Top five signs of spring in Colorado’s ski country

Old Man Winter is about to croak. Daylight savings time is toast. Squirrels and birds are working their way onward and upward on our ski mountains. The vernal equinox is on March 20; in one week and one day, this winter is technically one for the books.So, the top 5…

Hardgrip, destined-to-suck rock climbing game, coming to Nintendo Wii

If you’ve always dreamed of sending killer routes up rock faces but aren’t so down with the “outdoors” thing, your prayers have been answered: Vaguely-named game producer Human Soft plans to bring a climbing video game to the Wii. Called (gag) Hardgrip, the game will reportedly allow users to “experience…

Vonn wins third straight World Cup title

She may not have nabbed all five Olympic medals like she hoped, but Lindsey Vonn still gets to be the most decorated American skier of all time: She just captured her third straight World Cup overall title after winning the super G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. That brings her total to…

Avalanche education: info and resources

On Wednesday, Colorado suffered its fourth avalanche fatality of 2010 when a snowboarder riding in backcountry terrain was caught in a slide and carried down Steep Gully #1. None of the riders in the party carried avalanche rescue gear. However, while having rescue gear is important, ultimately, education is the…

CDOT reopens I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, one lane in each direction

The Colorado Department of Transportation reopened the stretch of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon yesterday afternoon, with one lane of traffic in each direction, less than a week after a rock slide with boulders as big as 10 feet in diameter damaged and blocked the road on Monday. That’s good news…

SIA reports solid numbers for first Denver Snow Show

The first edition of the Denver Snow Show ended a month ago, but SnowSports Industries America (SIA) has just reported that the move from its longtime home of Las Vegas reversed an ongoing downward trend by setting a six-year high-water mark for attendance.  From the release:…

Teva Mountain Games registration now open

If you fancy yourself a mountain hardman or hardwoman just waiting for your moment of athletic glory, get ready: Registration for the Teva Mountain Games in Vail is now open. Both amateurs and pros can sign up to compete in kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, road cycling, amateur climbing, World Cup…

Tunebug Shake: Gear you want but don’t need

As much as I like my Ween, I hate wearing earbuds when I’m cruising down a slope or riding my cruiser in Denver. I want to hear the skiers and ‘boarders on the slopes as well as the bikes and — most importantly — cars and trucks on the road…

Avalanche kills snowboarder at The Beavers near A-Basin, CAIC reports

A 20 year-old snowboarder died in an avalanche yesterday afternoon in the sidecountry terrain known as The Beavers, just West of Arapahoe Basin, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC). For those of you familiar with the terrain, the slide and fatality occurred in The Beavers’ Gully #1 (they’re…

Falling rock kills woman on US 40, detour route after I-70 rockslide

Yesterday we reported on the rock slide that has turned I-70 into a disaster zone, closed the  Glenwood Canyon stretch of the highway indefinitely, and forced motorists onto alternate routes including a 200-mile detour loop on US 40. The bad news doesn’t end there: This morning a woman was killed…

Backcountry skiing: Butler Gulch

While deep powder lines beckon many skiers in Colorado, when venturing into the backcountry, those lines have the potential to be exceptionally dangerous to the unaware. The unfortunate truth is that avalanche hazard is highest on slopes that are most attractive to skiers, in terms of the steepness. However, there…

Fido Freestyle at Loveland: Skiing to save animals

Have you ever wished you could convince your friends and family to buy you a lift ticket and not come off like a dirtball in the process? Now’s your chance: Not only can you get a free lift ticket, but a free lunch and other free schwag like a $25…

Break Yourself: Top 5 Spring Break events in Colorado

Whoever first thought up that old t-shirt slogan “Life’s a Mountain Not a Beach” must have spent one unfortunate Spring Break in Miami Beach, as skiers and snowboarders from around the world know that the real party is right here in Colorado. If you’re staying close to home this year,…

For Crested Butte, Snodgrass appeal moves along

In Crested Butte, both the pro- and anti-development forces await word on the future of Snodgrass Mountain from the U.S. Forest Service’s Region 5 Deputy Regional Forester Jim  Peña, the Crested Butte News reports. After local U.S.F.S. honcho Charlie Richmond kiboshed the resort’s proposed expansion onto Snodgrass Mountain last fall…

Reboot your boots: get new liners to extend boot life

After four years of skiing an average of 30 days a season, my poor ski boots were becoming looser and looser on my feet, as the liner boot was completely packed out. This required me to buckle the boots tighter and tighter to maintain some level of control while skiing…

Ski your ass off at Telluride Saturday in memory of Captain Jack

Legendary Telluride ski bum “Captain Jack” Carey passed away on Lizard Head Pass last summer after a truck hit his bike. The New Hampshire transplant and Ophir resident was an world-class hang-glider, skier, biker, and hiker, and beloved by the community he’d been a big, smiling part of for over…

Her Day at Echo: Teaching (sort of) old gals new tricks

On Wednesday, I wrote about Her Day, a night riding event at Echo Mountain on the first Thursday of every month. Her Day is designed to introduce women to playing on features in the terrain park in an encouraging and relaxed atmosphere.Though I’ve skied on and off for 30 years,…

USASA Rocky Mountain Snowboard Series this weekend at Copper Mountain

Ready to live out those Dew Tour dreams and X Games fantasies and begin your Olympic odyssey? Your journey begins here: The United States Snowboard Association brings its 23rd annual Rocky Mountain Series to Copper Mountain this weekend, March 6-7, for the final event of the series before next month’s…

Weird science: Ski wax will make you infertile

The good people over at Science magazine are blogging that too much ski wax is probably not a good thing. Apparently ski wax has a lot of stuff besides wax in it, including some nasty junk called perfluorinated octanoic acid (PFOA), and that’s not the best thing to have in…