Aspen, Vail, Stowe, Breckenridge, Lake Tahoe, no matter where you gear up to hot dog downhill it’s likely you will have a lot of company in the coming weeks.
Ski towns from California to Maine are bracing for the onslaught of ski bunnies and their snow loving partners. I grew up in Hawaii, where skiing is limited to the rare winter days when Mauna Kea gets enough of the white stuff to cover its lava rock surface. Which makes it hard to believe that my brother is such an avid skier and snowboarder. Each year he travels from Hawaii to popular ski slopes in Canada, Colorado, and California.
Personally, I never got into skiing. It’s not that I lack the coordination to remain on two skis—-it’s that I lack the funds to afford the opportunity to land on my bottom in powdery white fluff.
Ski Vail and you can pay as much as $85 for a single day on the slopes (and that doesn’t include renting equipment or the hot chocolate every skier needs to warm up). I know I am not the only one who falls into a financial bracket that precludes shooshing down the slopes on a daily basis. Some cities have made a concerted effort in the last couple of years to invest in smaller, low-key peaks and parks that are less about luring big-spending tourists and more about fostering the love of the sport for people who live on a budget.
In Colorado, Winter Park is a prime example. The city-owned resort, located about 65 miles from Denver, offers 143 trails and 25 lifts on 3,060 acres, plus an array of jumps, rails and a half-pipe where snowboarders can shred to their hearts delight all for the low, low price of $129 for a four-day pass.
If you are concerned about driving the 140 or so miles to Winter Park from Denver (and finding a way to pay for the gas) you could consider sticking closer to the downtown area. Last year Winter Park and Denver’s parks department built an urban rail yard for beginners to jump, spin and slide off snow-covered metal rails at Ruby Hill Park, situated south of downtown Denver. Currently, Ruby Hill features six rails, but no lifts and no concessions. But, it also includes something other fancy resorts don’t–no fee.
It’s hard to top that. It’s also hard to find an excuse not to learn how to ski when you live near such an incredible resource. The same goes for those of you who plan to visit the Denver area this winter.
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