Scarp Ridge Lodge in Crested Butte, CO: The Closest We’ve Come to Heaven on Earth

Countless variables make a shred trip exceptional, but none is more important than snow. We’ve all been skunked—it’s an occupational hazard for the traveling powderhound—and damn, does it suck. You analyze historic snowfall and book a trip, often months in advance. As the dates creep closer, the snow gods decide to ignore your prayers and powder dances, and a favorable forecast fails to materialize. Maybe you go anyways, maybe you cancel. Such is life.

Photo @ElevenExperience

Most skiers and riders have never even heard of Irwin, despite being familiar with the legendary ski town of Crested Butte. The Butte is home to Scarp Ridge Lodge, the lavish chalet Eleven Experience uses as the basecamp for their cat-skiing operation. But the magic happens in Irwin, a remote, powder-blessed townsite just 12 miles west of town that’s only accessible in winter by snowmobile or snowcat. While Crested Butte Mountain Resort averages 234 inches of annual snowfall, Irwin, having somehow orographically greased the mittened paws of said snow gods, occasionally notches over 500 inches.

At the start of a ski day with Eleven, a snowcat picks you up at the doorstep of Scarp Ridge Lodge (more on the lodge itself below) or the Sopris House, a four-bedroom house available to rent next door for larger groups. Before Crested Butte wakes, you’ll roll out of town and into a valley of craggy peaks laden with Colorado’s finest blower. Within an hour or so, you’re ripping world-class, untouched snow, lap after lap. Heaven on earth.

Eleven’s 1000-plus-acre private tenure in Irwin is impossible to beat on a powder day—which are frequent and frequently deep. Terrain ranges from open, rolling powder fields—perfect for the whole family—to tighter chutes and steeper shots with cliff drops for rippers who come ready to huck. The tenure doesn’t include due-north-facing terrain, although a west-facing wall can hold powder for days after a storm. If a warm forecast threatens to bake south-facing snow, guides will reserve west-facing shots for later in the week. Not only does Eleven have a spectacular avalanche safety team—I actually shadowed a couple of them for an article I wrote with Backcountry Magazine—but their guides are experts at terrain management and ensuring that powder is on the menu during your stay.

Photo @ElevenExperience

In the rare case that you’re skunked and Irwin has been battered by sun and wind events, Eleven simply won’t run the cat. But don’t panic: you still have two options to save your ski trip. The first is Eleven Experience’s sister guide company, Irwin Guides, which offers human-powered, guided ski tours in and around Crested Butte. If there’s powder to be found on north-facing aspects weeks after a storm, or corn to be hunted on Crested Butte’s many notable peaks, they’re the folks you can trust to sniff it out.

The second option is Crested Butte Mountain Resort, which is hands-down my favorite ski resort in Colorado and the reason I lived in CB for two winters. The steep and technical resort caters to advanced freeriders, particularly when the “Extremes” are open: T-bars and in-bounds hike-to terrain dotted with cliffs, techy trees, chutes, and spicy features. The Extremes will make average riders tremble in their boots and experts near climax. There’s plenty of terrain for intermediate skiers and riders, too, off of the Paradise and Silver Queen chairs, and mellower options for beginners on Red Lady. Especially if there’s fresh powder in the forecast, we highly recommend spending a day—or week—exploring CBMR.

Chances are, you’ll score one way or another if you visit Eleven Experience from December or January through March or April. Between epic cat-skiing, consummate guided backcountry ski touring, and best-in-state resort riding, you have an insane array of options as far as terrain, aspect, and snowpack are concerned. That’s certainly the main draw of booking a winter adventure with Eleven Experience, at least for the diehard skier or rider. However, the reason you can’t miss with a trip to Eleven Experience is Scarp Ridge Lodge, which is easily our favorite ski town hotel and arguably the best winter adventure outpost in the Lower 48.

There are five-star hotels, and then there’s Eleven Experience—five stars aren’t enough, they’ll give you the whole night sky, constellation by constellation. The historic, blue-and-white façade of the Scarp Ridge Lodge isn’t out-of-place on Crested Butte’s quiet 2nd street, and it suggests a tasteful albeit modest inn. But step through the glass doors and it’s anything but ordinary: that door is a portal to another, more indulgent world.

Once you’ve taken in the elegant foyer and picked your jaw up off the floor, staff will get you dialed with a locker for wet ski gear and hook you up with an Eleven-branded metal water bottle. There’s no plastic here—even the choice snacks and delectable charcuterie in your room’s mini-fridge come packed in reusable glass containers.

Rooms are first-class without being overly fancy. They’re spacious and bright, with cloud-like beds and cushy comforters ready for Colorado’s subzero nights. Of course, you can fine-tune temperatures to your liking, and as you fiddle with the AC, you’ll notice a button that pumps oxygen into your room. Yup—oxygen pumping directly into your room. It’s totally overkill for anyone accustomed to altitude, but if you’re coming from sea level, it’s a welcome perk and a fitting example of how Eleven goes above and beyond.

Wake up—refreshed, well-rested, and bursting with oxygen, feeling much like a Disney princess in her castle—and follow the scent of fresh java down to the kitchen. To supplement an array of scones, fresh fruit, and sweet and savory breakfast morsels, a private chef will whip up whatever sustenance you require. Then suit up at your locker and wait for the cat to whisk you away to Irwin.

After what may be the best day of skiing of your life—which is punctuated by the best ski lunch of your life—you return to this spectacular home base and the good times keep rolling. Snack on delectable après fare. Hit the full bar for beers—brewed by Eleven-owned Irwin Brewing—or Colorado-inspired cocktails. Our go-to? A dip in the saltwater pool on the lower floor, followed by a soak in the copper hot tub on the roof, which offers an unbeatable view of Mount Crested Butte. If there’s a better hot tub in Colorado, please drop us a line—we never found one in a combined fifteen years living in the state.

You’ll notice this tub shot is from a summer trip to Scarp Ridge Lodge. We’ll post soon about what makes Eleven rad in the summer (biking, climbing, fishing, etc.) but with winter on the horizon,  all our thoughts are on Colorado cold smoke. 

For dinner—and more drinks—stroll downtown to check out Crested Butte’s restaurant scene. It’s honestly hard to go wrong. Hit Elk Ave Prime for thick and juicy steaks, The Secret Stash for impossibly delicious pizza, Teocalli for hefty, post-shred burritos, and The Public House for modern pub fare. Eleven also owns The Public House, which has a few tasteful, music-themed rooms above the restaurant and concert venue—a great choice if you’re looking for more affordable accommodations but still want the Eleven touch. If you’re staying at Scarp Ridge, we highly recommend you order takeout from Ryce, scamper back to the lodge, and watch a ski movie in the theater room. Then hit the hay, wake up, and repeat.

It’s hard to put into words—or even photos—the magic of Eleven. We’ve had the pleasure of traveling more than most and visiting all manner of shred hotels, ski lodges, and cat ops in the process. But when it comes to the balance of relaxation, luxury, and winter sports, the fact of the matter is, no one does it like Eleven. Their motto is “Best Day Ever,” and they’ll deliver on that promise day after day during your trip.

Skiers and riders will also want to check out Eleven’s ski trips in Chile, France, and Iceland. We haven’t checked out those properties yet—fingers crossed!—but they’re certainly at the top of our bucket list after three trips with Eleven in Colorado.

Looking for a warmer adventure? With world-class mountain biking, hiking, climbing and fly fishing nearby, Scarp Ridge Lodge is a dream summer destination, too. Anglers will want to check out the nearby Taylor River Lodge, which is just a stonefly’s throw away. You can also fly fish with Eleven in Andros, Iceland, Marquesas Keys, Chile, Louisiana, the Everglades, and New Zealand. Wherever you end up, you can’t go wrong with this elite outfitter.