘s seat of these incredible pieces of machinery.

When I explored the mountain as a young skier, that entire aspect of the mountain operations never really crossed my mind, and most people reading this have no idea of the effort and expense the ski area invests to ensure the best ski conditions possible, every single day. Before hopping into the driver’s seat, I didn’t put much thought into the condition of the snow I was skiing on. Now I’ll never look at snow the same way again.

My love for skiing started when I was two, and my love for the ski industry started when I was hired as a ticket checker the winter after graduating from Crested Butte Community School. Seeing new faces and chatting with the locals was great! I stepped into a lift-supervisor position for a handful of seasons and then tried my hand at kids’ ski instructing. But it wasn’t until I landed a position in the grooming world that I really felt I’d found my place.

Maybe the best part – the biggest payoff for waking at midnight during a snowstorm to head to work – is experiencing the serenity and solitude that comes with the job. It’s much like the feeling of driving by myself down a country road, listening to music and just taking in the views. Being out there, in the middle of the night, just me and the stars – and the occasional fox or porcupine – can’t be topped. And those sunrises... that alone makes it all worthwhile.

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Thinking OUTSIDE THE

COOKIE CUTTER Arts advocate Maryo Gard Ewell shows how creativity makes our communities stronger and healthier, not just prettier.

by Toni M. Todd / images by Rebecca Ofstedahl

Spirit guardians are typically noble creatures, embodying strength, keen vision or cunning – like the bear, eagle or wolf.

But Maryo Gard Ewell’s protector for years was a different sort of critter, one prone to being eaten by the bear, eagle or wolf.

One lovely day, on one of Maryo’s routine commutes between Gunnison and Denver, a prairie dog made a fateful decision. (Never mind chickens; why do rodents cross the road?) She swerved to miss the wanderer – and the tumbling began. Her car rolled several times, coming to rest beyond the shoulder, against a fence. Maryo stepped out, unnerved but unhurt. A couple pulled over to help – and bore good news. “He made it!” they said, having seen the prairie dog scamper safely to the other side of the highway.

Maryo’s replacement Subaru was beige and boring. So she commissioned a local art student to paint prairie dogs on it. The little varmints climbed from the trunk, ran treadmills over the bumpers, posed as silhouettes on the doors, and kept Maryo company for countless thousands of miles. “I drove that car for years,” she said.

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June 25 - August 9, 2015

IN PARADISE

June 25-28, 2015 The Gunnison Arts Center arranged for a beer at the Gunnison Brewery to be named “G3” (Gard’s Green & Gold) when Green Bay Packers fan/shareholder Maryo Gard Ewell retired from the board.

This story gives a glimpse into the mind of a creative’s creative, a 40-year champion of the arts as fundamental to community identity and development. Maryo’s tale also illustrates a point: people who think differently change the world.

“Maryo has worked with a loose network of other coordinators across the country on the idea that creative communities thrive where cookie-cutterculture communities don’t,” said Maryo’s long-time partner George Sibley. “Crested Butte’s recent designation as a [candidate] Colorado Creative District is a direct result of what she’s been pushing for 30-plus years in Colorado alone. Sometimes, literally alone.”

Jenny Birnie, executive director for the Crested Butte Center for the Arts, said, “Maryo was one of my go-to people throughout the creative district application process. You want to be led by Maryo. She would do anything to support the arts in the Gunnison Valley.”

As communities across Colorado clamor for creative district recognition, it’s clear there’s a paradigm shift in the making, a new normal for how communities think, how they view themselves and their unique creative resources. Maryo’s efforts have been a huge influence on this over the decades.

“My father was a community arts visionary,” she said. For Maryo, as for many young revolutionaries, her father’s trailblazing was initially a deterrent. Maryo had grander plans. “I wanted to flee from the arts to single-handedly save the world. I didn’t see what the arts had to do with that.”

She graduated with honors with a BA in social psychology from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Maryo also holds an MA in organizational behavior from Yale and another from University of Colorado Denver in urban and regional planning.

She eventually dipped her toes into the arts-development pool as a college intern.

“I got hooked on this community arts thing when the University of Wisconsin received a grant for rural arts development.

Spring Green, Wisconsin, was one of their experimental communities, in part because it was the home of Frank Lloyd Wright. I was the go-fer girl. I earned a summer wage of $500,” she said. “At that point, everything I was trying to flee came into focus.”

In New Haven, Maryo witnessed the power of divergent thinking and came to understand the arts not just as aesthetics, but also as commerce. “Charles Brewer from the Yale School of Architecture and Newt Schenk, chair of the New Haven Planning

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Commission, were on the board of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, and I was one of the staff members there. They had an idea that the arts council could bring a terribly blighted area of New Haven back to life.”

She recently revisited her old college town, 20 years later, and the change was profound. “They’d attracted an arts magnet school. The old foundry became condos, offices, art businesses and galleries.

There was excitement, color, beautiful landscaping, sculpture, music and fun on the street. A music school, crafts school, restaurants – and two housing developments. It’s exactly what Charles and Newt had envisioned. Today we’d call it a creative district.”

By 1982 Maryo had moved west to Boulder and was working for the Colorado Council on the Arts (CCA), a state agency.

“I was both their arts education and community arts specialist then. That’s when I first met the Crested Butte Center for the Arts.” By the 1990s she was living three weeks in Gunnison, one week on the Front Range, as CCA’s program director for the Western Slope. The Council encountered serious difficulties in 2003, shrinking to a single staff member, and Maryo retired, to be hired on a contract basis by Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), a new incarnation of the old CCA.

“What’s brilliant is that they put CCI in the Office of Economic Development,” she said, “and in addition to the agency’s traditional support of nonprofit arts organizations, they pay attention to young, entrepreneurial people who design games, fashion, architecture — you name it. They support visionary entrepreneurs.”

The executive director of CCI, Elaine Mariner, worked with the Colorado legislature to pass legislation encouraging communities to form creative districts throughout the state for the purposes of economic development and building stronger communities. Maryo became co-manager of the Creative Districts program. “This legislation is truly significant,” she said. “More than significant. Transformative. It’s not only about building audiences for the arts – although that will happen. It will truly make life more interesting and vital in our communities for everyone.”

Jenny Birnie commented, “Maryo was one of the leaders in that effort.”

When word went out that

communities could become official, statecertified creative districts, three-quarters of the counties in the state called for more information, Maryo noted. “In that first group we received 49 applications from 25 counties. We looked at what other states had done, borrowed the best ideas and added many of our own. The Colorado program is unique.”

Maryo believes small communities – whether rural towns or urban neighborhoods – and the creative people they nurture come to understand something about themselves. Their creativity is iconic. It’s what makes them unique. It defines them. However isolated or disenfranchised a place may seem to be, said Maryo, “creativity is something communities know they have. Creativity means visual and performing and literary arts of course, and festivals, but it also means coming up with exciting and unique solutions to community problems.

Or creating new kinds of places for people to meet and exchange ideas.”

A two-year probation period gives candidate towns like Crested Butte time to define and polish their artistic cultures and work the arts more broadly into community life before receiving the official creative district designation.

“Maryo has taught me that building an arts community cannot be the effort of one person,” Jenny said. “Community involvement and consensus are key. She asks, ‘Who are the storytellers in your community?’ We have so many, and they all need to be engaged. Maryo is a tremendous friend and colleague. She’s straightforward. I like that. And she is tireless in her efforts to improve the community.”

CCI provides training, encourages local government and community support, and prods prospective creative districts to “capture the essence of your community,” said Maryo. ”Trying to articulate that is sometimes a challenge. I mean, ‘everyone knows’ what makes a place unique. But can they put it into words? Can they brand it? Often not. In addition, CCI looks at the density of creative businesses, to what degree the whole community buys in and how well managed the effort is.”

Maryo is well known and respected for her arts advocacy throughout the Western Slope, and Colorado business/marketing consultant Delaney Keating said, “If her name ever comes up, eyes light up. There’s

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a mutual understanding that we are all fortunate to have had her on our side at one time or another.”

Maryo smiles at what’s happening with the arts scene in Crested Butte, how it really has become a fundamental piece of the town’s identity. She also sees great promise in Gunnison, where she has lived full-time for many years. “We have the Gunnison Arts Center with a great drive to engage everyone in trying their artistic wings. We have the Friday Art Walks. A dance studio, music everywhere, a musical instrument business, galleries, a local bookstore, a creative printer… and I love what’s going on at Joe Bob’s place,” she said, referring to the buzzing hive of creative energy at Joe Bob Merritt’s Blue Thunder Arts Circle on South Main Street.

Dealing with artists, art districts and art enthusiasts is always interesting, Maryo said.

“A woman called me once who wanted a grant because she said she was the daughter of Jesus. She said her dad told her to call.”

A crusader for the arts never truly retires – and views even the simple pleasures of life through a creative’s lens.

“Beer, for instance,” Maryo said. Enjoy one at her house and you’ll have several craft brews to choose from, served not in a bottle or garden-variety tumbler, but perhaps in a giant red wine glass adorned with beads and wire. Maryo’s garden is a chef’s delight. Her bathroom feels like 20,000 leagues under the sea.

She is also a self-professed — or is that

obsessed? — cheesehead, a life-long Green Bay Packers fan and shareholder. “I bleed green and yellow,” she said. “It’s not just about football. The team is run by a board of directors and owned by shareholders. It’s about the community.”

You’ll often find Maryo tending bar for events at the Gunnison Arts Center, where she’s volunteered countless hours in many capacities over the years.

Maryo’s recent “retirement” is tough to discern. She still zips around the country assisting organizations, consulting and serving on boards. She works part-time with the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley providing technical assistance to local nonprofits, teaches grant-writing classes at the University of Massachusetts and Western State Colorado University, and is on the faculty at Baltimore’s Goucher College Masters in Arts Administration program. Her name recently appeared on a list compiled by Western State’s Arts Federation as one of 2014‘s Top 50 Most Powerful and Influential People in the Nonprofit Arts.

Support for the arts has wavered, especially during financial downturns, despite evidence that strong arts can help build strong economies. Through hard times and hard sells, Maryo’s convictions have remained true, and her optimism shines on. “Which isn’t to say I ignore reality,” she said. “But human creativity will be what enables us to do what we were put on Earth to do.”

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THE NEXT STAGE

With a booming arts scene, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte are finalizing plans to build two new, state-of-the-art centers.

They’re designed to complement each other in meeting the community’s art/event-related needs, without duplicating programs or facility space. Here are plan highlights.

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CRESTED BUTTE CENTER FOR THE ARTS The Center for the Arts has outgrown its facility, while programming, partnerships and demand for services have increased. The 6,000-square-foot building, remodeled from the County Shop nearly 30 years ago, presents costly ongoing repair and maintenance issues.

According to plans, the building will be torn down, and starting in summer 2016, an energy-efficient, 38,000-square-foot structure will be constructed in the same location adjacent to Town Park.

Features: 300-seat, ADA-compliant theater with balcony and high-performance lighting, sound and visual equipment; music rehearsal/instruction room for the Crested Butte Community School; catering kitchen for large events and culinary demonstrations; Trailhead Children’s Museum space with outdoor music garden; three times the space for visual arts programs and a clay studio; three dance studios for the CB School of Dance and Dance Collective; and several multipurpose community spaces.

Information: Jenny Birnie, 970-349-7487 or jenny@crestedbuttearts.org.

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Anchoring the north end of Mountaineer Square Town Center in Mt. Crested Butte, the center will be equipped to host conferences, weddings, festivals and other gatherings as well as headline performances like Crested Butte Music Festival operas and concerts.

Features: 500-seat theater; modified fly tower (theatrical rigging system); orchestra pit with mechanized lift; moveable proscenium portals for large or small productions; ample wing areas off stage; sprung dance floor; advanced lighting, sound and media capability; multipurpose breakout spaces; outdoor amphitheater; catering kitchen; and visual arts gallery. Construction could start next summer. Information: Erica Daugherty, 970-349-4769 or edaugherty@mcbpac.org.

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Edible history Local-food proponents revive Crested Butte’s Slavic heritage during Vinotok’s Community Feast. With these recipes, you can, too.

By Laurel Miller / Images by Nathan Bilow

The coal mining of Crested Butte’s history was hard, dirty, dangerous work – in an isolated place with heavy snowfall and sometimes a shortage of food. To get through the long winters, the immigrant miners and their families relied on storytelling, song and food traditions brought from the Old Country (including Slovenia, Croatia, Austro-Hungary and Poland). Decades later, these became the seeds of the Vinotok fall harvest festival and its outdoor Community Feast.

As a food writer attending my first Vinotok in 2013, I was impressed by the quality of food served at the Feast and intrigued by the Slavic heritage still found in some of Vinotok’s edible offerings. Perhaps my interest came from my own RussianPolish heritage. Despite my latke-making grandmothers on both sides of the family, I grew up with little culinary or cultural heritage, and I’m increasingly fascinated by the foodways of other countries and ethnic groups.

Since my first taste of Vinotok, I’ve learned more about its origins and how early immigrants and old-timers countered their seclusion, hardship and labor with joyous celebrations of food, friends and family. I discovered that, while some of Crested Butte’s important communal traditions – livestock slaughter, the putting up of seasonal crops, and lamb roasts – have fallen by the wayside, there’s a new generation working to bring the old foodways back.

Vinotok’s Community Feast is a showcase of their work.

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ROOTS When Marcie Telander arrived in Crested Butte in 1977, the community had a wellestablished tradition of potlucks. “It was a source of pride for women and men to share their ancestral dishes,” she explained. “That was the origin of the Feast.”

Telander started Vinotok in 1985 with the help of old-timers – like Frank Orazem and John and Frances Somrak – and newer residents as a way to bring the community together. Those with mining roots and young people drawn here by skiing had very different attitudes about a large-scale molybdenum mine being proposed near Crested Butte. “We purposely focused on shared histories and intimate stories of our personal lives and experiences, rather than on the charged mining issues,” Telander said.

Telander coaxed shy old-timers like Teeny Tezak, John Hahn, Fritz Yaklich and Lyle McNeill into sharing their narratives.

“We new folks not only appreciated them, we discovered that we needed the elders’ stories to understand how to live fully and well in Crested Butte.”

The week-long Vinotok festival, held around the fall equinox, involves storytelling, feasting, mumming and costume-clad actors who hold a trial for the “Grump.” The effigy is torched in a bonfire at the culmination of the festival as a means of purging the year’s grievances, which are written down by townsfolk and stuffed into the Grump’s belly.

“The experience of seeing everyone in your ‘village’ gathered around a communal feast and a bonfire, celebrating the harvest and change of season together…this provides a sense of inclusivity, wholeness and generosity of spirit,” Telander said.

Food is a big part of that inclusivity – both historically and currently. In cold climes the world over, there remains a tradition of acknowledging the autumnal equinox by making sauerkraut and other fermented foods like bread, wine and beer; preserving fruit and vegetables; slaughtering livestock like hogs, sheep and goats, and drying, smoking, curing and potting the meat; as well as making fresh sausages; hunting game and birds; and harvesting the last fresh foods of the year.

In Crested Butte, these included wild foods like mushrooms, raspberries, chokecherries, currants, gooseberries and other edible plants like sheep’s sorrel and wild cresses.

Said Telander, “Culturally, this has been a place that feeds people in many ways, especially in times of crisis or change – funerals, weddings, births. Food was often the 94

Vinotok founder Marcie Telander: celebrating an updated version of Crested Butte’s heritage.

hardest thing to come by here, and it meant everything to be able to feed your community in moments of personal need.”

THE ROAD BACK TO LOCAL Carb-rich traditional Slovenian dishes like boiled potato dumplings and humble offerings like turnip peel soup haven’t made it to the Community Feast menu. But the delectable potica (pronounced “po-TEETza”), a jellyroll-like, walnut-filled sweet bread, is the unofficial food of Vinotok. In the valley, it was traditionally made and served by elders like the late Leola Yaklich. Gunnison residents Freddie and Ryan Halazon still make their grandmother’s recipe.

One of the younger people now working to preserve and promote traditional foods and Slovenian heritage dishes is Jenny McGruther, author of The Nourished Kitchen (Ten Speed Press) and founder of the NourishedKitchen blog. A former Feast Master along with

her husband Kevin, she’s responsible for converting the Feast back to an event “focused exclusively on local foods.”

She explained, “Since there’s a growing localized food movement in the valley, there’s increased interest in reviving traditional food techniques, like fermenting. Dishes like sauerkraut are a natural fit for Vinotok. Every year, I buy a case of cabbage from a nearby farm and invite friends over for a putting-up party. Then we enjoy it all winter long.”

Braised meats – like the succulent, ciderbraised pork made by Mountain Oven owner/ current Feast Master Chris Sullivan and served at last year’s Feast – are a nod to the hearty meat soups and stews of Slavic culture.

Mountain Oven’s staffers volunteer their time for the festival, baking potica and other breads and using ingredients from nearby growers and ranchers like Big Kids Farm, Round Mountain Organics, Headwaters Farm, Tomichi Creek Natural Beef and Delicious

The Mountain Oven/Guild and other volunteers serving up the Feast.

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Orchards. “We’re blessed to live in such a productive agricultural region,” Sullivan said.

He added, “The locavore movement has become an integral part of the Vinotok Feast in recent years. Four years ago, the Crested Butte Farmers Market started to coordinate the Feast, transforming it from a community potluck to a community preparation of primarily local ingredients. Last year, Mountain Oven was asked to prepare the Feast – largely because we source regularly from these growers. We’re so lucky to be part of a community that values things like recognizing the universal importance and power of food in our lives. All of our food choices connect us with the land and people who produce our food.”

One cultural tradition that has waxed and waned since Vintok’s founding is the pochenka, or lamb (or kid goat) roast.

Known as zabíjačka in Slovak, the annual fall pig slaughter (done after the first frost, in order to help preserve the meat) has occurred throughout much of Europe for centuries; in rural regions, it’s still practiced as a means of putting up meat for the winter.

In early America, the tradition of a fall slaughter continued; in the ranching-centric Crested Butte-Gunnison region, lamb was more commonly used than pig.

As in the Old Country, it was considered a man’s job; women prepared and preserved the meat and handled the cleanup. Telander and writer Sandra Cortner in her book, Crested Butte Stories: Through My Lens (Wild Rose Press), recalled that area ranchers and miners would slaughter and butcher the lambs, then slow-roast them over hardwood fires on a hand-turned spit or a “new-fangled,” but still handmade, electrical spit.

Said Telander, “The elders would gather on someone’s ranch, drink Wild Turkey or Slivovitz, and tell stories. It took 24 hours to cook a whole lamb; they’d slip whole garlic cloves under its skin, season it, and baste it with butter. It was all about the stories and the elbow grease.” For several years, the McGruthers were in charge of the Vinotok pochenka, assisted by Sullivan, but for now, it’s been replaced by more conventional kitchen preparations for the Feast.

As Cortner recounted in her book, “Marcie and I reminisce occasionally, lamenting the lost lamb roast. I’ve been to other private parties with roasted lamb, but have never seen it slow-cooked the way it was during Vinotok. Yet the smoky smell transports me back…”

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In honor of Crested Butte’s old-timers, new foodies and annual Community Feast, here are a few heritage-honoring recipes to utilize the autumn harvest.

CIDER-BRAISED BEEF This recipe does best to cook overnight – the long, slow cooking helps to soften the meat substantially, yielding a final texture akin to pulled pork.

Recipe courtesy of Chris Sullivan Serves 8 One 3-4 pound beef roast (Sullivan uses Tomichi Creek Natural Beef’s round tip, rump roast, or pot roast, all but thin layer of fat trimmed) Olive or vegetable oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 yellow onions, diced 4 cloves garlic, whole 4 stalks celery, diced 4 carrots, diced 2 pods star anise 1 bunch each, Italian parsley and tarragon 2 quarts (½ gallon) sweet apple cider

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Rub roast with oil and season generously with salt and

pepper. In a cast iron skillet over mediumhigh heat, sear roast on all sides until dark brown and highly aromatic. Transfer to a Dutch oven and add onions, garlic, celery, carrots, star anise, Italian parsley and tarragon. Add cider and close lid tightly.

Place in oven for six hours overnight.

When roast is tender, remove from oven and pull meat into pieces. Serve roast with sauerkraut or pickled onions or beets with sour cream or crème fraiche.

SAUTÉED CABBAGE AND APPLES McGruther typically serves this dish in the autumn and winter, when these foods are available in abundance. She particularly likes to pair it with broiled sausage and roasted root vegetables with fresh herbs.

This recipe calls for ghee (clarified butter popular in Indian cooking), but you can substitute pasture-raised lard.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Jennifer McGruther, nourishedkitchen.com Serves 6 2 tablespoons ghee or pastured lard (available from grassfedbeef.org) 2 medium yellow onions,

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peeled and sliced thin 2 medium apples, cored and sliced thin 1 medium head cabbage, outer leaves removed, cored and chopped 1½ cups sweet apple cider 1 bay leaf ½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Melt the ghee in a large (12-inch) skillet over moderately high heat, then toss in sliced onion. Fry until translucent and a bit caramelized at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in apples and fry until fragrant, a further 2 to 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, toss in chopped cabbage, stir well to bring the apples and onions to the surface, and cook for about 5 minutes.

Pour cider into the cabbage and apples, and toss in the bay leaf. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cabbage and apples are softened and the liquid is largely evaporated.

Sprinkle the dish with sea salt and stir in the apple cider vinegar. Continue cooking over medium heat for a further 2 to 3 minutes, then serve.

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WARM SALAD OF CHANTERELLES, BACON AND POTATOES Wild mushrooms, cured pork and root vegetables: The flavors of Vintok in a single dish.

Recipe by Laurel Miller, The Sustainable Kitchen® Serves 4 as side 2 slices of good-quality bacon, diced 1 pound waxy variety fingerling or new potatoes, cooked until tender and drained ¾ pound chanterelle mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered if large, halved if smaller 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium shallot, minced 2-3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar; more if needed 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more if needed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Slice potatoes into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Set aside.

Heat a sauté pan over medium-low heat and render bacon fat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon, and drain on a paper towel. Increase heat to medium-high, and add

chanterelles. Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to turn golden brown.

Add one tablespoon of butter and the olive oil and shallots.

Sauté shallots and chanterelles until shallots are soft, about one minute; add more butter if they are sticking in pan. Add potatoes and heat through, being careful not to break them up as you stir, and the remaining tablespoon of butter, thyme and Champagne vinegar, scraping pan to remove browned bits.

Add salad to large bowl, and adjust vinegar and seasoning, if necessary. Serve warm.

Meanwhile, for filling, melt the butter in medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add the honey, sugar and milk; increase heat to medium-high. Heat to a rolling boil.

Meanwhile, mix walnuts, eggs, cream and lemon juice in medium bowl; pour the butterhoney mixture over walnut mixture. Mix well.

Spread a large cloth or clean sheet on a table; sprinkle with flour. Spread dough on cloth. Roll the dough out, pulling with your hands from the center to the outer edge of the table until dough is very thin, similar to strudel dough. The dough should be at least

3 feet square. Cut off any thick edges. Divide the dough into four, 18-inch squares. Spread the walnut filling over each square. Starting at one edge, roll up the dough tightly, as for a jellyroll. Cut each roll into 2 pieces. Pinch the dough together at the ends. Place seam-side down on 2 large greased baking sheets. Cover with cloth; let rise in a warm place until puffy, about 30 minutes. Uncover.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake until browned, about 1 hour. Cool, and cut into slices. The loaves will last quite a long time if tightly wrapped, and also can be frozen.

b

POTICA

Makes 8 loaves (A LOT!) Dough: 1 cup milk 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter ½ cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons 2 teaspoons Kosher salt 1 package dry active yeast ½ cup warm water 4 large eggs, beaten 5 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed Walnut filling: 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1 cup honey 1 cup sugar 1 cup milk 8 cups finely ground walnuts 2 large eggs, well-beaten 1 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the dough, heat milk to almost a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; pour into a large bowl. Add the butter, ½ cup of the sugar, and the salt. Set aside to cool. Stir yeast into warm water in a small bowl; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar until dissolved. Set aside until foamy.

Add yeast mixture to milk mixture. Beat in eggs with a whisk or electric hand-mixer. Beat in flour, one cup at a time, just until dough can be handled without sticking. Knead dough on a floured board until very smooth, about 20 minutes. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. (Do not knead dough after it has risen.)

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Blind Faith

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A classic version of this beloved sweet bread.

Recipe adapted from Eleanor Ostman, from “Memories of Potica,” The Chicago Tribune. For variations, consult the Veltris’ Crested Butte Melting Pot cookbook if you can find a copy (it’s out of print).

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970-349-2504 | www.blindfaithCB.com

99

Photos: Tom Stillo

SCHOOl

ski & ride

Whether you’re seeking a guide to discover more of the mountain or a private lesson for individualized instruction, our pros provide the highest level of guest service, and make sure you have fun out there.

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Membership Opportunities Available • Public Play & Dining Open to the Public • Available for Weddings and Events 970.349.8601 • theclubatcrestedbutte.com 100

By George Sibley

Braden Gunem

Over my half-century in and around the Gunnison Basin, I’ve engaged in many fruitless and frustrating ventures, but none so constant as my efforts to understand our valley’s weather well enough to figure out what kind of a winter we’re going to have.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this. For most everyone in the valley, lots of winter snow is important. That’s obvious for everyone dependent on good ski seasons, which is just about everyone in the valley, directly or indirectly. It’s also true for the ranchers; lots of snow in the winter means spring and summer water they can control in ditches, as opposed to depending on summer rain that comes on its own schedules, too little or too much, and almost always when they’re ready to put up hay. For those of us whose relationship with the valley’s water (beyond the home faucets) is mostly to play or fish in it, we prefer it already in the streams under a mostly blue sky, snowmelt rather than rainfall.

All of which means that from around Labor Day on, we’re all wondering: will it snow? How much, and when? Hope springs eternal, we say, but it winters well too, as we try to “read” the coming winter from the way the leaves change, from fall rains, from the woolly-bear caterpillar coat, or from the Farmers’ Almanac.

Sometimes these “predictors” are close, but not with a consistency that engenders confidence.

As we humans became more “global” through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, we began to map the global climate that drives the local weather everywhere – especially after the computer revolution with its quanta leaps in our capacity to collect and analyze data.

The distinction between “climate” and “weather” is important.

“Weather” is what we experience on the ground – rain, snow, wind, or our signature bluebird days. “Climate,” on the other hand, almost 101

Photos Dusty Demerson

defies definition. At its most fundamental level, it is a vast solar-powered interaction between the oceans and the atmosphere above the oceans. Warmed air carrying water vapor rises from near the ocean surface, cooling as it rises and losing much of its moisture through condensed precipitation; then it gradually descends as cooled and dried air that again warms as it approaches the planet’s surface, absorbing rather than losing moisture; then it gets pulled back toward the hotter areas to fill in where warm wet air is rising, thus creating a huge sundriven cycle of rising and falling air, gaining and losing water as it warms and cools.

Climatologists see three bands of these huge cycles in each hemisphere: the largest rising from the equatorial region and falling, “wrung out,” just north and south of the tropics; the second rising and falling over most of what we call the Temperate Zones; and the third, smallest and least energized cycling over the polar regions. These huge cycles create clouds in their rise, and winds in both their rise and fall as the spinning of the planet (around 1,000 miles per hour at the equator) puts “english” one way on their rise and another on their fall. These clouds and winds influence the amount of solar heat at the ocean’s surface and slow or speed up the whole cycle.

102

Land masses act like interference or friction on the whole cycling process; their hills and mountains, forests and other features disrupt any smooth movement like that of air over water. Throw in some other factors, like the fact that water takes longer to warm than air, the variability of solar activity, planetary wobble, et cetera; and the

climate becomes the ever-evolving reactive history of a lot of already-complex things happening in an even more complex way at the earth, air, water and fire level from the planet’s elemental origins.

“A tale of sound and fury, signifying nothing”? Hardly. It is not always fury, for one thing; our climate often delivers weather

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in the form of calm and beautiful days. And it signifies nearly everything. A drought, for example, is just one calm and beautiful day after another – all that cool dry air descending in a high-pressure mass on the back side of the cycle, warming and sucking up moisture. A belt of subtropical desertland girdles the land masses north and south of the tropics where most of that cooled, dried air descends that rose warm and wet out of the tropics. Our North American subtropical deserts – the Mojave, Sonora and Chihuahua – start just a few hundred miles south of us, too close for comfort in a time of climate change.

What does all that global activity mean here in the Upper Gunnison valley? We can start with an observation most of us make after a few years of weather-watching here: how and where the winter storms get assembled in the Pacific Ocean and come onto land makes a big difference in how much snow we get. And a second, related observation: The Elk Mountains and probably Grand Mesa together might constitute as big a north-south divide, weather-wise, in Colorado as the eastwest Continental Divide. A Colorado meteorologist, who is too smart to allow his name to be used by such as I, said once that the I-70 corridor seemed to be the weather divide in Colorado. But highways don’t do that kind of thing; it has to be the Elk Mountains.

Winter Pacific storms that come onto the land north of San Francisco drop their best snow on Steamboat Springs and the I-70 ski areas. Schofield and Kebler passes usually get snow from those storms; Crested Butte gets a little or a lot, depending on how big the storms are; they often cross the Divide into the South Platte headwaters and even the Front Range. But the San Juans usually get nothing from those “nor’westers”. Storms that land south of San Francisco, however, tend to drop a lot of snow on the San Juans – and again, Crested Butte gets a little or a lot, depending on storm size, but the I-70 corridor might get little or nothing from those storms.

That’s useful knowledge, but not predictive: is there any way to forecast where the winter’s storms are likely to come onto the continent? And how big they might be? Climatologists are working on that challenge, and are discovering some potentially helpful “mega-subtleties” in what happens in the oceans where our weather is born well before it falls on us.

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There are the “oscillations,” for example, like the one with the two kids: El Niño and La Niña. The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is an interaction between sunwarmed water near the equator and the easterly “trade winds” spun off by the vast tropical cycle. When the trade winds are blowing hard around the equator, they actually push warm surface water across the Pacific, literally piling it up several feet above average sea level near Australia, which causes a countering upwelling of cooler water in the tropical area off the west coast of South America: this is a “La Niña event.” And when the trade winds falter, the warm surface water stays closer to South America, and an “El Niño event” occurs – both so called because they tend to occur most intensely in the early winter months, around the time of “The Child’s birth.”

These events, and their intensities and duration, affect where and how storms form in the equatorial region. The ever-changing power of their rising low pressure air masses and descending high pressure masses also have an impact on the jet streams that shepherd winter storms onto and across the continent. In an El Niño event, with the warm surface waters pooled in the east

104

Raynor Czerwinski

Pacific creating a low pressure (warm air rising) area, the jet stream tends to blow in a fairly straight shot across the southern part of North America, between the tropical and temperate-zone cycles of rising and falling air. But in a La Niña event, with cool water in the east Pacific attracting a big high pressure area, the jet stream tends to get pushed northward around that mass in a big looping pass up and around the Southern Rockies. The best we can say, from a Colorado perspective, is that the El Niño events tend to favor storms for the San Juans, and the La Niña events tend to favor storms for the mountains north of the Elks.

That is complicated enough for me.

But climatologists have discovered and are studying other oscillations: a Pacific Decadal Oscillation – and an Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation. Both of these take place in the northern waters of those oceans, and involve warm and cool masses of water that change positions in cycles of several decades. When the “PDO” is in its warm phase, more El Niño events seem to occur (usually good news for us); when it is cool, La Niña events are favored (leaving us hoping that the storms taking the northern route will be big enough to throw a foot or two over the Elks).

Dusty Demerson

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What does a multi-decadal shifting of water temperatures in the North Atlantic have to do with what happens in the Upper Gunnison valley? Probably something.

Records show there is a considerably higher frequency of drought in the Southwest when the North Pacific is in its cool phase and the North Atlantic is in its warm phase; when both are in the warm phase, the droughts shift to the upper Midwest.

What becomes evident is that any semiaccurate long-range predictability for the coming winter requires very sophisticated collection and interpretation of vast quantities of information about how warm and cool waters are moving around in the oceans of the planet (differences as small as half a degree above or below average), and how that is affecting where the warmed wet air is rising and the cooled dry air is descending….

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other large research organizations have strung arrays of recording and transmitting buoys across the oceans to develop ever more data to interpret, and they now speak of weak, medium and strong El Niños and La Niñas, based on the duration of the

ADVENTURE

events (the length of time above or below average temperatures) and what part of the year they occur in. Prowling through the literature, one finds statements like this: “After analyzing all El Niño events since 1979, the NOAA and University of Washington scientists said the El Niños that show a drop in outgoing long-wave radiation from the tops of deep convective clouds are the ones that tend to play havoc with winter weathers.” Uh, oookay….

From the lay perspective, having looked at the compiled history of those pesky kid events going back to the 1950s, and matched it with the record of East River flows and Colorado River Basin flows, I’d go out on a limb and say this: weak El Niños and weak La Niñas, with the North Pacific in its cool phase, tend to not be our friends, here in the Upper Gunnison. Nor are the neutral years when neither kid event seems to be happening. We need strong events. But then you have a year like 1957, a weak La Niña year with the North Pacific cool, and the East River had its second largest runoff in recorded history…. Probably that damned North Atlantic. Or sunspots.

Or…maybe I just need to learn to relax and take whatever comes.

b

Photo: Alex Fenlon

park

Photo: Nathan Bilow

THE ADVENTURE PARK TICKET gives you unlimited use of all park activities.

Tickets available at the Adventure Center in the courtyard of Mountaineer Square and at Crested Butte Rental and Demo Center located in the Treasury Center.

LOCATED AT THE BASE AREA Open daily, weather permitting. Adventure Park activities are subject to change throughout the season.

Snow tubing (lift-served) Bungee trampolines Rock climbing tower Flying Gopher mini-golf 106

$21

Dusty Demerson

What could be more foolish than to project in September what the winter will bring, for a publication that will not be read until winter has set in? Well, why not….

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, you may be disappointed to learn, does not really project the weather for the mountains proper. It gives projections for the Colorado Plateau up to Durango (good winter precipitation in 2014-15) and the Great Basin (a little below normal) but then skims over the highcountry complexity to the High Plains east of

the mountains. This may be the wisdom that comes with age.

The Almanac’s limited projections do parallel what seems to be going on in the Pacific. This summer the trade winds have been ambiguous and the eastern Pacific has stayed warm, setting up an El Niño situation.

It appears to be a weak El Niño with a modest temperature differential, and it’s expected to peak early in the winter.

That would suggest a decent flow of precipitation for the southwestern

United States and Mexico, but weak El Niños typically lack the oomph to push that moisture north beyond the San Juan Mountains. 1977, the “Winter of Un,” was a weak El Nino year in which Crested Butte got no snow until February while a San Juan ski resort opened with six feet of new powder. We have, however, also had nearaverage years with weak El Niños.

Probably the best source for what weather the global climate might deliver is the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center. Its map for projected precipitation from November through January shows what you would expect of a weak El Niño: a good probability of precipitation across Arizona, New Mexico and into Texas, but only reaching into southern Colorado – and projections for the Northwest are for below-normal precipitation. Almost all of Colorado, including the Elk Mountains, is in the “Equal Chance” zone – equal chances of normal, above-normal or below-normal precipitation, which is little help at all.

So back we go: to praying, dancing or otherwise acting as though the whole process of climate and weather is as far beyond the rational as in fact it may be.

b

970-349-0722 BlackTieSkis.com

F R E E D E L I V E RY IN-ROOM FITTING SLOPESIDE SERVICE

S K I R E N TA L D E L I V E RY 107

Winter events

NOVEMBER

2014-2015

13-15

Teens on Stage production: “Inside Al”

15

Opening day, Crested Butte Nordic Center

20

Film Series: “The Other One,” Center for the Arts (CFTA)

22

Film Series: Warren Miller’s “No Turning Back,” CFTA

26

Opening day with free skiing, Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR)

27-29

Thanksgiving Nordic Training Camp

DECEMBER

Kevin Krill

John Holder

108

12

Light Up the Night Holiday Celebration, downtown Crested Butte

13

Crested Butte Santa Crawl: skiing Santas and pub crawl

13

Nordic Citizens Races

13

Light Up Night, Mountaineer Square, Mt. CB

13

Blackalicious at the Center for the Arts

13-14

Camp Skimo, ski mountaineering clinics, demos, tips, CBMR

14

Breakfast with Santa at the ski area

14-20

Rock on Ice, watch ice sculptors in action, CBMR

16-23

“Christmas Thieves,” Crested Butte Mountain Theatre

18

Crested Butte Film Series, Center for the Arts

20

Nordic Citizens’ Race

20

Due West Christmas at Center for the Arts

20

Winter Solstice Yurt Dinner, through the Nordic Center

22

Trailhead Children’s Museum Holiday Camp begins

24

Torchlight Parade with Santa’s sleigh on the ski slopes

27

Yurt Dinner, Nordic Center event

29

John Popper with Brothers Keeper, Center for the Arts

31

ArtWalk Evening, Crested Butte galleries and studios

31

Torchlight Parade and Fireworks at the ski area

31

New Years Eve Yurt Dinner & Party

JANUARY 1

Learn to skate ski for free, Nordic Center

5

Full Moon Party on the ski slopes

9

Tony Furtado performs at Center for the Arts

9

Miners Ball at Kochevars, for CB Mtn. Heritage Museum

9-11

Roost the Butte snowmobile competitions, ski area

10

Magic Meadows Dozen, Nordic Center event

12

MarchFourth Marching Band, Center for the Arts

15

Crested Butte Film Series, Center for the Arts

15-18

Mountain High Music Festival

17

Nordic Citizens Race

24

Yurt Dinner, Nordic Center event

24

Golden Marmot Awards, CB Mountain Theatre

26

Dean Ween with Brothers Keeper, Center for the Arts

29

ArtWalk Evening, Crested Butte galleries and studios

30

Women’s Arm Wrestling Tournament (KBUT)

Matthew Berglund

FEBRUARY 3

Moonlight Snowshoe Tour, Crested Butte Mountain Resort

5

Learn to skate ski for free, Nordic Center

6

Alley Loop Fat Bike Race & Pub Ski

7

Alley Loop Nordic Marathon, downtown Crested Butte

12-18

Romance in the Rockies events

13-16

Junior Extremes Freeskiing Regionals

14

Valentine’s Yurt Dinner, Nordic Center event

17

Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade down Elk Avenue

19

Crested Butte Film Series, Center for the Arts

19-22

USSA Dan Prater Memorial Cup Ski Race

20, 21

Move the Butte, CB Dance Collective performance, CFTA

21

Gothic Mountain Tour

21

New Moon Yurt Dinner

22

An Evening with the Wood Brothers, Center for the Arts

25

The Claire Lynch Band, Center for the Arts

26

ArtWalk Evening, studios and galleries

28

Yurt Dinner, Nordic Center event

28

Miners Ball for CB Mtn. Heritage Museum Trent Bona

109

Winter events MARCH

2014-2015

1

7 Hours of the Banana, for Adaptive Sports

3

Crested Butte Mountain Theatre’s spring production

5-8

Junior Freeskiing National Championships

5

Learn to skate ski for free, Nordic Center

7

Big Air on Elk

13-15

U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association Natl. Championships

14-15

Backcountry Magazine’s Basecamp Tour

15

An Evening with Marc Cohn, Center for the Arts

19

Crested Butte Film Series, Center for the Arts

20

Taj Mahal, Center for the Arts

21

New Moon Yurt Dinner

22

Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Telemark Ski Race

26-28

Elk Mountains Grand Traverse

26

ArtWalk Evening, galleries and studios

27

Soul Train for KBUT

28

Crafted: Colorado brewers, distillers & local food, Mt. CB

APRIL

Tom Stillo

1-5

Flauschink, flushing out winter

3

Telluride Burlesque, Center for the Arts

4

Slush Huck Pond Skim Competition

4-5

Closing weekend, Nordic Center and Ski Area

10-12

Ultimate Snowmobiler, 8-event snowmobile contest

16

Monthly Film Series, Center for the Arts

26

Crested Butte Pole, Paddle & Pedal (CB3P)

John Holder

Also check out the programs at the Trailhead Children’s Museum, classes at the Art Studio of the Center for the Arts, and events through Yoga for the Peaceful, the Crested Butte Mountain Theatre, the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum, Crested Butte Dance Collective, and Crested Butte Spirit, Mind, Body. For the latest information see www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com/events.

110

LODGING

John Holder

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Cozy B&B with European ski lodge charm.

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Historic inn located in a residential neighborhood of downtown Crested Butte.

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DINING

Matthew Berglund

BACCHANALE • 349-5257

BRICK OVEN • 349-5044

The Bacchanale is a modest Italian restaurant from the team that launched django’s. Our fresh and light menu will re-introduce you to simple flavors, colorful salads, artisan flatbreads and handmade specialties. Join us daily at 7am for coffee and breakfast, and come back for dinner nightly from 5-10pm. Reservations accepted and can be made online.

Pizza-by-the-slice, deep dish, thin crust & specialty.

Fresh subs, appetizers, burgers, largest salad bar in town. 30 beers on tap, high end tequila, spirits and wine. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. FREE DELIVERY. BrickOvenCB.com

Dinner

Lunch / Dinner

209 Elk Avenue, Downtown - Bacchanale.net

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DJANGO’S • 349-7574

223 Elk Avenue, Downtown

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Courtyard of Mountaineer Square, Mt. Crested Butte Enjoy award-winning cuisine in a relaxed modern setting. Our small plates have captured national attention and combine Spanish and southern European flavors with the freshest seasonal ingredients. Join us apres ski from 4 p.m. every Tuesday-Sunday, with dinner served 5-10 p.m. Reservations recommended.

Dinner

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DONITA’S CANTINA • 349-6674

ELK AVENUE PRIME • 349-1221

THE ICE BAR AT ULEYS • 349-2275

Mexican. Down-to-earth eatery specializing in good food, ample portions and fun service. Fabulous fajitas, enchanting enchiladas, bueno burritos. Local favorite for over 30 years!

Downtown Crested Butte on Elk Ave. Serving U.S.D.A Prime Steaks, fresh seafood, wild game and more. Come watch the game on the biggest HD screen in Crested Butte. 16 draft beers and the largest wine selection in the valley.

Serving gourmet lunches daily inside the cozy, remodeled cabin and signature drinks outside at our legendary bar made out of ice. At night, embark on an epicurean dining adventure. Enjoy a starlit ride in a snowcat drawn open sleigh to a charming cabin in the woods, then delight in a gourmet dinner. Call for dinner reservations.

Dinner

Lunch / Dinner

Lunch / Dinner

4th & Elk, Downtown

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226 Elk Avenue, Downtown

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LAST STEEP • 349-7007

LILS • 349-5457

Sandwiches/soup/salads. Casual family dining.

Affordable menu with Caribbean island flair; Cajun chicken pasta, curry shrimp and coconut salad, artichoke-cheddar soup in bread bowl. Happy hour and daily specials.

Serving the best sushi in town as well as meat, seafood, and options for the kids. We take pride in serving our guests the highest quality of fish which is why we get it delivered 6 days a week! We offer a nightly happy hour at the bar from 5:30 to 6:30. Open 7 nights a week at 5:30. Reservations are recommended but not necessary.

Lunch / Dinner

Lunch / Dinner

208 Elk Avenue, Downtown

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MARCHITELLI’S GOURMET NOODLE • 349-7401

321 Elk Avenue, Downtown

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Mid-mountain at the base of Twister Lift

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411 Third Street, Downtown

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

Dinner

Ad pg. 116

MCGILL’S • 349-5240

MIKEY’S PIZZA • 349-1110

PITA’S IN PARADISE • 349-0897

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

At Mikey’s we use fresh ingredients and consistent service to please every customer and every order.

But we have more than just the best pizza in town, we serve breakfast burritos, coffee, subs, burgers, calzones, pizza rolls, desserts. Pick up and delivery.

Gyros, kabobs, sliders, fresh made hummus and baba gannoush, pita nachos and homemade soups. Greek and tahini salads, spanokopita and curly fries. Outdoor dining.

Happy hour specials. Serving everyday.

Breakfast / Lunch

Lunch / Dinner

Lunch / Dinner

228 Elk Avenue, Downtown

611 6th St., Downtown - Across from Ice Rink

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3rd and Elk, Downtown

Ad pg. 119

SOUPCON . 349-5448

WOODEN NICKEL • 349-6350

WOODSTONE GRILLE • 349-8030

Romantic, petite bistro featuring traditional French technique using local ingredients married with the finest cuisine from around the world. Open seven nights a week. Two seatings nightly. Reservations recommended.

Steaks, prime rib, king crab. USDA Prime cuts of beef, Alaska King crab, ribs, pork and lamb chops, grilled seafood, burgers, chicken fried steak and buffalo burgers. Reservations accepted.

The WoodStone Grille offers a generous breakfast buffet to charge you up for the day’s adventures.

Come back to rest by the fire while sipping your favorite drink, and stay for a pub-style dinner suited for the whole family. Serving breakfast, après ski and dinner daily.

Dinner

Breakfast / Dinner

Off Elk Avenue on Second, Downtown

Dinner

Ad pg. 118

222 Elk Avenue, Downtown

Ad pg. 35

The Grand Lodge, Mt. Crested Butte

Ad pg. 117 115

Don your miners’ headlamp, coalstained suspenders or long petticoats for the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum’s Miners Ball.

On January 9, Kochevar’s Saloon will draw characters dressed as miners, saloon floozies and 1880s homemakers – like its clientele more than a century ago. But these modernday diners will enjoy a sophisticated feast prepared by renowned chef Jason Vernon.

“Costumes of the period are encouraged,” said Glo Cunningham, director of the museum.

“That adds so much fun to the evening.”

Live music will entertain guests, interspersed with some spirited theatrical re-enactments from Crested Butte’s past. Be ready for laughs, intriguing bits of history and surprise appearances.

Because seats are limited, Miners Ball diners should purchase tickets in advance at the museum at Third Street and Elk Avenue.

Prime Dry Aged Steaks, Steakhouse, Fresh Seafood, large groups welcome, weddings.

226 El k Ave n u e , C re s te d B u tte

970 . 349 . 1221

ma ke reser vations online

e l k ave p r i m e .c o m

116

C r est ed B u t t e's o n ly br ewery a n d m u si c ven ue ! c h ec k o u t o u r a m a zi n g n ew m en u !

F r ee W I F I • Ha p py ho u r da i ly 3 : 0 0 - 8 : 0 0 p m l u n c h s p ec i a ls W edn es day - S u n day 1 1 : 3 0 a m - 3 : 0 0 p m Ha p py Ho u r S u n days w i t h l i v e m u s i c a n d fo ot ba l l s p ec i a ls R eg ga e N i g ht ev ery T u es day - L a di es bu y o n e g et o n e fr ee dr i nk

We use the freshest ingredients

215 E l k Aveu n e C r est ed B u t t e, C o 81224 el d o br ewpu b.c o m 9 70-349 -6 125

in our creations, all homemade with lots of love. Although our pizza made us famous, we have so much more to show you why Mikey’s is real good food.

GUNNISON 303 E. Tomichi Ave 970.641.1110 CRESTED BUTTE 611 3rd Street 970.349.1110 FULL MENU online at

MIKEYSPIZZA.NET

Get set for the day with our plentiful breakfast buffet. Then relax with drinks and a casual dinner while talking over the day’s adventures. The convenient location and friendly atmosphere make it great for the whole family.

Open daily for breakfast, après, and dinner.

(970) 349-8030

GRAND LODGE CRESTED BUTTE, MT. CRESTED BUTTE 117

Join us for Crested Butte’s Finest Made-From-Scratch Mexican Food.

Visit

DONITASCANTINA.COM for specials, hours, reservations, menus, gift certificates and the

POPULAR CANTINACAM! 4th & Elk, Downtown Crested Butte

970.349.6674

SUBS, APPETIZERS BIG JUICY BURGERS HUGE SALAD BAR STUMPTOWN COFFEE TEQUILA, SPIRITS, WINE + HDTVs BREAKFAST, LUNCH + DINNER EVERY DAY OPEN FROM 10 A.M. ‘TIL 10 P.M. DAILY

Killing ‘em Softly D I N E - I N • TA K E - O U T DOWNTOWN CRESTED BUTTE

Two Seatings Nightly. Reservations Required.

970.349.5448

SoupconBistro.net

118

970.349.5448 CB, CO 81224

970-349-5044

sushi bar happy hour 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. patio happy hour 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. (starting June DinnEr nightly 5:30 p.m. reservations recommended

27 - End of august)

Trent Bona Photography

cB’s onE And onlY sushi BAr

321 Elk Avenue | 970.349.5457 | l i l s s u s h i B A r A n d g r i l l . c o m

Bar and Grill Vegetarian Dishes • Gyros • Shrimp, Chicken & Tofu Pitas Hummus, Pita Nachos, Salads & More!

OUTDOOR PATIO

SOUP BAR

Featuring 5 homemade soups

BAR MENU

Wings, Burgers, Potato Skins & Queso Drink Specials • Rootbeer on Tap

Daily Happy Hour: $1 PBRs, $2 Wells, $2 Beam Shots, $3 Drafts, $4 Wines

OPEN MIC NIGHT MONDAY AT 8:00 PM

970-349-0897 • TAKE-OUT AVAILABLE 3RD & ELK AVENUE • DOWNTOWN CRESTED BUTTE Open 7 days a week for lunch & dinner

970.349.7007

208 Elk Avenue, Crested Butte

www.TheLastSteep.com

The Last Steep Bar & Grill

119

PHOTO FINISH

Trent Bona

120

Italian tonight.

‘Ski Country Hot Spots to Try Now’ “Kate and Chris Ladoulis’ year-old Bacchanale revamp means crowd-pleasing fare... nestled into a twinkling modern Italian dining room.”

Bacchanale Italian Kitchen

209 Elk Avenue | Downtown Crested Butte

970-349-5257

http://www.thebacchanale.com

Seasonal, globally-inspired & delicious! and the wine’s pretty tasty too

“Kate Ladoulis is giving travelers a major reason to visit Crested Butte—and it has nothing to do with the ski slopes. Her artful Mediterranean-inspired small plates, supplemented by her husband Chris’s clever wine pairings, have all the locals and visitors talking.”

- James Beard Foundation

Mountaineer Square Courtyard | Mt. Crested Butte 970-349-7574 | http://www.djangos.us

django’s

Happy Place Ltd.