On any given winter day, the Gunnison Valley is awake and moving long before the sun rises over the peaks. Snowcats are finishing their routes. Buses are picking up riders on their way to work. And people like Hedda Peterson are unlocking the doors at community spaces like the Crested Butte Nordic Center.
This daily rhythm works because of our people. The ones who show up early, stay late, and come back season after season because they love this place and the community around it.
For many of them, housing is the biggest uncertainty they face. In the Gunnison Valley, it boils down to a simple question: Can the people who keep our community running afford to live here?
This is where workforce housing shows up in very real ways. Across all industries and professions, housing stability is the single most important factor that determines whether someone can commit to a job long-term that makes our community the special place we all love.
When housing is unstable, local businesses and organizations experience constant turnover. Teams are stretched thin. Hours get cut. Projects take longer. And over time, the impact is felt well beyond any single business or workplace.
In a recent conversation with CB Nordic, we learned why workforce housing is critical to keeping the skis gliding and the events rolling at the Nordic Center.
A Conversation with Crested Butte Nordic
The Crested Butte Nordic Center adds to its high-level team every winter as its staff grows to meet the season’s demands. Each year, the organization employs more than 75 people who fill a wide range of roles, from coaching and instruction to trail grooming and operations.
As Executive Director, Hedda Peterson shared with us:
Each winter, Crested Butte Nordic grows to more than 75 staff members, many of whom fill multiple critical roles. These are often younger community members juggling several jobs to make life in the Gunnison Valley work. When affordable, long-term housing isn’t available, we lose talented people – not just to our organization, but to the valley as a whole.
This is a challenge we hear across the community. When people cannot find stable housing, organizations like the Nordic Center lose experienced, knowledgeable staff. What’s lost isn’t just staffing, but resources, relationships, and the ability to plan beyond a single season.
Meet Eleanor
Eleanor Skinner is one of the many staff members working hard behind the scenes at Crested Butte Nordic Center. As the Junior Programs Coordinator and Coach, she plays a key role in helping young skiers build skills, confidence, and a connection to the outdoors. Her husband, Kevin, works for Western Colorado University. Together, their work supports two organizations that are deeply connected to daily life in the Gunnison Valley.
For Eleanor and Kevin, the ability to stay in the valley has been a game-changer:
The opportunity to purchase a deed-restricted home in the valley has allowed my husband and me to live, work, and play in a truly unparalleled place. With a consistent and reliable home, we can pursue our careers and passions while remaining part of the community we love.
The Bigger Picture of Workforce Housing
Eleanor’s experience is one example of what’s possible when workforce housing works. When people have access to stable, affordable homes, they can stay in jobs they care about, build relationships, and continue contributing to local organizations we all love.
That is why partnerships with local employers like the Crested Butte Nordic Center matter. Hearing directly from employers and the local workforce helps put real faces behind an otherwise complex and ever-changing housing crisis. It moves the conversation beyond numbers and policies and back to people. Our people.
At the Valley Housing Fund, we believe that taking care of the people who take care of this community is one of the most important investments we can make. That belief guides our work year-after-year: how we fund housing projects, bring partners together, and stay closely connected to the real challenges workers and employers are navigating across the valley.
Because when people can afford to live where they work, we all benefit.
The Valley Housing Fund plays a vital role in helping employers like CB Nordic retain the workforce our community depends on.