X Games

Skiing deaths confirm old proverb: Mother Nature can be a real bitch

Three times now, I've received a phone call that I never anticipated I'd get even once in my life. Two times, the call was from a friend who delivered the news; one time it was my mother. Though all three were different voices, each had a similar, haunting pitch and carried the same devastating mess ... More >>

Natalie Egleston skiing death: No charges in collision that took her life on Aspen Mountain

Earlier this month, we told you about the skiing accident that took the life of Natalie Egleston, a Philadelphia-based executive, during a visit to Aspen Mountain. She was struck by another skier, subsequently identified as Virginia Chen, age 53. The district attorney with jurisdiction in Aspen inv ... More >>

Rob Redmond: Learn more about Virginia man who became ski season's fifth official casualty

Update: Rob Redmond died doing something he loved. As we've reported, Redmond died early yesterday morning from injuries sustained while skiing at Breckenridge on Sunday, becoming the fifth official casualty at a Colorado resort this season; see our previous coverage below. Now, we've learned more ... More >>

Active Junky leaves green in the pockets of its members

Active Junky's rapid ascent of the retail mountain has changed the game for consumers and retailers alike. The outdoor gear cash-back aggregator shopping site drives traffic to its retail partners and gives rewards to its members, benefiting everyone on the outdoor gear and lifestyle shopping mou ... More >>

Arthur Glaz, Air Force lieutenant, killed at Keystone; fourth resort death this season

Another tragedy has taken place on the ski slopes of a Colorado resort. Arthur Glaz, a 27-year-old Air Force lieutenant stationed in New Mexico, lost his life at Keystone on Friday. Glaz is officially the fourth person to die at a ski area in the state this season, although there have been other sk ... More >>

Natalie Egleston was standing still before collision that took her life on Aspen Mountain

Update: We've now got more information about the passing of Philadelphia's Natalie Egleston, who died Monday while skiing with friends on Aspen Mountain -- the third official skiing-related death at a Colorado resort this season. Egleston was reportedly standing in place when she was struck by anot ... More >>

Reader: Caleb Moore's tragic death doesn't mean changes need to be made in X-Games

Last week, we wrote about snowmobiler Caleb Moore, the first X-Games competitor to die as a result of a competitive accident in the history of the event. Even before he succumbed to his injuries, some observers were suggesting that perhaps extreme-sports contests like this one are going too far. But ... More >>

Monster truck driver Nicole Johnson talks rock crawling, four wheeling and positive publicity

Nicole Johnson was already a seasoned four-wheeler and champion rock-crawler, so perhaps it wasn't surprising that after a chance meeting with a monster-truck legend -- Dennis Anderson, creator and driver of "Grave Digger" -- the Las Vegas native wound up in the driver's seat of "Scooby Doo," a 10,0 ... More >>

Caleb Moore's X-Games death: ESPN's Tony Kornheiser thinks snowmobile event should end

Yesterday's death of snowmobiler Caleb Moore as the result of a crash at the X-Games in Aspen has led to grief on the part of his family and friends, as well as debate about his sport of choice. Among the most prominent critics of the event: Tony Kornheiser of ESPN, the network that sponsors the X- ... More >>

Caleb Moore dies after X-Games crash in Aspen, first casualty in event's history

Update: Shortly after the publication of a post about the terrible injuries suffered by snowmobiler Caleb Moore at the X-Games in Aspen, we received word that he died earlier this morning. ESPN has already released a statement expressing condolences to the family for what is the first death in the ... More >>

Black Comedy

X Marks the Spot

Get the edge on winter fun with The Edge!

Julian Christianson is top-three finalist in TransWorld Skateboarding video contest

Local skater Julian Christianson -- Westword's Best of Denver 2012 Best Skateboarder pick -- has a knack for turning local contest honors into bigger opportunities. Last year his Hometown Heroes contest win in Denver earned him an invite to skate in the amateur finals at the X Games in Los Angeles, ... More >>

Japanther's Ian Vanek on the DIY scene, 'zines and the authenticity of handmade objects

Japanther (due tomorrow night at Glob) was started by a pair of art school students who wanted a way to create art beyond the confines of a specific medium or traditional methods. The resulting New York duo has been just as involved in the art world and performance art as it has been in writing raw ... More >>

A Great Skate

Gretchen Bleiler's Aspen Magazine cover: X-Games marks the spot

Denver blog posts already miss Tim Tebow. Denver Egotist on photog Tomas Zuccareno's Aspen Magazine shoot with four-time X Games gold medalist Gretchen Bleiler. Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead Broke hips us to free Red Cross training. Colorado Peak Politics: Are Obama minions bribing coll ... More >>

Woodward at Copper hosts $5 skateboarding clinic with skate legend Andy MacDonald

If you still have decent legs under you after hitting the slopes this weekend, stop by the Barn at Woodward at Copper on Sunday at 5 p.m. to get a session in with pro skateboarder Andy MacDonald. The Barn has a pretty sick wooden skate bowl in addition to all the foam pits, trampolines, and SnowFlex ... More >>

BMX star Chad Kagy wins Best Trick Bike at new Winter Teva Mountain Games event

The first annual Winter Teva Mountain Games went down this weekend at Vail, and some of the first video edits are already popping up. Not surprisingly, the flashiest are from the Telemark Big Air & Biking Best Trick contests. Chad Kagy -- a BMX star best known for dominating events like the X Games ... More >>

Sock It To 'Em

X Rated

Barman Joshua Smith jumps ship at Williams & Graham and TAG to open a bar in Aspen

"Treat everyone right, because you never know who's sitting at your bar," says barman Joshua Smith, who currently commands the beverage program at TAG in addition to slinging drinks at Williams & Graham a couple of nights a week. That lesson was hammered home for him a few weeks ago, when he scored ... More >>

Snowmass nabs most-viewed snowboard video of 2011

It's no secret that Colorado ski areas have been embracing social media: Vail Resorts' EpicMix Photo app is the gold standard, and even the tiniest ski areas in the state now have very active Facebook and Twitter feeds. Every "impression" counts, especially when you have skiers and snowboarders shar ... More >>

New Year's Eve 2011 Denver: ten best family-friendly events

​Finding a quality babysitter any time of year can be rough, but on New Year's Eve -- when most babysitters would rather be rocking out with their friends than making sure your rugrats don't choke on dinner -- it's almost impossible. Thankfully, there are plenty of events on December 31 that w ... More >>

New Year's Eve 2011 Denver: ten best mountain celebrations

​What better time to take advantage of this city's proximity to the beautiful Rocky Mountains -- and some of the best skiing in the world -- than New Year's Eve? Keep reading for our list of the ten best ways to celebrate New Year's, mountain-style.

Telluride hosts FIS Snowboardcross World Cup this week

www.TellurideWorldCup.com​Governor John Hickenlooper and others who are eager to put together a Colorado bid for a future Winter Olympics Games must be making a case study out of our state's worldliness this month. Since Thanksgiving, Colorado has hosted the Aspen Winternational FIS Women's Wo ... More >>

The Edge: Westword's winter activities guide helps you sort out the 2011-2012 season

​Welcome to the online version of The Edge 2011-2012, Westword's annual insider's guide to winter activities. This season has already seen plenty of snow, and that's just the beginning, as the 25 resorts profiled below have added new terrain, lifts, features, events and restaurants. To sort it ... More >>

Rocky Mountain Chili Bowl will go from mobile to stationary in Stapleton

In 2001, Matt Robinette sat with his wife, Roberta, brother Jonathan and sister-in-law Cristina in a Tahoe cafe, where they pondered selling Roberta's Pueblo-style green chile in California, an area of the country that wasn't familiar with the stuff. It took nearly a decade -- as well as a move back ... More >>

Denver and Boulder dates announced for The Art of Flight snowboard epic

​Red Bull Media House, Brain Farm Digital Cinema and Quiksilver have announced world tour dates for director Curt Morgan's latest snowboard film extravaganza The Art of Flight after unveiling a high-profile ad campaign promoting the film during X Games 17. The high-definition film (check out t ... More >>

Local BMX legend in coma after Dew Tour accident in vert competition

Jay Eggleston photo by Jared Souney, via AthleteRecoveryFund.org​Denver-based BMX star Jay Eggleston, 37, was rendered unconscious during competition at the Dew Tour's Pantech Open in Ocean City on Saturday, and was sent to a nearby trauma center where a coma was medically induced. The Egglest ... More >>

This weekend in stoke: Top five ways to work out and work it out

​Gimme a Breck! The Babes in the Backcountry babes are leading by-women/for-women mountain bike skills clinics today at 10 a.m. as part of the Breck Bike Week festivities (meet at the Expo village at Blue River Plaza, $35 suggested donation). Afterwards, the International Mountain Bicycling As ... More >>

National Sports Center for the Disabled hosts No Barriers Summit 2011 at Winter Park

The Explorer II Off-Road Handcycle is one of the featured technologies in the Innovation Village at No Barriers Summit 2011Redefine outdated concepts like "wheelchair" and "disability" this weekend at Winter Park​Get ready to give up any excuse you might have for not staying active and living ... More >>

This Weekend in Stoke: Top five ways to pedal, paddle and push into Summer

​Might as well jump! Whitewater athletes at the Lyons Outdoor Games will be making the most of peak flow on the South Saint Vrain River as this year's epic mountain snowpack melts like crazy -- don't miss the Adam Barron Memorial South Saint Vrain Creek Race on Saturday at 10 a.m. and the Kay ... More >>

Today in Stoke: U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships at Crested Butte this week

​Crested Butte Mountain Resort celebrates 20 years of hosting the U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships this week, a truly extreme action sports event that predates the X Games and other extremism in sports lexicography by about four years. The resort bills itself as "the birthplace of Big Mou ... More >>

Today in Stoke: Live your Winter X Games dreams at the Aspen/Snowmass Open

​The park and pipe crew at Buttermilk is a well-oiled machine after a decade of hosting the Winter X Games, making crazy stuff like Torstein Horgmo's triple flip, Kelly Clark's 1080 and Shaun White's tight pants possible, year after year. And the best part? Each year, Buttermilk's left with a ... More >>

Over the weekend: The Winter X Games wrap up at Buttermilk

Sebastian Toutant's decision to skip Denver Big Air pays off in X Games gold​Denver Big Air organizers at the Denver Sports Commission and the LG FIS Snowboard World Cup were right to be upset that top riders like Canadian Sebastian Toutant (aka "Seb Toots") stood them up in favor of getting i ... More >>

EpicMix app takes hold at Vail Resorts, turning skiing into The Social Network

​While seeking some epic pow-pow at Breckenridge recently (read: practicing my "pizza and French fries" on the cruisin' slopes), I noticed a new phenomenon: ski dudes and dudettes whipping out their smart phones to compare stats on Vail Resorts' new EpicMix social-media app, which tracks guest ... More >>

X Marks the Spot

Last Night: American snowboarders get trounced at Denver Big Air

Photo courtesy US Ski & Snowboard AssociationZach Stone (Canada), Rocco van Straten (Netherlands), and Michael Macho (Austria) on the podium at Denver Big Air​More than 14,000 snowboarding fans turned out for the LG FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air competition on the Denver Big Air ramp in Civi ... More >>

Wes Selby: Colorado's X-Games underdog

Wes Selby.​At this weekend's X-Games in Aspen, all of Wes Selby's competitors will be paid to race in the Snowmobile Snocross. Selby, however, is essentially paying to compete. Raised in Granby where he still lives, Selby is the only privateer racing in the Snocross Sunday.

SIA Tradeshow and Denver BigAir: Things to do in Denver if you're not a pro or a badgeholder

Britt Chester​ By now you've seen the monstrosity that's been constructed at Civic Center Park. Turns out it wasn't a mini-skyscraper skyscraper after all. It's a ramp, as you can see here in the photo taken just a bit ago from the top of structure by our always intrepid scribe and resident d ... More >>

Today In Stoke: Top 5 must-see films at The Summit Action Sports Film Fest in Breckenridge

​Yet another reason to head for the hills this week: The new Summit Action Sports Film Festival in Breckenridge opens tonight at 5 p.m. at Brooklyn's Tavern, 500 South Main Street, with screenings of the People Crew's Cheers and five other ski and snowboard films. The festival continues tomorr ... More >>

Today in Stoke: Metro Denver Sports Commission rethinks prices on Denver Big Air tickets

​Earlier this month we joined Boardistan and others in bitching about the pre-sale prices for the Denver Big Air contests coming to Civic Center Park January 25-26. This week, the Metro Denver Sports Commission announced new lower prices: Tickets for the Nature Valley Challenge Big Air Freesty ... More >>

The Edge: Westword's Winter Activity Guide 2010-2011

Do the Dew

Snowboarder Steve Fisher hits a double cork in the road on his way to the Olympics

X Marks the Spot

Watch the games or have some fun of your own in Aspen

Hip Hip Ouray

Get Vertical

King of the Mountains

Telluride's snow-sport competition and music lineup are the best of the bunch.