“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle”. Sun Tzu, The Art of War
This year the embrace of the mountains had a warm and fuzzy feel to it as our Crested Butte community celebrated the long fought for protection of the Red Lady (Mt. Emmons).
Seventeen million years ago, just west of Crested Butte, magma flowed through a layer of Mancos Shale, creating a molybdenum (or moly) deposit. When added to steel, moly increases hardness and strength, making it part of the tool kit used to make modern toys, such as airplanes and mountain bikes. In the mid 1970’s, the Amax mining company discovered the deposit, one of the largest in North America, valuing it at $7 billion.
The discovery posed an existential question for our community. Would we hang our future on mineral extraction, or would we sell views and outdoor recreation? It wasn’t a matter of whether we would have something to sell, but what. In the 1870’s, Crested Butte joined the global economic markets, emerging to serve the silver miners pushing out the Utes. With the silver panic of 1893 combined with the voracity of Pueblo’s steel mills, coal became king. But with the Big Mine closing in 1952 and the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad pulling their tracks in 1955, mining teetered.
A different kind of economic future became possible in 1962 when Colorado’s first ski gondola opened on Crested Butte Mountain. But when Amax announced their discovery, either future was possible. It was unlikely we would have both; mining the moly would involve collapsing the Red Lady. Would we embrace the clanging of metals or the presumably peaceful hum of hummingbirds visiting wildflowers?
Understanding the embrace of mountains has been a journey. When I started leading backpacking trips in Colorado’s San Juans, I took mountains for granted. They were largely nameless way points marking individual achievement. But a covering of volcanic ash on the car windshield one morning 20+ years ago opened me to the realization that to live in the embrace of mountains is to subject oneself to larger forces. The distant volcano Reventador had erupted. Unlike a major eruption of Cotopaxi or Chimborazo that would have sent glaciers and magma crashing into Quito, the consequences were less severe. Nevertheless, I internalized that mountains are not just features of landscapes, but community members. To live with mountains is to accept the vagaries of their moods.
Returning to Crested Butte’s future, 50 years ago our community loudly chose outdoor recreation. Vail now owns the ski resort and we are Colorado’s wildflower capital. The Red Lady continues to stand over Crested Butte, a long flat red ridge in summer, wrapped in white in winter.
What does it look like for a community to spend 50 years choosing views over moly? It involved committed people across decades, many wearing red. There has been dancing, media articles, and skiing, riding, and hiking. More lucrative opportunities to mine moly elsewhere helped.
As Mayor of Crested Butte it has been a privilege to participate. I’ve camped with US Senator Michael Bennet and his team, discussing next steps. I’ve hiked with the Secretary of Interior, Deborah Halland, and her secret service, to celebrate withdrawing the minerals from mining. Mainly, I have been along for the ride, one in a procession of community members, each playing their role.
While 2024 was a watershed year for the Red Lady, there is a price to living in the mountain’s embrace. We’ve been so successful at selling views that market housing is beyond the reach of workers. The loss of core community services, from child-care to plumbing, is the next looming crisis as businesses targeting the wealthy flourish. The transition of the ski resort from a family operation to a global corporation led by a transient and distant leadership, with limited capital investment, has diminished skiing’s role in the community. Warming temperatures will bring more change, though our higher elevations and cooler temperatures will attract affluent climate change refugees, making views more expensive.
Next year will bring more time on the trails. But living in the embrace of the mountains means we will be subject to larger climatic and economic forces. Our Town Council will explore zoning and incentives to harness market dynamics as we do our best to maintain our community. We are still learning the price of living in the embrace of the mountains.
To learn more about our community’s efforts, check out this piece with photos by Colorado Public Radio.