Crested Butte Is Home

What could be better than an episode about beer! Dave Nornes has been brewing for over twenty years, and his talents have taken him to Crested Butte's Irwin Brewing company, which opened in early 2017. We talk about Dave's start as a brewmaster in Colorado Springs, a brewing hiatus in British Columbia, and his return to Crested Butte. We recorded this episode onsite, and the new brewery is a beautiful facility, but more importantly it's brewing some great beer. I'd recommend the stout, among others. We discuss the brewing process, some of Dave's favorite styles, and some of the new brews he's working on. To learn more about the brewery, here's their website:

http://irwinbrewingco.com/

J.C. Leacock is one of the most well-known landscape photographers in Crested Butte. With a career that began in 1988, J.C. built a business and a following by capturing some of the most well-known scenes from Crested Butte. In this episode, we talked a lot about the changes in professional photography thanks to the digital revolution. The barriers to entry may be smaller today, but it's harder to become recognized with so much quality imagery in the marketplace. Moving beyond photography, JC and I discuss another hobby of his- building guitars from scratch. If you have an interest in photography or even guitars, you'll want to give this episode a listen.

You can find J.C. Leacock here: jcleacockphotogallery.com

Steve Banks is an IFMGA mountain guide based right here in Crested Butte, CO. Steve's IFMGA certification means he can (and does!) guide across the globe, and he guides all the different disciplines including ski mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing, and more. Learn more about Steve's childhood growing up in an active outdoors family (indeed, his brother is also a guide) that led him to becoming a guide. Wondering about skiing in Iceland? Japan? Chamonix? What it takes to become a guide? - then listen up, this is one episode you won't want to miss.

You can find Steve here: stevebanksmountainguide.com

Pat Rauch grew up at the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery, between Crested Butte and Gunnison. We discuss what it was like growing up there, and how things have changed over his lifetime. Pat's passion is shed hunting, which is searching for deer and elk antlers for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term. We spend a lot of time discussing that topic, as well as the new rules which limit when you can search for antlers in Colorado. Finally, we discuss ski and bike tuning- Pat has worked as a ski and bike tech for over 25 years at Crested Butte Sports, sometimes called "the home of the combat tune".

Learn more about Pat:

instagram.com/antler_pat

crestedbuttesports.com

Bart Laemmel has a lifetime of experience in the science of building homes and businesses. Years of seeing buildings fail took him to where he is now- a "forensic carpenter" hired to fix buildings that have moisture, energy, and other problems. Bart works with builders throughout the Crested Butte and Gunnison area, consulting them on proper building techniques, in addition to working with homeowners. If your home seems particularly drafty, or you're worried you might have a problem with mold or another health concern, Bart is the person you should give a call. We spend a lot of time in this episode talking about the challenges of building in a mountain environment like Crested Butte. This episode goes a little longer than normal, but only because it was such an interesting interview.

Learn more about Bart Laemmel's business here: b2buildingscience.com

And his blog:

https://crookedarrow28.com/

Danielle Riesz Gutter leads a sweet life- literally. As the owner and head pastry chef at Wildflour Sweets, her days are spent making the most delicious treats you'll ever experience. And her wedding cakes- they are as beautiful as they are delectable. In this podcast episode, Danielle describes her lifelong career as a pastry chef, as she traveled from upstate New York to Jackson Hole, Dallas, and Aspen before finally hitting the sweet spot of Crested Butte. Has a bear ever broken into her car and eaten an important wedding cake? You'll have to listen to find out.

Learn More about Danielle here: http://www.wildfloursweets.com/

Ben Furimsky lives and breathes fly fishing. From his home in Crested Butte, he organizes several fly fishing conventions from coast to coast. He's traveled the world, casting his flies for exotic fish on almost every continent, but he still comes home to his local streams and rivers in the Crested Butte and Gunnison area. In this episode we talk about the ones that got away, why he loves to tie his own flies, his favorite places to fish in the Gunnison Valley, and what it's like to run big conventions from Crested Butte.

Crested Butte Real Estate:

In this episode's real estate minute, I spoke about the Almont area, which is perfect for flyfishing enthusiasts. Sign up for my monthly newsletters to stay up to date on all the events and real estate activity in the Crested Butte area.

Learn more about Ben Furimsky and Flyfishing at the following websites: Flyfishingshow.com

Theanglingbookstore.com

Dave Ochs is the executive director of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA), the "oldest mountain bike club on the planet". His infectious energy and passion for all things mountain biking are a tremendous asset for our community. We talk about CBMBA's plans for this summer, but more importantly their long term goals and involvement with the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative. One unique aspect of CBMBA is their stewardship of our public lands, particularly with the Crested Butte Conservation Corps, which not only works on the trails but also hauls trash and sadly, a whole lot of poop, out of the backcountry.

Crested Butte Real Estate:

In this episode's Crested Butte Real Estate Minute, the topic was "Which Neighborhoods have the best mountain biking right from the front door?". Sign up for my monthly newsletter to stay up to date on Crested Butte events and the local real estate market.

Learn more about Dave Ochs and CBMBA at their website: https://crestedbuttemountainbike.com/

Mike Arbaney is a Crested Butte fixture. Chances are, you've seen him out on the slopes, or out on the trails. At the very least, you've probably been in a home or a hotel that he had a hand in engineering. When he isn't busy at work as a structural engineer, he's probably taking apart an old car, trying to make it work again- or driving it on the streets of Crested Butte now that it's running again. Finally, if you've seen a skiing cookie monster or a box of Franzia wine skiing down the North Face, you've almost certainly met Mike Arbaney, hard at work in the Al Johnson uphill-downhill telemark race.

Crested Butte Real Estate In this episode's Crested Butte real estate minute, I discussed the best times of year to sell Crested Butte properties. Sign up for my monthly newsletters and stay in touch with Crested Butte events, the real estate market, and more.

Learn more about Mike Arbaney here:

Colorado Structural

Neil Beltchenko started mountain biking and quickly realized he had both an aptitude and a passion for bikepacking and long distance mountain bike races, such as the Colorado trail race, the Arizona trail race, the Highland Trail 550 in Scotland, the Iditarod Trail Invitational 350 in Alaska (in winter!) and the granddaddy of them all, the Tour Divide from Banff to Mexico along the Continental Divide.

Learn more about bikepacking, Neil's favorite trails and routes in Crested Butte, and what he loves most about living in Crested Butte.

Crested Butte Real Estate:

In this episodes Crested Butte real estate minute, I discuss recent vacant land sales activity in the Crested Butte area. To stay up to date on Crested Butte events and real estate, please sign up for my monthly newsletters here.

Want to learn more about Neil? Try these links:

http://beltchenko.com/

https://www.bikepackingsummit.com/

http://bikepacker.com/