Forest Service Kiboshes Crested Butte's Snodgrass Expansion
Forest Service Kiboshes Crested Butte's Snodgrass Expansion
[ November 10, 2009 - 2:06pm ]
Resort's master development plan for proposed 276-acre expansion on nearby mountain is rejected
Last spring, when we were researching this month's feature on Crested Butte Mountain Resort, it looked like a proposed expansion onto Snodgrass Mountain was all but inevitable. "Chances are high" the bullwheels churning new lifts up Snodgrass would start turning within five years, we wrote. Turns out we were wrong. The U.S. Forest Service has rejected CBMR's master development plan, according to the Denver Post, and has blocked its application for an environmental review of the area, effectively killing, for now, the resort's expansion dreams. Crested Butte is known for its serious steeps and gnarliest-of-gnar in-bounds extremes. But as every resort marketing team knows, the biggest demographic is in the blues, and CBMR has long been looking for a way to ease its reputation. Just across the valley from its sister-hill, Snodgrass Mountain offers much gentler slopes, and thus has often been a target for development by the resort. Tim and Diane Mueller, who bought CBMR in 2004, had planned to open up 276 acres on Snodgrass of mostly blue terrain, serviced by three new lifts and a gondola.
reviews of Forest Service Kiboshes Crested Butte's Snodgrass Expansion Write a comment
Your Comment
All submitted comments are subject to the license terms set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
I love CB! I love the uncrowded trails, lifts, and unique town. An expansion to give the average skier some more variety and to allow them to spread out would be great. Since moving back east I have not been able to ski CB but I have skied Mueller run Okemo and Sunapee. Both are very nice well run resorts. Both are highly rated and popular. I look for CB to grow and improve over time. My only hopes are that CB keeps it's unique character and the slopes and lifts remain uncrowded as it's visitors and popularity grow.
Forest Service has been Hijacked since the election people, forget about getting any expansions anywhere. Politics has ruled the day again , Change you can believe in right.Elections do Have consequences The Muellers are fighting not just the Forest Service but these No Growth Eco Nuts across the board.
CB's a great town and that's a world class hill, but you need to show to Forest Service a need and a demand for the terrain.
Their skier days have either been flat or waned over the last few years, their marketing and PR, while once some of the best, has become invisible. The Muellers cleaned house, removing people with a lot of history and a lot of contacts. CB was once marketed nationally, had the X games, was always a top CO consideration, now, who wants to go there other than the core skier?
Snodgrass has been talked about for years, but of late they just don't have the number of butts in the chairs they need to warrant more space.
por que!