100° steep on the northwest flank of Mt Crested Butte!
There are three hotspots for freeriders at Crested Butte: the first is the rocky area in the northwest side of the resort, just below the peak of Mt. Crested Butte. The extremely steep Banana Funnel and Peak trails can be reached with the Silver Queen Express lift. Just make sure you head up after a good snowfall, or these steep, narrow trails with their rocky base might not be too much fun. Where you're more certain to find good snow is on The Headwell and Big Chute off of The High t-bar lift. This area in the northern part of the resort lies at around 10,800 feet above sea-level and you'll often find good powder runs even before February or March. The Headwall is characterized by open rocky sections toward the beginning and more narrow tree runs toward the bottom. The third major off-piste area is stretched out north of the North Face lift and requires a short walk to be reached. All around The Glades, The North Face, Spellbound Bowl and Third Bowl are endless variations which will take you more than just a few days to discover. The only small disappointment at Crested Butte was the limited variety and number of steeper trails on the groomed slopes. Score: 4.5 out of 5 possible stars.