[1] An operating permit enabling the resort to be built was approved by the United States Forest Service the following year.

In 1963, Crested Butte constructed a top-to-bottom gondola from the base area to near where the bottom of the High Lift is today.

Constructed by Carlevaro-Savio, the three-person Silver Queen Gondola was notorious for being cramped and the cabins were known to have frequent collisions.

In 1973, a bubble double replaced the old gondola and provided main access out of the base area for the next twenty years.

In 1979, Riblet constructed the Teocalli double chairlift on the north side of the mountain, providing access to some intermediate trails, and double chairlifts were also built servicing the Paradise Bowl, which opened intermediate trails to the east of Twister as well as the East River area below that.

In 1982, Poma constructed a triple chairlift running out of the base area to replace the double chair Keystone lift, servicing beginner and low intermediate trails on the lower slopes of the mountain.

Called the High Lift, the new T-Bar provided access to the Headwall chutes above Paradise Bowl, and also opened additional expert terrain on the upper part of the mountain.

[6] In 2019, the Teocalli lift was replaced with a fixed grip quad constructed by Skytrac, and realigned to end nearer to the top of the Red Lady Express.

The sole method of access to most of the mountain's terrain is via one of two high speed quads at the north end of the base area.

The Silver Queen Express also provides access to advanced intermediate terrain, as well as a number of black runs such as International.

From the top of Silver Queen, skiers and riders can also take a catwalk to Paradise Bowl or access a number of south-facing chutes on this part of the mountain, including Forest and Peel.

Above the top of the Silver Queen Express is the Headwall, an area of double-black diamond chutes above Paradise Bowl.

These double-black chutes are relatively remote, as they require using three lifts for roundtrip skiing (East River, Paradise, and North Face).

Painter Boy provides access into this area from Red Lady and the rest of the mountain, and services beginner and low-intermediate trails.

The lift access mountain bike trails further enhance Crested Butte as a summer riding destination.