Powder Addiction Winter Park, CO

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Chris

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.

Winter Park Resort: Fourth Best Ski Cafeteria Food

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Chris

Moffat Market at Winter Park Resort

Winter Park Resort just seems to be racking up the awards of late. Skiing magazine just named Winter Park’s Moffat Market as the fourth best Ski-Resort Cafeteria. That is not bad as the building it operates in is quite old compared to the others on Skiing Magazines top ten list.

The Moffat Market was the highest ranked Colorado ski cafeteria and Vail’s Two Elks Lodge was the only other Colorado cafeteria ranked and they came in at number six.

Here is what Skiing Magazine had to say about the Winter Park Moffat Market:

Moffat Market, a railroad-themed food court (named after the Moffat Tunnel, a 6.2.-mile-long railroad tunnel that has its west end at Winter Park ski resort), offers food from around the world. There’s New York-style pizza at Grand Central Station, Tex-Mex at Santa Fe Station, and Asian noodle bowls at the Umami Station. We recently tried a veggie coconut curry bowl with rice noodles here—and were blown away by how spicy and delicious it was.

We recently had a chicken burrito at the Moffat Market and I have to say it was a huge burrito and very tasty. Cost was a little pricey but food at ski resorts is never cheap.

Serving breakfast and lunch, the Moffat Market food court has a railroad theme and offers fresh cuisine and specialties that reflect the different regions of the country and the world. Storefronts and names identify the different food stations with options such as: New York-style pizza at Grand Central Station; Tex-Mex at the Santa Fe Station; enjoy Asian noodle bowls at our newly revamped “Umami” station; and hearty soups at the Shortline. Moffat Market also features an Einstein’s Bagels kiosk for fresh breakfast bagels, and lunch specialties. New this season is a totally revamped breakfast menu at the Moffat Market. Stop by for their specialty, “Eggs Delphia.”

Of course, you go to a ski resort for the good snow and terrain. But you’ve got to eat while you’re there, right? Skiing Magazine has done their research—eating at ski areas all over the country—and have selected the 10 best on-mountain restaurants in ski country. And to call the Moffat Market a cafeteria simply doesn’t do it justice.

Top Five Winter Park Kids Activities

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Chris

Winter Park, CO Kids Activities

After hitting the slopes and the Grand Park Rec Center with our twins I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of the top five activities with kids here in Winter Park, Colo. These are the can’t miss things to do when coming up to Grand County with your little ones in the winter. For summer there will be a whole other list.

Learn to Ski at Winter Park Resort - This is a no-brainer as most everyone coming to Winter Park this is the main reason that they are heading to our little piece of paradise.

Spend a Day at The Grand Park Rec Center – Our Rec Center sitting just at the end of the town of Winter Park is a kids and parents dream. With two pools , diving board, lazy river, water slide. steam room, dry sauna, basketball courts, climbing wall, trampoline and lots and lots of exercise equipment for the adults this a great place to take a vacation from the snow outside. Grand Park Rec Center also offers day care for kids. This is especially helpful for those parents with the wee little ones.

Go Sledding or Tubing at Winter Park’s Colorado Adventure Park - The Adventure Park offers Tubing, Airboards, Snow Scoots, and Sleigh Rides. They are conveniently located just minutes from the Winter Park Ski Resort, in Fraser, and an easy 70 miles from Denver . From young to young at heart they have something for you! This is an exhilarating place. The hill you go down is big and you can get some serious air.

Take a Dog Sled Ride at Winter Park Dog Sled Rides – We bought a ride for our niece and sister-in-law and they loved it. When the the sled takes off it looks like a rocket. The ride goes through some secluded forest area and it just amazing how fast the dogs go and how quiet it is in all the trees. They are located just a short drive from Winter Park Resort on Grand County Road 5.

Sit in the Hot Springs at Hot Sulphur Springs – There are enough hot springs for the whole family with temperatures for everyone. There are 22 pools and private baths, which include a solarium pool, the therapy Elk Pool, and a summer swimming pool. They are known as one of the nation’s oldest, largest and finest natural hot mineral springs resort and spa. Relax and enjoy the sacred waters where the Ute Indians once bathed, healed mind, body, and spirit.

Enough activities to keep the adults and the little tykes busy for a week or so. Stay tuned for the top five summer activities for kids in Winter Park, CO

We are known as one of the nation’s oldest, largest and finest natural hot mineral springs resort and spa.

St Patrick’s Day in Winter Park, Colorado

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Chris

Winter Park Resort St. Patrick’s Day

St Patrick’s Day is coming upon us quickly. What are your plans to celebrate that little bit of Irish that we all have in us? Well, there is always a good reason to ski a few runs and have a few green beers in Winter Park. This year St Patrick’s Day is Wednesday March 17, 2010 and there is plenty to do celebrate the all that is Irish.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY
Wednesday, March 17

Join Winter Park Resort for some toe-tappin’, hand-clappin’, good drinkin’, “gotta get up and dance” renditions of traditional and original Irish tunes!

Discovery Center Plaza: 2:30-5:30pm
Cheeky Monk: 8:00-10:00pm

Get Your Irish On!

In the town of Winter Park there is no shortage of things to do. Head to the Winter Park Pub and have a green beer. Or head over to Randi’s Irish Saloon for some traditional Irish Grub and nip of Jameson Irish Whiskey.

Come on up to the Colorado Rockies and celebrate this St Patrick’s Day Winter Park, CO style.

Learning to Ski at Winter Park Resort

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Chris

Twins learning Winter Park Colorado Wnter Park ski instruction Winter Park dad teaching skiing

Teaching Your Kids to Ski at Winter Park, CO

We finally got our precious twin 2 year-olds out to the slopes at Winter Park Resort. What took us so long you ask. Well we waited until we had some nice spring like days with plenty of snow and warm, blue sky weather. If we would have known how cool it would be seeing your children ski down the hill we may have had them out there a year ago.

We spent our first two days of ski learning and teaching experience at the base of Winter Park. The first day we were on Mt. Maury with the Winter Park ski school classes. I think from some of the comments that that hill is reserved for Winter Park ski school. I think this is a better hill to teach kids on as everyone on this little hill looked to be under five years of age. The second day we went over to Sorenson Park with all the big kids. By day two Nicholas and Willem skied all the way down the hill by themselves. Awesome is all I have to say. No, they weren’t turning and they need help getting onto the magic carpet but these barely two year-olds skied down a hill all by themselves! I could not have been prouder as some observers at Sorenson Park were cheering for the little tykes. What a great day!

As you can see above Winter Park has wagons that are a great help in transporting the kids around the base. It says on the wagon not to be used to go over the snow to Sorenson Park but we have been told by the Winter Park Hosts that it is OK to take the wagons over there. There were three or four wagons at Sorenson when we arrived with ours. Mt. Maury and Sorenson are just a short walk to Winter Park Base Rental ski shop and the Winter Park Market/Cafeteria. The whole setup is very very convenient with the Winter Park Ski School right here as well. Now you are asking why the heck didn’t we just put our little future skiing Olympians in ski school? Well, the ski school will not take kids that are not potty trained. And at the pace of our little ones they may be skiing black diamonds before they know how to use a toilet.

Next week we will attempt a chair lift ride up to Discovery Park. We will keep you posted as to how that goes and if it goes at all like to today it will be one of the better days indeed.

Winter Park Resort Skiing

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Chris

Skiing the Bumps and Powder at Winter Park Resort

After getting to ski some of the best powder we have had here in Winter Park in the last year I was doing some searches to see if any of the national media had picked up on how good our snow has gotten here in Colorado and especially Winter Park in the last month.

I didn’t find much besides an article in our local Sky Hi Daily News and a mention in the Westword blog about skipping work to go skiing. Too bad you Denverites would have had to drive the long way through Silverthorn to get to our pristine 16″ of new new powder yesterday. We love all the Front Ranger’s here in Winter Park, Colorado but sometimes it is very nice to have some of the skiing all to ourselves. Anyway there wasn’t much the national media was saying about the snow we have been getting here in Winter Park but with a couple of more good storms like this past weekend and I’m sure we will be all over the airwaves.

However, I did find a nice article that came out last week in the Winnepeg Free Press about Winter Park Resort skiing and Nordic skiing at Devils’ Thumb Ranch. The article could not have come out at a better time with all the powder we have gotten in the last month or so here Grand County.

Keep your eyes out for the next storm up here in WP because the forecast is calling for lots of snow from now until the end of the ski season. Here is the long range forecast from Snowforecast.com:

Next Monday (8th) we remain unsettled with some clouds/ sun, + light snow showers and little/ no accumulation as low pressure leaves and an unsettled northwest flow aloft remains. Mid next week (10th) we could see weak high pressure and mostly sunny skies. Late next week into Saturday, another low pressure system moves through with snow across the area. The rest of March and most of April still look potentially snowy.

Yes potentially snowy! We are at about 206″ of snow for the year and our average is 350″ so I expect that from now till the end of ski season, April 18 we should be getting lots of snow. Come on up and get your Winter Park/Mary Jane Resort bump skiing and powder skiing in before the season takes a bow for the year.

Winter Park Powder Day

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Chris

Powder Skiing Winter Park Resort

It was a powder day yesterday at Winter Park Resort. One of the localized snow storms that Winter Park is famous for dumped a nice 16 inch blanket of the white fluffy stuff right on top of our hills for the enjoyment of the Winter Park guests and locals.

Berthoud Pass was closed on Sunday at 6:30 PM so only those here and those willing to drive around through Silverthorne and Kremmling were able to enjoy the best day of skiing here in Winter Park in over a year.

It was an eventful day from start to finish. I was supposed to do some back-country skiing with Powder Addiction yesterday but the pass closure scuttled that. But not to worry, fresh tracks on 16 inches of new is dream of a Monday. We were inline at 8:30AM for the 9AM first lift and the runs did not disappoint. I did break a ski pole and my ski partner Scott Emory, he of Moonshine Liquors, lost a ski. But overall it was a spectacular day and my legs are feeling it today.

March and April are the best months to ski in Colorado and especially Winter Park Resort. Chances are we will get some storms as big as Sundays in the next few weeks so get on up here and don’t miss on the next powder day.

Here is the trail report for March 2, 2010:

New Winter Park Resort Snow (In Inches)
24 hrs	48 hrs	72 hrs	Season
0.1″	16.1″	16.1″	205.9″

We are at about 206 inches so far for the 2009/2010 ski season, that means we should have another 150 inches by the middle April. Don’t forget Winter Park Resort closing day is April 18, 2010. Last year we received over a foot of snow on the closing weekend of Winter Park Resort just in time for Spring Splash.

So don’t make this another I should have skied more year, come on up and get your spring skiing turns in.