Colorado Ski Country USA

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Denver, CO, Winter 2009-10 - Although Colorado resorts are known for unbeatable on-snow adventures, they also offer a world of off-the-slope fun. Day and night, resorts and the towns near them, make plenty of off-mountain activities available, including sledding, snowmobiling, snowcat tours, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Resorts also host a number of off-snow events that keep warm-blooded guests happy, such as festivals, live music, and plenty of shopping and dining.

Family activities, on or off the slopes, are easy to find in Colorado. Many resorts host festivals and special events that are geared towards families and children including sleigh rides and snowcat tours. Kid's Nights Out are growing in popularity as well. These evening events give kids something fun to do with others their age and offer parents the chance to relax kids-free for a few hours.

Below are some of the activities that Colorado Ski Country USA's 22 member resorts provide to show everyone a good time in Colorado when without skis.

Arapahoe Basin
Arapahoe Basin offers non-skiers the chance to take in scenic views and grab refreshments up on the mountain. Guests can ride the chair lift to the summit, enjoy the 360-degree views of the Continental Divide and have lunch at the Black Mountain Lodge. Guests are also invited to snowshoe up the mountain on designated runs.

Aspen/Snowmass
Aspen/Snowmass hosts over 30 free events throughout the winter, including six outdoor concerts hosting acts such as Blues Traveler and De La Sol as well as dozens of on-mountain competitions from the Women's Winternational FIS Alpine World Cup Aspen Mountain over Thanksgiving to two-weeks of Spring Jam with freestyle events on various mountains.

There are over 100 bars and restaurants in Aspen/Snowmass so the options for nighttime entertainment are infinite.  With live music nearly 365 days a year at the Belly Up music venue in Aspen, visitors are sure to catch a great show. Theater, ballet, classical music, spas and endless shopping are the icing on the cake when it comes to off-hill activities in Aspen/Snowmass. 

In addition to nightlife and cultural activities, Aspen/Snowmass offers many family-oriented winter experiences. Aspen's Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center at the base of Snowmass is the first of its kind in the snowsports industry, boasting teen activities, cooking nights, movie nights, a kids' specific retail shop and a host of themed rooms for kids ages eight weeks old and older. Storytelling by the campfire in Snowmass keeps kids and adults alike entertained on weekdays. In addition, family snowcat rides are available in the evenings, complete with sing-a-longs and a BBQ dinner at the Burlingame Cabin on Snowmass.

To cater to Aspen guests wanting to experience the Colorado outdoors, naturalists from the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies lead snowshoe tours on Snowmass and at the top of Aspen Mountain. The tours weave in and out of spruce-fir forests while guides teach participants about the animals that can be seen inhabiting the Rocky Mountains in winter.

Additionally, those without skis are invited to ride the Silver Queen gondola to the top of Aspen Mountain to soak in the 360-degree view. Snowmass, Highlands, and Buttermilk also welcome non-skiing guests to ride a chairlift and enjoy scenery and lunch on the mountain. For guests wanting scenic views and a bit of adventure, take a snowmobile tour to the Maroon Bells.

For athletic activities, Aspen guests can ice skate indoors and outdoors at Aspen Ice Garden and Silver Circle Ice Rink. The Aspen Parks & Recreation facility (the ARC) also features a NHL-size ice arena, a 32 foot tall climbing tower, two pools, a two-story water slide and a lazy river.
Copper Mountain
Copper offers a Kids' Night Out for children from eight weeks to 12 years old, where kids can enjoy a night of crafts, movies, games, interactive Wii, pizza and much more, while parents can use their free time in the evening to relax or enjoy the resort nightlife. Kids' Night Out is a free childcare service offered to parents on the condition that $30 per child is spent in any commercial outlet at the resort during the hours that children are in the program.

Copper also provides another kid-centered off-snow activity with its Kids in the Kitchen classes. Available on select evenings, Copper invites Kids into their Kitchen to make their own pizza. Kids sit at the pizza bar and create the pizza of their dreams. Copper's chefs provide the dough and the "junior chefs" add the toppings of their choice to invent their family's pizza.

For those aspiring X-Games athletes, Woodward at Copper offers park and pipe progression without ever having to go on the snow. The 20,000 sq ft Woodward at Copper Barn, located next to lodging check-in, gives campers access to Snowflex® jumps, foam pits, a spring floor, Olympic-grade fly-bed trampolines and indoor skateboarding features. Woodward at Copper is a great activity for the whole family.

For adults wanting to experience the snow without riding on it, the mountain's Resort Ambassadors lead free, daily snowshoe tours through a pristine mountain setting of snow-covered meadows and forests. Guests can also explore Copper's snow-filled valleys by snowmobile with an experienced backcountry guide. Along these lines, snow-minded guests can also take an exciting dogsled ride and attend a mushing class where experts teach participants how to captain a dogsled.

Additionally, Copper offers a variety of sleigh rides, including the Triple Treat Sleigh Ride which is a 30-minute sleigh ride through the Valley of the Ten Mile range followed by a relaxing evening sitting by a woodstove, listening to live music and drinking hot cocoa, roasting marshmallows and making s'mores. Another sleigh ride option, the Dessert Ride, is a beautiful moonlit evening sleigh ride to a warming tent where a wide selection of tantalizing desserts and hot chocolate awaits guests. Participants enjoy dessert while sitting around the fireplace listening to live music.

For a more impromptu off-snow activity, Copper guests can often be seen roasting s'mores by the mountain's base-village fire pit or ice skating on West Lake. Both activities are open daily.

Crested Butte
New for 2009-10, Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) introduces the base area Adventure Park complete with year-round ice skating, and a three-lane, lift-served tubing hill during the winter. The skating rink is made from Super-Glide® synthetic ice and represents the first synthetic ice-skating facility in Colorado. Super-Glide synthetic ice is a high-tech skating surface created by skaters, and the rink was recycled from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, NY, where it was part of a display on global warming. The Adventure Park will be open year-round.

Additionally, in conjunction with the snowcat manufacturer Prinoth, Crested Butte offers the Snowcat Driving Experience, which allows guests to learn the basics of driving snowcats, grooming and pushing snow. The program incorporates initial classroom time for safety and operational instruction, as well as time on the course, encouraging guests to experience one of the best jobs at the ski resort.

Crested Butte Mountain Resort also offers a Kid's Night Out as part of its new Camp CB program. The Camp's fun-loving instructors lead children ages four to 12 in an exciting night of Adventure Park activities, including ice-skating and tubing with movies, pizza and more.

A short distance from the mountain resort, the town of Crested Butte offers a range of activities as well. Horse-loving guests can take a journey through the snow on horseback. While riding with a guide, guests take in the glorious Colorado countryside and revel in the opportunity to encounter elk, mule deer, big horn sheep, and bald eagles. Carriage Ride Tours take guests on an informative tour of historic Crested Butte in a horse-drawn limousine pulled by the Percheron draft horse, Dan. Crested Butte has one other option for the horse enthusiast, its Horse Drawn Sleigh Ride Dinners, in which participants follow up a horse-drawn sleigh ride with the delicious Old West food offerings at the Lazy F Bar Ranch, a rustic 1950's cabin overlooking the East River.

Crested Butte also offers dog sled tours that venture into Crested Butte's backcountry. These include a lunch of hearty soup and home-baked bread.

Loveland
Loveland's close proximity to mountain towns such as Georgetown, Silver Plume, Silverthorne and to Denver means that guests can undoubtedly find an après-ski activity to their liking in the surrounding area. Those non-skiers who may have family on the mountain can sit and relax with a cup of coffee and enjoy access to free wi-fi in both base area lodges.

Monarch Mountain
At the base of Monarch lies the beautiful Arkansas Valley. The Arkansas River Valley experiences over 300 days of sunshine a year surrounded by massive 14,000-foot snow-capped peaks. The unique combination of weather and location create a region that is truly magical. Numerous hot springs can be found for those looking to soak after a big day on the mountain. The towns of Salida, Buena Vista, and Poncha Springs each offer the visitor a unique experience. From the charming galleries and nightlife of Salida to the peaceful ambience of Buena Vista and the friendly hospitality of Poncha Springs, visitors are sure to find something for everyone.

Powderhorn
At Powderhorn, a varied network of Nordic trails criss-cross the resort's boundaries. These give guests the perfect opportunity for scenic snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Also, free wi-fi access is available in Powderhorn's lodge for those who are looking for a cozy retreat out of the cold.

For a day trip outside Powderhorn, guests can visit nearby Grand Junction. This scenic Colorado town has plenty of shops, restaurants, and galleries in addition to 15 wineries and the Colorado National Monument.

During the month of March, Powderhorn guests can often mountain bike and ski in the same weekend due to Colorado's unique spring skiing conditions. Some of the best mountain biking in the world can be found only miles away from Powderhorn in the town of Fruita. 

Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort
Purgatory invites guests of all ages and abilities to snowshoe through the scenic San Juan National Forest. The guided tours provided by the resort include snowshoes, poles, lunch, water and breathtaking views. For a unique Colorado night time activity, the resort leads guests on moonlight or starlight snowshoe tours throughout the season. Moonlight snowshoe tours are planned during the full moon of each month and starlight snowshoe tours are available in between.

As an alternative outdoor experience, guests are welcomed to take the last chair lift of the day up the mountain to watch the sunset and enjoy a wine and cheese party at the Powderhouse lodge before hiking down with a guide. 

Purgatory also boasts a range of family-centered activities. The Durango Mountain Club offers a new outdoor pool and spa with a water slide, family game room, and a private dining room for families that stay in Purgatory Lodge or purchase a Club membership. Durango Mountain Resort also hosts a wide variety of concerts, movies and other family activities during the winter season.

Off the mountain, Durango guests are certainly not lacking in dining options to excite the taste buds. This past year, Durango passed San Francisco as the US city with the most restaurants per capita.

SolVista Basin
SolVista Basin at Granby Ranch offers snowy fun for non-skiing guests during the winter, but also caters to the overall Colorado outdoor experience in every season with opportunities for hiking, fishing, and biking on-site throughout the year.

On snow, SolVista complements its night skiing activities with lift-served tubing on Saturday evenings twice per month. Sledding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are also popular around SolVista.

At the mountain's base, a snowplay area provides hours of entertainment for kids. Of course, SolVista guests who come during the warmer months will find that this family-centered resort blooms into a haven for mountain bikers, fly fishers, golfers, and other outdoor enthusiasts wanting to explore this ski country mainstay without the skis.

Steamboat
For guests wanting the on-snow experience but who are not of the downhill persuasion, the town of Steamboat Springs offers five Nordic Centers within a 30-mile radius of Steamboat resort with a total of 166 km of groomed trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

To give youngsters something fun and educational to do, the resort hosts Kids Adventure Club at Steamboat, which offers a Kids Night Out for children ages five through 12 and for young teens. On this special late night, children may ride the Gondola, watch the Torchlight parade and fireworks, and become involved in a variety of activities, games, movies and more.

For that much-needed R n' R after an active day, Steamboat guests can soak their cares away under the stars in two of the more than 150 hot springs scattered across the valley. Guests can venture deep in the backcountry to Strawberry Park Hot Springs, set seven miles outside of town, or they can stay in downtown and visit the Old Town Hot Springs to soak in the soothing hot mineral water and play on the pool's two waterslides.

Heavy equipment and adrenaline junkies can also get their fix at the resort. Steamboat is home of Dig This, the country's first "heavy equipment play arena". Dig This is an adult playground offering guests the unique experience of handling bulldozers and excavators in a controlled environment.

Guests interested in maneuvering machines over wintry weather might also enjoy Steamboat's Bridgestone Winter Driving School. One of the only winter driving schools in the country, the Bridgestone Winter Driving School teaches participants how to handle a car on icy roads and in other winter conditions.

To complete a trip to this signature Western ski resort, guests can ride horses, enjoy horse-drawn sleigh ride dinners, visit a working ranch, or participate in ranch responsibilities. For genuine cowboys or cowboys at heart, Western hospitality and friendliness abound in this true American ski town.

Sunlight
Sunlight invites guests to ride through the White River National Forest on state-of-the-art snowmobiles for magnificent 360-degree views of Mt. Sopris, the West Elk Mountains and the Flattop Wilderness. This exhilarating ride is sure to highlight the natural beauty that makes Colorado a favorite place for winter vacations.

Also, Sunlight grooms 29 km of Nordic trails for its guests' enjoyment. These trails are developed to suit different skill levels from first-timers to seasoned Nordic veterans.

Telluride
Sleigh ride dinners are available at Telluride every Friday evening, but with a twist. Instead of the more traditional horse-drawn carriage, Telluride pulls an open sleigh behind a snow cat for a ride that lasts approximately 15 minutes, ending at Gorrono Ranch. A buffet style gourmet dinner is served following the ride.

Telluride's TopAten Snowshoe and Nordic Area also attracts a crowd of winter wanderers with 10 km of groomed, rolling trails leading cross-country skiers and snowshoers through high alpine forests and open meadows.

For athletic adventurers, Telluride guests can take an ice-climbing adventure with San Juan Mountain guides through the Ouray Ice Park, which provides some of the finest backcountry multi-pitch ice climbing terrain in the lower 48 states.

For another outdoor adventure, Winter Fly Fishing is one of the best-kept secrets in Colorado. The sport is available every day during the winter in the rivers surrounding the town of Telluride. Fly fishers find excellent winter fishing on both the Uncompahgre and San Miguel Rivers, both of which are within easy day trip distance of Telluride's Mountain Village.

Winter Park
Winter Park offers a unique lesson and tour program for guests wanting to try a Snowcycle, which is like a bicycle, but on skis instead of tires. Lessons and tours are unique to Winter Park. Guests can experience the novelty of biking on snow as an instructor teaches them how to maneuver a Snowcycle down the slopes.

Snowcat tours are available at Winter Park as well, giving guests the opportunity to explore the mountain slopes in the warmth and comfort of a snowcat.

Winter Park also offers snowshoe tours, where guests can follow an experienced guide through the wilderness surrounding the resort.

Wolf Creek
Many non-skiing activities can be found in the two towns on either side of Wolf Creek pass, on which the resort is located. In Pagosa Springs, guests can soak in the natural hot springs for which the town gets its name. A day of skiing followed by a day of soaking is a recipe for a winter trip that everyone will enjoy.

Hot air balloon rides are another option for travelers to Wolf Creek. Guests can soar high above the mountains in a hot air balloon and see southern Colorado's frosted forests from a new angle.

Wolf Creek makes several other non-skiing activities available for its guests. They can take a sleigh ride through town to enjoy the views of Colorado's majestic San Juan mountains, explore the wilderness on one of many Nordic trails available in the area (open for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing) or snowmobile with a guide through forests and open meadows.

A quick jaunt down the road to Durango, guests will find a historic train ride on the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge railroad, a vintage steam train that has been in continuous operation for 127 years.

Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) is the not-for-profit trade association representing Colorado's 22 ski & snowboard resorts. CSCUSA is the global voice of the Colorado ski industry. The Association's primary functions are concentrated in marketing, public policy and public relations. Information about CSCUSA and its members can be found at www.ColoradoSki.com, on Twitter @ColoradoSkiUSA and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ColoradoSkiCountryUSA. This release and other press information can be found in the online press room at http://media-ColoradoSki.com.