For skiers and snowboarders, it’s an itchy time of the year.
It’s not the scratchy wool ski socks. It’s that you’re itching to wear those ski socks again. Soon.
While you’re waiting on the weather, start thinking snow. This is the time to plan some trips, charge your GoPro and set some goals for the upcoming ski season.
“I always felt if you’re an avid skier, set goals for yourself,” says Chris Anthony, a big-mountain skier from Vail whom you’ve probably seen shredding in Warren Miller films over the years.
“Have a bucket list,” Anthony says. “What are you going to do this year? Are you going to go back to your same ski area, or go to some new ones? Or are you going to go cat skiing for the first time?…
“That’s the beautiful thing about skiing — there’s a never-ending adventure curve.”
In that spirit, here are a few ways to try new things in Colorado, visit new places and make some memories this ski season.
Track down the pros
Perhaps you’ve heard about the world cup races on the Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek. If you’ve never seen a pro ski race in person, this year is the year to go — maybe you’ll see Sochi star Mikaela Shiffrin screaming down her hometown slopes at unbelievable speeds.
This winter, the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is coming to Colorado. The races run Feb. 2-15 at Beaver Creek and Vail. If you head to Beaver Creek for the races, make sure you head down at 3 p.m. for the complimentary warm cookies (daily at the base of the Centennial lift).
Can’t make it this year? Aspen will host the Alpine World Cup Finals in 2017.
If snowboarding is more your thing, go see the high-flying action at one of the classic events: The X Games will return to Aspen’s Buttermilk this winter, from Jan. 22-25, and Breckenridge will host the Dew Tour again this winter, Dec. 11-14, which should draw some of the halfpipe and slopestyle riders you saw at Sochi.
Because it was a qualifier for the Olympics, last year’s event had a more intense vibe than what spectators should expect this year, said Breckenridge spokeswoman Kristen Petitt Stewart.
“My expectation is that it will have more of a festival vibe to it (this year),” she said. “At night, there’s a rail jam on Main Street. It has a fun, party atmosphere, but you can also bring your kids. For families who want to get up close to see people who were in Sochi, it’s a great opportunity.”
vailbeavercreek2015.com; aspensnowmass.com/events-and-activities/events/x-games; dewtour.com
Craft a different après
We love craft beer in Colorado, and that a pint of Out-of-Bounds Stout at your favorite pub is a superb way to end a day of skiing or riding out of bounds. The number of craft distillers accounts for but a drop in the bucket by comparison, but it’s a potent drop, and an option worth checking out to expand your après-ski horizons.
The 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company, at 286 Bridge St. in Vail Village, is a new addition to the après-ski scene this year. The company, which was started by two skiers, one of whom’s grandfather was in the original 10th Mountain Division, makes whiskey, bourbon, a potato vodka and even “mountain moonshine.”
Meanwhile the Breckenridge Distillery, which seems to rack up medals for their spirits as quickly as Colorado’s Olympians, has a tasting room in downtown Breck (137 S. Main St.) where you can try out their whiskey, vodka or alpine-herb-infused bitters. Or head over to the distillery, at 1925 Airport Road, for a tour. Tours run Tuesday through Sunday, and the last tour’s at 5:30 p.m., so even if you take the last lift, you can still make it.
When you think Colorado, you probably don’t think rum, which is why Crested Butte’s Montanya Rum brings a slightly different flavor to the mountains. Check out the tasting room, at 212 Elk Ave., in the evening for a distillery tour or just a sip.
10thwhiskey.com; breckenridgedistillery.com; montanyarum.com
Take in the views
Maybe this is the year you hit a resort that isn’t part of your usual season pass to see views you’ve only heard of, like Telluride’s See Forever. Or maybe you head to Winter Park for lunch at the top of Mary Jane, at Lunch Rock.
On a clear day, Lunch Rock is one of those spots that makes you put the shredding on pause for a moment. The views are grand, the sun is strong, and the smell of the burgers grilling outside at this glorified snack shack might be irresistible.
If you loved the old-school feel of Lunch Rock (an outcrop on the ridge that members of the Arlberg Club started skiing to before the resort was there), the new restaurant is going to be a big change.
“The structure up there was so antiquated and so small, the new project has been universally accepted, even by the hard-core traditionalists,” says Winter Park spokesman Steve Hurlbert.
“There wasn’t even any plumbing up there,” he added. “We had to lay down plumbing.”
The new Lunch Rock is 16,000 square feet and will feature a cafeteria that seats 250, plus room for another 250 on the deck, where you will still be able to take in that view of James Peak.
The idea behind the new Lunch Rock is all Colorado, Hurlbert says, from locally sourced foods to a bar stocked exclusively with Colorado craft beers.
tellurideskiresort.com; winterparkresort.com
Go big
Perhaps this is your year for learning a new trick or skiing something new.
If the backcountry is calling, Silverton Mountain is answering the call. The ski area — “resort” doesn’t seem like the right word — seems to grow a bit every year. This year, the all-expert, all-backcountry mountain has added a ski cargo basket to their helicopter. Because that’s how you ski there, by helicopter, or by hiking upward from the one lift.
If this is the year you want to try a new trick in the parks, set your goals based on knowing you have solid fundamentals, then go for it, says Olympian Taylor Gold. (Gold and his sister, Arielle, are both snowboarders who went to Sochi.)
“I never go into a (new) trick if I know I don’t have the fundamentals to land it,” Gold says.
When you’re trying something new, he says, the hardest part is often just trying it for the very first time. So if you’ve made a goal and have the skills to achieve it, go into it with commitment.
“I think the less commitment you have, the more difficult it is to do it,” he says.
Maybe this year, your kids have a goal, like skiing something new, or trying their first rail jam. Gold has advice for them that we can all heed: Always have fun out there.
“If it’s not fun, there’s no point.”
Get the shot
You’re out there having all this fun — capture it. Ski photographer Tony Wilhelms, who has shot for Warren Miller and is the photo editor of SnowWorld Magazine, says to pay attention to composition while you’re shooting, whether it’s still or video.
“If you’re composing the shot, you’re thinking about where they’re going to be,” he says. “I’m looking at surroundings, I’m looking at foreground, background, I’m looking at lighting, my shadow isn’t going to be in the shot.”
Whether you have a high-end camera or just a GoPro or iPhone, get creative.
“Think for yourself, go outside of the box … there’s a lot of people out there doing the same thing, and it’s fascinating to see what people can come up with.”
Jenn Fields: 303-954-1599, jfields@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jennfields
