Winter is Back!

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Valarie

After the warmest February and March I can remember, the snow and cold has come back to Winter Park for the beginning of April (with a vengeance). I’m not surprised one bit, though for a while there I thought we might be looking at a really early spring. I’m looking at it fall through the window right now. The wind has died down and it’s just a steady and heavy snowfall.

There is a mixture of emotions going on through my head – mainly “whoohoo, I’m off tomorrow and can get in another powder day!” and “ugh, when is it going to be summer? I just want to ride my bike!” For the most part, though, I am just really glad we are finally getting our share of the snow. Last week, even Denver got 18 inches and we might have gotten half of that.

Winter Park Resort is reporting that in the past 7 days, we’ve accumulated 23 inches and nearly half of that has fallen in the past 48 hours. Judging from the rate that the snow is falling now, I bet we’ll have at least another 6 inches by tomorrow morning. Seriously, it’s coming down!

April Fool’s!! Vote on Your Favorite Ski Attire

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Chris

Just Say No to Ski Pants

Baseball Player

All in One

The Hunter

We saw quite a few “fashions” on the slopes this year. Now we’d like your take.

Which is your favorite?

Don’t like any of these? post your own good shots of ski fashions you spot.

Mountain Biking in Winter Park, Colorado

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Chris

There are reasons that Winter Park, Colorado is known as Mountain Bike Capitol, USA. How is it that our little town has earned the mighty moniker of Mountain Bike Capitol, USA? Is it because of the 600 miles of pristine forest trails, the Fat Tire Classic, the Winter Park Mountain Bike Series or the Crankworx Mountain Bike Festival? I think it’s a mix of these and so much more. Where else can you find all the trails, festivals and the overall biking culture all in one place? Winter Park is the mountain biking mecca!

Lets start of with all these 600 miles of rideable trails. Nowhere else can you find such beauty accompanied with the wide variety of terrain. From beginner to expert and singletrack to rugged downhill resort riding you can find it all here in WP. Here are just a few of the trails that can be had at the Winter Park Resort http://epicsingletrack.com/trails/wptrailstatus.html.

Headwaters Trails Alliance: Winter Park/Granby area trails advocacy. They sell a map, but it looks like it’s too large scale to use for navigating.
The Devil’s Thumb Park Loop (near Fraser in Grand County)

600+ miles of designated trails, eight major loop arteries, thousands of backcountry roads, this is what makes the Winter Park area a haven for bikers. A couple of my favorites:

Long Trailwinds up from the base through aspens and lodgepole pines with beautiful views of Fraser Valley
Upper Roof of the Rockies another ride with amazing views that climbs to over 11,000 feet
Tipperary and Spruce Creek another great choice. Follow highway 40 to County Road 5 to County Road 50 to the Tipperary trailhead. The trail winds up through mountain meadows then down to RD160 from where you can take other trails or head back
Sunken Bridges

The Winter Park Mountain Bike Series makes its return for the 2009 summer. This will be the 17th year of the series and it just keeps on getting better. Lance Armstong has raced here in the King of the Rockies race in1999 after winning his first Tour de France. There six racing levels: pro, expert, sport, beginner, Clydesdale, or single-speed with staggered start waves to keep the racers spread out on the course. Race schedule can be found at http://www.epicsingletrack.com/default.asp. Come on up and feel the thrill of a mountain bike race this summer!

Crankworx Mountain Bike Festival returns to Winter Park Resort from July 30th to August 2nd, 2009 for its third year. This free event features the dual slalom, downhill, slope syle tricks and cross country riding. The festival also features the Trestle Bike Park that is still under construction but looks like a blast. This is a great event for families and kids and it is fantastic spectator event with the all the jumps and tricks that are at the base of the resort.

The Fat Tire Classic also makes it’s return to Winter Park after a two year absence. This is one of the most fun mountain bike events of the year and this year they are limiting ridership to 800 people. Sign up now before it is too late. The event now benefits both The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) and the American Red Cross. Dates for the evnt are July 17th to July 19th, 2009. Info can be found at Fat Tire Mountain Bike Classic.

The Fraser River Trail is a paved trail that runs from Winter Park Resort to Fraser that is a wide, flat, 5-mile trail. It’s a haven for walkers, bikers, and in-line skaters. This is a great bike ride for the the younger kids and the dogs.

Get on up here and lets do some mountain biking in Winter Park. Mention you saw the Winter Park Lodging by Owner mountain biking blog and recieve 15% your winter park lodging.

Lime in the Winter Park Village: A Dinner Review

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Chris

: Nephews enjoying Lime

We’ve been to Lime for apres-ski and for lunch but never for dinner. Last night we took my brother and his family and my parents (actually, my brother paid, so I guess he “took us”). Here’s our review!

We were sat immediately at a great table (it was great because it was far away from the front door so we thought we’d avoid the chronic chilly issue they have in the restaurant). Service was excellent and the food came at the appropriate time. We all once again loved the chips and salsa. Margs were excellent too.

As you can see from the photo to the left, the food looks good and it tastes great too. My mom and I had the Insalada Del Sol. Really good salad. My sister-in-law had the Taco Salad which was pretty much taco-less but she appreciated not having the temptation of downing the fried taco that usually surrounds the healthy salad. Patrick (on right in photo above) had the steak burrito and said he liked it. I can’t remember what Michael had (in left in photo above) so he’ll have to comment on this blog to tell us. My dad and brother liked their food too.

Two issues though – it wasn’t a “great” table as we expected. As you can see from later in the evening (photo to right), we were freezing. Everytime someone opens the front door, we got a blast of cold and we were in the far back corner of the restaurant. My sister in law also felt like cold hair was blowing up at our feet. They’ve got to figure out the cold issue, and this place really will be “great”.

Oh, and our 2nd issue was the swap between relaxing 70′s Allman brothers and Joe Walsh music to headbanging loud my-dad-can’t-hear-us-speak music. We asked the waitress about it, but she said something like “yeah, we have it switching back and forth”. Easy solution – get an ipod, make a mix, play it.

Cold at Lime

After the meal, I met Jason Schmierer who is the new manager (Brian is gone) and he was really nice. Very eager to have us in again and possibly offering a deal in our newsletter this month, so stay tuned.

Anyone else been in? If so, post your reviews here!

Best Parks for Kids in Winter Park

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Chris

Playgym in Hideaway Park

In the never-ending pursuit to find fun activities for our twins in Winter Park, we have been trying out the local parks in the summer…and in winter. Here are our favorite three spots? Any others? please comment!

1) Hideaway Park – New playgym with good slides, a mini-climbing wall, and a rocking dog ride. Picnic tables are closeby as is the sledding hill or concert hill, depending which season you’re there. Also, the skate park is nearby and it’s pretty elaborate.

2) Wolf Creek – Go up Kings Crossing and you’ll see it on the left after passing over the train tracks. Good playgym with nice flooring, plus tennis courts and a basketball court. Bring your bball and get a pick up game going.

3) Fraser Park by the Old Schoolhouse. They have concerts there during the week in the summer, but their swingset is the best we’ve found so far. And they have a big train for play. If you get lucky, a train will go by when you’re there so you can wave at the real thing.

Trailhead Lodges Clubhouse in Winter Park to open in July 2009

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Chris

: Trailhead Lodges Clubhouse

As you can see to the left, the clubhouse and pool at the new Trailhead Lodges in Winter Park is coming along nicely. The word from the construction team is it will be ready for fun in July of this year.

The clubhouse is located in the middle of the new development which is located in the heart of downtown Winter Park. It will have a heated outdoor pool plus a hot tub and the clubhouse for events and hanging out.

The photo to the left was taken on March 27th, 2009. We’ll update you with new photos and progress as we get it.

If you’d like to book one of the Trailhead condos for the summer or even next ski season, go to www.wplbo.com and click on one or two bedrooms. Great places and an awesome location.

Tickets on sale soon for Winter Park’s Blues From the Top Festival!

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Chris

The Grand County Blues Society just announced the 7th annual “Blues From the Top” music festival that will be held from June 26-28 at Smokin Moe’s in Winter Park. Get ready to boogy to the “blue collar” lineup which includes Tommy Castro, Jimmy Hall, Trampled under Foot and Deanna Bogart to name a few. The party starts on Friday, June 26 to the tunes of Tab Benoit and Trampled Under Foot. Saturday night you’ll catch the rest of the bands in action for the “Walkin Blues Tour”. The tickets will go fast so make sure to get yours when they go on sale April 1st, for just $15/day. Tickets will be available at The Paper Clip in Granby, The Visitor Center in Winter Park, and online at www.grandblues.org

Winter Park Sledding: Hideaway Park

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Amy

Sledding in Hideaway Park

Need to get the kids out of the house? Want to take a day off of skiing? Winter Park has invested in a fabulous remodeled park in downtown called Hideaway Park. In the summer it is the home to weekly concerts, but in the winter, it’s the perfect sledding hill for small children and it’s free!

We took our 17 month old twins there this week for their first sledding experience. There were sleds there for our use (left by others who couldn’t take them on the plane, I guess!), snow was slippery, and we had a great time.

They even have rails for the “older” kids. Check out this 2 & 1/2 year old sledding over the rail (bottom right).

2 Year Old sledding over rails

There’s also a great playground and a skate park. They even have a slide from the top of the sledding hill area to the street below.

How to find it? Go to downtown Winter Park (arriving from the resort/Denver side), go to the 2nd stoplight and take a right (at the Chamber Of Commerce). Park and walk up the stairs to the park area and top of the sledding hill.

Enjoy!

Hideaway Park

Snoasis – Good for Lounging, Not for Food

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Chris

Snoasis - good views, bad food

Snoasis is the 70′s looking structure right before the lifts at the base of Cranmer and the Alice in Wonderland runs at Winter Park. It’s a great spot to sit on the lounge chairs and watch the extreme terrain park stunts, but it is not the place for food.

We found this out the hard way today when we joined our friends for lunch. I asked Chris to get me a Grilled Cheese thinking – how bad can that be? It was worse than my 6th grade cafeteria circa 1979. Two slices of stale white bread, a few slaps of processed cheese grilled for a minute with some butter. Yucky. I love cheese and I love bread, but I couldn’t get thru half of it. The fries weren’t much better. And I didn’t ask Chris, but I’m sure it cost an arm and a leg.

So, take our advice, and enjoy a cold one on the lounge chairs outside, but don’t even bother going inside the 70s dome otherwise known as Snoasis. Rather, take the lift up to Sunspot and get the good stuff…or at least our favorite – the coffee and cookie. Miles better than the icky lunch we had today.

Winter Park Wedding Ideas

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Valarie

weddingatdevilsthumb Whether you are planning a small, intimate wedding or a wedding gathering for hundreds of your friends and family, Winter Park has some beautiful settings that are perfect for tying the knot. Some reasons why Winter Park is a great environment to start the next stage of your life with your one and only:

the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains
the blue sky and gentle breezes
the beauty of the natural wildflowers
the sound of the nearby stream or river
the mountain lake surrounded by stunning peaks
the wild moose and foxes running by nearby
the multitude of activities to keep everyone entertained

Devil’s Thumb Ranch Weddings

One of the most beautiful and popular sites for a weddings in Winter Park is Devil’ Thumb Ranch. The wedding specialists at Devil’s Thumb Ranch have been providing dream-like weddings for years. I hear it can be really expensive, but I’ve only heard good feedback from those that experience a wedding there.

Ceremony and Reception Rooms

The amazing 2,900 square foot Broad Axe Barn is where they host receptions for 50 to 100 people. It has 25 foot ceilings, huge windows and an authentic and romantic feel. Interestingly, it is a barn that was built at an Indiana Farm during the civil war days, which has been beautifully refurbished and restored to it’s original condition (with some modern touches in decor).

They use the Timber House for more intimate weddings, perfect for a small reception of up to 30 people. It has amazing views, 240 degrees-worth to be precice, since most of the walls are glass, and it opens up to a huge deck.

Spa Facilities

They also have a brand-new state-of-the-art spa for some serious pre-wedding pampering. Even the changing rooms are so nice, I could just hang out there in the comfy robe (provided) and use the rain-drop shower and steam room and be completely satisfied. They have all sorts of fancy treatments that are perfect for the bride and her maids, like hot stone massage, facials and steam treatments.

Rachel’s Pool and Outdoor Jacuzzi has a pond-shaped pool that is both indoor and outdoor, plus an outdoor hot tub to melt away muscle tension. Beautiful river stones line both the pool and hot tub with views of the Continental Divide, so you feel like you are right in the middle of nature.

Dining

One of the best restaurants in the area is here at the Ranch. Aptly named the Ranch House Steakhouse, the delicious meals served here are prepared by a well-known chef with only the freshest ingredients, organic beef and pork and all home-made sauces.

The newest restaurant, Heck’s Tavern, serves more casual (and affordable) fare in a rustic room with high-ceilings and a huge wood-burning fireplace right smack in the middle.

Then there is John L.’s Wine Cellar & Uncorking Room, where you can have a private special dinner for two to twelve people. The beams and wine racks that surround the room are made of original growth cherry wood from New York and hold hundreds of bottles of wine.

More at the Ranch…

There are tons of trails here for hiking, biking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Fly-fishing can be done on site, with professiona guides at your service. You can even take advantage of the Cabin Creek Stables for horseback rides, wagon rides or even riding lessons. I’ve seen lots of wedding photos from Devil’s Thumb Ranch that feature their horses, too.

Another noteworthy tidbit is that Devil’s Thumb Ranch is very committed to the environment and practices sustainable building practices. They even received an EPA Award in 2004 for Environmentally Sensitive Remodeling and Expansion. One of my favorite method’s they use is geothermal heat for heating their water and buildings by using the earth’s own natural heat. They also use a water sand filtration system, partner with local farmers who also work to protect the environment and are committed to finding green solutions for other improvements.

Devil’s Thumb Ranch is a great place to get married. You can contact them at 800-933-4339 or download a wedding brochure for more information. More Winter Park Wedding Ideas will be posted on our blog over the next several weeks – stay tuned!