Spring skiing: when we wear fewer layers, swap goggles for sunglasses and don’t put on enough sunscreen. Strong storms in February and early March this year buried central and southern Colorado in many feet of snow, leading some resorts to extend their seasons and setting spring up for epic conditions.
My wife and I smelled beef sizzling on an outdoor grill at one of Colorado’s premier ski resorts. An employee there was systematically flipping what must have been four dozen beef patties.
A number of double-digit snowfalls coursed across Colorado in early November, giving four resorts in Colorado and one in Utah a chance to open early.
Here’s a sample road trip for those who have purchased an Epic Pass, have a week or two on the loose, and are ready to ski and ride across the West without having to shell out for a day ticket.
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Happy boarders at Mount Sunapee. (Mount Sunapee)
One of the absolute best reasons to rise and shine early for your trip to the mountains is the sweet reward of laying down some tracks in freshly groomed corduroy. The zip of your edges into those fine lines makes the first turns of the day often the most satisfying. While finding a powder day is never guaranteed, these resorts are known for their grooming finesse. So grab your coffee, boots and boards and head out for first chair.
Powder is ticking upward at Colorado's Telluride. (Twitter/Telluride)
The storm pattern will align pretty well with the Rocky Mountain range this week meaning plentiful snow. The East will stay active while warming up.
New learning area atop Beaver Creek. (Abby Hein/Beaver Creek)
Virtually all ski and snowboard resorts put their beginner areas at the base where terrain is modest and access easy. Not at Beaver Creek.
Fourteeners loom over Keystone golfers (Keystone/Facebook)
The golf season at Colorado winter resorts may be truncated but, while they are open, the courses reflect the mountains amidst they sit.
Vail Resorts is working to keep Northstar snowy. (Vail Resorts/Facebook)
Vail Resorts will aggressively pursue a comprehensive sustainability commitment, called “Epic Promise for a Zero Footprint.” This undertaking commits to zero net emissions by 2030, zero waste to landfill by 2030 and zero net operating impact to forests and habitat.
Pats Peak cookies are an obligatory part of a trip to the mountain. (Pats Peak)
With all the powder and corduroy you’ll be hitting on your next ski trip, refueling with some fine confections are in order. SnoCountry.com has tirelessly researched across the country to find these not-to-miss mountain treats.
Furry friends enjoy the snow and fresh air on a snowshoe trail at Stowe. (Stowe Mountain Lodge)
For many of us, our dogs are part of our family, and many resorts across the country welcome our four-legged friends with enthusiasm. Rather than leaving the pup behind, enjoy the company of wagging tails on the trails.
Loveland's snow guns have been blasting in the last couple of weeks. (Loveland/Facebook)
UPDATED Wednesday, Nov. 9: Loveland Ski Area becomes the second ski and snowboard mountain in the Rockies as the resort is all prepped and ready for opening on Thursday (Nov. 10).
Whether you are a full-fledged foodie or an emerging gourmand, you are sure to find more than one event to whet your appetite at the Steamboat Wine Festival. (Steamboat Wine Festival)
Sampling wines and local food are just the beginning of the activities you’ll discover at wine festivals at mountain resorts across the country this summer. Find extraordinary wining and dining in gorgeous mountain settings.
Beaver Creek Resort will once again host the Birds of Prey Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Dec. 2-4. (USSA photo)
The best skiers and snowboarders in the world will compete in 30 World Cup events across the United States next winter as athletes prepare for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea.
Not everyone who visits a ski resort wants to or is able to ski or snowboard, so resorts offer other activities. Among those options, guests can explore and enjoy the outdoors on snowshoes.
Ski and snowboard instructors at Beaver Creek are set to schedule a vote on unionizing, after garnering the requisite number of signatures for an election.
Lindsey Vonn triumphed at Lake Louise by bagging a hat-trick. After winning both legs of a downhill doubleheader, she totally dominated the first super-G race of the World Cup season Sunday. The seemingly unstoppable American didn't let anyone come close.
Light snow fell on the Beaver Creek Birds of Prey course for the Audi FIS World Cup super G and that was just fine for Austrian Marcel Hirscher and a whole bunch of Americans. Way north at Lake Louise, what else is new? Lindsey Vonn on her 17th World Cup with her second straight downhill blast at the Alberta resort.
It was the men’s turn for a U.S. set of Audi FIS World Cup races at Beaver Creek on the demanding Birds of Prey course. The big crowd watched Norwegians Aksel Lund Svindal hold off teammate Kjetil Jansrun for his third straight downhill win.
Momentum from the successful 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships will keep rolling into this year’s bigger, better, Audi Birds of Prey World Cup ski races at Beaver Creek, Colo.
