12:58 pm, Mar 8, 2013
Most places have funerals and proper burials for their deceased, but Nederland's Frozen Dead Guy Days celebrates a more untraditional method of preserving one's body. Bredo Morstoel, the “Frozen Dead Guy”, was an outdoorsman who spent his life in the freezing hills near Oslo, Norway. When he died in 1989, he was packed in dry ice and...
MORE
3:00 pm, Mar 6, 2013
It's not often that you reach the top of a climb amid one of Colorado's spectacular national parks, stare out upon a beautiful vista, and hear the cha-ching of money. In fact, for many, roaming the Centennial State's exquisite parks is a form of escapism—a way to forget about such things as dollars and cents. And yet, in addition to...
MORE
10:02 am, Mar 4, 2013
If you’ve ever stayed at the Sonnenalp in Vail, then we can safely assume two things about you: You have exquisite taste, and you’re over 55 years old. This Bavarian-themed hotel and spa is a gem in so many ways. From the minute you walk though its doors, the service-oriented staff makes you feel fantastic. It’s family-run, which gives it a warmer...
MORE
11:32 am, Mar 1, 2013
In the back room of Shredder Kids Play & Ski Gym, 10-year-old Felix Hardy bounces on a trampoline with a foam snowboard strapped to his feet. The prop doesn’t look or feel anything like an actual board, but that’s not the point. “Felix is learning air sense awareness,” says his instructor, Palmer Hoyt, head coach of the University of Colorado...
MORE
10:14 am, Mar 1, 2013
Whether you’re hiking in the mountains or strolling through Cherry Creek Park, it's always nice to have a field guide handy to identify wildlife. Each spring, the Rocky Mountains funnel migrating birds right by Denver, and a field guide can help you identify those chirping chickadees and dusky warblers. But what if you’re aiming for a light pack,...
MORE
3:23 pm, Feb 27, 2013
Colorado quiz: Do you know what ski joring is?Answer: The winter sport entails using an animal (or, in some cases, a snowmobile) to pull a skier down a snow-packed road using tow ropes (think: water skiing on snow). Ski joring is usually done with dogs, but in Leadville this weekend, skiers will be pulled by powerful horses. The...
MORE
1:45 pm, Feb 27, 2013
There are plenty of good reasons to pop open a bottle of champagne—to ring in a new year, toast at a wedding, or celebrate making it through a tough work week. Here's another reason to add to the list: helping out in your community. The St. Regis Aspen Resort’s Remède Spa is breaking out the bubbly during select weekends this winter to offer spa...
MORE
10:05 am, Feb 26, 2013
Why we love it: Perfectly groomed trails and a restaurant with beer to warm me up after a workout.When to go: Now. There’s not a lot of snowpack, so the skiing is storm-to-storm. *** One of the things I appreciate about Nordic skiing is that it lacks the “fuss” of downhill skiing. Après ski parties aren't big. Owning the latest fashion isn’t...
MORE
11:00 am, Feb 25, 2013
Beer companies come up with plenty of fun, branded giveaways, but this is the first thing I’d covet beyond St. Patrick’s Day: New K2 skis and snowboards feature a Coors graphic that’s cold-activated. Yes, you read that correctly.Just like cans of Coors, which use thermochromic ink to make the label’s mountains turn blue in cold temperatures, these...
MORE
10:42 am, Feb 21, 2013
Snow surrounds the dock at West Meadows Reservoir in Littleton, Colorado.
MORE
1:35 pm, Feb 20, 2013
In 2011, 5280 covered photographer and writer Peter McBride’s aerial journey down the length of the Colorado River with his breathtaking photo essay captured in flight. More recently, Zak Podmore, Will Stauffer-Norris, and other colleagues from Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project followed in McBride’s footsteps—or rather, flight plan—...
MORE
10:23 am, Feb 19, 2013
Why we love it: The trails are impeccably groomed and never crowded. When to go: Anytime there is snow and a bluebird sky.***Colorado is chock-full of gorgeous vistas, but one of my all-time favorites is the view of the Yampa Valley after you’ve crossed Rabbit Ears Pass on U.S. 40 on your way to Steamboat Springs. At dusk, during the winter,...
MORE
2:42 pm, Feb 18, 2013
Why we love it: You'll be able to say you raced a car—on ice.When to go: Catch the end of this season (until March 3) or make plans for next season (check out this calendar for specific race dates). *** I wasn't sure what was more outrageous: the purple sequin bra or the inch-and-a-half-long bolts, sharpened to a point, piercing through...
MORE
11:51 am, Feb 15, 2013
Pathetic snow totals across the state have left snowpack in Colorado’s mountains far below normal levels, the Natural Resources Conservation Service reported this month. Overall, the state’s snowpack is barely 70 percent of normal—and 90 percent of last year—which could significantly affect stream runoff and prolong drought conditions across...
MORE
11:50 am, Feb 12, 2013
Why we love it: What’s not to love about a healing mineral soak—sans any trace of sulfur smell that pervades other hot springs—after a weekend of powder skiing, hut-tripping, and snowshoeing in the San Juan Mountains backcountry? When to go: We recommend a snowy winter day when the surrounding mountains are freshly coated in white and the steam...
MORE
