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Best Skinny Dipping

Grant-Frontier Park

This hidden corner of Denver has a proud history of being the best place to test the waters. Grant-Frontier Park commemorates the alleged location of Montana City, the first settlement established by pioneers on the South Platte River a year before the city of Denver. The width of the river narrows just north of the park's foot bridge, and the bike path is routed away from the river, leaving a stretch of river bank perfect for reenacting the pioneer peel. In the summer, the slow-moving shallow water is quickly warmed by the hot sun. A trek through the thick undergrowth is a must for the more secluded wallowing spots away from hostile witnesses and bored park police. Also, it's probably best to keep your face out of the river water, as the Englewood city sewage treatment plant is less than a mile upstream. As all skinny-dippers and pioneers know, keeping your head up and your eyes and ears open is the smart way to keep your ass out of hot water.

Best Roller Derby Nickname

Honey Punches of Throats

The Denver Roller Dolls have been skating their fishnet-and-hotpants-clad butts off to raise the profile of roller derby, taking third place in the 2009 Women's Flat Track Derby Association Nationals tournament, moving to the 6,500-seat 1stBank Center for their 2010 home matches, and arguing that their sport should be included in the Olympics. But that doesn't mean they've ditched the crazy costumes and noms du derby, and it doesn't mean you won't see some poor girl get clotheslined in the heat of the moment. Our favorite scary nickname is Honey Punches of Throats, aka Jessica Kolacny, a blocker for the Roller Dolls' Green Barrettes. We'll stay out of her way.

Best Extreme Tubing

Adventure Point at Keystone Mountain

Keystone Facebook page

High above Keystone's River Run, at the top of 11,640-foot Dercum Mountain, is Adventure Point, and it offers one of the most hair-raising, scream-inducing adventures you and your kids (42 inches and taller only) can have while sitting on your butts. Carved into the side of the steep mountain are five icy trenches reminiscent of a bobsled course, but much shorter, wider and straighter. For $29 per person, you get an inner tube and an hour to hit those trenches. Take the hill straight or have the attendant spin you; ride solo or attach yourself to up to three other tubers. Then take the moving walkway (basically an escalator) back to the top and do it again. And again.

Best Snowboard Blog

Shayboarder.com

Shannon Johnson is the self-described "writer, photographer, editor, publisher, guru of sorts, product tester, curvy girl, and most importantly the snowboarder" behind Shayboarder.com, an everywoman's (and -man's) blog about snowboarding, snowboarding and snowboarding. Shay blogs from her home mountain at Steamboat, travels to just about every major snowboarding event in Colorado and runs regular product reviews, interviews and other features that give a refreshingly personal perspective on riding and living the shred life.

Best Chance at Beating Torah Bright in 2014

Clair Bidez

The young rider from Minturn got the most attention this year after she stripped down for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue alongside Hannah Teter, alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, and aerialist Lacy Schnoor. But Clair Bidez also finished in the top ten at the first three events of the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix in 2009 and is proving that she can hang with the likes of snowboarding's elite, including gold-medalist Torah Bright. She'll spend the next four years trying to prove she deserves the attention.

Best Av

Paul Stastny

Hobbled by injury last season, center Paul Stastny has re-emerged as the soul of the Avs in 2010. Sure, his goals are down from his first two seasons in the league. But the former University of Denver standout's leadership and puck distribution — he's sixth in the league, with 53 assists — have kept the Avs in the Western Conference playoff picture, despite an erratic season that's included the departure of 2009 Best of Denver winner Wojtek Wolski. And at just 24, Stastny is in position to be a fixture in Denver for years to come.

Best Coach ? College

George Gwozdecky

In sixteen seasons as head coach of the University of Denver Pioneers hockey team, George Gwozdecky has done what he came to do: continue the team's long legacy of winning. Inheriting a team that already boasted five national titles, Gwozdecky has added two more banners to the Magness Arena rafters since taking over in 1994. The only coach in history to win a title as player, assistant coach and head coach, Gwozdecky was in position to add another to his resumé this season, before his team flamed out at the playoffs. Still, as college coaches go, he's Denver's biggest star.

Best Yoga With a Beat

Yoga Jams

Flo Lambert knows how to get her students moving: In her weekly Power Yoga classes, aspiring yogis sweat and flow through a challenging series of poses, guided by Lambert's gentle prodding. On the fourth Friday of every month, she gets primal, incorporating live drums to stimulate the mind as well as the booty. The drummers take their cues from Alya Sylla, a master djembe player who arrived in Denver from Guinea, West Africa, last December. The monthly Yoga Jams provide a range of unique experience: Where else can you experience world-class drumming while balancing on your head? This is a ritualistic and rowdy way to practice yoga, which also makes it a lot of fun.

Best Return to Nature

Westerly Creek Trail

When Stapleton International Airport was retired, most of its concrete runways were crushed and reused (as an aggregate) in constructing nearby warehouses. But the more incredible runway-return-to-nature vision lies along Westerly Creek Trail, hidden beneath the MLK Boulevard bridge. Here, large concrete chunks were used like stones to line the hike and bike trails and retain the soil of low rolling slopes around the bridge. The concrete slabs look amazingly "natural" — almost like stone rockfalls — in a park that was landscaped with native plants. The beauty of the Westerly Creek Trail makes it a local favorite and proves that if we unbuild it, they will still come.

  • E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Denver, 80238 Map

Best Mountain-Bike Park

SolVista Bike Park

The SolVista Bike Park at Granby Ranch will host USA Cycling's 2010 Mountain Bike National Championships July 15-18, bringing the event back for the second year in a row. Ride up the Quick Draw Express lift and pick your poison: The park now boasts more than a dozen trails with green, blue and double-black diamond ratings, including a beginner-friendly pump track and dual slalom track. The gnarliest offering is Buck Nasty, a steep, expert-only downhill trail opened in 2009 that features gap jumps, rock gardens and other obstacles to put your helmet to the test.

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