Crested Butte Area of the Rocky Mountains

The following is a list of scheduled hut tours for the upcoming winter season. If any of these tours sound good to you but aren’t offered at a time that fits your schedule, then we can create a custom tour! We will be happy to accommodate you by creating a tour with your choice of activities when it is convenient for you. Our goal is to provide our guests with ideal backcountry experiences. A custom tour allows you to experience the backcountry at your own pace and on your own schedule and with your favorite ski partner, family, or friends. Let us help you create a ski trip of a lifetime! Contact us!

OVERNIGHT BACKCOUNTRY HUT TOURS
On these tours you will have two days of skiing or riding and a night in a cozy backcountry hut. You will meet your guide the night before to go through gear, then get a good nights sleep and head out the next morning. You will then travel to the trailhead and get an overview of the trip’s schedule. Skin up, load up, layer up, and head out to the hut.
It is a mellow 3-mile skin up the East River Valley that will bring you through thick aspen groves, and allow you a breathtaking view of the East River snaking through the valley below. Majestic alpine peaks, and sheer granite walls will surround you from all sides. Throughout the tour to the hut your guide will orient you to tricks of the trade for efficient travel techniques, allow breaks for food, water, and endless pictures, and be a general ambassador to the beauty of the Elk Mountains surrounding you.

Once at the hut, drop your packs, and pick your beds. Unload your gear, enjoy a warm drink and meal, and take a quick load off. From here, head out with your guide for the remainder of the afternoon into the surrounding powder fields, and finish your day with fresh smiles on your face, and fresh tracks on the ground. As the sun lowers below the horizon, follow your guide back to the hut, and prepare to put your feet up and cozy up to the wood stove. As the daylight wanes, your guide will prepare hot drinks, and a hot home-cooked meal for you and your hut-mates. Spend the rest of the evening however you choose; lounging by the stove, reading a book, hanging out under the moonlight, or trading stories with your friends and guide.

On Day 2, wake up early and fuel yourself up for the day with hot drinks and food. Head out with your guide for the morning in search of deep snow and fresh lines. Explore untracked glades, or attempt long couloirs and possibly a peak descent. Be back at the hut by early afternoon, in time to enjoy a hearty lunch and pack your things for the skin out. Spend the afternoon heading back out to the trailhead, looking over your shoulder at your turns decorating the beautiful valley behind you, and feeling the smile across your face.

3-DAY HUT TOURS
These tours offer you two days of backcountry skiing or riding, and two nights tucked away beneath the stars in one of the areas remote backcountry huts. These tours are similar to our overnight hut trips, however, one whole day is spent in the vicinity of your hut, exploring the farther away and remote powder stashes that participants on our overnight hut trips don't have time to get to.

Day One is spent similar to all of our hut trips. You will meet your guide in the morning, go through a quick gear check, get acquainted with your backcountry systems, and head off for the trailhead. From the trailhead it is a mellow 3-mile skin up the East River Valley that will bring you through thick aspen groves, and allow you a breathtaking view of the East River snaking through the valley below. Majestic alpine peaks, and sheer granite walls will surround you from all sides.

Your hut is the cozy and quaint Forest Queen, located in the old deserted town site of Gothic, CO (home of the world famous Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory). Once at the hut you will enjoy one full day and two half days of unequaled backcountry skiing or riding. Your days are spent, in the company of your guide, searching out the freshest powder and best skiing conditions the area has to offer. Choose from deep powder in sheltered glades, or venture higher up above tree line and pick your line down one of the areas many wide open bowls and powder fields. Or go for broke, and attempt to summit and ski/board back down one of the areas surrounding 12,000'+ peaks!!

In between powder sessions, enjoy the comfort of your hut and the fresh home cooked food and drink your guide will provide for you. If you’re looking for a multi-day, multi-night backcountry hut trip, then this is the trip for you!!

EQUIPMENT:
The BOC has gear for sale for your trip. Please see our Backcountry Gear List for a more complete list. The huts have blankets, so we recommend a lightweight sleeping bag for your trip.

X-C HUT TOURS
Do you want to enjoy one of our hut trips, but don't downhill ski?? This trip is designed especially for folks whom primarily nordic or cross-country ski. Strap on your skinny skis and come and enjoy all of the experiences of a backcountry hut trip with us.

This tour is an overnight affair, designed just like our downhill style overnight tour. Except instead of searching fresh powder stashes out for downhill turns, enjoy the beauty and serenity of touring in the remote and majestic East River Valley. A gentle and beautiful three mile tour takes from the trailhead out to the secluded Forest Queen hut. Nestled in the old town site of Gothic, CO (summer home of the world famous Rocky Mountain Biological Lab), the Forest Queen is dwarfed by the immense granite walls of Gothic Mountain towering above, and to the east by the western boundary of the Maroon-Bells--Snowmass Wilderness.

After your initial tour through the breathtaking aspen groves and beautiful vistas of the valley below, enjoy a night nestled in this small but cozy cabin. Get comfortable by the wood stove, and enjoy hot drinks and a fresh dinner and breakfast prepared for you by your guide. Spend the evening trading stories by the crackle of the wood stove, curled up with a good book, or outside stargazing at the immense winter night sky above. Awake the next morning to freshly brewed tea or coffee, and let your guide take you out on a tour that will be unforgettable.

This surreal valley is perfect for a combination of an overnight hut trip and cross-country skiing. The entire corridor is off-limits to any mechanized travel (snowmobiles!!), so you will only have to share your peace and tranquility with the abundant wildlife.

Crested Butte to Aspen
Cost of Flight ($90 - $150)
The classic multi-day tour in the Crested Butte area is over to Aspen via Pearl Pass. This 5-day tour takes you through rugged and dramatic terrain, with lodging in a system of cozy huts. This tour requires a good level of fitness and skill, but you have the comforts of a warm hut to look forward to each night. This trip uses mutliple huts. When arriving in Aspen, a small private plane will fly the group back to Crested Butte.

To register for any of these trips, click on a trip from the box above. Once you are registered, you will get a confirmation email from Crested Butte Mountain Guides for your trip.

You can search all the trips that we offer:

Meeting Place and Time
There are many ways to travel to Crested Butte.

Driving: (From Denver area) Take 285 S to Fairplay, the right on US-50 to Gunnison, then right on 135N in to Crested Butte.

Flying: The nearest airport is in Gunnison, from there Alpine Express can shuttle into Crested Butte 970-641-5074.
United Airlines 800-241-6522
Northwest Airlines 800-225-2525
America West Express 800-225-9292
Check with your travel agent for airlines serving Gunnison.

All hut trip prices are based on 4 participants per trip. In the event of low registration, we prefer to give you the option to pay a surcharge which will make the trip happen with a smaller group.

Cancellations/Refund Policy
If you cancel within 7 days prior to trip leaving you will be charged 50% of your trip cost
If you do not show you will be charged 100% of your trip cost
All Day Trips have a 5% non-refundable booking fee.
All Overnight trips have a 15% non-refundable booking fee.