Overall we had a good time spending Thanksgiving weekend at Crested Butte, Colorado. We came primarily to ski, and ski we did.

Since it was only late November not all of the ski runs were open and there was a lack of natural snow except at the higher elevations, but the man-made snow was better than expected (winter is starting late this year).

Also a lot of the resort and the town as a whole wasn’t quite up and running as it would be in the middle of ski season. We were hoping to eat breakfast at our favorite restaurant in the town of Crested Butte (Paradise Cafe), but it was one of many businesses closed during the low season.

We saw a surprising amount of wildlife though. Lots of bighorns, a red fox, and some stellar jays all of which you can see in the photos below.

Overall I don’t think we’d go back at Thanksgiving just because it’s not prime skiing time. But the slopes weren’t busy and it was easy to get the kids practice time on uncrowded lists and runs. Daniel is just starting to learn the snowboard while Evan has a few lessons under his belt and is getting proficient at skiing. Both took lessons at Crested Butte Ski School.

We’ll be skiing again in the next couple months at various resorts.