Park and Pipe

The purpose of Crested Butte's terrain park program is to provide riders and skiers with a higher fun factor than they could find on typical groomed or natural terrain.  Learning is fun and finishing your day safely is fun, so we emphasize education, safety, and progression throughout all of our park offerings. 

We encourage all park users to clearly understand the Smart Style model. Pop quiz: what are the four elements of the Smart Style program?

Crested Butte Mountain Resort has three terrain parks including the all new location on the Cascade run under the Gold Link Chairlift.  The high quality of the program can be attributed to the crew of snowmakers, cat operators and park rangers that are committed to building and maintaining features that are awesome.   

It is our goal to complement the challenging natural terrain of Crested Butte so that riders and skiers can progress in as many disciplines as possible. The Crested Butte Park Staff is dedicated to offering a wide selection of features that will give riders the opportunity to build their skills in a variety of applications. 

Get started in the Keystone and Painterboy Parks.  You will be ready to move to the Cascade Park once you have some grabs on lock, are working out some spinning maneuvers and can slide across plastic or metal without adding a hematoma to your hip.  The ability to ride transition is one of the keys to shredding happiness, so make sure to hike some laps in the Superpipe.  Ride it all.      

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The Goods

Superpipe 
The 400 foot long, 17 foot deep Superpipe has a new backdrop, but equal opportunity for getting the cover shot on your favorite magazine. The transition will be sculpted by skilled operators guiding the Zaugg down the slopes of Lower Cascade.  Gothic Mountain and the East River Valley provide spectacular scenery for learning handplants and transition skills.

Cascade Park 
This is a totally new park zone.  Boxes and Rails will co-mingle with the natural terrain to offer some creative jib opportunities.  Jumps in the 25 – 35 foot range will allow riders to gain confidence in the air, expand their bag of tricks and dial in their style.  The lower portion of the park will offer a sequence of three large jumps that will make even the best pilots smile.  Keep an eye to the woods for some kind organic features to appear throughout the winter. 

New Park, New Possibilities, New Fun

Keystone Park
The Keystone Park is the first to come to life each winter.  We begin with a few box and rail features that will help you find the balance that you hung up with your boots last April. 

As the snow level increases we add more and more features to give riders some fun items to play on before hitting the base area.  Snow, wood, metal, and plastic are all manipulated for your shredding pleasure. Enjoy.

Painter Boy Terrain Park 
The PB Park is designed to offer the most user friendly features in the park system.  If you are just getting started, you will have small, simple features to learn on.  Move over 20 feet and the next level is there for you.  Move over again and step up to jumps that will prepare you to cross over the hill and check out the Cascade Park. 

Also a great place to work on new tricks before taking them to larger features.  This is usually the warmest place on the mountain and you can fuel up with a quad espresso at Camp 4 before rolling in to the park.  Sunshine, caffeine, and jumps.  What could be better?     

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Safety and Education 


Smart Style  
While enjoying the freestyle terrain that Crested Butte has to offer, the main goal is to have fun and stay safe. By following these Smart Style safety rules, everyone can have fun in the park.

• Make a plan
  Every time you use freestyle terrain, make a plan for each feature you want to use.  Your speed, approach and take off will directly affect your  maneuver and landing.
• Look before you leap
  Scope around the jumps first, not over them.  Know landings are clear, and clear yourself out of the landing area.
• Easy style it
  Start small and work your way up.  (Inverted aerials not recommended).
• Respect gets respect
  From the lift line through the park

To keep the park and pipe environment safe, Crested Butte Mountain Resort marks all Freestyle Terrain with orange oval signs. When entering this terrain, know your limits. Follow any instructions that resort employees give regarding closures and hazards. Take a look at the trail map to become familiar with the locations of Freestyle Terrain. Take the time to educate yourself on Smart Style, and tell your friends about it too. If you follow these safety tips, you are guaranteed to have fun.

Visit the National Ski Areas Association Smart Style Website to learn more about terrain park safety.