Crested Butte is Home

Explore the fascinating, eclectic, and entertaining people and organizations of Crested Butte, CO- and the entire Gunnison Valley through the Crested Butte Is Home podcast. I’ve been honored to sit down with so many amazing people and had the opportunity to sit down and discuss the things they do. One of the questions that I always ask is why my guests still choose to make Crested Butte their home. Commonly, the answer is that Crested Butte is a community that they can’t find anywhere else- indeed, no where else feels like “home”. If you love Crested Butte and the mountain lifestyle, this is the podcast for you.

Better yet- here is just one of the many 5 star reviews from Apple Podcasts:

02/18/2019
Great conversations about the community!
Thank you Frank for this great podcast! It feels like I am listening in on a great conversation over a beer/coffee!

My wife and I are currently one year out from our move to CB! This podcast has helped us get to know about the many amazing aspects of this valley! I love that most of your guests said the reason they call CB home is the “community”. It has made us feel more comfortable with our move and very excited to officially call CB home in the (not near enough) future!


Crested Butte is Home Podcast Episodes

Image Episode

April 1, 2020 by Frank Konsella
The early 90's were an exciting time at CBMR, with new lifts like the North Face and High lift, plus innovative efforts to attract new business, like guaranteeing airline seats and "free ski".  Later, John spent roughly ten years at the Aspen Skiing Company before being called back to Crested Butte and helping secure the sale of CBMR from the Nortons and Calloways to the Muellers (Triple Peaks).

March 18, 2020 by Frank Konsella
Andy started a "passion project" to create a visual guidebook of Crested Butte backcountry skiing utilizing aerial photos of the area.  The book was so well received that it led to a second book in the Silverton area, and has since become so successful that publishing those guidebooks has become Andy's primary career.

February 26, 2020 by Frank Konsella
But what he's most well known for at this point is a guitar which he developed called the Dobrato.  It combines elements of different types of guitars to create it's own highly unique sound.  It's been used in a Grammy-winning song,

February 12, 2020 by Frank Konsella
Ian tells a great story about how RMBL started (you'd never guess the KKK was involved), and talks about some of the science that is currently happening in Gothic.  Another question I asked is "How does RMBL fit in with competing interests like recreation as Crested Butte grows?"

January 29, 2020 by Frank Konsella
In this episode, Yon and I talk about the recreational opportunities in Sargents- including a free Nordic skiing track that he's been working on.  It's a great story involving a partnership between a local ranch owner, a Uranium mine located up Marshall Pass, and the Tomichi Creek Trading Post.

January 15, 2020 by Frank Konsella
Eventually, however, other opportunities began to present themselves.  He was asked to be the soccer coach for the high school team, and was able to lead the Titans to a state championship in 2018.  Meanwhile, an "off the cuff" tale of a soccer tournament in Grand Junction led to his job as the long-time sports reporter for the Crested Butte News.  In fact, he even helped start the News when it split off from the Crested Butte Chronicle and Pilot, which is a great story as well, which we cover.

January 1, 2020 by Frank Konsella
For most people, that would be enough.  But Ben Breslauer is also highly involved with local non-profits and public lands committees.

December 29, 2019 by Frank Konsella
Growing up in Boston, Danny Hartigan developed a love of skateboarding as well as snowboarding.  He recalls the early days of snowboarding when he had to take a test to prove he should be allowed to snowboard at "ski" areas.  Snowboarding brought him west, to Western Colorado University in Gunnison.

December 3, 2019 by Frank Konsella
Debra is perhaps most well known for her involvement with local animal rescue groups.  She helped keep what is now know as the Gunnison Valley Animal Welfare League (GVAWL) going back in the 80's, growing it into the tremendous organization that it is today.  Seeing a need for a foster-care approach to animal rescue, she is now heavily involved with Gunnison Underdog Rescue (GUR).

November 20, 2019 by Frank Konsella
Noah Wight has been the owner of Crested Butte's television station, CBTV10, for many years.  Many people will recognize him from his daily weather forecasts for the Gunnison and Crested Butte area.

November 12, 2019 by Frank Konsella
The tables are turned on this week's episode, with Frank Konsella becoming the interviewee rather than the interviewer.  We start off talking about where I grew up, in the foothills above Golden, CO. Like many of my guests, I grew up ski racing at Winter Park, so when it came time to find a place […]

October 23, 2019 by Frank Konsella
Growing up in the midwest, Stephanie Ballard jokingly described her favorite pastime as "picking tar out of potholes with sticks".  All kidding aside, she actually had a talent for volleyball and went to school in Charleston, South Carolina.  Her dream of being an interior designer...

October 9, 2019 by Frank Konsella
Tanith Martinez grew up at the Orvis Hot Springs between Ridgway and Ouray, Colorado.  On a trip to Alaska, she watched a pilot land a bushplane nearby and decided that's what she wanted to do.  After high school, she immediately started working towards getting her pilot's license at Northwest Colorado Community College.  By the time […]

September 25, 2019 by Frank Konsella
Here in Crested Butte, his adventures are more straightforward and familiar to many of us- as simple as spending time with his family or riding the 401 trail on his mountain bike.  The ability to have an adventure right from his front door is one of the reasons why Eric recently relocated here.

September 11, 2019 by Frank Konsella
In this episode, we talk about all of those accomplishments, followed by what she thought was going to be a move away from skiing.  A series of fortunate events brought her back to competitive skiing in Big Mountain Freeskiing and a life in Crested Butte.