Crested Butte is tucked into a cul de sac of wilderness in the heart of Colorado’s most quintessential mountains. The Crested Butte zone offers seemingly endless recreational possibilities and due to its unique geography and orographic behavior, often receives the most snow. In his third edition of this guidebook, Andy Sovick returned to his original concept for a ski atlas: Beautiful large aerial images, critical terrain information, and avalanche terrain classifications. That’s it. This is a photographic tribute to all of the most commonly skied terrain around Crested Butte. 

Despite the simplicity, this guide is packed with information. Each zone and each route is rated with ATES ( the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale). We give you the maximum slope angle of each descent, aspects, elevations, a large overview map, snowmobile policies and trailhead information. As the saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words”.  If you’re armed with an understanding of the Crested Butte Avalanche Center forecast, this terrain atlas can help you make smarter decisions when deciding where to tour. Provided you already have some backcountry skiing experience, there is something in this atlas for everyone. Designed to go along with you on your tours and accompany the Backcountry Skiing Crested Butte Ski Map and Ski App.

This 8.5” x 11” saddle-stitch-bound book covers the following zones: Zachary’s, White Ridge West, Avery, Upper Copper Creek, East River Mini Golf, Bellview, Baldy Northeast, Baldy East, Baldy West, Gothic Mountain, Snodgrass, Coney’s, Schuylkill, Upper Slate + Pittsburg, Poverty Gulch, Mineral + Augusta, Purple Palace, Mt. Emmons North, Happy + Climax, Mt. Emmons North, Ruby + Owen + Purple, Axtell Mountain, Anthracites, West Brush Creek, and Teocalli.