A Basin hosts Save Our Snow Event

The last week or so not withstanding, given the challenges the Front Range resorts have had with snowfall this season, it seems appropriate that Arapahoe Basin is promoting environmental consciousness. This Saturday, the Basin will host its second Save Our Snow celebration, a fundraiser for the High Country Conservation Center…

How not to ride: Utah rope tow wedgie

Oh, Utah: A skier at Alta captured footage of a fellow skier in front of him who was vastly unfamiliar with the concept of riding a rope tow. Normally, this might result in just a sloppy fall and a bruised ego, but this guy managed to  straddle the Poma in…

Talking green biz with Aspen Skiing Co. Director of Sustainability

In November we reported that Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk, and Aspen Highlands nabbed the three highest scores in Colorado in the Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition environmental report card rankings, with Aspen Mountain and Buttermilk taking two of the top three spots out of all U.S. resorts (just behind Squaw Valley).This week…

TransWorld Snowboarding 2011 Resort Poll is live now

Here’s your chance to represent for your favorite mountain: The annual TransWorld Snowboarding Resort Poll just went online, asking riders to rate their three favorite resorts for 2011 in categories including Parks & Pipes, Grooming & Upkeep, Variety, Challenge, and Overall (Jumps, Rails, Boxes, Pipe).Colorado resorts dominated last year’s poll,…

Aarn Bodypacks: Gear you want but don’t need

Traditional backpacks plop all of the weight you’re carrying on your back and aim to distribute it via an ever-more-complex series of straps and buckles. New Zealand’s Aarn Tate saw a better way: Why not start by distributing the weight more evenly? Your front is just as good as your…

Snake-like developer sinks fangs into Telluride backcountry

Developer Tom Chapman has a parcel of land in Telluride’s backcountry and now he’s blocking skiers from traversing old guided routes that cross it. Chapman paid $246,000 for old mining claims in the Uncompahgre National Forest and probably is hatching a plan to build a luxury home there. Or at…

Peak 2.0 software identifies mountains with your iPhone

If you’re a mountain lover like us, you’ve probably looked toward a mountain-studded horizon and wished you could know the names of all the peaks instantly. Now you can, sort of: Software developer Augmented Outdoors just released Peaks 2.0 for iPhone.The premise is simple. You hold your phone up to…

Copper Mountain hosts USA Snowboard Association Nationals April 3-10

The United States of America Snowboard Association (USASA) will hold its premier amateur snowboarding event this week, April 3-10 at Copper Mountain with the USASA National Championships, bringing nearly 1,500 competitors from across the country to Summit County for the amateur championships in slopestyle, superpipe, boardercross, slalom, and giant slalom…

Loveland and New Belgium Brewery team up to host scavenger hunt

When warm weather hits the ski resorts, thoughts turn to crazy costumes. Whether it’s a Retro Day or a costumed race, the longer days, warmer weather, and approaching closing dates bring a sense of frivolity to the hill. This weekend, Loveland and New Belgium Brewery are co-hosting an event like…

Colorado ski resorts give healthcare reform mixed reviews

A story in the Steamboat Pilot last Wednesday titled “Health policy raises red flags at Steamboat Ski Area” discusses the $2,000 fines insurance that will be levied against businesses who don’t provide health insurance to employees. Seasonal employees, who do much of the hard work for Colorado’s ski industry, are…

Last weekend of skiing arrives for five resorts

It seems like the ski season started just yesterday, but already, some resorts will be having their last days of the season on Sunday, April 4, so get out while you still can. Some of this weekend’s closures include big resorts. Events will be in full swing Easter weekend at…

Break out the DayGlo for Eldora Retro Day on Saturday

It’s not quite the Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Race in terms of color, but it is a fun day with a great chance to see how ski fashions have changed. Go digging in your closet, find those old neon one-piece suits and skinny skis and go up to Eldora this Saturday,…