Sports & Recreation

The Broncos were the second-worst team in the NFL in 2011 and ended up firing coach Josh McDaniels before the season was over. And then they hired John Fox, former coach of the only team that did worse. So it may be a while, folks. Luckily, so many people turned away from their TVs last year (especially during the October 24 59-14 loss to the hated Raiders) and toward more, uh, fulfilling pursuits that there will probably be a Denver baby boom in July (nine months from that date). With any luck, one of those Broncos babies will grow up to be the team's next Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Maybe it's the altitude. Maybe it's the outdoor life. Whatever it is, Colorado has some of the loveliest cheerleaders in the country, and they can all be found at Rocky Mountain Spirit, a blog billing itself as "home to the news of all the exciting professional cheer and dance teams in the state of Colorado." News? Yes. But also pics and video — lots of video! But, hey, don't be creepy. These ladies know their stuff when it comes to dancing, whether it's the squads from the Broncos, the Nuggets, the Outlaws or the Eagles, and you can bet your pompoms they've got all the right moves.

Since the Colorado Avalanche, once the toast of the town, has made a precipitous slide from playoff contention to Western Conference bottom-feeders, we have to look for potential for the future, and Matt Duchene, the twenty-year-old former third overall pick, still represents that. The young forward made the All-Star team this year — and he also pulls off the entertaining "bang-bang" celebration with Paul Stastny when they do score goals.

Bored with your biking routine? The folks who run B-cycle have a challenge for you — and it will make you a rock star. The rules are simple: Visit all fifty stations in one day, taking half an hour or less between each one, and return to the station where you started. Does it sound tough, wimp? Well, at least 142 people have done it so far, and their names are all listed on B-cycle's website. It's not a race, it's a challenge, but make sure to e-mail [email protected] first to let them know you're coming. Otherwise you won't get your free T-shirt and poster, and your name won't be engraved on the Internet.

If you've driven...no, scratch that. If you've walked or biked through Park Hill anytime in the past five years, you've probably come across them: small, colorful bike racks in the shapes of carrots, cherries, bananas, grapes, peppers and, yes, bicycles. Beginning in 2005, a coalition that included Kaiser Permanente's LiveWell Colorado program, the City of Denver and various Park Hill residents and organizations teamed up to form Park Hill Thriving Communities for the purpose of improving the eating and living habits of the 30,000 people in the area. One of their projects was the purchase and installation of the custom-made "Fruit Hoops." There are currently in excess of forty of them, including a few that will be installed at City of Axum Park this year. And although the grant money for PHTC will dry up this year, businesses and organizations can order racks on their own from the Bike Depot at 29th Avenue and Fairfax Street (another creation of PHTC). They cost $515 each, but 25 percent of the proceeds goes back to the Bike Depot, a non-profit community bike shop and service center. That's a lot of Fruit Hoop juice.

Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd was the best player for the only part of the team that performed well in 2010: the passing game. His 77 receptions, 1,448 yards and eleven touchdowns earned him a spot in the Pro Bowl and rejuvenated his career. Here's hoping that B-Lloyd returns to form in 2011, so that Broncos fans have something to cheer for.

When Tim Miles arrived in Fort Collins three years ago to coach the men's basketball team, seven of the nine eligible players transferred or quit. The Rams went 0-16 in conference play in Miles's first season. With the help of senior forwards Travis Franklin and Andy Ogide, the Rams finished the regular season with a record of 19-11 and were in contention for an NCAA tournament bid for much of the season. And Miles helped bring the fans back: Moby Arena's average attendance of 4,960 represents a 50 percent increase over the 3,334 average of Miles's first three seasons. That's nothing but net.

He beat cancer for the second time. He resisted the urge to blast Carmelo Anthony for demanding a trade and being a season-long distraction. He signed a new contract and he's kept the Nuggets in playoff position despite the Melodrama and integrated the new players into the team to the tune of a 5-1 start post-Melo. This season was ripe for implosion, but Karl deserves some credit for keeping that from happening.

There's not a lot of equivocation when it comes to backup Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. Most fans either love him or hate him. But no one — and we mean no one — loves the former Florida Gator more than the Tebros, a pair of Southern-fried fanboys who worship the ground that Tebow walks on and hosted a weekly Internet show (available on Facebook and YouTube) last year on everything Tim. Of course, the 'bros, Preston and Randall, are actually actors based in Florida. And although they suffer when Tebow doesn't take the field, they also elicit a lot of laughs.

Picking the cutest animal babies is kind of like choosing the prettiest children; there's something vaguely Toddlers & Tiaras about the whole thing, and it makes us worry that we're damaging the self-esteem of all the other, uglier baby animals. That said, the four Amur tiger cubs born at the zoo last June are by far the most adorable, fluffy, blue-eyed mammals this town has seen in quite some time. Way cuter than the four Komodo dragons hatched in October, who we're sure will grow up to have great personalities.

For those interested in trekking the nearly 500 miles of the Colorado Trail, the Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook will significantly decrease your chances of getting lost and having to fight bears for food. The trail itself crosses eight mountain ranges, seven national forests, six wilderness areas and five river systems, and the book helps trekkers navigate each part. This year, the Colorado Mountain Club will publish the eighth edition of the book — and the first full revision in five years. Broken into 28 sections, it will include general information, trailhead access directions, suggestions for supplies and accommodations, maps and GPS coordinates. Happy trails.

What's the point of living in Colorado if you don't take advantage of wide-open spaces and mountain views every once in a while? This fenced five-acre park has separate real estate for shy and small dogs, and there are benches for two-legged visitors to recline while the dogs romp. You'll need to bring your own water and poop baggies — but the community feel of this park is a definite asset. As a special-use park on City of Arvada land, the West Arvada Dog Park is operated by volunteers, and upgrades are funded by donation, so slip a buck or two into the donation box and help a pup out.

Set in a valley filled with elk and bordered by Rocky Mountain National Park, the Estes Park Golf Course will inspire you to hit that ball harder and farther. And with the altitude, it will almost make golf a sport as well. The eighteen-hole course and driving range are only open from April to October and include a pro shop, a restaurant and a gift shop. It's not Pebble Beach, and you'll be happy about that.

Last season, Breckenridge incurred the wrath of the snowboarding community, including the likes of Shaun White, when it built a meager seventeen-foot halfpipe — so 2008 — in the first Olympic year with the new 22-foot competition standard. Picky protesting pro snowboarders, including White and a handful of Olympic hopefuls, boycotted the Breckenridge stop of the Winter Dew Tour to focus on more serious training and events like the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. This year the resort made amends, and how: The 22-foot superpipe, which debuted in December, in time to host the Nike 6.0 Open, was the most carefully crafted competition pipe on the pro circuit, and stayed that way all season as a centerpiece of the Freeride Terrain Park on Peak 8.

Boys may be cool, but the girls certainly don't drool at Regis Jesuit High, a private Catholic school in Aurora that separates the two. Led by fifteen-year-old sophomore Missy Franklin — who currently holds the U.S. record in the 200-meter backstroke and is expected to compete for a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team — the gals ended Cherry Creek High's six-year swimming championship streak in 2011. The women's basketball team, meanwhile, was runner-up in the state championship. As for the gentlemen, they took state in golf, tennis and basketball (for the third year in a row, something last accomplished by Manual in '48, '49 and '50). The dudes were also runners-up in hockey, lacrosse and football. Raiders rule.

The worst part of heading up I-70 for a day of skiing or snowboarding? Heading up I-70. SkiBus Colorado helps ease that pain by providing rides to Keystone and Breckenridge. Not only does it eliminate the pain in the ass that is driving — especially in bad weather — but it has the potential to remove a fleet of cars that would have been on the road if every bus rider drove themselves. Departing from Breeze Ski Rentals and Colorado Ski & Golf locations, the bus offers a round-trip ride (and peace of mind) to Keystone and Breck for just $26; it also has package deals that include tickets. Save gas — and your sanity — by riding the SkiBus.

Deep down inside, everyone has a soft spot for a fast car. And now you can have one for an hour or two, without all the responsibility: At Speed Raceway, you can step into the driver's seat of an Italian-made electric go-kart and make like Mario on a shiny European quarter-mile track. Walk in, book a party, take a lesson from a pro or join a league — they're all options at this eco-friendly attraction. Go, Speed Racer, go!

Lions and tigers and bears? More like bison and rams and falcons, oh, my. Yes, there is a menagerie of real animals on the sidelines of college and pro sports games in Colorado, but one of these animals stood — well, soared — above the rest last year. In December, just before the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Air Force was taking on Georgia Tech, the team's falcon mascot left the building on a wing and a prayer rather than returning to its handler. The bird is a free spirit — a quality we can all admire. The raptor was later found via a tracking device, and Air Force won the game.

If you just looked at the standings, the Mammoth would be the worst team in the National Lacrosse League. But we're not too concerned with conventional statistics. You know what we like? Penalty minutes. And defenseman Mac Allen leads the league in that category. The Mammoth will need a serious rally to salvage this season, but at least we know Allen won't go down without a fight.

Rocky, the mountain-lion mascot for the Denver Nuggets, drains backwards, half-court shots (sometimes on stilts) and crushes trampoline dunks. He once pinched then-Celtic Kendrick Perkins's ass and took several left hooks from Charles Barkley. He hits on ladies in the crowd and roughhouses with kids. Mostly, he's generally not annoying (at least to fans), which seems to be the job description of almost every other mascot.

Most driving ranges are essentially the same: long, green fairways where you can forget about the more nuanced parts of the game and smash some drives. That's great — but Aqua Golf allows you to crush balls into a lake, which is even better. Where most ranges have actual golf courses attached, Aqua Golf has mini-golf, so don't go if you're crazy serious about your game. But if you'd like a change of scenery from pretty much every driving range you've ever been to, get thee to Aqua Golf.

Winter Park expanded its Trestle Bike Park in 2010 with eight new runs and new features all over the mountain, adding both a "Green World" novice area and insane new terrain worthy of pro events like Crankworx Colorado. For starters, try the Trestle 101 progressive lesson and guide program. If you haven't upgraded your helmet and other body armor (or your health insurance coverage) recently, the Trestle Bike Park is the perfect excuse: Prepare to eat dirt.

The Forest Service isn't fond of smoke shacks, those hideaways constructed of wood, cardboard, tree limbs and what-have-you that lurk just beyond many ski runs in this state. But while the Forest Service isn't fond of them, skiers and boarders sure are, and for every smoke shack that comes down, another one goes up. The best is located in Topher's Trees, a patch of woods on the Mary Jane side of Winter Park that also has some of the best tree skiing in Colorado. The area is named after Christopher "Topher" Sendroy, who died in a tree well here back in 1995, when he was 26; he's commemorated by his old Head skis on that tree and a bronze memorial plaque on a nearby catwalk. But tokers give thanks to Topher as the namesake of the best smoke shack in Colorado. A new makeshift hut replaced the old makeshift hut this season, but the spirit remains the same.

While the D-Nuggs dumping Melo is beginning to look a lot better than it was supposed to, the best move for our money came from a team that isn't exactly known for making fan-happy decisions. Over the winter, the Colorado Rockies extended the contracts of its two heaviest hitters since the Blake Street Bombers, and not just by a little bit: Troy Tulowitzski got an additional $134 million, making him a Rockie until 2020, while Carlos Gonzalez reaped a seven-year, $80 million deal. Neither move can be overemphasized. A tip of a CR-emblazoned cap to GM Dan O'Dowd.

The drawn-out drama leading up to the February trade of Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks had several downsides. Among them: the loss of Lala Vazquez, Anthony's wife and one of Denver's only VH1 reality-TV stars, and the even more heartbreaking loss of Chauncey Billups, who was ripped away in the deal. But the upsides include Knick-turned-Nugget Wilson Chandler, a young 6'8" forward with "Unstoppable" tattooed across his upper back and the game to match. Chandler started his time in Denver with a bang, scoring sixteen points in his first game to help beat the Celtics, and he's continued to provide a spark, a sense of humor and a lot of points off the bench and in a starting role. If he can sustain that kind of basket-filling, Nuggets fans will soon forget all about that flashy golden boy whose name rhymes with "Jell-O."

Colorado has some of the gnarliest skateparks in the world, giant concrete behemoths packed with everything a skateboarder could ask for. So why do those stubborn street urchins still slide and grind on every little ledge in the city? Aurora's new pocket-sized park, designed and built by the skatepark experts at Grindline (a Seattle-based company better known for building bigger, burlier bowls) officially opened in February and probably won't do much to keep kids off the streets, but its handful of small ledges, manual pads and a simple banked feature are already attracting skaters from all over the metro area — proof that bigger isn't necessarily better.

The new Black Mountain Express at Arapahoe Basin represents the end of an era for the 65-year-old no-frills ski area, where the old A-frame lodge and parking-lot beach parties are still just as skiers have always loved them. In this case, it's a change for the best: The high-speed quad replaces the circa 1978 Exhibition lift and cuts the old fixed-grip triple chair's trip time to the top in half. But the truly hard-core among A-Basin fans don't need no stinkin' lift: The Full-Moon Snowshoe Dinner series at Black Mountain Lodge (elevation: 11, 500') with chef Christopher Rybak sold out months in advance for the entire season.

Nothing compares to the 22,000 acres of new ski terrain open at Silverton Mountain this season, where the lone chairlift is now supplemented with a whirlybird, thanks to a new operating agreement. Heli drops start at $159 per run (less with a $399 season pass) or $999 for a full day (six runs), making this the most affordable heli-skiing operation in the United States, and get you as high as 13,514', with vertical drops in the 3,100' range; Silverton uses proceeds from the heli-skiing to subsidize its use of the helicopter for avalanche control. And the ski area gets as much as 600 inches of new snow annually, which should keep your rotors spinning.

It's a tough time to be a Denver Nugget. Carmelo Anthony, possibly the best player in franchise history, and hometown hero Chauncey Billups were recently traded to New York for good but not great players, cash and draft picks. We wish the 6'11" center would rebound and block shots at a higher rate, but Nenê is a presence, and he's resilient. He leads the league in field-goal percentage and is generally efficient. He's a team player — and that's exactly what the Nuggets need right now.

The Denver Outlaws missed out on their chance to play in the Major League Lacrosse championship game this year by losing to Long Island. But the team earned its number-two seed in large part because of Brendan Mundorf's prolific scoring. The attacker led the Outlaws in scoring with 38 points and ranked fourth in the league in that category. That effort actually represented a slightly down year compared to his previous four seasons, so Outlaws fans can hope for a bounce-back year for Mundorf and the team in 2011.

Jim Dillard's Vintage Motos Museum is a labor of love in every sense of the word: Jim loves motorcycles, especially the vintage European numbers, and he loves to labor over them, restoring them to their gleaming prime. This collection of nearly 200 retro machines is on view only on Saturdays, but if you love motorcycles, you won't want to miss it, or Dillard's stories. He says each bike has one, if you have the time: Bring a camera and big ears.

Aside from a Lamborghini or a Rolls-Royce, few motorized vehicles elicit as many oohs and aahs as the Zamboni, and for good reason: Zambonis are awesome. Kids love to watch them, and parents want to drive them. At the Ice Ranch Zam Camp, they can. The Littleton venue offers periodic Zamboni-driving lessons, along with a course on the history, safety and operation of these magical pieces of ice-resurfacing equipment. The classes, which run $100 and are for adults eighteen years and older, pair four to six students with two instructors, and they fill up fast. Don't get frozen out.

Dreaming of those rumpus-room days, long past, in which you would spend hours navigating Link through Hyrule, your trusty Nintendo controller in hand and visions of 8-bit glory dancing in your head? Now you can relive those halcyon times at the Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys, which features not just a stunning collection of dolls and dollhouses spanning centuries and continents, but also less exotic toys — like the original, beloved Nintendo Entertainment System, in full working order, plus a bevy of games. So pop on in and get ready for some nostalgic button-mashing — but, as any Nintendo disciple will tell you, don't forget to blow into the game cartridge first. For some reason, that seems to make all the difference.

With its creaking old floors, smoothed wooden fixtures and green lamps, the pool room on the second floor the Wynkoop Brewing Company forces you to stand at attention and show respect for another time and place in Denver history. And the beer's not bad, either. The pool hall includes twenty-plus billiards tables, shuffleboard and darts, and it features a bar back that was once part of the Tivoli Brewery. But it's the tables that matter — tables where you can usually find Denver's resident pro, Melissa "The Viper" Little, who practices there, gives lessons and generally holds court on her status as one of the best players in the nation. Even better, you can play free during the day Mondays through Thursdays — which is good for the pockets and even better for your pocketbook.

Fido doesn't care if it's vertically sleeting cats and, er, dogs. Fido wants to go for a walk. What to do? Comfy K9 opens its 22,000-square-foot doggy daycare and kennel facility to the public every weekend for community frolicking and fun. Admission is free, although a donation of $5 is suggested to benefit the National Mill Dog Rescue. Up-to-date vaccinations are required, and owners must supervise their pets. Visit from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays or 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Fido will love you for it.

As the Colorado Rapids made their run to capture the 2010 MLS crown, Pablo Mastroeni was the steadying, veteran force at the midfield position. He earned his third team MVP award and, at 34, tied his career high for games played at 29. He also played every minute of every playoff game, scored the game winner vs. Columbus in the semi-finals and became the franchise leader in career games played, games started and minutes last year. Sounds like he accomplished some goals.

Despite its record, the Colorado Mammoth regularly boasts the best attendance of any team in the National Lacrosse League. Could be the cheap ticket prices, and it could be the popularity of lacrosse in Colorado. Or it could be the team's dance squad, the Wild Bunch, and the fact that some of these lovely ladies spend every game steaming in a hot tub just off the field with a few lucky fans. Of all the gimmicks you'll find at a Mammoth game (and there are plenty), it's hard to beat the unabashed hormone-baiting of this one.

Conceived and funded in a time when Denver did not stare at cavernous debt, the freshly opened Stapleton rec center is as shiny and opulent as the brownstones across the street from it. By far the largest center in the system, Central Park offers a kid-friendly pool replete with lazy river and water slide; a tech-laden cardio room overlooking the park; a spacious, thorough weight room; and a slew of comparable trappings. Among them are a daycare center, a lounge area, a giant LED chandelier and a bench that knows where you're sitting and displays speech bubbles above your head.

CarGo took off in the second half of the 2010 season and made a run at the triple crown. He settled for a batting title, leading the league in hits, a third-place finish in NL MVP voting and the Players Choice Award for best player in the league. He did this while playing through a wrist injury that stole his power over the final month of the season. Then, in the off-season, Gonzales capped it all off by signing a seven-year, $80 million extension before he hit free-agency. While his yearly salary will escalate over the life of the contract, the Rox will pay $1 million and $5 million, respectively, over the next two seasons for what appears to be a top-five player in the league.

These women are officially the most badass skaters in the land. In November, the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls beat reigning champs the Oly Rollers of Washington to win the roller-derby world championship and bring the trophy — a silver skate mounted on an artful piece of twisted metal — to the Mile High City. This year, they'll fight to keep it here when the 2011 world championship is hosted in Colorado. But winning isn't all they do; the Rollergirls also give back. In the past year, they helped start a junior derby league, the Rocky Mountain Rollerpunks, and shepherded a resolution through the state legislature, recognizing how the sport of roller derby empowers women.

MVP honors went to jammer Portia "Frida Beater" Hensley when the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls skated their way to the world championship. Beater beat her way past the Oly Rollers for a total of 51 points in the bout, including the last-second score that sealed the deal in a nail-biting finish. But the five-year roller derby vet gets high marks for her nickname, too, a twisted take on a children's classic that should keep other skaters on their toes.

Gabrielle Begeman isn't as Fonda Payne as she is of dishing it out, and the 2011 co-captain of the 2011 Mile High Club — the Roller Dolls' premier team — is also its top skater. In fact, Denver native Begeman, a jammer since 2008, was voted most valuable league member, most valuable skater and MVP of her team last year. Wanna feel the Payne? Head to 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, where the Dolls roll.

As if the Rocky Mountain Super Pass (Copper Mountain, Winter Park, six days at Steamboat Springs) weren't already one of the best season-pass deals in the U.S., Copper Mountain upped the ante this season with its $99 Snow Day Pass. For less than the price of a lift ticket at some other nearby resorts, Snow Day pass-holders got unlimited access to the mountain on any day Copper reported at least four inches of new snow. That turned out to be at least thirty days this year — one of the snowiest seasons on record — in case you were wondering why some of your colleagues have been taking so many "sick" days lately.

Ski towns are great for grownups, less so for the wee ones. Unless you're a baby version of Bode Miller, there's not a whole lot that's designed for the kindergarten set. One exception is the Mountain Top Children's Museum in Breckenridge. The colorful indoor play area just off the main drag packs a lot of fun into cozy quarters, from a mini-planetarium and kid-sized rescue helicopter to a dress-up stage. As is often the case in Breck, admission is a bit steep, but, hey, it's still cheaper than a lift ticket.

Oh, the Melodrama, how it pained our souls. Our local sportswriters had every angle of the Carmelo Anthony trade covered, but it took a major media voice from out of state to big-up Denver on the national stage. (Sorry, Woody.) Amid overt suggestions that our town isn't good enough or big enough or exciting enough, ESPN.com's Bill Simmons represented, calling Denver "quite possibly" the most laid-back American city. "I have been to Colorado multiple times, twice for book signings; it's an extremely pleasant, unassuming, upbeat place," he wrote on January 13. "After I ripped Anthony in November for holding Denver fans hostage, I was stunned by how many e-mailed me; not to pile on to the rant or add additional thoughts, more to thank me for sticking up for them. The recurring theme? 'I'm glad someone outside of Denver noticed.'" We are, too.

Baseball announcers are second to none when it comes to obnoxious homerism and "I played the game back when it meant something" rambling. So the fact that Drew Goodman avoids these two habits puts him in an elite class. Add in clean play-by-play, useful information and appropriate pace, and Goodman is the town's best sports voice. He usually masters the ability to match the excitement of a moment without over-blowing it, and his greatest gift might be managing to make analyst and former relief pitcher George Frazier sound useful from time to time. Oh, and the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association has named Goodman Colorado Sportscaster of the Year seven times. Goodman can play ball.

Prickly Pete's is the kind of place you can fall in love with after putting just one foot inside the door. It's a rock-solid sports bar with eighteen fifty-inch plasma TVs, substantial platters of wings, nachos and pulled pork, and frequent beer specials. But Pete's separates itself from other joints with its large patio, where, thanks to three fairly sizable TVs dangling above the doors, you don't have to worry about missing any of the action going on inside. And since most folks hanging out at Pete's are from the surrounding neighborhoods and impart the space with a laid-back, welcoming vibe, you won't find the amped-up craziness of downtown spots.

This season's story could have been one of tragedy, but instead, it's that of a near miracle. During an October 30 game, University of Denver Pioneers center Jesse Martin was hit while in the corner and suffered three fractures in the C2 vertebra near his brain stem. He was lucky his spinal cord wasn't severed, and through hard work, he's made great strides in his recovery. Martin is even entertaining thoughts of playing hockey again. Meanwhile, the Pioneers ranked in the top fifteen in the country in both scoring offense and defense, and finished the regular season ranked sixth nationwide.

No mid-season coach firing, no season-consuming trade rumors and no season-deteriorating losing streak. And, oh, yeah, a championship. Possibly a greater accomplishment than winning the MLS title was making Denver care about soccer. After the Rapids beat FC Dallas in overtime to earn their first championship, former governor Bill Ritter declared November 23 "Colorado Rapids Day."

It's an art installation. And it's a game. How the two crash together in the Seattle sensation that came to Denver for a six-weekend run is hard to explain. But this we do know: The mechanized mini-golf with air cannons, saw blades, ball drillers and a well-stocked bar is a blast. And cheating is allowed. We hope it comes back again. In the meantime, go ahead: Imagine yourself as Mad Max at the Putt-Putt.

Keystone's A-51 Terrain Park made top-ten lists in TransWorld Snowboarding, Skiing and Freeskier magazines this season, thanks to visionary park designer Jason George. The park has a dedicated lift — best seats in the house for the thrills and spills unfolding below — and features five different zones for everyone from li'l shredders to resident pros like Jossi Wells and Andreas Wiig. There are three jump lines (Incubator, Park Lane and Main Street) and more than 100 rails, boxes and other features scattered throughout the park. And when the season's over, George and his A-51 park crew are just getting started, catering to film crews and pro riders shooting next season's ski porn.

It's a play on words: Not only does Big Game show almost every sporting event under the sun on its slew of gigantic TVs (the thirty-foot HDTV screen might pop your pupils), but it also serves game (as in the meat). In fact, the LoDo spot's menu has included everything from bison to mussels to sushi — not exactly your average sports bar fare — as well as microbrews that stand above the typical Bud and PBR. And if your team is getting blown out, there's always the ping-pong table in the back of the huge space or the Wii, PlayStation and other video-game systems up front to distract you. We've heard that Big Game may be changing its format, but we hope they stay in the game.

Skiing is expensive. Really, really, really expensive. But the fifteen-year-old Fifth Grade Passport Program offered by Colorado Ski Country helps take some of the sting out of it for parents — at least for a year. The program gives three free days of skiing or snowboarding to fifth-graders at each of 21 participating resorts (Vail, Keystone, Breckenridge and Beaver Creek don't participate), for a total of 63 days. And for fifth-graders who have never skied before, there's also a program called First Class that offers one free lesson and rental. And to help parents ease back into the cost the following year, Colorado Ski Country also has a Sixth Grade Passport Program that gives four days at each resort for a total of $99. With all the money you save, you'll be able to afford to buy lunch at the mountain house.

There's nothing worse than feeling flat in the morning, and Salvagetti, the LoHi bike shop, has the perfect way to pump you up: coffee and parts from a bike-thru window. Bike shop owner Scott Taylor decided to open Happy Coffee last spring as a way for early-morning cyclists to get a shot of caffeine, a tube, a tire, a patch kit or other parts and pieces they need — a valuable service considering that most bike stores, including Salvagetti itself, don't open until late morning. What's next? Taylor wants to open Happy Coffee kiosks around the city. That would be off the chain.

You'd think a day up on the slopes would be all about getting away from technology, but Vail Resorts has developed a program that perfectly marries the fun of epic pow-pow with fiddling with your techno-doohickeys. This season they introduced their EpicMix social-media app, which tracks guests' achievements thanks to RFID chips in all their season passes and lift tickets that are tracked by lift scanners at Vail's five resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Lake Tahoe's Heavenly Mountain). Then the program compiles and awards virtual "pins" based on peaks visited, lift rides per day, vertical feet skied and other stats that folks can digitally boast to all their pals. Goofy? A little. But also addictively fun.