Registration and reservations for all programs are at the Ski and Snowboard Instruction desk in the Gothic building, 349-2252 or (800) 444-9236. Most of Crested Butte's professional instructors have received the "New Skiers Retention Accreditation" from the Rocky Mountain Division of the PSIA. The knowledge and skills acquired through this certification enable instructors to deliver the best first-time lesson possible. You can also rent your skis or snowboards on line before you leave home at Rentskis.com.Your equipment will be waiting when you arrive.

Group lessons: Ski and snowboard clinics are for skill levels 2–5 and cost $85 for a 2.5-hour lesson. Higher levels take specialized workshops to address personal goals, such as turning fundamentals, parallel turns, all terrain, telemark, and racing; cost is $99 for 2.5 hours with a four-person maximum.

First-timer package: A three-hour novice ski or snowboard lesson with lift ticket and rentals costs $107; a full day costs $127.

Private lessons: $295 for two hours. Each additional person costs $45.

Kim Reichhelm, a renowned extreme ski champion and former U.S. Ski Team member, teaches multiday women's workshops here. We know Kim personally and can vouch for her ability to improve women's technique and confidence without scaring them to smithereens. Women's Ski Adventures is offered in February, with lodging at The Grand Lodge. The program includes clinics with video analysis, daily off-slope fun, gift bags, product demos, welcome and award dinners, breakfasts and lunches, lift tickets, lodging and more. Call (888) 444-8151.

Daily Extreme Limits tours guide you through some of Crested Butte's most challenging terrain, a great idea since the double-diamonds here can be surprisingly difficult and it's easy to get disoriented if you don't know the mountain. The three-hour tours cost $35 per person, beginning at 9:45 a.m. with a ski-off to evaluate whether you're skilled enough for the terrain. Reservations required.

Racing: NASTAR races cost $6 for two runs or $10 for all day. Race workshops are offered at the Crested Butte Mountain Schools. NASTAR races are held daily from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. (weather permitting) on Smith Hill.

The Adaptive Sports Center (ASC): ASC has been working with people with developmental and physical disabilities since 1987. ASC, in partnership with the Wounded Warriors Project, offers a special program that brings up to five disabled veterans, each accompanied by a spouse or other family member to Crested Butte for a skiing/snowboarding trip. Offered in Feb., the veterans' program is sponsored entirely by donations.

ASC also offers individual, family and group programming from late Nov. thru early April in the areas of alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, backcountry skiing, hut trips, Snow-Cat skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, snowmobiling and dog sledding. Custom programming also is available.  Requests for these activities must be made in advance, with special 20th anniversary rates being offered. ASC’s popular silent auction raises funds for the organization and are held in mid-Feb. at Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s Treasury Center in Mt. Crested Butte.

Special camps include: Transition Mission, in early February, designed to accelerate transition from intermediate to advanced mono skiing; Sit ‘n Ski Rally, mid-February, for learning new techniques on mono, bi, dual sit-ski or ski bike, to be introduced to new equipment or hone skills; Big Mountain Sessions, early March, for advanced mono-skiers who want to ski the infamous steeps of Mt. Crested Butte’s North Face and Headwall to sharpen their skills before heading into the backcountry for a day of Sno-Cat powder skiing; and Ladies with Abilities Winter Adventure and Ski Camp, late March. Call (866) 349-2296 or visit www.adaptivesports.org.

Photo courtesy of Crested Butte Mountain Resort