Crested Butte Touts New Avalanche Control Systems Ahead of 65th Season

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Crested Butte, Colorado, has some "extreme" news, just in time for its 65th anniversary season: the ski resort is installing a new remote avalanche control system (RACS) over the next few weeks. The project will "help improve safety and efficiency in getting some of our most coveted expert terrain open," according to the resort. 

Crested Butte is building the RACS in two areas of the mountain.

Parts of those areas (shaded in red by a map Crested Butte shared) "will be temporarily closed to ensure the safety of both our guests and the teams working on this project," Crested Butte said in a social media post . The closures are subject to change and may include additional areas of the mountain. Crested Butte plans to provide updates on social media. 

"We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work behind the scenes to make big things happen," the resort wrote, adding, "we're proud to celebrate our past while investing in our future. Here's to an incredible season of skiing and riding in the Extremes ahead!"

RACS are increasingly common tools for ski areas and transportation departments in North America. As their name implies, they can be operated from afar, allowing resorts to trigger and mitigate avalanches without exposing patrollers to the avalanche start zone to place or detonate hand charges or relying on military artillery. Examples of RACS include Wyssen Towers, O'Bellx, and Gazex.

"Despite different designs, all RACS effectively address the need to perform avalanche control activities without endangering workers," reads a passage from the Avalanche Journal .

Another Colorado ski area, Arapahoe Basin, recently shared preliminary plans to install an estimated 17 Wyssen Towers in the Montezuma Bowl and East Wall areas.

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This story was originally published by Powder on Aug 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Powder as a Preferred Source by clicking here.