When you stay at 11 Emmons Road in Crested Butte, you're 50 feet from Red Lady Express lift—one of the mountain's most versatile lifts with access to terrain for every skill level. This guide walks you through the best runs you can access directly from your door, from gentle groomers to challenging expert terrain.
Red Lady Express: Your Home Base Lift
Lift Specifications:
- Type: High-speed quad chairlift
- Vertical rise: 2,078 feet
- Ride time: ~8 minutes
- Capacity: 2,400 skiers per hour
- Summit elevation: 10,650 feet
Red Lady Express is Crested Butte's workhorse lift. It serves terrain from gentle green runs to double-black expert chutes. Most importantly, it rarely has long lines—even on busy powder days, waits are typically under 5 minutes.
Beginner Terrain: Building Confidence
If you're new to skiing or have family members learning, Red Lady Express provides excellent beginner terrain with convenient access back to 11 Emmons Road.
Houston (Green Circle)
Characteristics:
- Wide, gentle cruiser
- Consistent pitch—no sudden steep sections
- Usually well-groomed
- Low skier traffic (most beginners use lower mountain lifts)
- Length: 1.2 miles
Why it's great from 11 Emmons: Houston runs directly back to the base of Red Lady Express. Beginners can complete laps without navigating complex trail networks. Plus, proximity means nervous learners are always close to "home."
Bushwacker (Green Circle)
Characteristics:
- Slightly narrower than Houston but still beginner-friendly
- Winds through trees (protected from wind on stormy days)
- Teaches basic turning and speed control
- Connects to Houston for return to base
Pro tip: Bushwacker is excellent for late afternoon when beginners are tired. The tree cover provides shade and softer snow, making turns easier.
Intermediate Terrain: Where You'll Spend Most of Your Time
Intermediate skiers will find Red Lady Express serves some of Crested Butte's best blue runs. These are where most skiers spend their days.
Ruby Chief (Blue Square)
Characteristics:
- Wide, confidence-building cruiser
- Morning grooming creates perfect corduroy
- Moderate pitch—challenging enough to improve, easy enough to relax
- 1,500 vertical feet of sustained intermediate skiing
Best time: First chair (9:00-10:00 AM) when the grooming is fresh. By 11:00 AM, it's tracked out but still excellent.
Why guests love it: Ruby Chief offers that classic "big mountain skiing" feel without intimidating difficulty. It's where intermediate skiers find their flow.
Treasury (Blue Square)
Characteristics:
- Slightly steeper than Ruby Chief
- Tests intermediate skills without crossing into advanced territory
- Less traffic than Ruby Chief
- Good mogul practice when left ungroomed
Strategy: Use Treasury to gauge your skills. If you're comfortable here, you're ready to explore upper-intermediate and advanced terrain.
Keystone (Blue Square)
Characteristics:
- Long cruiser with varied terrain
- Upper section: wide and flowy
- Middle section: navigates through glades
- Lower section: connects back to base area
- Total vertical: ~2,000 feet
Advantage: Keystone is one of Crested Butte's longest continuous runs. You get 8-10 minutes of skiing per lap—excellent for building endurance.
All these runs end steps from your door
Advanced Terrain: Stepping Up Your Game
Strong intermediate and advanced skiers will find Red Lady Express provides access to Crested Butte's steeper, more challenging terrain.
Crystal (Black Diamond)
Characteristics:
- Steeper pitch than blue runs (28-32 degrees)
- Usually groomed early season, left to bump up mid-season
- Direct fall line descent
- Tests your technique—no hiding on this run
When to ski it: Early morning when groomed for confidence building, or afternoon after it's bumped up for technical challenge.
North Face Access Routes
From Red Lady Express summit, you can access several routes to Crested Butte's famous North Face:
Recommended routes from Red Lady:
- Traverse to Silver Queen lift: Accesses North Face terrain including Spellbound Bowl and Phoenix terrain
- Hawk terrain: Steep, technical trees and chutes
- Paradise Bowl access: Via short hike from top of Red Lady
Why this matters at 11 Emmons: Advanced skiers can explore challenging terrain all morning, then ski directly home via intermediate runs for lunch. No traversing back to distant parking lots.
Expert Terrain: For Advanced Skiers Only
Red Lady Express provides hiking access to some of Crested Butte's most challenging terrain.
Headwall (Double Black Diamond)
Access: Short 5-10 minute hike from Red Lady summit
Characteristics:
- 35-40 degree sustained pitch
- Exposed face above treeline
- Requires strong advanced skiing skills
- Best on powder days
Local tip: Headwall faces east. Ski it mid-morning (10:00-11:30 AM) when sun has softened snow but hasn't created too much slush.
Phoenix Bowl (Hike-to Terrain)
Access: 15-20 minute hike from Red Lady or Silver Queen
Characteristics:
- Multiple chutes and lines (varying difficulty)
- Above treeline exposure
- Incredible views
- Powder stashes days after storm
- Requires avalanche awareness and proper equipment
Convenience from 11 Emmons: After hiking for 20 minutes and skiing Phoenix, you can return to your rental for lunch and rest before afternoon laps. At distant properties, the morning would be over by the time you get back.
Tree Skiing and Powder Stashes
After powder days, Red Lady terrain offers excellent tree skiing that holds snow longer than open faces.
Recommended Tree Zones
Painter Boy Trees (Intermediate-Advanced):
- Moderate spacing—good for building tree confidence
- Protected from wind
- North-facing holds powder 2-3 days after storm
Ruby Chief Trees (Intermediate):
- Wide-spaced trees perfect for intermediate skiers
- Easy escape routes back to groomed runs
- Fun without intimidation
Hawk/North Face Trees (Expert):
- Tight spacing requires precise turning
- Steep pitch combined with tree navigation
- Holds powder for 4-5 days after storm
Daily Terrain Strategy from 11 Emmons
Here's how to maximize your skiing from Red Lady Express:
Morning Session (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
- First chair: Groomed runs (Ruby Chief, Keystone, Treasury) for fresh corduroy
- 9:30-10:30 AM: Advanced terrain (Crystal, Headwall if snow is good)
- 10:30 AM-12:00 PM: Tree skiing (if powder day) or cruisers (if groomed)
Lunch Break (12:00-12:45 PM)
- Ski directly to 11 Emmons Road (1 minute)
- Quick lunch and rest
- Check conditions, adjust layers
Afternoon Session (12:45-4:00 PM)
- 12:45-2:00 PM: Shaded runs (north-facing terrain, trees) where snow stays good
- 2:00-3:30 PM: Mellow cruisers (Ruby Chief, Houston) as legs tire
- 3:30-4:00 PM: Last laps on favorite runs before lift close
Weather Considerations
Red Lady Express faces generally east/northeast. Here's how weather affects your terrain choices:
Powder Days
- Priority: Advanced terrain and trees (Headwall, Phoenix, tree zones)
- Strategy: Hit expert terrain early, then move to intermediate tree skiing as those get tracked
- Advantage of 11 Emmons: First chair access means first tracks
Warm Spring Days
- Morning: Groomed runs before snow gets slushy
- Midday: North-facing terrain (slower to soften)
- Afternoon: Consider ending early—snow gets heavy
- Advantage of 11 Emmons: Easy to quit at 2:00 PM without shuttle stress
Stormy, Cold Days
- Priority: Tree skiing (protection from wind and visibility)
- Avoid: Above-treeline terrain (low visibility, wind)
- Advantage of 11 Emmons: Pop inside to warm up without losing an hour
Family-Friendly Terrain Planning
If you're skiing with mixed abilities, Red Lady Express is ideal because it serves all levels:
Strategy:
- Everyone rides Red Lady Express together
- Advanced skiers: Head to expert terrain
- Intermediates: Lap Ruby Chief and Treasury
- Beginners: Take Houston or Bushwacker
- Regroup at 11 Emmons for lunch (everyone's close)
Compare this to properties where family members are scattered across different lifts and coordinating lunch means 45 minutes of logistics.
Guest Experiences on Red Lady Terrain
"We spent 90% of our week just riding Red Lady. The terrain variety was incredible—our teenagers could ski expert chutes while our younger kids did green runs, and we all met back at the condo for lunch." — Steve B., March 2025
"First time in Crested Butte. We never ventured beyond Red Lady Express terrain all week and didn't feel like we missed anything. The convenience of being right there was unbeatable." — Amanda K., February 2025
Plan Your Terrain Adventure
Ready to explore Crested Butte's incredible terrain from 11 Emmons Road? You're 50 feet from Red Lady Express—beginner to expert runs are all within seconds of your door.
Book direct and save 15% compared to booking platforms. Contact us at 970-309-0488 or check availability online.