Author Archive
Steep New Lines in Telluride
by Brian Metzler on Feb.10, 2009, under Colorado Skiing
Woohoo! It’s dumping in Colorado, especially in the San Juans. Just saw a report that said Telluride got 16 in the last two days and that it’s currently under a winter storm warning.
That makes it the perfect time to check out all of the new steep lines the resort has opened up in the last year in the “sidecountry” terrain of Revelation Bowl and Black Iron Bowl. It’s all inbounds and controlled for avalanches, so it will only open up if it’s safe. It’s a spectacular stomping ground for advanced and expert skiers and snowboarders, offering up some of the best vertical thrills in the state.
The Wolf is Howlin’ (Again)
by Brian Metzler on Dec.18, 2008, under Colorado Skiing
The calendar says winter begins Dec. 21st, but it rolled in this past week at Wolf Creek. The medium-sized family-owned ski area in southwestern Colorado might not offer the glitz and glamour of its mega-resort brethren, but it’s definitely near the top of the heap when it comes to snow.
Tasty New Treats for ’08-’09
by Brian Metzler on Dec.15, 2008, under Colorado Skiing
With almost every resort officially open for the 2008-2009 season and copious amounts of snow falling, here’s a list of some of the tasty new treats on the menu in Colorado to whet your appetite this winter.
1. The latest accoutrement in the transformation of Winter Park is the eight-passenger Village Cabriolet lift that will shuttle 2,800 skiers and snowboarders per hour from the free parking lots at the Vintage Hotel to the base of the new resort’s new village.
It’s Dumping in Colorado!
by Brian Metzler on Oct.22, 2008, under Colorado Skiing, General
In case you were stuck behind your desk all day (or living somewhere other than Colorado) and didn’t see the local news or check the Colorado snow report, it’s been dumping in the mountains! Loveland and A-Basin both have a new foot of snow, and that means early season skiing and riding is just getting better. It also means new terrain will be opening at each of those areas soon. And if it keeps up, more resorts could be firing up their lifts sooner than their anticipated mid-November opening days. (Copper Mountain and Wolf Creek are almost ready!)
If nothing else, it could solve your dilemma about your Halloween costume, right? You can play hooky from work/school/whatever on Friday, get some turns in and keep your snow gear on for trick-or-treating and other types of frivolous Halloween behavior.
10 Reasons to Hit the Slopes in October
by Brian Metzler on Oct.20, 2008, under Colorado Skiing, General
Loveland and A-Basin have been open for almost a week. Yes, there’s limited terrain, but this week’s cold weather means more snow is on the way. Here are 10 reasons to get your gear together and head up for a day (or even a half-day) of skiing or riding:
10—Because if you wait until December, you’ll wish you’d gone earlier. (Trust us on this one.)
Day 2 — Loveland
by Brian Metzler on Oct.19, 2008, under Colorado Skiing, General
So I decided at the late Saturday night to zip up to Loveland for a few turns on Sunday morning. (That’s Day 2 for me, if you’re counting at home.) After sleeping in (you can do that in October and no worry about ski traffic), I picked up a friend, stopped for bagels and coffee and cruised up to Loveland. We buzzed the groomed terrain on the Catwalk, Mambo and Home Run trails, all the while looking toward the top of the mountain and thinking about a day later this winter when we’ll ski the copious amounts of deep powder off of Chair 9.
First Chair Dedicated to Ski Pioneer Edna Dercum
by Brian Metzler on Oct.16, 2008, under General
When Arapahoe Basin opened for the 2008-2009 season at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 15, the first seat on the Challenger chair lift was wrapped in a blue blow and dedicated to Edna Dercum, one of the founding members of A-Basin back in 1946. Dercum passed away in September at the age of 94, after spending much of her life skiing in Colorado.
