Crested Butte Is Home Frank Konsella

If you spend any time skiing Crested Butte Mountain Resort at all, you've almost certainly seen ROMP skis, and probably a lot of them, in the lift lines. Brothers Morgan and Caleb Weinberg grew up in the mountains of New Hampshire doing all the things we love to do here in the Gunnison valley, like mountain biking and skiing. Both of them attended Western Colorado University, and like many Western alum, decided to stay and make a home in Crested Butte.
During and shortly after the 2008 recession, they found themselves with a bit more time on their hands and Morgan, a self-described tinkerer, suggested making their own skis. At first, it was just a bit of a hobby and a fun way to play with skis. soon enough, however, it turned into a full-fledged business and ROMP skis was born. In this episode, we talk about the design and construction of a pair of skis, and how purchasing a pair of ROMP skis on a semi-custom basis might be different than any other ski purchase you've likely made.
Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:
As is the case across the country, Crested Butte and Gunnison real estate is seeing substantial price increases along with record low inventory. Take a look at my market reports HERE
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Romp Skis Website

Aaron Blunck was born to ski.  His grandfather started the ski school here in Crested Butte, his mom was a longtime instructor, his dad loves to ski, and Aaron had to keep up with his big brother somehow, too.  By 8 he and his brother were skiing on their own, equipped with cheap radios to call home in case they needed to.
Aaron was always into jumps and he pretty quickly started to excel at it, especially in the halfpipe discipline.  Before he knew it he was competing in the X Games and Olympics before he'd even gotten out of high school.  He went on to win an X Games gold medal, World Championships, and compete in a second Olympics.  
In this episode, we talked about the entire arc of his ski career, how grateful he is to have grown up in Crested Butte, and where he sees his ski career heading in the future.
Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:
Recently, we've seen a lot of commercial properties and development opportunities go under contract in the Crested Butte area.  Additionally, I recently listed a Crested butte property with 3 homes and great rental income- more info here.
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Aaron Blunck Instagram 

Corey Tibljas spent most of his childhood growing up right here in Crested Butte, as one of the first graduating classes at what was then the new Community School.  It was there, at the school, that he and his friend Ben Somrak decided to make a ski movie and start their company, Two Plank Productions.  Thanks to the help of local film makers Matchstick Productions (see episode 26 Murray Wais), and the local TV station (see episode 46 Noah Wight), they were able to release their film to a packed house at the Center For the Arts. 
The duo released several more ski movies, before Corey transitioned the company into a more general film production company and Ben moved on to be a local general contractor.  Another Two Plank event was "Big Air on Elk", which for several years featured skiers towed on snowmobiles launching "big air" right on Elk Avenue in downtown Crested Butte.  It was a favorite event for a lot of people, and he's hoping to bring it back some day. 
Corey also began volunteer firefighting while he was still a teen.  Today, 20 years later, he still fights fires in addition to his Two Plank responsibilities- but now as a full time paid Captain of the Crested Butte Fire Protection District.  Not only that, he helps teens that are following his footsteps into firefighting as well.
Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:
In this episode's real estate minute, I discussed the 2021 Crested Butte and Gunnison real estate outlook.  For more information, please visit the post on my website.
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Two Plank Productions

Shamai Buckel grew up in Southern Colorado as well as Santa Fe, New Mexico and went to Western Colorado University after a powder-filled ski trip to Crested Butte convinced her that this was the place to be.  Joe Buckel's journey to the Gunnison valley from Indiana took a little longer, with a short stint in Denver.  But they found each other and eventually moved to California wine country to learn more about wine making.  There, they discovered "warehouse wineries", and decided that they could do the same thing here.
They get their grapes in Palisade (near Grand Junction), but make the wine in Gunnison at their Winery, Buckel Family Wines.  We spend a lot of time in this episode talking about how to taste wine (great for someone like me who would like to be "better" at it), how to pair it, and of course how to make wine. And of course, one of the great things about wine is travel, too- so we talked about some of the great places to visit.  I hope you enjoy this interview and get a chance to taste their wines, whether at a local liquor store, a local restaurant, or at their winery in Gunnison.
Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:
In this episode's real estate minute, I highlighted the Meridian Lake Neighborhood, located up the Washington Gulch Trailhead near Mount Crested Butte. This beautiful neighborhood with great access to hiking, Long Lake, and more also has amazing views of the ski area. For more information, maps, and all current listings, visit here.
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Buckel Winery

Lucille Lucas grew up in New York City, with parents that were deeply immersed in the art world.  That meant that she was able to meet artists like Salvador Dali and others, and Lucille began practicing her own art at a young age as well.  But a trip across the country proved to her that NYC wasn't her place- the smaller and slower life in the rural West was more her speed.  
She learned how to ski and backcountry ski when few people were doing it, and also lived in a teepee above Aspen, CO for a winter. Another adventure started at the farmhouse she was living at in Northern California- "Come with us to Morocco, and let us buy a VW bus in your name", they said.  Give this one a listen to find out where that story ends up.  She also worked at the famous "bathhouse" in Crested Butte, which was a popular spot in the 70's.
She is the owner of the Lucille Lucas gallery, specializing in prints- many of which were made by her father.  We finish the conversation discussing art in general, as well as the art scene here in the Creative District of Crested Butte.  This was one of my favorite interviews so far, so I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:
This episode is being released in November of 2020, and the real estate market continues to be incredibly busy (normally this is a slower time of year). Therefore, it remains a great time for sellers, and for buyers, they should be ready to "pull the trigger" if they see something that they like. Contact me, Frank Konsella, at my website. for more information.
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Lucille Lucas Gallery

Craig Hall grew up in the Southeast Colorado town of La Junta, but often visited the Gunnison and Crested Butte area to ski and fish.  After graduating with a forestry degree from Colorado State University, Craig headed to Crested Butte to ski.  He was part of a small group of skiers that were heading out into the backcountry and started to learn the newly re-discovered telemark turn as the best way to access the mountains surrounding Crested Butte with the gear that was available at the time.
A heliskiing company was starting, and Craig was recommended as someone who knew the area.  Thus began Craig's career as a heliskiing guide, skiing many of the runs that are popular with today's backcountry skiers.  Later, the operation moved to Marble to attract the Aspen market, where his clients included Saudi Sheiks and local drug dealers.  
After the heliskiing company folded, Craig was able to combine his forestry degree, past experience as a "hot shot" firefighter, and helicopter experience to fight fires from the air, something he still does today.  When we recorded this episode in early October 2020, the Cameron Peak fire had not yet exploded into Colorado's largest ever, and the destructive East Troublesome fire had not yet started.  When you hear updates on those fires, chances are good that Craig was there, assisting the firefighting efforts from the air.
Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:
Are you considering a sale of your home or condo in Crested Butte?  A few simple things can really help- like decluttering, repainting, window washing and more. Want to know more? Contact me, Frank Konsella, at my website.
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First Tracks Heliskiing