Best Free Skiing 2019 | Hitchhiking Loveland Pass | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Free Skiing

Hitchhiking Loveland Pass

Skiing is expensive. Passes will set you back a couple hundred dollars, and even "skinning" up mountains to catch some backcountry turns requires a whole setup of specialized equipment. But what if you could use your skis or snowboard to shred some technical runs at no cost? Hitchhiking rides up Loveland Pass has long been a local strategy. After taking Exit 216 along I-70 westbound (right before the Eisenhower Tunnel), go 1.8 miles up Loveland Pass, until you reach a wide hairpin turnout. This is where runs from the top of the pass bottom out. Park here and join your fellow ski bums hitching rides to the top of the pass. Once you're there, get into your gear on the tunnel side of the road and make your way down.

Best Steep Slopes for Skiing

Steep Gullies

Last season, Arapahoe Basin opened 468 acres of new terrain. Nearly 340 of those make up an area of intermediate to advanced runs called the Beavers, which is now served by a four-person chairlift. But the remaining 129 acres, known collectively as the Steep Gullies, are intended for experts only and comprise the most challenging skiing at A-Basin. All of the narrow chutes have sharp pitches and are designated double-black-diamond runs. But don't let that intimidate you: The Steep Gullies also has some of the most un-tracked snow on the mountain, mainly because all the runs empty out onto an access road, requiring skiers and snowboarders to make the long hike back to the Pallavicini lift.

Best New Ski Lift

The Beavers Lift

Arapahoe Basin is known for its proximity to Denver, for the otherworldly Bloody Marys at 6th Alley Bar and Grill, and for the Beach, a free parking lot at the base of the resort (for those up early enough to snag a space during the ski season, the Beach hosts Denver's best tailgating from November to June). But A-Bay has a new bragging point for the 2018-2019 season: a high-speed quad that serves the Beavers, 339 acres in the often-ogled, seldom-shredded bowl just west of the formerly out-of-bounds terrain. Bring your charcoal grill for the end of the day or fight your way through 6th Alley for a Bloody — after a day exploring new terrain, you'll have earned it.

Readers' Choice: Winter Park gondola

Best Ski-Ticket Deal

Spring Unguided Season Pass

Flickr/Bureau of Lane Management

Silverton Mountain's Spring Unguided Season Pass includes twelve unguided days at the mountain, $89 standby skiing during its guided season, a $39 heli drop and 42 days at a collection of partner resorts around the U.S., including three days each at Monarch, Sunlight and Powderhorn mountains. At $499 a pop, you're paying market rate for those six days if you don't make it to Silverton. But this pass has been known to go for — drum roll, please — $149 during early-bird pricing. So keep your eyes peeled for the deal, because it's truly a no-brainer.

Readers' Choice: Epic Local Pass

Best Trade Show for Winter Lovers

Outdoor Retailer Snow Show

Brandon Marshall

Just try and throw a snowball without hitting at least three Colorado residents who wouldn't pick a hard, white winter over summer. In fact, we're so well known for our winter activities that we routinely attract trade shows big and small that appeal to our wild hearts. Our favorite is the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show, which gathers around 800 outdoor-lifestyle vendors annually in Denver so they can show off next season's goods. The swag is pretty sick, too; free beer flows in the afternoon in brand-name tumblers, trail guides autograph copies of their books, and you'll walk away with enough free lip balm to carry you through the harshest of Colorado winters.

outdoorretailer.com

Best Ski Store

Lenny's Supreme Ski & Golf

Specializing in more than one thing isn't always such a great idea, but Lenny's has been making it work for nearly forty years, providing not only top-notch golf gear and expert repair, but also nailing ski and snowboard rentals and sales alongside stellar customer service from a staff that knows its snow sports. Tucked away in a plaza, the dual-purpose shop offers high-quality gear, including ski jackets and pants, for rent or purchase, as well as great seasonal rental rates for kids and end-of-season deals on demos. No appointment is necessary for repairs or tuning, either, and if you call ahead, Lenny's will try to put a rush on it — but more often than not you'll get same-day service, getting you back on the slopes sooner.

Readers' Choice: Christy Sports

Best Running Store

Berkeley Park Running Company

It's not hard to miss Berkeley Park Running Company: Located in a tiny house on Tennyson, the shop's street-facing wall is emblazoned with a Colorado flag-based mural featuring a jackalope silhouette jumping across the C. Inside, the two-story space is packed with shoes, clothing, accessories, nutritional supplements, sunglasses, hydration packs, you name it — much of it from local vendors. Oriented primarily toward trail and ultrarunning, the shop nonetheless attracts a fair number of road runners looking for gear advice and camaraderie. In addition, this community-oriented store sponsors group runs and several area races, hosts guest speakers and parties celebrating all things running — and offers a sweet discount if you drop off your old shoes for charity.

Readers' Choice: Runners Roost

Best Outdoor-Gear Store

Outdoors Geek

Adventure gear can get a bit spendy, which makes Outdoors Geek such a find for its philosophy of trying before buying. This family-owned Park Hill store rents pretty much everything you might need for camping, backpacking, snowshoeing and more — and if you love it, you can make it your own for a reasonable price made even cheaper when the rental cost is applied. Passionate staff members love to share their favorite gear and hacks, and they're just as eager to sell you the gently used items available as they are the new stuff from top brands such as the North Face, Marmot, Big Agnes and Gregory. Heading out of town for your nature-based funfest? Outdoors Geek will ship what you need.

Readers' Choice: REI

Best Skate Shop

Death and Glory Skate Shop

Enter through the right side of the unassuming building off West Eleventh Avenue and Kalamath Street, and you'll find Scum of the Earth Church. Walk through the doors on the left, however, and you'll find yourself surrounded by walls covered floor to ceiling with glitter-covered quad skates. Death and Glory Skate Shop specializes in derby, park and quad skating gear, with an indoor ramp so that customers can try on skates and test them out. Death and Glory, which officially opened in January, has quickly grown in popularity with the Denver roller derby community, supporting local teams as a partner and sponsor of Rocky Mountain Rollergirls. Lace up, Denver!

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