What to Do on Colorado's Ski Slopes in February 2016

The snow that just hit the high country is ridiculous. Even better, it graced just about every mountain in just about every region of the state — meaning there is plenty of pow out there to take advantage of. There are also plenty of events at Colorado's ski resorts. Here's what to do.

February 3-7: 103rd Annual Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, one of the largest and oldest winter sports clubs in the U.S., hosts the oldest continuing Winter Carnival west of the Mississippi. For several days, the entire town is given over to racing, ski jumping, a parade featuring Steamboat’s skiing high-school band (the only one in the United States), the famous ski jöring events down Lincoln Avenue, and the spectacular night show featuring the legendary Lighted Man & fireworks display. Visit steamboatwintercarnival.com to view the complete schedule.

February 4-7: 50th Anniversary Reunion Weekend, Purgatory. This is it — the biggest weekend of the year! Join us for four days of celebration. We’ll have concerts each night to take you back to 1965, reunion lunches and cocktail parties, and fun on-snow activities throughout the weekend! If you’ve ever been to Purgatory Resort in the past fifty years, this is the weekend to come back (purgatoryresort.com).

February 4-9: Steamboat Mardi Gras Celebration. Free concerts, parades, a Cajun BBQ and more. The festival culminates on Fat Tuesday with an all-day celebration and plenty of beads to go around (steamboat.com).

February 5-7: USASA Rocky Mountian Series SBX (snowboardcross) competition, Ski Cooper (skicooper.com).

February 6: 14th annual Beacon Bowl and Après Party, Arapahoe Basin. The Beacon Bowl is an all-day event developed by the A-Basin Ski Patrol that includes a beacon search competition, avalanche dog and beacon demonstrations, and a free après party — all to benefit the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC). 3 Divisions: $25, Recreational; $15, Industry Professional; $10, Junior 18 and under. Includes Beacon Bowl competition, raffle ticket, a beverage and slice of pizza at the après party (arapahoebasin.com).

February 6-9: CarniVail, Vail. Vail gets hit with a spicy taste of New Orleans-style fun when CarniVail returns to Vail this February. Guests will enjoy Mardi Gras merriment and all the Cajun fixin’s from a legendary crawfish boil to the Fat Tuesday Parade and Street Festival. CarniVail is certain to be the ultimate Mardi Gras celebration at 8,150’. With a full lineup of activities including on-mountain crawfish boils, nonstop Cajun Après and After-Dark parties, Fat Tuesday Parade and street festival, fun contests, prizes and giveaways, and much more, CarniVail is one celebration not to be missed (vail.com).

February 6: Crested Butte Nordic Alley Loop. An American Birkebeiner qualifier, with a twist, the Alley Loop is also Crested Butte’s largest costume party and one of the biggest Nordic ski races in the state of Colorado. The Alley Loop’s unique course starts and finishes in the heart of downtown Crested Butte. In between, it meanders through snow-lined alleys, behind false-fronted stores and restaurants, over footbridges and alongside residences. The course then heads out to the immaculately groomed nordic trails around the Town of Crested Butte. Learn more at cbnordic.org/alley-loop-nordic-marathon.

February 9: Mardi Gras, Purgatory. Get ready to party, New Orleans-style! Beads and drink specials all day long, and costumes are highly encouraged for this fun day on the mountain (purgatoryresort.com)!

February 12-14: GORE-TEX Ski Mountaineering National Championship, Crested Butte. The GORE-TEX Ski Mountaineering National Championship race brings athletes from across North America to compete in a USSMA-sanctioned uphill vertical race on Friday evening, and individual and pairs races on Saturday and Sunday where competitors climb through extreme terrain and the guide ridge of Mount Crested Butte. Information and registration at ussma.org/events.

February 13-14: USASA Slopestyle Rocky Mountain Series, Winter Park. Life is more exciting upside down! The USASA Rocky Mountain Snowboard and Free Ski Series is coming to Winter Park for a two-day ski and board throwdown at our biggest, burliest, and most exciting venue, the Dark Territory terrain park (winterparkresort.com)!

February 13: Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert, Aspen Mountain (aspensnowmass.com).

February 14: Loveland’s 25th Annual Mountaintop Matrimony. The 25th Annual Valentine’s Day Mountaintop Matrimony ceremony and reception is one of our most unique events and a Loveland tradition. New couples are joined in matrimony and married couples renew their vows in a mass wedding ceremony high atop the Continental Divide. Harry Heilman, Registered Minister with the Universal Life Church, conducts the ceremony at the beautifully renovated Ptarmigan Roost Cabin, elevation 12,050 feet, located at the top of Lift #2. After the ceremony concludes, couples take their first runs as newlyweds before the Honeymooners’ Après Party at the base of Loveland Basin. Participants and their guests enjoy music, wedding cake, spirits and even a best-dressed contest and raffle. Goodie bags for all couples and tons of prizes round out this classic event. Participating couples must pre-register online in order to receive the two-for-one lift ticket special (skiloveland.com).

February 17-18: USSA NorAm Hole Shot SBX (snowboardcross) competition, Ski Cooper (skicooper.com).

February 18-21: USSA Dan Prater Memorial Cup, Crested Butte. Crested Butte’s marquee annual race will bring 250 of Colorado’s top 12- and 13-year-old alpine ski racers to Crested Butte. Prater Cup is not only a U14 Qualifying event for Junior Olympics, but also a chance for young racers to meet new friends from other teams in the Rocky Mountain Division (skicb.com).

February 19: 10th Mountain Day Ski-In, Ski Cooper. Come join us as we honor the men of the 10th Mountain Division, to whom we owe thanks not only for their service to the nation (and the world!), but also for laying the very foundations of the recreational ski industry in the U.S. A large ski parade will descend Molly Mayfield as a tribute to these skiing soldiers (skicooper.com).

February 20-21: USASA Revolution Tour Snowboardcross, Ski Cooper (skicooper.com).

February 20: Moonlight Dinner Series: Foods of the Pacific Rim, Arapahoe Basin. Join us for this special night inspired by regional dishes of Asia! Chef Rybak will take classic flavors from Japan, Thailand and countries in between. This is a lift-served event. Guests are also welcomed to hike or snowshoe to and from mid-mountain. Live music provided. Cost: $88 plus tax (arapahoebasin.com).

February 20: Copper Uncorked, Copper Mountain. Whether you’re single and ready to mingle or couples ready to cuddle, Copper Uncorked is for everyone. A unique spin on the traditional chicken-wing challenge, Copper chefs will compete for the best wing recipe and wine pairing (coppercolorado.com).

February 20: Ski Bike Festival & Red Ball, Purgatory. Got your ski bike, or want to try one out? This is the weekend to do it! Check out this fun, new way to experience the mountain. Also: Come join the excitement as big red exercise balls roll down the mountain at top speed. Which balls will win the race? Come find out, and support this great fundraiser for Rotary Club (purgatoryresort.com).

February 21-22: Backcountry Babes Clinic, Wolf Creek (wolfcreekski.com).

February 24-March 5: USSA U-18 National Championships. Copper is proud to host the USSA U-18 Alpine Championship 2016. From

February 24 to March 5, the best of the best in Alpine ski racing ages 16 to 18 will be competing for a National title in slalom, giant slalom, downhill and super G races. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s (USSA) under-18 slalom competition (coppercolorado.com).

February 26-28: 41st annual Wells Fargo Ski Cup, Winter Park. This annual event brings together world-class disabled ski racers, Denver celebrities, Broncos alumni and amateur skiers and snowboarders of all abilities for a weekend of activities to benefit the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) (winterparkresort.com).

February 27: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. New Belgium Mountain Adventure, Arapahoe Basin. 3rd annual infamous on-mountain New Belgium Colorado Scavenger Hunt. $10 per person, does not include lift ticket (arapahoebasin.com).

February 28: Special Olympics Colorado, Copper Mountain. Copper is proud to be the official winter training site for all Colorado-based winter Special Olympics athletes, as well as the official host resort for the Winter Games. We invite you to come out to support these amazing athletes (specialolympics.org, coppercolorado.com).

February 29-March 5: Burton U.S. Open, Vail. The 34th Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships are returning to Vail Mountain. The world’s best will be competing at Golden Peak for the title in halfpipe and slopestyle (vail.com).