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Borrowed from the Crested Butte News
CRESTED BUTTE – While American television has soap operas, Crested Butte has the potential ski expansion called Snodgrass Mountain.
The Snodgrass expansion has been talked about since the early 1980s, and in the latest installment the Forest Service refused to accept the proposal from Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
But “no,” it turns out, doesn’t mean “absolutely no.” It just means “no” to that current iteration of three lifts. The Crested Butte News reports that resort and government officials are now talking about what might be acceptable.
The most likely acceptable proposal would involve a cat skiing operation on the slope of mostly moderate terrain. But other ideas include a backcountry-type of expansion, or even a configuration of two lifts.
Crested Butte is currently the smallest destination ski resort in Colorado, with just 1,100 acres. Ski area officials have long said that Crested Butte needs to get just a little bit bigger, to offer more terrain for intermediate-level skiers similar to Vail, Snowmass and Park City.
But if not skiing, how about culture? Planning and fund-raising are now under way for a new venue at the base of the ski slopes to be called the Mt. Crested Butte Performing Arts Center.
William Buck, mayor of Mt. Crested Butte, explains that the amenity would help anchor the community, the way that performance centers provide Beaver Creek, Jackson Hole and Aspen high-quality venues for plays and other shows.
“From the town’s perspective, we’re looking to broaden the attraction base,” he said.