A tubing hill at the base area is open daily after the lifts close. For information on resort activities, call 349-2211. Other winter activities include snowmobiling, dogsledding, winter fly fishing, ice skating, sledding, winter horseback riding with Fantasy Ranch and sleigh rides (with and without dinners) through Just Horsin' Around. Call the Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce at 349-6438 for brochures and information.

Crested Butte Mountain Guides (877-455-2307; 349-5430) offers avalanche safety courses, backcountry guiding, ice climbing, and backcountry gear rentals (beacons, shovels, backpacks and more). Backcountry gear can also be rented at The Troutfitter (349-1323).

There are loads of great shops and boutiques at the resort and especially in town. Among them: Diamond Tanita Art Gallery for jewelry, glass, ceramics, paper, forged iron and other functional art pieces; Cookworks, Inc., a gourmet kitchen shop; The Blue Moon Book Store, with Western history, legend and bestsellers; and the Milky Way for unique women's apparel and lacy things. The Alpineer has outdoor gear for mountaineering, biking, hiking and backpacking, plus guide services and rentals. Shaken Not Spurred tucked behind the Post Office has wonderful Western wear and a fine selection of cowboy boots. Finally, take a look into the General Store. It is a collection of smaller crafts shops that are lots of fun to wander through.

The Artists of the West Elks organizes an art walk with about a handful of participating galleries. These galleries have everything from pottery and jewelry to photographs and posters to original paintings and prints. Two of the participating galleries are Paragon (349-6484), which is a co-op store on Elk Avenue owned by ten artists displaying their artwork, and Lucille Lucas Gallery (349-1903) with an impressive display of photographs, paintings, posters and, surprisingly, Dali originals.

The Center for the Arts (349-7487) has presentations throughout the year. The Majestic Theatre has movies for a change of pace.

Photo by Paul Gallaher/courtesy of Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce