Crested Butte Is Home

Derrick Nehrenberg grew up in 30 different places, although most of them were in the Southeast. After high school, he attended college for a year and sold books in the summer. He was known to drive a bit fast at his summer job, however, and therefore a judge suggested a stint in the military (and yes, it's as good of a story as it sounds). So the military it was- for 5 years.

After the military, Derrick went back to college to become a behavioral neuroscientist/geneticist. He was studying mice and traits within those mice, with an ultimate goal of helping people. But he eventually decided that the best way to help people was actually to help them get outside more often. So he traded academia for the trails, and began mapping trails in Colorado.

Eventually, he and his partner began developing phone apps for trail systems and that's when the Gunnison/ Crested Butte Tourism Association asked him to not only map all 750+ miles of singletrack in the area, but to also develop a "game" for people to ride or hike all of the trails in the area, which was dubbed Trailquest. To date, five people have completed this challenge. That contest led to other applications, including turn by turn navigation and virtual racing events like the Gunnison Growler, which had to be cancelled (at least in person) in 2020 due to the Corona Virus.

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

Indications from the first two weeks of June are that the Crested Butte and Gunnison real estate market are recovering from Coronavirus quickly. Pending contracts have nearly doubled and inventory is once again rising (though still low overall). Stay up to date on real estate news in Crested Butte by signing up for my monthly market updates here.

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CBG Trails/ Trailquest

TerraQuest

Jenny Stillo grew up in warm sunny Honduras, playing on the beach and studying in both English and Spanish at the American school. For college, she ended up at Western Colorado University in Gunnison, which was trying to attract more international students at the time. Despite the cold weather and cultural shock, Jenny liked the area and stayed after graduation as so many others do, eventually starting a family and working in Crested Butte.

She began nordic skiing and it turned out she was good at it, too- placing highly in a regional race series. That's when things got really interesting- Denver TV stations picked up on the story of the Honduran nordic skier, and the next thing Jenny knew, the Honduran Olympic committee asked her to represent the country at the 1992 winter games in Albertville France. Whiile she may not have been a contender at the races against athlete powerhouses like Norway and Sweden, it was (obviously) still an amazing experience and she remains the only winter athlete from Honduras.

Recently, she and a friend hiked the 500 mile Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. She describes this journey as being on par with her Olympic experience. I recently hiked a shorter portion of this same route and confirm that "the Camino" is an incredible adventure.

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

Real Estate Sales in Crested Butte and Gunnison fell in May 2020 due to the Coronavirus, but June already appears to be on the upswing. Stay up to date on real estate news in Crested Butte by signing up for my monthly market updates here.

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Camino de Santiago Wiki page

Jenny Stillo professional translation services

Scott Williams grew up in a number of places, including Reno, Nevada, where he used to ski. But it was when he was in Southern California during the 1984 summer Olympic games that he was introduced to field hockey, a moment that would change his life. Scott took to the sport quickly and was able to train with some of the best Americans in the sport. Field hockey, for those of you who don't know, is perhaps a bit more like soccer with a stick, than it is to ice hockey.

After high school, he went to the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs to further his field hockey goals. He was able to qualify for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and while the team didn't do as well as they hoped, it was still an amazing experience. Scott was even near the bombing that sadly took place that year, an event which he describes in this interview.

We end the conversation talking about what it's like to work from home- something that is new to many people during these Coronavirus times, but something he's been doing for years.

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

Interest rates remain historically low, which means lower monthly payments, a hedge against inflation, and more buying power. Waiting to buy property may result in higher prices and higher interest rates. Visit CrestedButteRealEstateAgent.com for more information or to contact Frank Konsella directly.

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Field Hockey Wikipedia Page

Western Governor's University

Alan Bernholtz grew up in sunny Los Angeles, California and unsurprisingly took to surfing. Certain aspects of the surf scene didn't appeal to him however, so at 18 he packed up moved to Aspen. But Aspen never felt like the friendly community he was looking for, and a chance visit to Crested Butte convinced Alan to move here.

After a few other jobs, Alan eventually began working for Jean Pavillard and Adventures to the Edge guide service. He began guiding on his own in the summer and eventually bought the guide service which was renamed Crested Butte Mountain Guides. He sold that company to some of his guides and then helped Eleven Experience set up their cat skiing operation in Irwin.

But what we spoke about a lot in this interview was community. It was that sense of community that led to Alan running for town council and eventually mayor. His guiding focus?- keeping that sense of community in Crested Butte strong, after all, that's what convinced him to move here. Alan is a natural story teller, so this episode flows right along and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. PS- it is marked as "explicit", so keep that in mind when you listen to this episode.

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

Sales in April 2020 saw a dip, but it wasn't nearly as drastic as one might think given the COVID-19 outbreak. In Gunnison, there have even been bidding wars for new homes. The best way to stay up to date on Gunnison and Crested Butte real estate? Sign up for my newsletter.

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Eleven Experience

Arvin Ramgoolam was born in Trinidad and Tobago- I was fairly certain that those islands are just off the coast of Venezuela, but it took a Google search to confirm it. From there, he emigrated to Miami and yet somehow, he still found his way to Crested Butte (don't worry, it's a good story that you'll hear).

An opportunity to open a coffee shop with his then-girlfriend (now wife) Danica led to Rumors Coffee and Tea House. Just a couple of years later, another opportunity arrived and they took over the adjoining bookstore space and named it Townie Books. For a bookworm like Arvin who would often read three books a week, owning a bookstore is a perfect career. But it's more than that, and we talk about the community aspects of owning a coffee/ book store.

Finally, Arvin and I talk about the craft of being a writer. He was recently awarded with a fellowship that allows him the freedom to work on his own stories and ideas. I hope you enjoy this episode of the Crested Butte is Home Podcast-

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

Many people are asking me what the local real estate market will do due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The honest answer is that we just don't know yet. Thus far, I have not seen a drop in prices, but we just don't know. The best way to stay up to date on Gunnison and Crested Butte real estate? Sign up for my newsletter.

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Townie Books

Rumors Coffee and Tea House

High Country Conservation Advocates

Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship

Townie Books GoFundMe Page

Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association Executive Director John Norton grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, where he played the "typical" ball sports like football. At Dartmouth College, he met his future wife, an accomplished and avid skier, so he knew he better learn how if he wanted to stick with her. Today, it's one of his favorite things to do, but he's also a jack-of-all-trades, enjoying kayaking, fishing, mountain biking and everything else we enjoy in Crested Butte.

After college, John began climbing the corporate ladder in the marketing department at Proctor and Gamble. He may have stayed on that track if an old college friend hadn't offered him a job at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR), in the marketing department there. 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).

After the Mueller sale, John eventually became the executive director at the local tourism association (TA). The TA has since grown to encompass local entrepreneurial efforts as well. In this episode, we talk about all of this and more, so enjoy this one-

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

Like many other places, Crested Butte and Gunnison are experiencing closures due to the Corona virus. Please consider supporting local businesses by purchasing gift certificates, or donating to local charities. Not sure where to donate? Contact me here.

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Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association

Andy Sovick grew up in the foothills West of Fort Collins, CO. He had dreams of becoming a "mountain man" when he was growing up, but instead attended Fort Lewis college in Durango, where he met his wife. After graduation, he decided to walk back to Fort Collins with skis on his back. His wife was offered a job at the old Crested Butte Academy, which is when he found (and fell in love with) Crested Butte.

He worked on a number of green building projects. The green homes that he's describing are something special- if you've been in one, you know they have a special "feel".

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.

We finished out the interview talking about travelling with his family. Along with his wife and 8 year old son, Andy recently traveled throughout South America for several months. If that's something you've dreamed of doing, you might want to check out some of his tips on travel.

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

Like many other places, Crested Butte and Gunnison are experiencing closures due to the Corona virus. Please consider supporting local businesses by purchasing gift certificates, or donating to local charities. Not sure where to donate? Contact me here.

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Green Building Timelapse Video

workaway.info

Beacon Guidebooks

Kent Viles hails from Muncie, Indiana (amazingly, my second guest from there). He grew up with an ability I've never had- the ability to play musical instruments. Like many of my guests, Kent had a love of skiing and the outdoors despite being far from mountains in the midwest. So when it came time to choose a college, he found Western Colorado University and has been in Gunnison ever since.

Kent has been involved with many aspects of the music industry, as former owner of Wildwood Music, a composer for television and film, as well as wiring houses for music in the early days of whole-house audio. 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, and played by musical titans including Jimmy Buffet and more. In this episode, Kent not only describes the development of the instrument, but also plays a short demonstration! Enjoy!

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

Are you searching for property in Crested Butte? Buyer's agents help guide you through the process in ways that listing agents (that are working for the seller) simply won't. I'd love to help- Contact me here.

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Castle Creek Guitars

Quotes:

In Muncie, there's Ball State University and the fraternities and sororities they'd have [weekend] dance parties, and our band would get booked to play these parties. So I guess I started playing out when I was about 13. We'd stuff all my gear into my mom's car and go by Freddie's house and get his drums and we'd stuff it all into a car. Then we'd tell her come back at nine o'clock and pick us up and she was our roadie.

And so it's a real scramble to put this together when the [film] director finally gets you your piece of film that you're going to score to their [movie] -you know, two months late on their deadlines, the budget is completely spent, and they need it yesterday. So in 2008/2009, you know the whole industry with the recession, the construction industry, was of course lacking. And I found I couldn't really sustain a full on company doing audio visual and control systems, because we really needed new holes in the ground. So over many bottles of wine and discussions, Castle Creek Guitars, at least the conception of it, was born. I was playing a resophonic style guitar, and people think of them as dobros. And it's kind of a blue-grassy toned instrument. Well, I had an idea that I'd really like to add a vibrato to it just to add another voice or another color to the palette of what this instrument was producing. A lot of people think of it as a whammy bar. [The Dobrato] So with one motion, I can do vibrato, and a secondary motion, I can pull my B to C sharp, which is the pedal steel move. So now our instrument, not only does it have a very unique voice because of how I wanted to tone out the resophonic guitar, but it also has a vibrato B-bender. That's really never existed before.

Ian Billick grew up in Kansas, but he was also lucky enough to be exposed to the mountains as well. While pursuing a degree in math and science, he received some great career advice and that led him to a profession that would help him spend time outside. And thanks to that, he found Gothic and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), where he is the executive director.

Ian tells a great story about how RMBL started (you'd never guess the KKK was indirectly 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?" His answer makes complete sense. We also talked about the potential involvement that RMBL may have with the "North Parcel", a large plot of land near the Snodgrass trailhead- how it's developed may shape Crested Butte for decades to come.

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

Mount Crested Butte recently enacted new rules and taxes for short term rentals. Interested in knowing more about them? Contact me here.

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Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory

RMBL on Facebook

Quotes:

...And then all of the miners started swarming in the 1870s, so Gothic incorporated as a mining town in 1879. And it filled up to five or 10,000 people, it was one of the main ways in and out of Aspen. Aspen didn't have a train and so they would send mill trains up over East Maroon Pass.

[John Johnson] remembered all of these old abandoned mining structures, buildings and cabins up in Gothic. And so he moved the Field Station up [there], just taking over the buildings and he got several other scientists to join with him and setting up the field station 1928. So we're sitting on all of this housing, and it's bad for us financially because it's empty for half the year. All these people would love to have housing. So we're like, well, if we need to do more housing, why not do it in Mount Crested Butte, and then we could work with the ski resort or other employers and then they could use that housing in the winter

Yon Iacchio grew up on the East Coast like so many other residents of the Gunnison Valley. After a little bit of time at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Yon stayed and skied and climbed up and down the front range- even putting up a new climbing route in Venezuela.

Recently, Yon and his wife purchased the Tomichi Creek Trading Post in Sargents. Sargents is located on the West side of Monarch Pass. One of the great things about the Gunnison valley is our access to outdoor recreation in three major mountain ranges. Crested Butte is in the Elk Mountains, Lake City is located 45 miles South of Gunnison in the San Juan range, while Sargents and Taylor Park are hubs for adventure in the Sawatch Range. 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. Enjoy this episode and check out the Trading Post the next time you're in the area.

Crested Butte Real Estate Minute:

The Crested Butte real estate market has been busy the first month of 2020. Compared to the same time last year, there are far more properties under contract, and a higher dollar volume as well. Is this a sign of how things will be in 2020? Time will tell... Interested in knowing more about the Crested Butte and Gunnison real estate market?- sign up for my newsletters.

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Tomichi Creek Trading Post

Tomichi Creek Trading Post on Facebook