Used to be that the first week of April was the traditional time to hang up the skis, store away the boots, and dust off the summer recreation equipment. Not so much nowadays.

Thanks to a snowy March and persistent pent-up desire to hit the slopes, a slew of Colorado ski and snowboard resorts will keep their lifts spinning beyond original closing dates.

One of the best skiers of all time brought the snow with him on his visit to Granby Ranch.

Granby Prentice Granby Holdings sent a letter to the roughly 800 owners of the property at the 5,000-acre Grand County ski and golf resort explaining it is terminating a 15-year deal with them.

You need something to do while the traffic thins out on I-70. Or just didn't get in enough turns on a busy weekend. Or had to work during the daytime hours and are itching to get on a slope.

Tucked in among the mega-resorts of the Colorado Rockies you can find a 10-pack of lesser-known mountains that bring skiing and riding to their local communities -- and a taste of the sport's history in the Centennial State.

As an unnamed buyer circles Grand County’s privately owned Granby Ranch ski area, a roiling circus of family, lenders, and homeowners are assailing resort owner Marise Cipriani.

It’s not a pretty scene at the picturesque 5,000-acre ski and golf resort along the Fraser River, which Brazilian developer Cipriani has owned since 1995 and, put on the market for an undisclosed price a year ago.

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Sprinkled in among the big-name resorts of Colorado are a collection of distinct ski and snowboard mountains that have the terrain, variety and unique experiences like the big boys – but without the high price tag.

Willy Booker, head of Burke Mountain Academy which hones some of America’s finest ski racers, bemoans that kids are less active and athletic today and don’t get outdoors enough. 

One way to remedy that is to have fun at a mountain resort this summer.