What’s New in Colorado this Winter

Multiple ski resorts are celebrating milestone anniversaries this winter season. Colorado Ski Country USA, Vail Mountain, Eldora Mountain Resort, Steamboat Ski Resort and Breckenridge’s Ullr Fest turn 50. Loveland Ski Area celebrates its 75^th anniversary, and Steamboat’s Winter Carnival will honour its 100^th year.

Skiable terrain in Colorado expands by 247 acres this season, with 17 additional acres new to skiers and riders at Beaver Creek, and 230 acres of new terrain on Snowmass‘ Burnt Mountain, known for rolling, low-angles meadows and incredible views. Breckenridge’s 543-acre expansion will be accessible by the 2013/14 ski season.

ATTRACTIONS, ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

• Telluride’s BootDoctors offers Big Tire Bike Tours on Salsa Mukluk fatbikes this winter season. This adventure can be tailored from a three-mile snow ride across the relatively level valley floor or a hair-raising extreme mountainous ascent and descent through backcountry trails and bowls or something in-between. A stop at the Telluride Brewing Company for an après bike refreshment can be included as part of the 1/2 day Big Tire Bike and Brew Tour. The Mukluk is a ride-anywhere fatbike that provides extreme tire floatation and traction and rides where other bikes cannot whether on game trails, sandy beaches, backwoods mud runs, snowy single-track or frozen lakes and rivers. 

• Snow Mountain Ranch in Winter Park introduces dog sledding excursions this winter season. Rides will be offered Tuesday afternoons, Thursday mornings and Saturday mornings at $15 per person or two people on a sled for $25. After a presentation from dogsledding expert Steve Peterson, guests will be pulled by six Alaskan Huskies for roughly 2 miles around the Snow Mountain Ranch grounds.

• For the first time, Breckenridge Resort will offer First Tracks Packages to the general public. Valid with a three-night stay at Breckenridge Dec. 16-20, 2013 at The Village at Breckenridge, The Village Hotel, Mountain Thunder Lodge, Crystal Peak Lodge, One Ski Hill Place, or DoubleTree by Hilton Breckenridge. The first 250 people to book will have access to the mountain a full hour before it is open to the public.

• Telluride will once again be the sole U.S. host for FIS World Cup Snowboardcross, and for the first time in history, will be adding FIS World Cup Skiercross to create a combined event. This year’s action will begin December 13 with the Skiercross, followed by Snowboardcross December 14-15. Teams from around the world will descend on Telluride to start their march towards the 2014 Sotchi Olympics.

• At the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships Jan. 22 – Feb. 3, 2013, teams of artists from across the globe hand-carve 12-foot-tall, 20-ton blocks of snow into enormous works of art. New for 2013, amateur photographers can take part in half-day workshops that offer tips and techniques for shooting the temporary outdoor art gallery.

SLOPE-SIDE

• Kids 12 and under ski free at Keystone Resort every day of the 2012/13 winter season without any blackout dates. Families must stay two or more nights in one of Keystone’s numerous owned and operated accommodation options, which span from luxury hotel rooms to cosy ski-in/ski-out condominiums. Reservations must be booked through http://www.keystoneresort.com/?cmpid=PARPR0008.

• Winter Park Resort offers a "Snow Guarantee" this season for visitors’ peace of mind. Book a trip to Winter Park for arrival/departure from Nov. 14 – Dec. 20, 2012. If the snow is not up to the visitor’s standards, the Winter Park trip can be rescheduled for later this season. Book online at www.winterparkresort.com.

• The Grand County Colorado Tourism Board offers visitors a new mobile app. The free app, which is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, puts vacation-planning information at the fingertips of visitors and locals alike. Download the app at www.visitgrandcounty.com.

• The Grandest Christmas package features four nights of lodging at Grand Lodge in Mt. Crested Butte, three days of skiing or riding, and Adventure Park access for tubing, mini golf, rock climbing and bungee trampolines at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.  The $999 package is for two adults and two children, ages 17 or younger, and is good for travel from Dec. 14-23, 2012.  This deal must be booked by Dec. 16 and is subject to availability and prior to all fees and taxes. Visit www.skicb.com.

NEW AND UPDATED LODGING

• Hotel Jerome in Aspen will reopen its doors in December 2012 following a multi-million-dollar renovation. All 94 rooms have been completely redesigned to showcase the hotel’s grandeur with nods to the building’s history, such as cashmere curtains, burnished leather bed frames and cubist carpet. A new Auberge Spa and a movement room for yoga are also part of the enhancements.