The last great Colorado ski town. No crowds, extreme terrain, and 40+ alumni finding out why CB's reputation is well earned.
In January 2024, the KSU Alumni Ski & Snowboard Club took on Crested Butte Mountain Resort — and the mountain delivered. While Vail and Breckenridge were packed with lift lines and $30 beers, our group had the steep runs and the historic town mostly to ourselves. 40+ alumni descended on one of Colorado's best-kept secrets for a week that more than lived up to the hype. We partnered again with OutsideLife for logistics, leaving us free to focus on skiing.
Crested Butte is known in ski circles as the extreme skiing capital of Colorado — the mountain's North Face has terrain that tests even seasoned experts. But what surprised the group was how approachable everything else was. Wide, long groomers for the beginners, dense tree runs and technical lines for the experts, and a town off the mountain that feels like stepping back into what Colorado ski culture used to be before the resorts got corporate.
Crested Butte Mountain Resort carries a reputation that draws serious skiers and snowboarders from across the country — and almost none of the crowds you'd find at a comparable resort. Known as the extreme skiing capital of Colorado, CB's terrain range is extraordinary: beginner-friendly groomers on the frontside, legendary tree skiing in the glades, and some of the most demanding expert terrain in the state off the North Face.
What makes Crested Butte a standout alumni ski trip destination is everything surrounding the mountain. Unlike the manufactured resort villages at Vail or Breckenridge, the historic mining town of Crested Butte — a short free shuttle from the base — is one of the most authentic ski towns left in Colorado. Victorian storefronts, local bars that have been pouring drinks since the 1880s, and a community that actually lives and works there year-round.
For a group ski trip in Colorado, Crested Butte delivers on terrain, atmosphere, and value. The KSU alumni group found their own level on the mountain and ended each day in a town that actually had personality. It is the kind of hidden gem that group ski trips are made for.
Elkhorn Lodging sits right at the base of Crested Butte Mountain Resort — ski-in/ski-out condo-style units with full living rooms, stone fireplaces, vaulted ceilings, and the kind of space a group actually needs after a big day on the mountain. With 40+ alumni, having enough room to spread out, dry gear, and decompress together made all the difference. The mountain views from the private decks are exactly what you'd want after a day on CB's terrain.
Steps from the lifts. Walk out, snap in, and go. End the day skiing directly back to the property without a shuttle or a hike.
Stone fireplaces, vaulted wood ceilings, full kitchens, and private decks. These are proper mountain suites — not hotel rooms — with views to match.
Multi-bedroom units spread across the property gave the 40+ alumni crew the room to actually relax together. Gear room, common spaces, and no crowded hotel lobbies.
Right in Mount Crested Butte, with the free shuttle to the historic town of Crested Butte running all day. The best of both worlds — mountain base camp and authentic ski town.
Extreme terrain.
Historic town.
Colorado's best-kept secret.
The KSU alumni ski trip visits a new mountain every January — Telluride, Jackson Hole, Crested Butte, Aspen/Snowmass and counting. Follow us on Instagram or drop us a message to get on the list before the link drops.
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