In 1947, a young German immigrant named Klaus Obermeyer founded Sport Obermeyer in Aspen to manu­facture ski gear for the new snow sports industry. This month, he'll celebrate his 90th birthday on Aspen Mountain's peak. Here, he talks with 5280 about skiing's early days, designing clothes, and his love of mountains.

A small-town girl from Montana, Kelly Brough moved to Denver to get her MBA and to live in the big city. She's spent most of her career in public service—most recently as the chief of staff for Mayor John Hickenlooper—but in October she took over as the CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Here, Brough talks to 5280 about giving back, the differences between her jobs, and climbing out of the recession.

The Mile High City is consistently hailed as one of the best places to live in the United States—and who are we to argue? But with an additional 1.5 million people expected to move to the Front Range by 2035, our treasured lifestyle may be at risk. We dug through reams of city-planning documents, talked to dozens of Coloradans, and put together a vision for the future of our city. Now, it's time to make this vision a reality.

From ski tourism to local politics, and from winter road conditions to dicey weather forecasts, we take a broad look at how Colorado deals with the sometimes sloppy issue of snow.

Step one in learning to cook: Master the blade.

Tracking corrections funding in our state.

Native Denverite James Mejia has made public service his life. Today, he helms the Denver Preschool Program, which provides preschool tuition credits to families. Here, Mejia talks to us about family, the growth of Denver, and the importance of early education.

The Rocky Mountain Showdown returns to campus.

Will gay marriage become legal in Colorado?

After 23 years of volunteering for City Park Jazz, Joe Lewis, the longtime coordinator of band selection for the summer Sunday shows, is stepping down after this season. Here, the 53-year-old talks about City Park, bringing people together, and the importance of Denver jazz.