Powder Addiction Winter Park, CO

Winter Park Colorado Back-Country Skiing

The word is getting out about our new back-country ski operation headquartered here in the Winter Park Village.  Powder Addiction open this year and runs a snow-cat ski operation on Jones Pass.  I have had the pleasure of taking one trip with them and another is set for this coming Monday (yes that is my poor form in the picture above).  I would have three trip under my belt by this time if not for pink eye and 16″ of fresh powder that closed Berthoud Pass a week ago.  Not to worry I will be getting at least four trips in this year.

Anywho, the word is getting out as The Denver Post did an article about Powder Addiction and skiing at Jones Pass in today’s sport section.  A very good article about a great operation at Powder Addiction.  If you get a chance to take a trip with them do not pass it up.  The snow on Jones Pass, as the article says, is awesome and the terrain is fantastic.

Powder Addiction cat-skiing is not for everyone and here is what they say of those that should consider going:

As a reference, skiers should be comfortable on expert runs at developed resorts and should prefer powder snow to groomed terrain. Since Forest Service regulations keep the ‘cat at least 100 feet from the ridge line, skiers also should expect a couple of short hikes at elevations around 12,000 feet. The high altitude combined with good northern exposure keeps the snow cold and light.

Powder Addiction will provide some wide Solomon Czar powder skis and packs with avalanche beacons and a tasty lunch.   It is a day well spent and addictive…….Powder Addiction.

Come on up and try some back-country cat-skiing.

Java Mic Night at the Mountain Grind in Winter Park

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.

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’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.

Winter Park Resort Vacation Deals

Winter Park Colorado Vacation Deals

Now is the time to get up to Winter Park, Colorado.  Deals are aplenty and the snow is starting to build up and get pretty good.  The Winter Park snow forecast calls for a few inches tomorrow and hopefully some more this weekend.

I was checking out some of the deals that the Winter Park/Fraser Valley Chamber of Commerce is running at local restaurants and I stumbled upon a whole new Welcome Back to Winter Park Program that they are running this year.  Some great deals from restaurants, retail stores and activities:

Winter Park, Colorado Restaurant Deals

Winter Park Colorado Activity Deals

Winter Park, Colorado Spas and Heath Services

You can see all the deals that are being offered at Welcome Back to Winter Park Deals.  Lots of ways to save money on your vacation to Winter Park or for you locals, that read my mindless drivel, there are some good deals here.

There is a section of deals that I left out about lodging, for obvious reasons.  However, Winter Park Lodging Company will match any published offer that any other Winter Park Vacation Rental Company is offering.  Mind you, this needs to be on comparable accommodations and comparable times.

We here at Winter Park Lodging Company can save you more and will give you better customer service than any of our Winter Park lodging competitors.  Check out all the Winter Park deals that WPLCO offers.

Don’t be hoodwinked.  Stay with the Winter Park locals not the Winter Park jokels!

Five Things You Must Do In Winter Park, Colorado

Top Five Things to do in Winter Park, CO

Sitting down to do a top five list about a place with as many things to do as there are in Winter Park is quite hard I have learned.  I was going to sit down and knock this little top five list out and be done with it.  Not so easy, there are many things to consider and five just really isn’t enough.  So here goes my top five or so Winter things to do here in the  Rocky Mountains:

1. Ski Winter Park Resort.  Doesn’t need a lot of explaining but WP is one of the top ski resorts in Colorado with the most annual snow of all Colorado destination ski resorts.  Known for its moguls/bumps and family friendly  atmosphere Winter Park/Mary Jane is known as Colorado’s favorite for a reason.
2. Take a trip out to Devils’ Thumb Ranch.  Devils Thumb offers two very good restaurants, world class nordic/cross country skiing and the best spa in Grand County.  There is a lot to do at Devils Thumb, located just outside Tabernash, CO west of WP on US Highway 40.  They have a half indoor half outdoor pool that is fantastic with great views of the Continental Divide.
3. Snowmobile to the top of the Great Divide.  Grand Adventures will take you snowmobiling up to the top of the great divide in safety and comfort.  Experienced guides will take you on a trip of a life time to the top of the Colorado Rockies.
4. Take a snowshoe hike in the Arapaho National Forest.  There are more trails than I can name and they are all spectacular.  Almost anyone can snowshoe and it is a great workout and very peaceful.  Rent some snow shoes pack backpack spend a day getting away from it all.
5. Ski Berthoud Pass on a moonlit night.  Not for everyone and can be a lot of work.  Nothing like skiing under a full moon though.  This is dangerous so make sure to have the proper equipment and ability!!
6. Have dinner at the Tabernash Tavern.  Great food and a great atmosphere.
7. Have a beer at the Parshall Inn.
8. Soak your bones at the Hot Sulpher Springs Mineral baths.

I could go on and on but it is Sarah’s birthday today so I’m off to start dinner.

New Openings in Winter Park, CO

There are lots and lots of new stores opening up here in Winter Park, Colorado.  Our town just seems to be booming with all the restaurants opening and the Rec Center open for the first day and all this just in time for Christmas.

First we have the Fraser/Winter Park Rec Center open for the very first day to what looks like universal approval here in the Fraser Valley.  We will be visiting this coming week and will let you know how the final product turned out.  From what I have seen it looks spectacular (I can’t wait to steam my old bones in the steam sauna).

Last night Alberto’s had a soft opening to get some of the kinks out before tonight’s official Grand Opening.  I heard that the food was terrific and the space looks just as good.  For those not on the know, Alberto’s is brought to us by the folks that own the Tabernash Tavern.  They have redone the space in Cooper Creek Square that most recently housed the Green Olive Italian steakhouse.  We will try to make it out to Alberto’s in the next week and let your know about their operation.

The Cosmic Dog Mexican Grill is also opening tonight.  I popped my head in today and the space looks pretty cool.  I got a chance to talk to Fernand, the owner, and he says they should be serving up some burritos  tonight.  He also said he was exhausted from their push to get open in time for the Winter Park holiday season.  I can’t wait to have a burrito this week.  Nice work Fernand on the space, it looks great.

Lastly there is Ziggy’s Doughnuts.  Our very own hot fresh doughnut factory located next to Fontenot’s Cajun Cafe in the Kings Crossing Retail Center.  Talked Ziggy today and he says they should be open by the 3rd of January.  Ziggy’s will have coffee, fresh donuts, and some video games set among a cool interior with counter service and tables and chairs.  Would be great if Ziggy could figure out a way to offer some wine and beer, anywho,  I’m am satisfied with hot donuts for now though.

So our little enclave of heaven up here in the Colorado Rockies just seems to be booming with all these openings.  It looks like the economy is tuning around and vacationers ans skiers are starting to return to the hills.  We got some unexpected snow the last few nights and everyone here in Winter Park is getting ready for Christmas.  All seems well in the Winter Park part of the world.

Blues Show at Smokin’ Moes in downtown Winter Park this Saturday!

Grand County Blues Society is at it again! If you’ve never heard of the Grand County Blues Society, you’re missing out on some of the most passionate Blues supporters out there. Once or twice a month these guys bring the Blues to Winter Park by hosting a great band at our very own Smokin’ Moes Ribhouse and Saloon, located in Cooper Creek Square. Check out their website where you can read more about what they do and check out upcoming shows. The shows are always a blast; be ready to dance to some fabulous live music and enjoy Smokin’ Moes’ famous ribs.

If you take a break from tearing up the dance floor during the show, track down one of the Blues Society members with your questions about blues music , you won’t be disappointed! This Saturday, they’re hosting John Richardson and the Jelly Roll Bakers (Johnny O and Andy Irvine) at 9pm. You can check out a quick bio about these guys on the Blues Society website.

Hope to see you there!

Winter Park/Faser Snow Tubing Hill

Fraser Sledding Hill

I have seen the slopes of the Fraser snow tubing hill many times on the way home from Winter Park to Tabernash.  There behind our own little monument to American fast food, KFC and Taco Bell, sits the Fraser Snow Tubing Hill.  The operation looks quite impressive with the slope lit in the evening and the tubes flying down.  A good friend has even said that it is very fun, almost scary how fast you fly down.

I have to say, though, we have never tried the sled hill out.  I had a hard time envisioning twin one year olds enjoying the rush down the hill.  So this year we will give a report on the experience with two year olds.  Sitting down to write this blog I did do a little research of review sites to see what people thought of the sled hill and they were mostly positive with some complaining about the waits for tubes.  Check out Yelps reviews for the Fraser snow tubing hill.

Here is their contact info from the Grand County Chamber of Commerce:

Fraser Snow Tubing Hill
PO Box 219
Fraser, CO 80442
970-726-5954
E-mail: rj@fraserweb.com

Bring the whole family for a snow tubing adventure! Located behind the Alco shopping center in Fraser. Groups welcome.

We will schlep the twins out to Fraser this winter and give the Fraser Sled Hill a try and I will write a first hand review of Grand Counties very own sled hill.  We will keep you posted.