… than sharing a great day in the mountains with friends?

With our early Christmas gift of a healthy dose of snow in the Crested Butte Backcountry, myself and fellow Crested Butte Mountain Guide, Kyle Mattingly, were in the spirit of giving. They weren’t gifts in the traditional sense, but introducing an out of town friend to the treasures of the our local backcountry. For out-of-towners and locals alike, our surrounding mountains offer decades worth of exploration and adventure, and last Tuesday was no different.

We decided that a ski tour up and over the Mt. Emmon’s Massif would give our friend Rachel a good visual tour of what Crested Butte has to offer. After a leisurely start of too much coffee and a quick vehicle shuttle, we were skinning by 10am and soon found ourselves feeling the familiar leg-burn and admiring stunning views of the Maroon Bells to the North and anticipating the 4,000 foot descent still to come. A couple hours of uphill travel brought us to the top of the col, here we pulled the skins and began our descent. After about 500 feet of “challenging” snow we finally found our reward; perfect untracked powder and big smiles.

Whether you’re new to backcountry pursuits or a seasoned alpinist, ski touring in Crested Butte offers something for everyone. With miles of terrain ranging from quick after work specials to all day enduro-fests all right here in our backyard, let Crested Butte Mountain Guides show you what makes our home so special.