Crested Butte: The Town
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The town of Crested Butte, located deep in the Elk Mountain range of central Colorado, started life as a supply town for surrounding silver and coal mines back in the 1880’s and externally at least very little has changed since then.
The towering peak of the mountain itself – aptly dubbed ‘The Matterhorn of the West’ thanks to its craggy, pyramidal shape – still towers over authentic weather-beaten Victorian buildings although these days they house chic restaurants and boutiques as well as saloon bars!
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There are no shopping malls, no high-rise buildings and no traffic lights: the (observed) speed limit is 15mph and the entire town was designated a National Historic District in 1974. The off-the-beaten-path location ensures plenty of elbow room in the surrounding millions of acres of National Forests and the resident outdoorsy, laid-back population has yet to exceed 2,000. Really charming.
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Our San Moritz Condo is at Mount Crested Butte (population 707) which is located 3 miles up the valley and was purpose built to provide better mountain access for skiing.
The resort was sold in 2004 to ski mogul’s Tim and Dianne Mueller, famed for transforming Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont and Sunapee in new Hampshire, who have already invested millions on redevelopment and upgrades, including a complete redesign of the base area and improved lift system. As a consequence, you get the best of both worlds; slick mountain resort facilities for daytime enjoyment and historic charm for the evenings.