Anna-Marie Davidson works in the Tasting Room at Montanya as a House Ambassador and Bartender. You might say her arrival here was kismet. Our tasting room was the first establishment she visited during her very first trip to Crested Butte. We’re so glad she enjoyed the cocktails and eventually found her way to CB and our staff!

From the Midwest to the Mountains

I'm originally from Novi, Michigan—one of the suburbs of Detroit. I always had the childhood dream of moving to the mountains one day. In February 2015, I came to Crested Butte for the first time to visit a friend from Michigan that had recently moved here. Montanya was the first establishment I visited. We had an unbelievable round of cocktails before an amazing dinner at the Sunflower, all while it was dumping buckets of snow outside. We had 8+ inches of fresh snow waiting on the mountain for us the next morning. I knew I was hooked.

In October 2016, my now fiancé and I decided to quit our jobs, pack up our vehicles, and drive west. We traveled through the country and landed in Bend, Oregon. I liked it there, but I didn't have the same feeling that Crested Butte gave me—I was searching for a small mountain town with the friendliest community I could find and wanted to continue teaching snowboarding.

On December 3rd, 2016, I packed whatever I could fit in my Honda Element and drove through the night to get to Crested Butte. I had only planned to stay for one season, but I ended up making lifelong friends, loving this community even more than I thought I could, and met my now business partner, McKinley, and co-founded Good Life Girls here. We are working to empower the women and girls in the valley, a mission that is really consistent with the ethos of Montanya Distillers. Let's just say I now have no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Sailing Lake Michigan

When I went to school at Western Michigan University, I joined the sailing team and raced sailboats on small lakes. I ended up making friends and learned how to race a 40-foot Farr with my friends and family, and participated in Wednesday night races on Lake Michigan.

A Sense of Wanderlust

I love love love traveling. My favorite place I've been to so far would have to be Japan. Last winter, I went on a backcountry snowboarding trip with some friends and it was absolutely amazing. I had lived in a refurbished van with my fiancé, Will, and dog Brody all summer just to be able to save up enough money to get the gear and book the trip.

It was a dream I had for a long time and made it come to fruition by having it in the forefront of my mind's eye. We saw Tokyo for a few days, then made our way to Kutchan, Hokkaido on the western peninsula of the Northern island to ride some of the most fun snow I've ever experienced. We ate so much amazing food, soaked in the onsens (local hot springs), and were welcomed by the locals wherever we went (photos below).

I went to Japan in the first place because of a friend that I met working at the Crested Butte Ski and Ride School the first winter I lived here—I like to think that these things are serendipitous, that some of my dreams have come true because of following my heart to be here in Crested Butte.

A Few Other Passions

Snowboarding, mountain biking, creating art, and playing music. The last one is a newfound passion, one that I believe might not have happened had I not come to Crested Butte. I play hand percussion in a Gunnison-based band, Alternative People, and I have so much fun with those guys. Every Thursday when we practice, it's so unbelievably easy to get lost in time and just let loose and be silly. It's one of those things that makes me feel like a kid again.