Irwin awakens

After hibernating for eight long winters, Colorado?s snowiest resort reopens December 15 with an upscale identity as fresh as its 600 annual inches of powder. Situated in a meteorologically blessed section of the West Elk Mountains 12 miles west of Crested Butte, Colorado, Irwin has never struggled in the snowfall department (it topped 1,000 inches in ?07-?08). But management has been a different story: The old Irwin Lodge, a giant, rustic cabin that included a 20-room hotel, restaurant and bar in addition to a basic catskiing operation, became a local?s favorite outpost to party and ski, but it shut down in 2002. Despite subsequent attempts to revive the ski area, its Forest Service permit eventually expired. Enter CS Irwin, a new catskiing company with a permit encompassing  about half of the terrain used by the old operation. Beginning its first full season after three years of planning and a soft opening last spring, Irwin?s absurd snowfall hasn?t changed?it?s already tallied 150 inches as of early December?but its reputation as a no-frills operation has been replaced with a new luxe persona.  ?We?re trying to create a bit of an anonymous getaway for high-end people that would like a retreat,? says Alan Bernholtz, CS Irwin?s mountain operations director. A day at CS Irwin begins at 7:30 a.m., when a brand-new custom snowcat, featuring plush leather seats, silvered barn-wood walls, glove warmers and 360-degree picture windows, picks up the day?s 10 skiers in downtown Crested Butte. It totes them 40 minutes to CS Irwin?s rustic 10,400-foot base cabin, an old employee housing building converted into a cozy warming hut, apr�s lounge and lunchroom for a catered gourmet midday meal. From there, skiers outfitted with Wagner Customs designed for Irwin?s conditions board another brand-new cat, which ascends the 2,100-foot vert of the surrounding terrain. A typical day includes eight to 12 untracked powder runs on the resort?s 1,000-plus acres of intermediate-to-expert glades, chutes and bowls. The price tag? $450 per person, per day, or $4,000 for a private cat. Though CS Irwin doesn?t currently offer lodging accommodations (the old lodge now stands empty), it plans to open a renovated eight-room hotel downtown in the summer. Market research indicated that Irwin would be a good candidate for an upscale catskiing operation, Bernholtz says, and so far, it seems to be true: nearly two weeks before opening day, CS Irwin was already 30 percent booked through late April. ?We?re definitely piggybacking on a legend,? says Bernholtz, who has lived in the area since the late ?80s and last year finished a four-year term as Crested Butte?s mayor. Though CS Irwin?s chic direction is a conscious departure from the old Irwin, Bernholtz seems determined to stay true to the spirit of a place where three-foot dumps are unexceptional and blasting through knee-deep powder is as commonplace as carving hardpack elsewhere. ?We?re just skiing,? he says. ?We?re not doing anything different. We just put nicer sheets on the bed.?

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