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NASTAR Winter Park Resort 2012

Chris — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:20:06 +0000

NASTAR Ski Championships Winter Park, CO

The Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships and Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships combined to create The Championships presented by Nature Valley at Winter Park Resort, March 23-April 1. The NASTAR Championships are now a full week here at Winter Park/Mary Jane.

The NASTAR race course is a dual race course where skiers and riders can race side-by-side against friends and family or against the clock. The course is set on Lower Cranmer, just above Snoasis, making the race course accessible to all skiers and riders at an intermediate level or better. Groups of any size and nearly any skill level can enjoy a fun and spirited competition catered to their needs. Ski clubs and councils, business retreats, family reunions, school ski trips, and other groups should give our NASTAR race course a try. Using a pacesetting system, participants can compare their results to other racers of all ages and abilities from across the country as well as with members of the U.S. Ski Team.

NASTAR Winter Park Schedule of Events

March 23-25 The Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships
March 26 Return of the Champions Family Challenge and U.S. Ski Team reunion
March 27 U.S. Ski Team Pro-Am Team Race
March 28-April 1 Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships

NASTAR racers must qualify for the Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships within their age category, division and discipline at any NASTAR resort. There are more than 120 resorts that offer NASTAR racing and a top five rankings as of Feb. 21st at any resort qualifies racers for the Nationals. The overall Champions, fastest male and female, will earn forerunner positions for the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships GS and a trip to a U.S. Ski Team training camp.

Winter Park Lodging Company is offering 5th night free on stays of 5 nights or more or 15% off 2 to 4 night stays. So, make sure to book your NASTAR Winter Park lodging with WInter Park Lodging Company.

Airfare Deals to Get on the Winter Park Slopes

Chris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:28:29 +0000

Cheap Flights to Denver and Winter Park, CO

We want to get you on the ski hills for cheap, cheap, cheap. We try to get you the best deal on lodging and with Winter Park Lodging Company’s EasySki service you get the most convenient, lowest prices on everything from lift tickets to ski rentals and ground transport from Denver International Airport. There are a couple things we can not control and that is airline flight costs and gas prices. But in our attempt to keep it cheep cheap cheap we bring you the monthly airfare watchdog with the best deals to DIA from around the country.

Winter Park/Mary Jane is the closest destination resort to DIA. With traffic clogging the Eisenhower Tunnel every weekend it will be a wise decision to get off of I-70 before the traffic gets bad and head over to Winter Park.

Check out the airfare watchdog for you deal to Winter Park, Colorado.

February Flight Deals as of 1/31/2012:

$79 RT	Amarillo, TX (AMA)
$230 RT	Atlanta, GA (ATL)
$148 RT	Austin, TX (AUS)
$172 RT	Chicago, IL (MDW)
$221 RT	Dallas, TX (DFW)
$238 RT	FT. Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
$170 RT	Houston, TX (IAH)
$180 RT	Indianapolis, IN (IND)
$139 RT	Kansas City, MO (MCI)
$199 RT	Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
$292 RT	New Orleans, LA (MSY)
$138 RT	Oklahoma City, OK (OKC)
$270 RT	Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
$161 RT	Rapid City, SD (RAP)
$172 RT	San Antonio, TX (SAT)
$202 RT	San Jose, CA (SJC)
$202 RT	St. Louis, MO (STL)
$202 RT	Tulsa, OK (TUL)
$161 RT	Wichita, Kansas (ICT)

Be sure to check with WPLCo for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park, CO for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.

Recipe of the Month: Slow Cooker Carnitas

Chris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:58:35 +0000

Carnitas Tacos

Are you looking for that perfect meal for the family that slow cooks all day while you are out on the ski slopes? Well, here is one of the best that we here at Winter Park Lodging Company have had this year. Slow Cooker Carnitas, with 15 minutes of prep time before you head out will result in a delicious meal for the whole family that is satisfying and simple to serve.

The popular “little meats” of Mexican cooking are traditionally made by slowly simmering large chunks of well-seasoned, sometimes marinated pork shoulder in hot lard, then coarsely chopping the meat and eating it wrapped in warm tortillas. In the following version, the fat content of the finished dish is dramatically diminished by simmering the meat in flavorful citrus juices. The results taste marvelously authentic. Add some tortilla chips with salsa or guacamole and some cold Coronas and you have a perfect after skiing feast.

Ingredients:

2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 boneless pork shoulder roast, 3 to 4 lb.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups Mexican lager-style beer (12oz)
Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 Tbs. dried oregano

For serving:

Warm corn or flour tortillas
Lime wedges
Chopped yellow onion
Hot or mild salsa
Chopped fresh cilantro
Green Tabasco sauce

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the salt and pepper. Season the pork roast generously with the mixture.

In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pork and cook, turning frequently until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and set aside.

Pour off all but a thin layer of fat in the pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté just until they begin to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beer and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the pan bottom with a wooden spoon.

Oven method: Preheat an oven to 350°F. Transfer the pork to a large Dutch oven and pour in the beer mixture. Add the orange and lime zests and juices and the oregano. Cover and cook until the pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Slow-cooker method: Transfer the pork to a slow cooker and pour in the beer mixture. Add the orange and lime zests and juices and the oregano. Cover and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the pork is very tender, about 5 hours on high or 10 hours on low.

Transfer the pork to a carving board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Using a large, shallow spoon or a ladle, skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a large, sharp knife and a fork, coarsely cut and shred the pork into small bite-size pieces.

Arrange the meat on a warmed platter or individual plates, moisten it lightly with the cooking juices, and serve immediately with the tortillas, lime wedges, chopped onion, salsa and cilantro. Serves 6 to 8.

Check out Winter Park Lodging Company’s list of recipes of the month.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking, by Melanie Barnard, Charles Pierce & Denis Kelly (Oxmoor House, 2008).

Winter Park Resort Snowfall

Chris — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:12:24 +0000

Snowfall at Winter Park Resort

The snow took some time to come this year but it has been falling steady the past week and conditions are fantastic with lots more snow forecast for this coming week. This week Panorama Express opened with great tree skiing and powder that was waist high.

As of today Winter Park Resort has 19 of 25 lifts open with 111 trails in great skiing condition and all 8 terrain parks ready for all your tricks. Total skiing acreage open is 1437, that is a lot of space to ski.

The weather outlook for the coming weeks is looking real good with a steady flow of storms dropping some good totals here in WP. For the year Winter Park Resort has had 101.5″ of snow for the year. A positive way of looking at the thin snow of December is that we will hit at least 300″ of snow for the year so there will be a whole lot of fluffy white powder being dumped between now and April 22.

Want to follow the Winter Park Resort Snow Forecast? Follow the Open Snow Powder Forecast.

Looking to come hit the snowy Winter Park slopes when there are no crowds and the flakes are flying? Book with WInter park Lodging Company by January 31st for stays before February 15th and get your third night free. Check out all of Winter Park Lodging Company’s Vacation Rentals to get your prime Winter Park, Colorado diggs.

The jet stream and storm flow have made a change. Look for Winter park and Mary Jane to get plenty of snow for some great skiing the next three and a-half months.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow.

Winter Park Resort Winter Carnival

Chris — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:15:38 +0000

Mary Jane’s Birthday Bash

This weekend brings us the Winter Park Carnival celebrating Mary Jane’s birthday. The event celebrates one of Winter Park’s most famous gals – Mary Jane, the lady of the night. Winter Park Resort will host Mary Jane’s Birthday Bash with daily events including free bump tips, a snow sculpture contest, live music, and delicious Après Ski birthday cake (outside of the Club Car, on the Mary Jane base, at 2:15pm Saturday). Destination Downtown will carry the celebration into Saturday evening with a main street parade, fireworks and family fun activities. Ice Sculpture competition will return this year at Winter Park Resort and downtown Winter Park.

Here are the scheduled events on Saturday, January 21 to celebrate Mary Jane turning another year older:

7:30-9am Pancake Breakfast at Mary Jane

8am-11am Interactive Ice Display at Winter Park Resort

8am-4pm Snow Sculpture contest at Winter Park Resort and Mary Jane 9am-4pm Retail and Rental specials at the Mary Jane Shop

10am-1pm 5k Less Idle More Wild Snowshoe Series in Hideaway Park 10am-2pm Free Bump Tips at the Top of the Super Gauge Express 11am-1pm Kids fun activities with 1k race in Hideaway Park. 11:30am-5pm Jager Ice Bar & Giveaways Club Car Deck

12pm-5pm Live Music on the Club Car Deck

2pm-6pm Sprint Photo Booth- Old Time Photos

3pm-6pm Mary Jane dress-alike specials & après ski at the Club Car 1pm-4pm vitaminwater Street Team Sampling

3pm-6pm Coors Liberty Ski Giveaway at the Derailer Bar 3pm-6pm The Silver Bullet Base Bash Live Music Series presented by Coors with Kort McCumber at the Derailer Bar

4pm-6pm Free Campfire – S’mores Hot Chocolate and Sledding Party at Hideaway Park

4-8pm Free Music at Hideaway Park 5:15pm Wish Lanterns to be lit and set off in Hideaway Park

6pm Free Parade down Main Street Winter Park

Fireworks and Cupcakes to follow 9pm The Grand County Blues Society Presents Trampled Under Foot at Smokin’ Moe’s

11:30am-5pm Coors Light Ice Bar & Giveaways on the Derailer Deck

Sunday, January 22 Events:

7:30-9am Bloody Marys at Club Car at Mary Jane

10am-2pm Free Bump Tips at the Top of the Super Gauge Express 9am-4pm Retail and Rental specials at the Mary Jane Shop

11:30am-5pm Jager Ice Bar & Giveaways Club Car Deck 11:30-5pm Coors Light Ice Bar & Giveaways on the Derailer Deck 3-6pm Apres Ski Club Car at Mary Jane

9:45pm Live Music featuring Whitewater Ramble at Ullrs Tavern

Head on out and help Mary Jane celebrate her birthday.

Winter Park, CO Key Card Savings

Chris — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:24:35 +0000

Discounts with the Winter Park Key Card

Your Key Card is the only card you will need to access rewards, savings, discounts and ongoing promotions in Winter Park & The Fraser Valley. Make sure you use your Key Card every time you stay, shop, dine or do an activity at participating merchants. You will will earn points and rewards every time you make a purchase and then you may redeem those points back with us. And the best part, its FREE!

Get your Winter Park & Fraser Key Card.

If you take your card to the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, they will put $10 on it to use at any of those 50 businesses for a limited time so get over there and get your $10.

Participating Winter Park and Fraser Valley Businesses include:

Alpine Sun Ski & Sport

Arapaho Chiropractic Center

B’Jammin

Beaver Village Lodge

Best Western / Alpenglo Lodge

Blue Sky Massage

Columbia Store at Winter Park Resort

Colorado Adventure Park

Deno’s Mountain Bistro

Earth Rocks

The Eatery at Beaver Village

Epic Mountain Sports – Both Locations

Fontenot’s Fresh Seafood & Grill

Granby Ranch 8350 (Members Private Club)

Grand Sports Shop

Hernando’s Pizza & Pasta Pub

Icebox Liquors

Imaginations

Kopy Kat Office

Moose Hollow Trading Company

Olympia Lodge

Pizza Pedal’r

Powder Addiction

Rocky Mountain Chalet

Seven Sisters

Seven Trails Restaurant at SolVista Basin

Ski4Less – All 4 Locations

Ski Broker

SolVista Basin Retail & Bike Shop

SolVista Basin Cafeteria

SolVista Basin Ski Rentals & Ticket Sales

Spectrum Home Services

The Salon at Winter Park

The Sun Piper

The Viking Lodge & Ski Shop

Trails End Mercantile

Wild Horse Inn

Winter Park Chateau

Winter Park Lodging Company

Winter Park Market

Get your card and start saving now!

Grand Park Bowl & Cinema in Winter Park, CO

Chris — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:44:34 +0000

New Theater and Bowling Alley in Winter Park, CO

We are getting a new bowling alley and movie theater here in Winter Park. That big ole’ building popping up right between The Grand Park Community Rec Center and the Winter Park Lodging Company offices will be the destination to catch a flick in the Winter Park area. The Village at Grand Park will house eight lanes of bowling, two digital cinemas with stadium seating, video arcade games and a bistro specializing in brick oven pizza. The project is scheduled to open summer of 2012. Rumor has it there will also be a bar serving at least beer and wine.

The above picture is an artist rendering of what the building will look like from the Winter Park Lodging Company parking lot. Below is the view from US Highway 40.

We are getting all fancy here in WP with lots of new things. Next thing you know we will be getting a Wallmart…. oh I hope not, but a Target would be really cool! Or our little town can stay just the same with the tasteful stores that we already have.

But hey, we are getting a new movie theater and bowling alley so no more driving to Grand Lake for guys night out bowling. Kids can catch a flick in a stadium seating theater and hopefully we will be able to have a brew while waiting. Now we have a perfect setting to view the Warren Miller ski movie each year.

We can’t wait for the new Grand Park Bowl & Cinema.

Tubing and Sledding in Winter Park, CO

Chris — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:04:25 +0000

Colorado Adventure Park Winter Park, Colorado

Have you been sledding at the Fraser Tubing Hill recently. There is a new company over behind the Alco store and they are providing some fancy tubing. The place is called Colorado Adventure Park it is a great experience for the whole family. And I mean the whole family. We spent a morning on ugh etudes with the four year old twins and the grandparents, that is from four to seventy nine years old.

Colorado Adventure Park is Grand County’s newest, fastest, largest and safest adventure park. With excitement in mind CAP proudly offesr a variety of activities to satisfy every guests quest for adventure. In addition to tubing and sledding the Park offers snow scoots and a soon to open terrain park.

The snow scoots are for kids seeking speed and a little competitive fun. A Snow Scoot is a Polaris 120 snowmobile for kids ages six and up and under 130 pounds. The Snow Scoots are ridden along a groomed track in the meadow at the Colorado Adventure Park. Snow Scoots are in operation from 10am to 6pm.

The terrain park will open in February 2012 and is for the young one that are looking to improve their terrain park skill in a safe and fun setting. If you are looking to do more tricks and the ski area is closed, come by Colorado Adventure Park and enjoy our terrain park under the lights and all day long.

Tubing, snow scoots and the terrain park require helmets so be sure to bring yours or you can rent one at the Adventure Park. There is a concessions stand and beer and wine is served. They even have a fire pit with smores kits available.

If you are looking to spend a day away from Winter Park and Mary Jane head out to the Colorado Adventure Park for a day of thrill for all.

Best of Winter Park Photos 2011

Chris — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:00:57 +0000

Year End Photo Album Winter Park Ski Resort

We have our end of the year photo slideshow. These are our favorite photos for the year put together with a tune to celebrate what Winter Park, Colorado is all about. We have some sunsets, foxes, deer and the ever present beauty of the Winter Park area.

You can check out the Winter Park Lodging Company YouTube Channel to keep up with all of the WPLCo videos, photos and movies.

To keep up with our Winter Park Co photo of the day follow our Winter Park Facebook page and our Winter Park photo of the day photo album.

Winter Park, CO Lunch – Carvers

Chris — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:50:39 +0000

Winter Park, CO Restaurants

We had a chance to get out and hit an old Winter Park favorite for lunch today. Carvers has been around for since 1983 and has gone through a couple of different owners and has been open for dinner some parts of the year and then closed for other parts of the year. Currently Carvers is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week. Carver Brothers Bakery first opened on June 1, 1983, in Winter Park, Colorado. It was started by Jim, Bill, Sara and Eleanor Carver.

Today the old time bakery serves up some fine breakfasts and lunches including great Eggs Benedict variations. Today we had a Frito Pie chili bowl and an egg white omelet with bacon. Yummmm!

Carvers strives to use only the freshest, locally-grown products available including 100% cage free eggs with no added hormones or antibiotics. The same can be said for the 100% naturally grown beef…It’s locally raised in Colorado without adding hormones or unnecessary antibiotics. All bread products served are made in house daily including the bread accompanying our breakfast entrées, all sandwich buns and to-die-for cinnamon rolls. The extra attention sets them apart from other places and will bring you back time after time.

Check out the full Carvers menu.

CARVERS is little hard to find because they are one of the only sucessful business not on Main Street. They are located behind Cooper Creek Square in downtown Winter Park. If driving, turn west on Vazquez Road from HWY 40 and pull into the free parking garage located 100 yard from your turn on the right. You will find them at the west end of the mall. There is also parking available by accessing us from Lions Gate Road. Call if more info is needed, (970) 531-7120!

Check out Winter Park Lodging Company’s list of favorite Winter Park restaurants.