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Winter is just around the corner and we couldn’t be more ready. Unfortunately we first need to make it through the season of fall: inconveniently placed smack in between summer and winter.
But, Candide Thorox, the king of snow-less skiing, may have a solution for your autumn-antsies.
If you’ve ever looked at a pile of leaves and thought “I could ski that” - this video is for you.
With each additional child there is more gear to pack, more bodies to bundle into the car, and more pricey lift passes to purchase. And growing children frequently means dealing with rentals and ski lessons, all of which can get very expensive very quickly.
Visit Estonia via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
That being said, there are few things better in life than sharing a love of skiing and riding with your kids. Colorado understands why people live and play here. They know we want to share the incredible mountains and plentiful snow with the next generation, and they want to make it easy!
With a little pre-planning, you can capitalize on the amazing ski and snowboard deals available to kids in this state, and get them on the slopes for free this season!
That's a pretty monstrous deal. And it's available right now, for a limited time, through Vail's Epic School Kids Colorado Pack program.
All you need to do is to register at any front range Epic Mountain Gear location (except for the Frisco storefront). Bring your child and a form of ID for them (report card, student ID, birth certificate or passport). Once you are registered, you can pick up your free passes at the resort ticket window on your first ski day.
There's more too. Each child is eligible for a FREE first-timer lesson as well as free rentals for the lesson.
Registration is now open on the Colorado Ski Country website for their 2018/19 5th and 6th Grade Passport Program. The fifth grade ski passport gives registered students 3 free days at each of Colorado's 22 premier ski areas. That's 66 days of free skiing!! For 6th graders, this same deal is available for just $105!
The resorts that we ski and snowboard at in the winter don't disappear once the snow stops falling, and many of them are taking advantage of their infrastructure to transform themselves into outdoor playgrounds in the summer months. With plentiful lodging, quality dining and stunning mountain views, these resorts have a lot to offer a vacationer in the summer. Many offer kids programs, and activities for all ages and interest.
Check out our list of six ski and snowboard resorts that are worth a visit in the summer!
In the summer months Arapahoe Basin Ski Area turns into a hub for outdoor activity. With hiking, mountain biking, and sun-deck yoga all available, A-Basin is a great place to enjoy what the mountains have to offer in the warmer months as well. See their whole summer schedule here.
Check out: their Saturday concert series
Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash
Aspen has a ton to offer in the summer. You can find a wide variety of outdoor programming that takes advantage of Aspen’s stunning scenery. From the Snowmass’ mountain bike park, to guided horse back riding and fishing, Aspen has something to offer for everyone, especially when you consider the world class culture on offer. Throughout the summer, Aspen hosts a myriad of cultural events that bring in talent from around the world. Learn more about Aspen’s culinary, musical, and intellectual events here, and read about all of Aspen Snowmass’ summer programming here.
Check out: the Lost Forest Ropes Course.
Photo by Jessica Fadel on Unsplash
Breckenridge really does it up in the summer. The town is surrounded by river, mountains and forests to explore, and they want to make them as accessible as possible.
“There are 100+ miles you can explore on two legs, 2 wheels, 4 wheels or horseback… our Breckenridge summer is packed with festivals, concerts, competitions and celebrations.”
Read about their summer activities, from mountain biking, to river rafting, here.
Check out: the alpine slide!
Photo by Daniel Spase on Unsplash
Crested Butte is one of the most scenic mountain towns in Colorado - which is saying something. Tucked into the mountains, it is a wildflower mecca in the summer.
There are many options to get out and explore the landscape in the summer, and town offers unique dining experiences, a summer concert series, and a quirky mountain town vibe. Learn more here.
Check out: their disc gold course, recently named one of the top 25 courses in America.
Killington Ski Resort is another mountain that puts in the effort for its summer programming. Explore the green mountains, on foot or on wheel, or simply relax and try some golf or sample some of the fine food and wine available in town - all within a cozy New England setting. Learn more about Killington’s summer program, here.
Check out: the “Wrecktangle” a Ninja-Warrior style ropes course.
Photo by Fredy Chavez on Unsplash
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has more to offer in the summer than most ski and snowboard resorts, because it has something most others do not: proximity to beaches! Whether you want to go geocaching in the Sierras or read a book on the beach, Lake Tahoe has you covered.
Squaw organizes yoga, disc golf, slacklining and an outdoor music series. Learn more about their programming, here.
South Tahoe itself has even more to offer from adventure sports to cultural events. Learn more here.
Check out: Squaw’s Outdoor Summer Movie Series
Photo by Cristofer Jeschke on Unsplash
The Craftsbury Outdoor Center has been storing snow since the winter as part of an experimental "snow farming" project working to see if snow can be stored from one season to another. Many, around the world, are hoping to use this technique in the future to help build early-season bases, and alleviate some of their dependance on natural snowfall as climate change makes weather more variable. Several major events from the Iditarod to the Hahnenkamm World Cup ski races in Austria, now depending on the technique.
It will be really interesting to see the capabilities of snow storage technology and its impact on the future of winter sports as the technology develops, but for now, it's fun to watch people fool around in a pile of snow in the middle of summer!
It's been so hot at our headquarters in Denver over the last couple weeks that it's difficult to believe it will ever snow again.
Jesper Tjäder and Emma Dahlström with GoPro have one idea on how to get your turns - and even hit kickers and rails - without waiting for the white fluffy stuff. Watch these skiers hike up and then shred the Cerro Blanco dune in Peru!
Undoubtedly rad, but all I can think about is the SAND IN THEIR BOOTS!!
Did you know that if you strap on a pair of cross-country skis just east of the Deerfield River at Vermont’s southern boarder and head north, you can ski on uninterrupted trail until you arrive at the Canadian boarder 300-miles north?
The Catamount Trail, which began in 1984 as the thesis project of Steve Bushey, Paul Jarris and Ben Rose when they were students at the University of Vermont, is now the longest uninterrupted cross-country skiing trail in North America. Its 300-miles of trail, between Vermont’s southern to northern boarders, were painstakingly pieced together by the Catamount Trail Association (CTA) over 20 years. The trail connects vast wilderness areas to old timber roads; it crosses farmland and protected forests, and caters to skiers of a variety of levels.
Unlike many aspects of the winter sports world, especially those associated with Nordic skiing’s brasher alpine cousin, the Catamount Trail is explicitly designed to be accessible and inexpensive, where skiers are drawn by the state’s stunning natural beauty rather than by high speed trams, luxury accommodations, or glitzy off-slope shopping. The trail is the result of a rugged culture that is increasingly absent from a skiing world dominated by corporate giants Vail and Alterra.
But in Vermont — and it’s eastern neighbor New Hampshire — you can still find trail systems maintained by passionate volunteers, mountains where the owner personally greets their customers each morning and, occasionally, lodge beers for less than $5. It is a land that respects rigorous exercise and bone chilling winds, where winter sports are part of a time-honored way of life.
Ben Rose, one of the Catamount Trail’s founders, and the Executive Director of the Green Mountain Club, describes the project’s unique vision: It’s a “very intimate way to see the landscape. Like hiking the Long Trail, skiing the Catamount Trail is a way to see Vermont from its heart.”
Although few people actually ski the whole trail — as it’s always not easy to camp along the route in winter — few people have actually skied the whole trail, each winter it’s estimated to support over 8,000 skier days.
Photo by Simon Matzinger on Unsplash
On their website the CTA states that their goal “is to create a future in which Vermont is home to a world-class network of locally-supported winter back-country trails and terrain accessible to outdoor travelers of all abilities and means.” As winter recreation is becoming increasingly corporate across the US, organizations like the CTA will play an increasingly important role in ensuring that winter sports like cross country skiing and snowshoeing remain accessible and inexpensive as they have been for centuries.
A lonely stretch along the Catamount Trail is about as far as you could get spiritually from, say, Aspen’s glamorous Little Nell’s bar, but for many, the former encapsulated the soul of winter sports in a way the latter new can.
Happy Fourth of July, Snowriders! We're starting something new - a weekly round-up of ski, snowboard, snow and environmental news from around the web. We'll use these posts to keep you updated on what we're up to, share the news that Snowriders care about, and provide you with a little snowy inspiration for your week.
👇 Let us know in the comments what you think about these new weekly posts 👇
Snow fell at Snowdown Ski Area in Montana on Tuesday, July 3rd with temperatures dropping to around 29 degrees. The snow didn't stick around for too long, but not before the ski area snapped some pictures of the summer blanket of snow. See the full story here.
One skier was transported off of the The Great One, outside Bozeman, in a helicopter, the other given a ride down by the search-and-rescue team after not being able to descend alone. Full story here.
From snow in June in Canada to a fire started by a thunderstorm in Texas -- check out the full article here.
Prepare to drool: watch this beautiful drone footage of skiing at Chamonix in April. Watch it here.
The makers of the Tusk claim it's the ultimate survival shovel, with four tools in one: a shovel, a steal digging spade, an extra-wide scraper, and a squeegee. It's built for those freezing morning when it's dumped two feet of snow and you just want to get to the mountain. It's designed to save its users from ever having to handle one of those double-sided scraper-brushes - that are never quite long enough, or break just at the wrong moment - again.
They've got several different packages and color option, and they promise delivery to their backers by this coming winter.
There's only two days left in this kickstarter so check it out by Friday (6/29) if you're interested in backing the project!
Last week, it was announced that Utah's Solitude Mountain Resort is to join the growing list of major resorts purchased by Alterra Mountain Co. since spring of last year. Alterra, together with its major rival, Vail Resorts, now own a total of 31 resorts across North America.
And with dueling mega-passes - Ikon and Epic - these growing industry superpowers are flexing influence across a huge swath of the ski and snowboard market. Both the Ikon and Epic passes offer access to many of the resorts owned by Alterra and Vail respectively as well as other affiliated mountains, in the US, Canada and Europe. Here's a current list of who owns what:
Afton Alps
Beaver Creek Resort
Breckenridge Ski Resort
Canyons Resort
Heavenly Mountain Resort
Keystone Resort
Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Mount Brighton
Mount Sunapee Resort
Northstar California
Okemo Mountain Resort
Park City Mountain Resort
Perisher Ski Resort
Stowe Mountain Resort
Vail Ski Resort
Whistler Blackcomb
Wilmot Mountain
Alpine Meadows
Big Bear Mountain
Blue Mountain
Deer Valley
June Mountain
Mammoth Mountain
Snowshow
Solitude Mountain Resort
Squaw Valley
Steamboat
Stratton
Snow Summit
Tremblant
Winter Park Resort
Some independent mountains like Vermont's Magic Mountain celebrate their independent spirit.
With so many resorts joining the Epic-Ikon party, smaller independent mountains across the US are at risk of suffering devastating losses in the shadow of these growing giants. Independent mountains offer some of the most unique ski experiences and develop some of the most devoted followings.
Our organizer, Lucie Coleman, has lived in Colorado for five seasons now, but every new helmet gets a Mad River Glen sticker before it ever sees the light of day. In Denver, you see more bumper stickers repping Loveland, Cooper and Monarch Mountains than almost any other local ski areas. While we can't deny that we're excited about the prospect of skiing 20+ resorts for less than $900, independent mountains still have our heart!
And check out our list of some great multi-mountain passes available for next season that aren't Epic or Ikon.
