Sports & Recreation

In an age of unprecedented narcissism among Americans, the slickest fitness companies are able to slim down your love handles and your bank account. Planet Fitness breaks the mold. The nationwide company's ongoing special is a $10-a-month membership with a $1 start-up fee. That's $121 a year for unlimited access to the gym, with absolutely no contract. How do they do it? Well, their amenities are admittedly thin — there's no pool or basketball court. What they do offer is a line of top-notch weights, treadmills, ellipticals and the like. It isn't a 24-hour joint, either, but this deal is good for your fiscal health. Plus, if the big, expensive, meathead gyms scare you, you'll appreciate the "judgment-free zone" of Planet Fitness.

While many people would associate water or Gatorade with exercise, those people would be wrong, and the Irish Snug knows it. Every Thursday at 6:15 and 6:30 p.m., waves of runners head out from the pub, following a 5K route around Capitol Hill before returning at a sprint, walk or crawl. Why are they running? Because there is a free spaghetti dinner waiting for them. Oh, and lots of carbohydrate-rich $3 pints of beer.

Golf is big in Colorado, but it's hard to play in the winter. And sometimes, well, an air-conditioned bar full of beer and burgers beats the checkered pants off the green. In that case, Swingers' sports lounge makes for a good compromise. The upscale joint has state-of-the-art golf simulators that allow virtual duffers to play eighteen holes in under an hour — on one of more than fifty championship golf courses. Thirty bucks gets you an hour of play ($7.50 each if you've got a foursome). Call ahead to reserve a tee time.

Chatfield's off-leash area was originally intended for people who wanted to train hunting dogs in an outdoor environment. In fact, last year there was some question as to whether the dog-training space would remain open at all: Hunters and horseback riders had complained that the number of off-leash dogs was interfering with their use of the park. But right now there are no plans to close the dog-training area to any of its users, which means that you and your pooch can still enjoy acres and acres of open space, wooded coves, two lakes more than big enough to swim in and a creek running through the entire park. There are paved pathways as well as dirt trails weaving in and around the area, restrooms, bag stations for cleanup (you might want to bring some extras) and all the space that Rover needs for roaming.

Just fifty miles west and south of Denver, the Lost Creek Wilderness Area is the perfect place to get away from it all, including running water, but close enough that you don't have to go 48 hours without a shower. You can find any number of suitable campsites on the roadside, and even more just a short hike from your car. After pitching tents, hikers can take to the Colorado Trail, the Ben Tyler Trail and others; anglers can throw a line in the myriad beaver ponds dotting the creek; and loafers can drink cold beer in the sun, if they managed to pack a sixer — preferably in somebody else's pack.

Monday through Friday is the best time to head to the hills, for two reasons: Nobody's on the mountain and nobody's on I-70. The folks at Loveland Ski Area know this, which is why they offer a mid-week pass for $249 (or less, if you buy early or are a returning customer). Consider, too, that five-sevenths of the snow falls during the work week and that Loveland sometimes stays open until June. Of course, work can't be your priority if you're a mid-week skier or boarder. But maybe it shouldn't be.

Welcome to the "sidecountry": A single lift takes you part of the way to Silverton Mountain's seemingly endless powder stash, but you'll be hoofing it in guided groups to get to the goods from there. Avalanche gear is mandatory and available to rent, and you'll want to break out your big boards. There are snowcat and heli-ski options available, but we recommend you do as the locals do: Use the Storm split board from Silverton's Venture Snowboards — designed with Silverton Mountain in mind.

The Broncos' defense was shockingly unsucky in 2009, and much of that was attributable to the abandon with which Elvis Dumervil rushed opposing quarterbacks. His seventeen sacks led the league — by far — and his constant pursuit created a sense of havoc that allowed the Broncos to finish seventh in the league in defense, and in the top half of all teams in forced fumbles and interceptions. Dumervil was awarded with a Pro Bowl spot and a hefty $3.2 million contract for 2010. Worth every penny.

Somewhere in our collective dreams, there is a time when handing out this award will require some beer-fueled debate. Not this year. While the Rox will surely compete for a playoff spot, the Nuggets are the leading contender to overthrow the Lakers in the West, and they've hinted at an ability to do so by beating L.A. twice already this season. They have all the pieces: The star (Carmelo), the gritty veteran leader (Chauncey), the crazy person (J.R.), the other crazy person (Kenyon), and the reformed-crazy-person-turned-role-player (Birdman). If their coach can get healthy and not screw things up, they're locks for the conference finals — and could go even further.

Born from road rash, grease stains and beer, the Cycle Jerks are a group of bike messengers and enthusiasts whose website mission statement reads: "We write a blog. We throw events. We make videos (sometimes)." And the events — group rides that typically leave from bars — are a cycling subculture sight to behold.

It's a rainy day, the kids are antsy, and you're desperate for some R&R. Why not head to the Apex Center, centerpiece of the Apex Park and Recreation District that's essentially a rec center on steroids? Aside from its two NHL-caliber ice rinks, natural rock-climbing wall and three full-sized gymnasiums, the joint features a 23,000-square-foot mother of all indoor wet zones: activity and lap pools, a multi-level water playground, gold-miner-themed water slides, a lazy river and a variety of hot tubs, some of which are designed for families. Call it Colorado's Club Med.

Designed by Tim Payne and built by Team Pain Skate Parks — the folks behind the killer concrete in Aspen, Silverthorne, Breckenridge and Salida — Roxborough features a great street course and two of the best bowls in the state, complete with pool coping, stairs, death boxes and a "Roman"-style deep end. It's nestled near Roxborough State Park, so you and the local wildlife will have the place pretty much to yourself. On second thought, forget you read this: We like it nice and quiet, just the way it is.

With its relatively steep trails — and prices to match — Devil's Thumb isn't the place to go for your first time on cross-country skis. Set against the hills of Roosevelt National Forest between Fraser and Tabernash, however, it's a breathtakingly beautiful site. The ranch's 100 kilometers of groomed trails offer more than you could possibly get bored with in terms of difficulty and distance, and there are plenty of extras available, from a professional (ski) wax to maintenance and lessons.

A thumb and some skis or a snowboard will still reliably get you a ride up Loveland or Berthoud Pass most days, but for longer journeys starting from the metropolitan area or anywhere else in Colorado, try the virtual hitchhiker's rideshare board at SkiCarpool.org, a non-profit operation with the motto "Make friends, not traffic." Offer to drive or pitch in for gas and you'll have some brand-new riding buddies within minutes. The site also features a Colorado Ski Country USA snow report, links to the dreaded CDOT updates, and information on winter driving and fuel economy. Way to ride!

Snowboarding moves pretty fast, and this year's double-cork craze kept Colorado pipe jocks JJ Thomas, Zack Black, Steve Fisher and Matt Ladley out of Olympic contention. All four will be working out over the trampolines, foam pits and air bags at Woodward at Copper to play catchup, and the indoor/outdoor action sports camp is your best bet for learning some new tricks, too. Start with the mandatory One Hit Wonder training session, then check out the Winter Day Camp and Summer Camp options, where you'll go from indoor training to on-snow sessions in Copper's terrain parks.

As Troy Tulowitzki went in 2009, so went the Rockies. And in the end, both went to the playoffs. Tulo started the season slow — he hit .200 in April and .240 in May — but he came to life around the time the Rox also caught fire. By September, he had re-established himself as the team's offensive leader, finishing the season with a team-leading 32 home runs. Combined with his youth (he's 25) and a smooth glove (he finished second in the majors in fielding percentage), he edges out Todd Helton as the top Rockie.

A bona fide powerhouse, the University of Denver Pioneers' success has the utilitarian benefit of being damn entertaining, and for ticket prices that don't require special financing. The country's No. 1 team at the end of the regular season, the Pioneers entered the playoffs poised — expected, really — to reach their fifteenth Frozen Four and compete for their eighth national championship. They then promptly lost their opening playoff game. Still, if Magness Arena isn't part of your winter-entertainment agenda, make it so next season.

Find your center. Now, come to mountain pose. Slowly stretch into warrior pose and hold. Return to mountain pose and take a sip of your beer. Yoga isn't for everyone, but the Bristol Brewing Company in Colorado Springs is closing that gap by offering guy-friendly classes geared toward beginners — and beer drinkers. Attendees get the class, water, and post-workout pint in the Bristol Tasting Room. Namaste.

Hot Sulphur Springs Resort & Spa is like a hot springs buffet. The place boasts 21 mineral pools, some indoors and some out, whose temperatures range from 95 degrees (for the timid) to 112 degrees (for the bold...and boiled). The all-natural water is chock-full of stuff like sodium, sulfate and magnesium, which sound like ingredients for a chemistry experiment but are supposed to be good for your skin. And while the pools smell like sulfur, the odor isn't overwhelming or unpleasant. For $17.50 a day, it doesn't get much more relaxing than this.

Every skate shop in the country has a team of local skaters repping it, but the 303 pros have done more to shape the Denver skate scene than any other crew. Team riders Angel Ramirez and David Reyes have been getting coverage in the national skate mags lately, and 303Boards.com is updated a few times a week with new footage from the shop's 303, CLFX and Street Trash team riders. Watch for It's Always Sunny in Colorado, the new 303 video directed by Bucky O'Connell, due out this summer.

If you've ever had a hankering to strap a couple of rackets on your boots and take off across the snow like Jesus walking on water, Copper Mountain's Redfeather Snowshoe Tours offers a chance to try the egalitarian winter sport, with quality equipment and a guide — for free. Led by Copper Resort Ambassadors, the tours give you a slower view of snowed-in mountain meadows and forests than the one that speeds by when you're schussing down the slopes. Choose one of two tours offered daily — a more rigorous three-hour morning hike for adults or a two-hour, family-friendly romp in the afternoon — and get a real taste of the winter landscape.

You should never wipe your nose on your mitten. Not only will you have snot on your mitten, but you'll scratch the living hell out of your soft nasal tissue. Vail's Monica Martin took this to heart when she came up with the Snot Spot — a fleece-and-Velcro partial covering that fits over gloves and mittens so you can blow your nose on the go. Made in Denver, the first Snot Spots hit retail in 2005. Today there are four styles: two for skiers and snowboarders, one for runners and one for bicyclists. Made of ultra-absorbent Malden Mills' microfleece, a Snot Spot sucks the mucus in below the surface so it doesn't show. But you should still wash it — often.

Four years is a long time in snowboarding, but we'll put our long odds on Matt Ladley for the next Olympics. The young rider from Steamboat Springs is inexperienced and inconsistent and a little bit insane — he was one of the first to huck a double cork in the pipe after Shaun White showed it was possible — and with a little bit of work, he just might be in Sochi, Russia, in 2014 for the XXII Winter Olympic Games.

It'd be amusing to choose someone else here. It'd also be wrong. Carmelo Anthony not only is a lock for Best Nugget, he's among the best in the league, and he's emerged as the NBA's best pure scorer. His offensive arsenal — jump shot, penetration, post-game and the like — is the most versatile in the league, and he long ago deserved to strip the title of Mr. Big Shot from teammate Chauncey Billups.

Considering the timing of things, it's hard not to show love to Rockies skipper Jim Tracy. With the team mired in a face-stabbingly frustrating start to 2009, Tracy was elevated from bench coach to manager at the end of last May, and the team immediately set off on a tear that didn't end until the playoffs. A model of mediocrity over his career — he's 636-614 in eight seasons as a manager — Tracy's laid-back demeanor clicked perfectly with the understated Rox roster. Here's hoping he has the same effect this season, all season.

Even poor college students need to keep their chakras in balance, but the costs of all those mats, water bottles and punch cards put yoga out of reach for many. Fortunately, the good people of the Auraria Health Center offer yoga every day but Sunday. Whether you choose kundalini, hatha or any of the many types available, you will stretch, you will sweat — but you will not pay a dime. Non-Down Doggers can choose from an astonishing range of free movement classes at Auraria, from African dance to meditation to belly dancing. We'll om to that.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The town of Winter Park throws the weirdest, most wonderful birthday party each January for Mary Jane, the gnarlier half of the resort. And while there is a nudge-nudge, wink-wink element to MJ, the Mary Jane Birthday Bash doesn't come off half-baked. In fact, it's remarkable in its ability to appeal to freaks and families more or less equally. Packed into three days are a parade, free music and food aplenty, ski lessons, snow golf, a snow-sculpture contest, a Mary Jane look-alike contest — last year's winner snagged a season lift ticket and $250 — and, of course, birthday cake.

Adam Schmidt's snowboard group on Meetup.com is fast approaching 1,500 members, a critical mass that has helped the Boulder Snowboarding Group organize competitions (this year they threw down at Loveland, Vail and Echo Mountain), host demo days with big-name sponsors, take over local bars with party-night "meetups," and wrangle group deals on avalanche safety classes, lodging, lift tickets, and transportation to resorts across Colorado and around the country. The best BSG events are the most informal: Backcountry kicker sessions, moonlight rides on Loveland Pass and "Wax Your Junk" tutorials at local shops help keep the ragtag crew together.

The Denver Curling Club's rookie league welcomed 280 new recruits in the weeks after Canada swept the men's curling competition at the Olympics. First established in 1965, the DCC now has three games a week on Thursday and Saturday nights at the Ice Ranch in Littleton and offers learn-to-curl classes that are almost always full. The game is harder than it looks, but an intro session and a few seasons of shoving stones around in league play should shape up your sweeping game in time for the trip to Sochi in 2014. We're coming for you, Canada.

It's hard to find much to praise about a Mammoth team that's racked up the worst record in the National Lacrosse League and still hasn't managed a win on their Pepsi Center home field. But wiry forward Jamie Shewchuk has been a ray of light in the Mammoth's dark season, both as a scorer and a distributor. His sixteen goals are a team high, and he's added nineteen assists to lead the team in points — so at least there's one lacrosse-related reason to show up at the Pepsi Center this year. Shewchuk and beer: What else do you need?

When we gave this award to Mark Warkentien last year, the Nuggets GM had just pulled off a magical trade for Chauncey Billups, ridding the team of the tumorous Allen Iverson and positioning it to make a run for the conference finals. Since then? He's orchestrated a Draft Day steal for Ty Lawson, acquired back-court depth in the form of Arron Afflalo, and kept the Nuggets in a position to repeat — or even exceed — last year's run. He is, Melo aside, the team's most valuable asset.

The Denver Aquarium is loads of fun, what with sunken temples, re-created flash floods and piranha tanks, but it's also pricey. Between parking fees, multiple gift shops and added activity charges on top of already steep admission costs, a visit there can waterlog your credit card. Luckily, there's Sharkey Fun Zone, a nearly hidden indoor play area at the back of the complex (accessible via a door near the restaurant entrance) packed with giant-sized whales, sharks, octopi and other sea creatures that your kids can romp on for as long as they'd like — for free!

BMX Supercross made its debut as an Olympic medal sport in Beijing in 2008, with American Mike Day grabbing gold and Donny Robinson and Jill Kintner each bringing home bronze medals. All three trained on the ABA-sanctioned track at Pikes Peak BMX, which boasts a replica of the Beijing Olympic track. To start training for London 2012 — or to watch the thrills and spills from the stands — check out the weekly races featuring everything from first-timer's races for kids to serious amateur and pro showdowns.

Okay, so it's not exactly a "lift," per se, but the gnarliest new way up a hill this year is Telluride's stairway to heaven in the Gold Hill Chutes on Palmyra Peak. It consists of a pair of steel staircases and a bridge flown in by helicopter that now link Gold Hill Chutes #8 and #9. After a twenty- to thirty-minute hike from the Revelation lift, Gold Hill Chute #9 starts out with a steep, narrow drop-in, then opens up into the Palmyra Basin bowls below. This is in-bounds skiing? Only in Telluride.

Named by TransWorld Snowboarding as one of the top ten sites nationwide, the three different terrain parks at Snowmass — Scooper, Little Makaha and Snowmass Park — cater to shredders of every stripe. There's a 22-foot Olympic-sized pipe in the mix, along with some of the biggest rails, boxes and jump sets in the state. And the best part? You can watch the yard sale unfold from the comfort of your lift chair on the Coney Glade.

Colorado had its chance to host the Winter Olympic Games back in 1976, but after winning the bid, voters — egged on by then-governor Dick Lamm — rejected the award. Every four years since then, Coloradans have debated the economic and environmental impact of making another attempt. The talk is now on for a try at the 2022 Games, but that's four years too soon. Why? 2026 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the last try and give the state sixteen years to get a high-speed train running between Denver and the mountains. Plus, somewhere there's a Colorado kid being born who will grow up to win the gold in snowboarding that year.

A Carmelo-like no-brainer here: Conor Casey's 2009 season not only cemented him as the anchor of the Rapids, but he emerged as an MVP candidate, setting a club record with sixteen goals and coming one score shy of the league's goals title. The hometown fave — he graduated from South High — earned himself an all-star berth and a place on the U.S. national team, for which he netted two goals in a World Cup qualifier against Honduras. There's a Golden Boot award in Casey's future; let's just hope it happens here.

Those are hard words to read, considering that Clint Hurdle managed to lead the Rockies to their first World Series appearance. But last spring, with the Rockies limping out of the gates, it was time for a change, and GM Dan O'Dowd pulled the trigger, ousting Hurdle in favor of bench coach Jim Tracy. Whatever Hurdle was selling, the players weren't buying — and the change of salesman helped the Rockies shock-and-awe their way back into the playoffs.

Public golf must be measured by value, and few courses in the metro area combine the value, character and playing conditions of Saddle Rock. Built in 1997, the course — tucked into the southeast corner of Aurora — features 7,351 yards of well-manicured rolling plains, with large elevation changes and swaths of ravine making it a challenge from every tee box. It's riddled with memorable holes, including the short-but-sweet second, the enormous par-five sixth, the water-guarded ninth...and that's just the front side. The back is just as fun, and with greens fees peaking at $36, playing all eighteen is a steal at any time, on any day.

The Forney Museum of Transportation is an often-overlooked Denver attraction, featuring one of the world's largest locomotives, early electric-car prototypes and other eccentric vehicles. What makes it even cooler? The kitsch-tastic Denver Wax Museum, closed to the public in 1981, lives on inside the Forney like some sort of creepy alien symbiote. The Forney purchased the wax museum's figures when it shut down and has installed them among its exhibits. A bug-eyed Amelia Earhart sits in the actual "Gold Bug" Kissel Speedster she made famous, and Mark Twain and Huck Finn snuggle up in a corner. All that's missing is General George Custer cruising by in a Rolls-Royce.

Thunder Valley Motocross Park is not merely the best place to rev your engines around Denver; the 130-acre facility is among the best in the world, which is why it was picked to host the Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations in September, only the third time the 64-year-old event has ever been held in the United States. Thunder Valley will also host several major events this year, making for the best motocross spectating in the state. And the track is open year-round to local riders Wednesday through Sunday. Start on the kids' track, work up to the intermediate option, then head to the big show to start chasing those trophy dreams.

In December, Purgatory expanded its expert terrain offerings by 30 percent with the opening of 125 acres of steep new tree-skiing runs known as the Legends and serviced by the Legends lift. McCormack's Maze and Hoody's — named for Durango's senior VP of mountain operations Mike McCormack and VP of base area operations Jim "Hoody" Hards — represent the first phase of the first expansion at Purgatory in more than twenty years. To clear the new terrain, the resort used an environmentally friendly "lop-and-scatter" method, following U.S. Forest Service guidelines to cut only standing dead timber, hazard timber and non-merchantable timber less than six inches in diameter, and leaving the cut trees on the forest floor to eliminate the need for heavy machinery and enhance wildlife habitat. Translation? It's tight in there. Watch out for that tree!

To push progression in the sport and keep pace with pioneering riders like Shaun White, the International Olympic Committee super-sized its snowboard halfpipe specs in time for the winter games last February, ditching the eighteen-foot transitions of yesteryear for a longer, steeper pipe with 22-foot walls. Copper beat every other resort in the Northern Hemisphere to get its early-season superpipe open in time for the first event of the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix (White won it), then maintained it all season. To truly appreciate the magnitude of White's double-cork 1260 — he's calling it "The Tomahawk" — try dropping in on Main Vein to get your blood pumping. It's big. Real big.

Shannon Sharpe was the greatest tight end who ever played when he retired in 2003 —  yet he still hasn't made the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a curse that has excluded at least half a dozen worthy Denver Broncos. But we think that wait will come to an end in 2011, when Sharpe, who became the first tight end to catch for more than 10,000 yards and retired with more touchdowns (62) than any other player at that position, will be enshrined two years after becoming eligible. Why? That's how long the loquacious No. 84 spent playing for the Ravens before returning to the Mile High City.

How do you take the measure of a mascot? Is it the ability to pump up the crowd when the game's going badly? Is it athleticism, creativity or community involvement? Is it cuddliness, orneriness or just plain silliness? Or is it the ability to kick the snot out of the other mascots during the annual UCA Mascot National Championships (including that darned Big Jay from the University of Kansas)? It's all of those things, which is why Chip, the University of Colorado's costumed buffalo, has won that contest two years running and earned his place among the animal elite.

It's easy to make a miniature golf course kitschy for the kids. The challenge with Aqua Golf, part of the City of Denver's Overland Golf Course complex, was making it amusing for families but also interesting for golfers who want to work on their putting after hitting balls at the driving range. So when the city dumped $2.8 million into the site, they made sure the two eighteen-hole mini-golf courses bridged the divide between tike- and Tiger-friendly, opting for sand traps and water hazards over windmills and ball-eating clowns but also including plenty of fun little tricks to keep the little people guessing. The result is the city's best mini-golf course — kid-tested, father-approved.

The bluff has a long and storied history as a gawker's paradise. Twenty years ago, Havana Way was the street where Denver teenagers parked to get stoned and make out while watching airplanes take off and land on the east-west runways of Stapleton International Airport. Today, the Bluff Lake Nature Center, located on the same road, is a place for families to go for an evening of marshmallow-roasting over a campfire while watching wildlife cavort before an uninterrupted panoramic view of the Front Range. The summertime schedule of fireside chats features a wide range of speakers covering everything from folk stories to frogs. From your campfire seat at sunset, see why this spot has been the ideal setting to watch the comings and goings of (wild)life in Denver.

Sure, it's popular, but it's popular for a reason. With its eponymous four passes (West Maroon, Frigid Air, Trail Rider, and Buckskin) totaling roughly 10,000 feet of elevation gain over 28 miles in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, the Four Pass Loop requires three days, including one grueling stretch that covers two passes. The workout pays off, however, in the form of superlative views dominated by red rock, green leaves, and blue sky, not to mention the crystalline alpine lakes teeming with trout.

Available for $289 pre-season, the Monarch Mountain Pass gives you unlimited access to Monarch, plus three free days each at Loveland, Sunlight Mountain, Durango and Powderhorn, one free day at Silverton and three free days each at Angel Fire, Pajarito and Sipapu in New Mexico. This nifty deal also nets you half-price lift tickets at Alta in Utah and free lift tickets at Grand Targhee in Wyoming if you pay for lodging. The cash value of the first seven freebies? Over $1,000 in 2009-10 lift-ticket prices. Oh, and you avoid I-70 for most of the season. Can you put a price on that?

Looking for a sick stick made within an ecologically sustainable shipping distance of your favorite resort? Look no further than Never Summer's Heritage Series boards, made in a north Denver warehouse. This year's model featured a woolly mammoth repping the Colorado state banner; next year's boards will have a bald eagle flying the flag. Now that the snowboard industry has mostly farmed out production to China, these boards hit happily close to home.

The Broncos back in the Super Bowl? It's not happening anytime soon, and here's why: Josh McDaniels. He's demonstrated that he knows the game, but his XXL ego will keep tripping him up, as he proved when he ran defensive coordinator Mike Nolan out of town, and when he convinced himself that he could reverse Brady Quinn's horribleness. He'll go on to be a fine coach, but it will happen after he flames out in Denver and is replaced by someone whose bravado won't dent the floorboards. Then, and only then, will the Broncos be back in the Super Bowl.

Love him or hate him, there's no denying that Scott Hastings knows Colorado sports. The former Denver Nuggets player has been a very visible part — he stands 6' 10" and is very recognizable — of the sports broadcasting scene here for more than fifteen years. He's also very busy, providing TV color commentary for Nuggets broadcasts and co-hosting a daily radio sports talk show on 104.3/The Fan. And although he can sometimes act clownish on the air, his aw-shucks demeanor and stumbling style of speaking is infused with a winking sense of humor, mostly insightful analysis, and honest, often brutally accurate assessments of local players and teams.