Travel&Vacation

There are memories everywhere I look.

We were just married—no kids yet—when friends from Texas introduced us to Crested Butte Mountain Resort. This gem of a mountain is just minutes away from the tiny town of Crested Butte, in a region steeped in mining history. Most of the downtown area, with its wooden, multicolored, 19th-century buildings, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

We’ve been back many times since with our kids and other relatives, and everyone has as much affection for this place as we do— even though its location in southwestern Colorado (about a half-hour from Gunnison County Airport) makes it tougher to get to than many mountain resorts. “That’s our blessing and our curse,” observes longtime local Joe Fitzpatrick, town manager of Mt. Crested Butte. “You have to really want to come here,” he says, “But once you get here, you’re really rewarded.”

For the latest promotions, check the Crested Butte Mountain Resort website: You may be able to save as much as 30 percent when you book a package.

On this trip, we watched the newest skiers in our family—five-year-old Ethan Sitzman and his three-year-old sister, Hannah—hone their skills at Crested Butte’s Kid’s World (no worries about gigantic classes here). “I think what we try to have here is a more personal touch,” says Ellen Osterling, the 19-year veteran who oversees Kid’s World. Mention “Taking the Kids” and get a 25 percent discount on an adult ski lesson when you’ve enrolled a child in ski school.

The fun doesn’t stop when the snow melts. “People come here for the winter, but they stay for the summer,” says Fitzpatrick.

Crested Butte is known for its spectacular wildflowers, mountain biking and hiking. The hike from Crested Butte to Aspen is particularly popular.

But despite all its virtues—the heart-stopping beauty, 30-plus restaurants, friendly locals, and excellent ski school—the mountain resort was looking a little tired.

Enter New Englanders Tim and Diane Mueller, owners of Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont and Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire. They bought Crested Butte a few years ago and have begun investing $200 million into the place.

It’s a family business. Son Ethan, a new dad himself, is a resort executive. This season, there’s the new upscale Lodge at Mountaineer Square with its own courtyard and fire pit, and the stylish Elevation Hotel, transformed from Club Med. (A big spa is coming.) There’s a resort concierge to help you plan your on- and off-slope activities, and better grooming and snowmaking. Plans are under way for state-of-the-art terrain parks, new mountain restaurants, and another slope-side luxury complex. There’s also a controversial development a mile away that the Muellers hope will become a new community center for Mt. Crested Butte and a model for sustainable development.

While some in town aren’t convinced, the Muellers say they are determined to preserve what makes Crested Butte so special and unique. They don’t want to turn into an Aspen or a Vail, they say. But what they hope is to attract those families who could easily afford Aspen or Vail, but are seeking something different—a more intimate experience away from the crowds. “Upscale but unpretentious,” says Tim Mueller. “Driving a Hummer wouldn’t be a cool thing.”

Neither are fur coats or fancy ski duds. “I don’t feel like I need to wear them here,” says Adelaide Biggs, a Houston grandmother and local homeowner who jokes that she’s got a closet full of “Aspen clothes.” “This mountain is a wonderful place to be with children,” she adds, nodding at her 12-year-old granddaughter. “It’s homey and safe.”

“It’s much less expensive than Vail or Aspen, and much more relaxed,” adds Michaelyn Drury, who is from the Dallas suburbs and grew up skiing at Aspen. But don’t expect to rub shoulders with celebrities, she adds, or shop till you drop at designer boutiques.

Let’s hope it stays that way.