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In-person · Crested Butte, COElectrical safety training in Crested Butte, CO
Crested Butte is a former coal town at nearly 9,000 feet whose ski resort is now run by Vail Resorts, and down valley the county seat of Gunnison holds a university, a regional hospital and a record low of 47 below zero. We train the electrical crews who keep Gunnison County's lifts, campuses and utility systems running, at your facility or in an in-person class we set up in Crested Butte when you ask.
Private employers in Colorado are inspected by federal OSHA. Every class is live, on the 2027 edition of NFPA 70E, and taught by a Certified Safety Professional. Colorado electrical safety training requirements →
Among the teams we have trained in the last year
Four ways to train your Crested Butte crew
Crews we train in and around Crested Butte: ski resort operations, higher education, health care, utilities, resort lodging, public employers.
What the class covers for Crested Butte crews
Snowmaking pumps and compressors run hardest on the coldest nights. We cover equipment condition, labeling and safe startup of pump house motor starters and VFDs.
Gunnison has hit 47 below zero. We explain how gloves, layers and cold hands affect voltage testing and why arc-rated clothing must be the outer layer.
Western Colorado University and Gunnison Valley Health depend on generators and transfer equipment. We cover generator testing hazards and planning work around critical loads.
Help can be an hour or more away in the upper Gunnison Valley. We cover job briefings and rescue planning for one and two person crews.
Crested Butte at a glance
Federal OSHA (Englewood Area Office)
Gunnison County Electric Association; City of Gunnison Electric (municipal)
Statewide (Colorado State Electrical Board, DORA)
GUC
Mountain
Colorado: what applies to your crews
Enforcement: federal OSHA
Gunnison County falls under federal OSHA's Englewood Area Office. With no Colorado state plan, Western Colorado University, the City of Gunnison electric department and the Towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte have no OSHA coverage for their electricians.
Licensing: statewide
The State Electrical Board in DORA licenses residential wiremen, journeymen and master electricians for the whole state and registers contractors and apprentices, so valley electricians hold the same license as Front Range crews.
Where NFPA 70E fits
OSHA does not enforce NFPA 70E. Gunnison Valley employers use it to show how they meet OSHA 1910 Subpart S or 1926 Subpart K, and OSHA can use the General Duty Clause when a recognized electrical hazard goes unaddressed.
Crested Butte's electrical work environment
The ski area is the economic engine. Crested Butte Mountain Resort sits in the town of Mt. Crested Butte with a 9,375 foot base, 1,547 skiable acres and 3,055 feet of vertical, and Vail Resorts announced its purchase in June 2018. Its lift fleet includes the 1994 Paradise Express high-speed quad and the Teocalli lift built in 2019, and snowmaking on 282 acres means pump stations, compressors and miles of buried pipe and cable on the mountain.
Crested Butte itself has 1,639 residents and roots in coal and silver mining from the 1860s and 1870s. In 1977 a campaign led by the mayor stopped AMAX from building a molybdenum mine on Mount Emmons, the Red Lady, and the town turned to tourism instead. Free buses run between town and the resort, and the Town's franchise with Gunnison County Electric Association runs into 2027.
Gunnison, the county seat at 7,710 feet, holds most of the valley's institutional work. Western Colorado University enrolled 3,568 students in fall 2024 and opened the 75,000 square foot Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering in 2021, run in partnership with CU Boulder. Gunnison Valley Health, community owned and serving patients since 1938, runs the hospital on North Taylor Street and clinics in Crested Butte. Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport has a 9,400 foot runway and seasonal flights to Dallas, Chicago and Houston.
A Vail-owned ski area and a university town in the Gunnison Valley
Gunnison County's electrical work is split between the resort end of the valley and the institutions in Gunnison. These are the main sites.
| Site | What is there | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Crested Butte Mountain Resort Vail Resorts | 1,547 acres with a 12,162 foot summit and 282 acres of snowmaking. | Operating |
| Teocalli lift Vail Resorts | Skytrac lift built in 2019, 3,791 feet long. | Operating |
| Western Colorado University State of Colorado | 3,568 students in fall 2024 and a 75,000 square foot engineering building opened in 2021. | Operating |
| Gunnison Valley Health Gunnison Valley Health | Community-owned health system with a Gunnison hospital and Crested Butte clinics. | Operating |
| Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport | 9,400 foot runway with seasonal service from American, United Express and JSX. | Operating |
| Alkali substation Gunnison County Electric Association | Substation that gives Crested Butte backup supply if its transmission line goes out. | Operating |
| Blue Mesa and Morrow Point dams U.S. Bureau of Reclamation | Hydro dams west of Gunnison producing more than 500,000 MWh a year. | Operating |
Gunnison County Electric, a city utility and valley hydro
Gunnison County Electric Association, formed in 1938, serves most of Gunnison County plus Hinsdale and part of Saguache counties across about 3,500 square miles, including Crested Butte and the resort. Tri-State Generation and Transmission is its main wholesale supplier and owns the transmission lines in the county, and GCEA's contract runs to 2050 with room to self-supply up to 5 percent of its needs.
The City of Gunnison runs its own electric department and buys power from the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, which it uses toward a 100 percent carbon free goal. The Blue Mesa and Morrow Point dams on the Gunnison River produce more than 500,000 MWh a year, several times the roughly 116,000 MWh GCEA members use.
Who we train in Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley
Lift, snowmaking and facilities electricians at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Facilities and lab staff at Western Colorado University.
Plant and facilities staff at Gunnison Valley Health.
GCEA line and substation crews and City of Gunnison electric staff.
Maintenance teams for lodges and condo buildings in Mt. Crested Butte.
Town, city and county electricians and water plant staff, who are outside OSHA.
Also serving
Questions from Crested Butte employers
Can you train our resort crew before opening day?
We are a university. Do we need this if OSHA does not cover us?
Can a city electric crew and a co-op crew attend the same class?
Will you travel to Crested Butte in winter?
Does finishing the class make someone a qualified electrical worker?
What the people in the room say
“Virtual can never replace hands-on, but the engagement from our instructor and the class made it feel more engaging than some in-person courses I've taken.”
“Probably one of the most useful safety courses I've ever attended. Rick genuinely cares about people and their well-being.”
“This is the 2nd arc flash training course I've taken and the class was amazing. I feel like I'm leaving the training safer than before I took this class.”
Train your Crested Butte crew on the 2027 edition.
Onsite within a few days, or private live virtual as soon as tomorrow. Need it fast? Call (813) 725-0999.