Crested Butte Sneeuwverwachting

Great area, albeit small for a visit from UK. Journey to Crested Butte appeared to be a nightmare but, in reality, is London to Denver then a short 30 min flight to Gunnison and 30 min transfer afterwards - all in all, no longer than getting to say Whistler or 4 hour transfer road-Denver to Aspen. Ski area is small but includes a great variety of terrain: some genuine greens and easy blues for beginners, intermediate slopes but not that many, the additional bowls and double blacks are the key attraction - some are accessible after a short (15 min hike) to confident intermediates, others are 30 ft hucks off cliffs. Make sure you know your route before heading to the double black areas. Dining on mountain is superb: Uleys is fine, table service with great wine list dining and not terribly expensive (compared with some equivalent European experiences), the Ice Bar at Uleys has great atmosphere in the trees for drinks, Camp 4 Coffee Hut at the top of Gold Link Lift has snack bars/cakes and a license for Gluhwein/Schnappes etc. 2 or maybe 3 terrain parks for those who like that sort of thing. The base area was a little quiet in the evening, save for the Avalanche apres-ski until 7 pm or so. CB town is a genuine place with character, bars, restaurants. Pros: varied terrain; good atmosphere; no pretensions; great for experts Cons: small area, so will only entertain piste chasers for a few days, mountain base quiet For visitors coming from Europe, I'd recommend twinning this place with Telluride for a 10 day/2 week trip to make the most of the journey this far. For locals ... I'm just very envious that you have this mountain on your doorstep.