Deep in the majestic Ruby mountains, Irwin, Colorado gets an average of 600″ of snow every year! That’s as much as just about anywhere in the lower 48. You and nine of your best friends can stay at the incredible Scarp Ridge Lodge in downtown Crested Butte, then get face shots all day on 1,000 acres of private terrain with a plush snowcat and great guides. I’ve gotten epic faceshots at Irwin, LOVE Crested Butte in general, and can guarantee the lodge is incredible.

LODGE and PACKAGE: Scarp Ridge Lodge is an unbelievable property on the far corner of downtown Crested Butte. The Sopris House, right next door, is amazing as well, though has fewer amenities (like full blown spa). Both are incredible places to stay and offer a variety of options for groups up to 10, which is the max group size for a private snowcat. There, we get on another snowcat and get busy skiing! Here are some highlights:

• A super plush snowcat picks us up each morning at the lodge and takes us up to Irwin to 1,000 acres of blower powder.
• There are no down days with snowcat skiing!
  
• Length of Trips: Trips start at 3 days snowcat skiing and 3 nights at the lodge. Longer trips can be arranged depending on availability; call me to discuss this.
• In-lodge spa at Scarp Ridge Lodge is epic and includes hot tubs, heated indoor pool, steam, sauna, work out rooms, stretching classes, masseuse and more.
• High end personalized service from lodge-based staff
• Breakfast, Lunch, Apres and booze included! The chefs are very creative and the food is incredible. In-lodge bars are open 24-7, so no tab at end of trip except for optional premium choices. The lodges do not do dinners because Crested Butte has so many great restaurants to choose from!
• Side activities: There are no down days with snowcat skiing, but we can always ski at Crested Butte ski area, and the local nordic trails are incredible. Downtown Crested Butte offers all the amenities of a world class resort town.
• Snowcat Skiing: Basically, we ski as much as the group wants to each day! The number of runs and total vertical depend on group ability and stoke.  
• Cost: Contact me directly to talk about package costs.

TRAVEL: Travel to Crested Butte is easy! From Denver it is about a 4 1/2 hr. drive. Most people fly direct to either Gunnison (GUC), which is only 1/2 hr. away, or Montrose (MTJ), which is only 1 1/2 hr. drive.

SEASON: The season for snowcat skiing and boarding at Irwin is basically January through March. When winter comes early and ends late, we can ski December into April.

BOOKING: Scarp Ridge Lodge books out early, especially for prime time mid-winter dates. Call me to talk about your ideal dates; booking well ahead is the way to go here, even two years out!

TERRAIN AND SNOW QUALITY: The Ruby mountains outside of Crested Butte get an average of 600″ / year… Serious powder country! That is double what ski areas like Mt. Crested Butte and Telluride get on average! With 1,000 acres of private terrain, there is epic opportunities for stellar skiers at virtually all levels here.

GUIDE STAFF: I work with a truly awesome team of guides at Irwin, all of whom take the prime directive of “safety first” very seriously. I have known and worked with many of them for  years; they are solid professionals and together we focus on safety and delivering the best possible ski experiences for our guests!

SAFETY:  Safety is always my primary concern, regardless of location, and I’m very careful when it comes to choosing who I work with! At Irwin, we have top notch guides, snow safety team, snowcats and drivers. Together, we make safety the priority all day every day. When injuries do occur, guides have basic medical equipment in their backpacks, with more advanced medical equipment on the snowcat. In the unlikely case of serious injury in the field, we stop everything and focus on getting the injured party to an appropriate medical facility. Crested Butte and nearby Gunnison have excellent medical facilities.