Valentine’s Roses for your Sweetie in Winter Park

Nothing is more classy than giving a dozen roses to your Valentine. Whether you’re a local or a visitor in Winter Park for the romantic holiday, you can surprise your sweet heart with a dozen red roses for Valentine’s Day.

Kara and Rami with Pick Me Floral Design and Event Planning are just the people you need, offering a Valentine’s rose deal for either pick up or delivery. For delivery the cost is $75 and for pick up it’s $65 (pre-orders only).  A deal either way, for beautiful roses to brighten up your Valentine’s Day. Email kara@lovethisday.com or call 970-531-9237 today.

Winter Park, CO Snow Sports Industries Convention

Winter Park, CO SnowSports Industries Convention

There were around 3,400 people  for the on-snow demo at Winter Park Ski Resort Monday, part of the SnowSports Industries America’s (SIA) annual snow show. The show was held for the first time in Denver after a 37 years of wild times in Las Vegas.

A small village was set up at the base of Winter Park. Manufactures, retailers and media in the snowsports industry cruised displays of skis and snowboards, boots, bindings, goggles, helmets, poles, gadgets and just about every other piece of ski gear that somebody needs to enjoy the sport of skiing.  There were people out demoing the latest and greatest that the ski industry is bringing out for next year.

What were the hits of the show?  What are the can’t live withouts for the ski addicted masses?

Well according to the ski press here are some of the favorites that were at the ski show in both Denver and on the slopes of Winter Park Resort.

Liberty Skis

Co-founder Jim Satloff launched the firm in 2003 with $30,000 won during an incredibly lucky three-hour run at a Vegas craps table.  Today, Avon-based Liberty has a national reputation as a high-performance ski maker.  Liberty is the first manufacturer to use bamboo cores in all its lines, offering lighter weight and improved responsiveness.
Prototypes are developed at the Avon headquarters, but most manufacturing takes place in China. Low import duties allow Liberty to sell at competitive prices to retailers, where the skis carry list prices of $529 to $769.

Point6 Socks

If you would like to find socks that will keep your feet comfortable, dry, blister-free in every activity you participate in – - – look no further. POINT6 is your solution.

* ski and snowboard socks

* hiking and trekking socks

* cycling socks

* casual lifestyle socks

* golf, running and fitness socks

With precise, anatomical fit point6 socks are truly the best socks you will ever wear.

Arc’teryx Alpha SV Gore-Tex Glove

Is any glove worth $275? Arc’teryx believes the Alpha SV, the first glove made with Gore Pro Shell, fits the bill. The typical Gore-Tex glove has a somewhat bulky, cartoonish-looking baggie sandwiched between the liner and outer shell. Pro Shell is a three-layer, super-breathable product in which the shell, Gore-Tex membrane and liner are laminated into a single piece of fabric. It brings down weight and bulk and improves breathability and durability. It’s Gore’s premium product for jackets, but it’s hard to make into a glove because of all the seam sealing required.

Anyway, the Alpha SV overcomes those issues with clever engineering and design. There’s a waterproof leather layer on the fingers and palm and a removable fleece liner. In all, the glove is lightweight, extremely dextrous and easily the coolest pair of ski and mountaineering gloves I’ve ever seen. As for the price, a lot of pros—helicopter skiing guides and such—will probably wear it. If you use the gloves 100 days a year for 10 years, you’ll end up investing around 28 cents a day on hand warmth. Probably a good deal. For the rest of us, it’s a friggin’ expensive glove.

Loki Gear

This innovative Grand Junction outerwear-maker is now making kick-ass headwear and kick-ass jackets with all sorts of shape shifting features, like built-in mittens and facemasks and the ability to transform into a backpack.

Ski Logic

Some of the coolest looking skis out there.  Based in Breckenridge and making skis for over ten years these skis will definitely get some questions from fellow lift riders. And yes these are also manufactured in China, but man they are really cool looking.

WhoooHoooo! Lets hope the SIA makes it back to Winter Park next year for an encore performance.  The two days here were great exposure for Winter Park Resort and it was nice to see the base bustleing with ski industry people.

Winter Park Village Free Events

Free Events in Winter Park Resort Village

There are many many activities in the Winter Park Village and almost all of them are absolutely free.  The new Village is in its first full year of operation and there are now four eateries up and running:

Goodys is a European creperie offering made to order crepes and homemade ice cream.

Lime is a modern Mexican eatery with great tacos and margaritas.

The Back Bowl Soup Company offers homemade soups, breakfast burritos and fantastic breads.

The Cheeky Monk is a Belgium beer bar with great Flemish food with some of the best beers known to man.

Enjoy all these restaurants and spend a night in Village with some of their free events.  From Mardi Gras celebration to free ice skating lessons there something for everyone in the Winter Park Village.

DISCO SKATE NIGHTS
Thursdays, January 7 & 21, February 4 & 18, 6-8pm

Get down tonight! Grab your skates and come dance to funky disco music! You are sure to have fun with your friends while ice-skating on the Village Ice Rink to a dj playing 1970’s disco music while the disco ball lights up the ice! Bring your costumes!

KIDS’ NIGHT OUT
Thursdays, December 17 – April 8, 5:30-8:30pm

The Village at Winter Park introduces Kids’ Night Out! This fun, activity-filled evening is for 4-12 year olds, and is loaded with activities – including dinner and s’mores by the firepit! Kids’ Night Out is a worry-free night out for Mom & Dad and a convenient alternative to at-home babysitting.

Details:
▪ Kids’ Night Out is held at Kids Ski and Ride School on Thursday evenings from 5:30-8:30pm
▪ 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 your children are in the program. We do require original receipts to verify the expenditure. If less than $30 per child is spent, parents will only be charged the difference.
▪ Kids’ Night Out includes dinner from Doc’s Roadhouse and indoor activities such as games, seasonal crafts and movies
▪ Please reserve your child’s space by 3pm on Thursday. Call Winter Park Guest Services at 800.729.7907 to reserve your child’s space. Enrollment is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

MINI RAIL JAM
Fridays, January 15 - March 19, 4:30-6pm

*No Mini Rail Jam on February 19

Little jibbers come practice and show your tricks! Hit the mini rail park, Bouncer, in the Village for some fun after the mountain has closed for the day. Practice your rail slides and jumps in a training mini terrain park.

Details:
▪ Recommended for skiers and snowboarders ages 6 – 12 years old. Helmets are recommended.
▪ Located at the Bouncer Terrain Park located across from Doc’s Roadhouse and adjacent to the Discovery Center in the Village

FIRESIDE STORY-TELLING

Saturdays, January 9 - March 27, 3:00-4:00pm Join around the Discovery Center Plaza firepit for an animated story retelling the history of Winter Park Ski Resort, the railroad, early settlers and mountaineers. This FREE story-telling series is offered weekly from January through March and will include the stories of Fraser Valley locals such as: Doc Susie Anderson, the Byers family, the Cozens family and David Moffat. A perfect event for the entire family!

COWBOY SING-A-LONG
Fridays, December 18 – April 18, 4-5pm Come and join us by the campfire for our fun Cowboy Sing-A-Long just outside of the Village Gazebo, located at the base of Winter Park Resort. Cowboys and cowgals of all ages will enjoy this laid back and entertaining live show featuring all your campfire favorites! This FREE family entertainment is available Fridays from 4–5pm in the Village Gazebo.

ICE-SKATING LESSONS
Daily*, December 19—mid-March, 4-5pm

*Saturdays are Blade Capades, ice-skating games

Come join a FREE lesson to learn how to “hit the ice” (after “hitting the slopes”) or improve your skills on ice. An instructor and hot chocolate will be provided for each lesson. Bring your own skates or rent skates near the Village Ice Rink.

*Sign up by 3pm at Village Rentals on the day of the lesson

MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION
Saturday, February 13, 12:00-5:00pm

High Altitude Style! Come join the party in the Village to celebrate this New Orleans tradition Winter Park-style! This event features bands, street performers, festive decorations, food and plenty of beads to go around!

Music (in Starbucks Plaza)

12:00pm-1:00pm:  Louisiana Clan Dogs
1:20pm-2:20pm:  Aden Harrell & Friends Jazz Quartet
2:40pm-3:40pm:  Otones Brass Band
4:00pm-5:00pm:  Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe
Performers (throughout the Village)

12:00pm-5:00pm:  Salida Circus Performers (includes flame throwers, jugglers, trapeze artists, jesters & unicyclists)
12:00pm-5:00pm:  Face-Painting and Caricature Drawings
12:00pm-5:00pm:  Children’s Crafts – masks and crowns
1:00pm-3:00pm:  Giant Puppetry
2:00pm-4:00pm:  Ear2Ear Photobooth

Food (in Starbucks Plaza)

Jambalaya, crawfish, etouffee, gumbo, crepes, bread pudding and beignets provided by Village restaurants

Lots of things to to do for free at “the Village”.  If you would like to have a free family night out, the Winter Park Village can not be beat.

Winter Park Moonlight Snowshoe and Cross Country Ski

Pole Creek Moonlight Snowshoe

What a great way to spend a Saturday Night: on the links of Pole Creek Golf Club with skis on your feet and the moon lighting the ground below.

Pole Creek Golf Club had their first, of hopefully many, moonlight snow shoe and ski events this past Saturday night and the event was fantastic.  Show up clip on the skis and make a run through the marked course.  On the course is a bonfire with some hearty souls serving up schnapps with hot chocolate.  Finish up the trek and head inside for some wine and dinner.

We hope that they continue this moonlight tradition all year long.  It was a great time and there were a lot of people out enjoying the moonlight and the crisp Colorado air.  Lots of kids, dogs and people of all ages having a great time in the clear moonlight.

Dinner was good, wine was even better.  Service was a bit slow as I don’t think Bistro 28 expected quite as many people to join them for the first running of this event. Better get to ironing out the kinks before the next moonlight snowshoe event.

All in all it was a great night,  ended  with a glass of wine at home and the excitement of a another full moon in thirty days.

Music in Winter Park this Weekend

Hopefully you‘re looking for something to do this Saturday night in Winter Park! There are four great shows going on- either pick one and stick to it for the night, or bar hop so you can catch them all!

First, Angie Stevens is playing at Cheeky Monk Belgian  Beer Cafe, located in the new village at Winter Park Resort. Angie’s strong vocals match well with her smooth acoustic guitar sound, almost as well as the imported Belgian brews match with the house parmesan truffle frites.

Next up, Randi’s Irish Saloon is hosting local favorite Hunker Down. If you’re into bluegrass rock, don’t miss out on these guys. You have my word- I’ve seen them play enough times to say with 100% confidence that no matter what your taste in music is, you won’t be disappointed with Hunker Down.

After Randi’s, head on down a couple blocks to the Winter Park Pub to continue with great music. The Pub is hosting Denver’s very own Hillbilly Hellcats. True to their name, the Hillbilly Hellcats will entertain you to no end with fast paced songs like Hillbilly Love, Crazy Little Baby, and, my personal favorite, Hillbillies on Speed. If you’re able to stay seated and refrain from some good old fashioned foot pounding dancing while the Hellcats are jamming, there’s something wrong with you!

Finally, last but certainly not least, the Grand County Blues Society is bringing us a special treat to Crooked Creek Saloon. Chris Watson, hailing from Denton, Texas, is talented well beyond his 23 years. His latest hit, Just for Show, is a perfect example of the treat you’re in for if you’re able to stop by Crooked Creek this Saturday night. Leave it to the Grand Blues Society to bring us a gem like Chris Watson!

So, true to my word, you have plenty of choices for Saturday night. Good luck choosing!

Winter Park Spirit of the Month

Winter Park, Colorado Booze of the Month

VanGogh Acai Blueberry Vodka.  This fantastic Dutch vodka is naturally infused with Blueberry and Acai fruit.  Acai is one of the new “superfruits” from the rainforest.  High in antioxidants and vitamins this fruit is great for you.  However, when mixed in 80 proof vodka,  it just tastes delicious.

Handmade in small batches by Master Distiller Tim Vos, Van Gogh Vodka is painstakingly crafted using only the finest fruit, grains, and purified water.  The grain alcohol goes through a multiple distillation process followed by an all-natural double infusion flavoring process.  This innovative,  six-week procedure, pioneered by the Royal Dirkzwager Distilleries, creates Van Gogh Vodka’s signature smooth taste.

For the at home mixoligist, VanGogh Acai Blueberry is available at Rocky Mountain Moonshine.  If you’re out on the town you can find this wonderful vodka at Albertos, Tabernash Tavern or at Fontenot’s where it is featured in the Alpenglow cocktail.  A phenomenal drink dreamt up by the Fontenot’s crew.

VanGogh Acai Blueberry mixes well with soda, 7-Up and tonic it is also delicious just on the rocks.

This blog post is courtesy of Mr. Ed Raegnor of Tabernash, Colorado.

Winter Park, CO. Winter

Winter Time in Winter Park, CO

Well, it is winter time here in Winter Park, Colorado.  Lots of snow on the ground and pretty darn chilly each morning.  Now is when the skiing gets good and the crowds are small until we hit the March spring break crowds (besides the pack of skiers here for Presidents weekend).

So far the snowfall in Winter Park has been somewhat short of the average but the forecast is calling for big storms thru the first part of February.  Bring on the snow!

Now is the time to get out to Devil’s  Thumb Ranch to do some cross country skiing or out the back door to take a nice snow shoe hike.  Looking for something a little different, head out and take a dog sled ride at Winter Park Dog Sled Rides.  Want to soak the cold from your bones, Hot Sulpher Springs Mineral Baths has hot pools to warm your cold bones.  If you are looking for a little summer in Winter Park head to the new Grand Park Rec Center.  The hot tub , steam room, sauna and water slide may fool you into thinking you are in Winter Park, FL not Winter Park, CO.

But why are most of us here in Winter Park?  It is the skiing.  Yes it may be a little cold but now is when you can get out and hit the slopes and you can find your own little sanctuary on the hill.  Fresh tracks, runs with only you and your shadow is what this time of winter is about.

So, lets do our snow dance and hope the storms keep on hitting us and that we may get clobbered by that 20′ storm that is always just over the horizon.

Winter Park’s Newest Tubing Hill – Colorado Adventure Park

The newest option for tubing in the Winter Park area, the Colorado Adventure Park tubing hill is located right next to the ol’ Fraser Tubing Hill in the town of Fraser. Not only do they have four separate tubing lanes progressing from mild to bumpy, they also have a lane designated for air boarding, which is an oblong inflatable device with handles for more steering control. Finally, for kids aged six to thirteen, they have snowscoots, which are like mini snowmobiles.

It’s a bargain compared to the more expensive Fraser Tubing Hill. For tubing, it’s $14/hour and for airboarding, it’s $17/hour, which includes the rental of a helmet. If you have your own ski helmet, bring it with you for a $2 discount. To rent a snowscoot, the cost is $10 for each ten minutes.

There is a magic carpet conveyer lift to carry both you and your tube to the top of the giant hill, as well as a smaller man-made hill for the little tykes. They have a warming hut at the base of the hill, which is also where you can buy your tickets.

To find the Colorado Adventure Park, head west on Hwy 40 from Winter Park and take a left at the stoplight in Fraser where the Safeway grocery store is.  After you pass under the bridge about 200 yards down, take a right at the fork in the road. Follow the signs and turn left into their entrance about 300 yards down. Contact them at 970-726-5779 or at info@coloradoadventurepark.com.

Intrawest Goes Into Foreclosure

Winter Park Resort Management Company, Intrawest, is Foreclosed on by Creditors

WOW!  I saw it coming but I didn’t think that it would happen in the middle of a ski season and only weeks before their jewel property, Whistler, was to be host to the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Intrawest was taken into receivership today by the banks that funded the purchase of Intrawest by Fortress Investments.  Banks have seized Intrawest Holdings, the owner of the Whistler ski resort that’s hosting the Olympic downhill races next month, after the resort operator missed a big debt payment, and now plan to auction the company off right in the middle of the games.

The lenders, which include Lehman Brothers and Davidson Kempner, plan to auction off ownership of Intrawest on Feb. 19, according to a notice published in major newspapers. The first events of the Olympic games are scheduled for Feb. 12 and the closing ceremony is set for Feb. 28.

Well what does this mean for Winter Park Resort?  What will be auctioned off at Winter Park Ski Area?  Will Winter Park Resort management be changing?

Winter Park Resort is owned by the city of Denver so most likely there will be no changes at Winter Park Resort.  Intrawest over two years ago disbanded their resort development team, Placemaking, so they were not going to be doing anymore development at the base in the near future anyway.  As for what could be auctioned off I don’t think there is anything to auction other than land and condos that Intrawest already has up for sale.

The foreclosure notice stated: “Each qualified bidder must be a financial institution or other entity that has the financial wherewithal to purchase the membership interests in immediately available funds on the closing date”.

The sale includes more than a dozen resort properties including Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Steamboat and Winter Park in Colorado and Squaw Valley in California.

So, I guess my $5,000 offer and promise to do better than Fortress isn’t going to get me anywhere with an offer for Intrawest.

In addition to Intrawest, buyers will get stakes in four resorts in Colorado, as well as properties in California, Florida and Vermont. But with the Olympic Games only weeks away, the focus is on Whistler.

Intrawest chief executive officer Bill Jensen said that the company is in talks with its lenders, and in the meantime “it’s business as usual.”

I’m thinking business as usual would be very interesting at Intrwest headquarters today!

Anywho, lets get excited about the Winter Park snow forecast of 20′ of snow in the next 6 days!

Winter Park Wells Fargo Cup

Winter Park Colorado Wells Fargo Cup

The Wells Fargo Cup ski weekend benefiting the National Sports Center for the Disabled makes its 35th appearance at the Winter Park Resort from February 19th to 21st, 2010.  This event brings together world-class disabled ski racers, Denver celebrities, Broncos alumni along with amateur skiers and snowboarders of all abilities for a weekend of activities to benefit the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD).  The Celebrity Challenge is one of the most entertaining events of the weekend as celebrities and former football stars make their way down a racecourse.  There will also be a silent auction that usually brings interest from big spenders to the most frugal.

National Sports Center for the Disabled

Founded in 1970, the National Sports Center for the Disabled’s mission is to positively impact the lives of people with any physical or mental challenge through quality adaptive recreation programs in over 20 sports. The NSCD’s impact on lives is direct, immediate and visible. Over 20,000 lessons were provided in 2007 alone.

The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) is one of the largest outdoor therapeutic recreation agencies of its kind in the world.  For 40 years, children and adults with disabilities have looked to the organization for hope and encouragement.  Each year, they take to the ski slopes, rivers, mountain trails and athletic fields to learn more about sports and themselves. With specially trained instructors and its own adapted equipment lab, the NSCD can accommodate individuals with almost any physical or mental diagnosis.

The Wells Fargo Cup is a great weekend of skiing benefiting  truly one of the best causes that I know.   It is also one of the most popular weekends to be in Winter Park.  So make your plans now and help out a great cause and have some fun on the Winter Park/Mary Jane slopes.