Long known as one of the friendliest and most charming towns in the Rockies, Crested Butte has a way of making any outdoor activity unsurpassable. More than 100 years of rich history and diverse terrain, ranging from pancake-flat fields to Everest-steep inclines, have afforded this little mountain town a top-notch reputation for skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and any other outdoor sport you can think of.

Crested Butte Mountain Resort, three miles from the town’s historical district, gets as much as 25 feet of snow each year, has the most double-black-diamond runs in Colorado, and boasts some of the best snowboarding terrain in North America. More than $315 million has been invested in on- and off-mountain improvements since 2004.

Skiers will find remodeled base-area buildings, expanded snowmaking and slope-grooming capabilities, and several new lifts that have added terrain and improved the flow of the mountain. But despite all the base area and on-mountain renovations, the town of Crested Butte remains decidedly cowboy, with original Victorian buildings and laid-back saloons just a free shuttle bus ride from the slopeside hotels.

Where: 28 miles from Gunnison, via Colorado 135

What's There: 2,775-foot vertical drop (3,062-foot drop, including hike-to terrain), 121 trails, 1,167 acres, four high-speed quads, two fixed-grip quads, two triple chairs, three double chairs, three surface lifts, two Magic Carpets, and a snowboard park. A new zip-line tour went in during the summer of 2011 and runs throughout the winter.