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CRESTED BUTTE MOUNTAIN RESORT ANNOUNCES IMPROVEMENTS AND CAPITAL PROJECTS FOR THE 2011-2012 SEASON
New winter Zipline Tour, on-mountain restaurant renovation 2011-2012 winter season package announcement

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. – August 16 – Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) kicks off the 2011-2012 season with improvements in all areas of operations, ensuring continued focus on the guest experience. Enhancements include: a new Zipline Tour for the summer and winter seasons; renovations to the Paradise Warming House restaurant; a new fleet of high-end demo gear and a new Learn-to-Ride snowboard fleet for women and children; and a partnership with Patagonia for new employee uniforms over the next couple of seasons and products for the resort’s retail outlets. The coming season also concludes CBMR’s yearlong celebration of 50 years of skiing with an opening day tribute on November 23, 2011.

“We’ve concentrated our efforts on enhancements that will resonate with our guests,” said Ethan Mueller, vice president and general manager of CBMR. “The new Zipline Tour is a great example; it has been a huge hit this summer and we have no doubt it will offer a memorable winter adventure opportunity.”

The new Crested Butte Zipline Tour opened June 28 after much anticipation and more spring snow than anticipated. The guided tour includes five zip lines and three suspended bridges that have been uniquely adapted to accommodate winter operations. The Crested Butte Zipline Tour is available during the summer, fall and winter seasons; the resort will offer the only guided zipline tour at a Colorado ski resort, and one of the only winter canopy tour operations in the state.

Renovations to the Paradise Warming House, CBMR’s mid-mountain cafeteria-style on-mountain restaurant, include a food line redesign and an updated look and feel. The remodel will improve service and use of space, while preserving the casual, come-as-you-are atmosphere that Crested Butte is famous for.

CBMR will update its rental fleet with new high-end demo skis and snowboards, featuring brands such as Rossignol, Salomon, RAMP, Nordica, Atomic, and 4-frnt. The resort is also purchasing new Burton Learn-to-Ride (LTR) snowboards, to enhance the women’s and children’s fleets.

And, thanks to the resort’s new partnership with Patagonia, CBMR retail outlets will carry an entire line from this stand-out outdoor apparel manufacturer and staff will be outfitted in new uniforms featuring Gore-Tex® throughout the next two years.

Improvements over the past seven years, since the Muellers initially took ownership of CBMR in 2004, include:

• A new base area village called Mountaineer Square

• New lodging (Elevation Hotel & Spa, Lodge at Mountaineer Square);

• Expanded DC Terrain Park

• A complete remodel of the beloved Ice Bar on-mountain restaurant – now called Uley’s Cabin

• The addition of a base area Adventure Park complete with bungee trampolines, a climbing tower, ice skating (winter only), a lift-served tubing hill (winter only) and miniature golf (summer only)

• Snow igloos – solid snow structures – set up in the kids’ play area outside of Camp CB and as cocktail hotspots near the Ice Bar restaurant

• New snowmaking and grooming

• A lift system expansion

• The Treasury Center remodel

• A new children’s facility called Camp CB

• The addition of a combined beginner learning area for children and adults

• The introduction of the Mountain Sports Team accessible to a wide variety of athletes from kids enjoying local recreational programs to driven student athletes • The addition of the Outpost Building Day Lodge, which now houses the Trailhead Children’s Discovery Museum

• Interior renovations to the Treasury Building in the base area, adding additional seating, a cafeteria-style pizza window and new bathrooms.

• The addition of the White Room retail shop (in existing, renovated space), located in the Treasury Building and designed for the young and fashionable. The White Room carries lines such as Da Kine, Solomon, Fly Lo and more.

• Relocating the Superpipe and terrain park to the Gold Link area, opening up more “prime” intermediate skiing for guests in the resorts most heavily utilized area.

• Regrading the Peach Tree ski trails to offer beginner guests a flatter more consistent slope to perfect their turns on.

In addition to all of the capital improvements that have taken place since the Muellers joined the resort, CBMR has made great strides in becoming a “greener” resort. In 2010, CBMR joined the Colorado Industrial Energy Challenge (CIEC), as one of 13 charter members in the state. By signing on, the resort committed to reducing energy consumption by two percent each year for five consecutive years, using 2008 as the base year. In June of 2011, CBMR won the Excellence in Energy Efficiency award from Governor John Hickenlooper and the Governor’s Energy Office for reducing energy use by 18.9 percent in the first year.

2011-2012 PACKAGES AND SPECIAL OFFERS Book Early Save BIG: Book by November 1, 2011 and receive 20 percent off Guests to Crested Butte can discover value by booking early. CBMR’s Book Early and Save BIG offer includes a 20 percent discount on lodging for reservations confirmed by November 1, 2011. Reservations must be confirmed by November 1, 2011. Minimum four-night stay required. Based upon availability with no blackout dates. www.skicb.com.

Friends & Family Fly Free: All Season Long – Subject to Availability One of Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s (CBMR) most popular offers, Friends & Family Fly Free, is back for an encore. Book a Crested Butte vacation for three or more people and every third airline ticket is free. Even better, Friends & Family Fly Free features direct flights into Gunnison/Crested Butte Airport (GUC) on American Airlines, United Airlines and Continental Airlines. Maximum travel credit is $400 per free airline ticket and each reservation is limited to three free airline tickets. Subject to availability. Call 800-600-2803 to learn more or to book a Crested Butte getaway.

The Grandest Christmas: December 17 – December 25, 2011 A holiday ski vacation; isn’t that grand? Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s (CBMR) Grandest Christmas package returns featuring four nights of lodging at The Grand Lodge Hotel, and three days of skiing or riding at CBMR, including passes to the resort’s Adventure Park, for a family of four for $1,199. Considered by many to be “Colorado’s last great ski town,” Crested Butte is the ideal holiday destination. Dazzling twinkle lights line Elk Avenue and crowds gather for the Torchlight Parade as skiers wind down the mountain on Christmas Eve. And The Grand Lodge is located just 200 yards from the chairlift making first tracks on Christmas morning a definite possibility. CBMR’s Grandest Christmas package must be booked by December 17, 2011 for travel from December 17 through December 25, 2011 (check-out on December 26, 2011). Price is subject to availability and has been quoted prior to all fees, taxes and optional travel protection. The Grandest Christmas package is available exclusively through Crested Butte Vacations: 800-600-2803.

4th Night and 4th Day Free: January 3 – March 9, 2012 Enjoy some of the best conditions of the season and an additional nights’ lodging and day of skiing free. Purchase three nights of lodging and three days of lift tickets between January 3 and March 9, 2012 and receive a fourth night of lodging and fourth day of skiing free. Blackout dates apply. This package is available only through Crested Butte Vacations: 800-600-2803.

About Crested Butte: Nestled in the heart of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Crested Butte is committed to preserving the pristine landscape and mountain lifestyle. With vibrant Victorian store fronts and expressive local characters, the small historic town remains true to its heritage and radiates an unparalleled welcoming and inviting spirit that celebrates a simpler life and time. Thanks to a widely diverse landscape, whether beginner or burgeoning national champion, outdoor enthusiasts of all levels will find a new challenge with each visit. From world-class mountain biking, to legendary skiing and snowboarding, to a secluded fly-fishing experience, Crested Butte is one of Colorado’s best-kept secrets.www.skicb.com

For more information about Crested Butte's lodging, conference, meeting facilities, and special packages, call Crested Butte Vacations, (800) 600-2803 or visit the web site at www.skicb.com. For information on ski area real estate opportunities call (970) 349-4999 or (877) 805-6109 or visit the website at www.cbliving.com.

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Media Contacts:
Erica Reiter
ereiter@cbmr.com
970-349-2205

Emily McCormack
emccormack@cbmr.com
970-331-6145

970-331-6145

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