Epic Single Track Race Series at Winter Park Resort

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Chris

Mountain Bike Races at Winter Park Resort

It is getting that time for bicycle racing at Winter Park Resort. This year should bring another great season of cross country bike racing with the Epic Singletrack series.

2012 marks the 20th year of epic cross country racing hosted by the Winter Park Competition Center! The Epic Singletrack Series is proud to be the largest cross-country race series in Colorado, bringing you exciting race courses over the 600+ miles of single track in the Winter Park/Fraser Valley, also known as Mountain Bike Capital USA. The Epic Singletrack series is a set of seven races held at and around the Winter Park Resort area. The races are grouped by ability: beginner, sport, expert and pro.

Some of the biggest names in biking have ridden these races with Lance Armstong being the best known name to race at Winter Park Resort. Lance rode the King of the Rockies in 1999 after winning his first Tour de France. While it is exciting for Winter Park Resort to have hosted such high profile riders as Armstrong, it should also be noted that they are proud to be a welcoming and fun race series for those wishing to try mountain bike racing for the first time. No memberships are required!

Epic Singletrack Race Schedule:

Race 1: June 16 – Hill Climb Kick-Off
Race 2: June 30 - Epic XC
Race 3: July 14 – Epic XC
Race 4: July 15 – Epic STXC
Race 5: July 28 – Epic XC
Race 6: August 4 – Epic XC
Race 7: August 25 – King of the Rockies

To find out more about the Epic Singletrack Mountain Bike Race Series checkout their website.

Want to have the best pre-race schedule? Let Winter Park Lodging Company set you up in the most convenient Epic Single Track Lodging, usually a walking distance from the start line. No need to wake up early to up to Winter Park come up the night before and let your lungs adjust to the 9000 ft. altitude up here at Winter Park Resort.

Check out all the Winter Park Epic Resort Single Track properties and get your first choice of digs today.

Get ready mountain bike season is upon us and the Epic Singletrack Series is starting June 16th!

Winter Park Resort Ski Hill Hours

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Chris

New Spring Skiing Hours Winter Park

Starting April 9th, Winter Park Resort will have new hours of operation. In order to use Mother Nature to our fullest advantage, the lifts will start and end one hour later in the day, providing the best ski experience possible for the rest of the ski season.

New Winter Park and Mary Jane Lift Operation Hours (effective 4/9/12):
Monday – Friday: Open 10:00 AM and Close 5:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: Open 9:30 AM and Close 5:00 pm

Why is Winter Park making this change?

Snow Conditions and Guest Experience! Given the range of temperatures between day and night and thaw/freeze conditions, Winter Park is making this shift to allow an extra hour in the morning for snow to soften, and an extra hour in the afternoon when the light is good and snow is softer. By taking advantage of afternoon light provided by daylight savings time, this will improve the on-snow experience.

Telluride Ski Resort initiated a later start and later close a couple of weeks ago and it has been a very popular decision according to Telluride.

In addition, this will allow us an extra hour to sleep in and enjoy the benefits of daylight savings time – including enjoying a leisurely breakfast and some nice late-day snacks and beverages at one of the many bars with sunny deck seating at Winter Park and Mary Jane!

With new spring hours and great weather you should book your Winter Park ski lodging now for some great spring skiing! Check out the best Winter Park Vacation Rentals with Winter Park Lodging Company.

Winter Park US Alpine Championships with Lindsey Vonn

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Chris

Lindsey Vonn at Winter Park Resort

Winter Park Resort will be in the national racing spotlight when the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships follow the Nastar National Championship to create The Championships presented by Nature Valley, March 22 – April 1, 2012.

Lindsey Vonn is expected to race in the Alpine National Championships. The Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships serve as the culmination of a five-month season that crossed continents and countries so America’s best alpine skiers could go head-to-head with the world. Top athletes from over 400 U.S. Ski Team club programs throughout the U.S. and the U.S. Ski Team will converge on Winter Park for the five-day event. Among those expected to compete are four-time World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), three-time World Cup giant slalom champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and three-time Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA) – all of whom are Olympic gold medalists. This is the best place and time to see the United States gold medal ski racers.

The Championships Event Schedule
March 22-25: 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

The Alpine Championships will be the grand finally of a great week of skiing and fun at Winter Park Resort. This is a great way to usher in the spring skiing of April here at Winter Park and Mary Jane.

To get your NASTAR Championship Lodging or Nature Valley US Alpine Championships Lodging make sure to check our primo digs here at Winter Park Lodging Company.

A great week of skiing and ski racing are here at Winter Park/Mary Jane so get up here and enjoy some snow and sun with the likes of Lindsey Vonn, Julie Mancuso and Todd Ligety.

Winter Park Resort Snow History

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Chris

Snowfall At Winter Park/Mary Jane

We have had an odd year of snowfall here in Winter Park, Colorado this 2011/2012 ski season but things are looking on the very bright side now, as this February been one snowy month. So far this year we have had 126″ of snow and that is low for this time of year. However, what a blessing this could turn to to be.

Winter Park and Mary Jane has averaged around 340″ of snow the past 11 years (during ski season). So what does this mean? Well, I’m reading the tea leaves with the idea that WP is in for some monster late winter and spring snowfalls. My prediction is that by the scheduled closing of WInter Park Resort on April 22 there will have been one 300″ of new snow at the Mary Jane snow station. That will be over 175″ of new snow in the next 10 weeks.

So look out! I’m saying we are going to have one of the best late winter anmd spring skiing seasons ever. We did all the snow dances, put the trail maps in the freezer and we are going to get the fluffy white snow falling all season long.

Here is snow history for last year and the ten years previous:

2010/11 SEASON
MONTH	SNOWFALL (INCHES)	PERCENT OF 10 YR. AVERAGE
October	18.0	246.4%
November	57.7	97.6%
December	51.1	82.8%
January	62.0	95.9%
February	58.6	101.8%
March	81.6	126.3%
April	59.0	156.9%
TOTAL	388.0	110.0%

And here are the previous 10 years of snowfall history at WInter PArk and Mary Jane:

PREVIOUS 10 SKI SEASONS

SNOWFALL (INCHES) / PERCENT OF 10 YR. AVERAGE
SEASON	OCT.	NOV.	DEC.	JAN.	FEB.	MARCH	APRIL	TOTAL
2000/1	3.0 / 58.9	76.2 / 120.1	82.1 / 135.8	45.4 / 66.9	65.5 / 114.6	57.3 / 84.8	32.5 / 85.3	362.0 / 100.5
2001/2	4.0 / 78.5	45.6 / 71.9	59.8 / 98.9	67.7 / 99.8	35.7 / 62.5	27.2 / 40.3	6.2 / 16.3	246.2 / 68.4
2002/3	28.2 / 553.3	71.6 / 112.9	52.0 / 86.0	37.6 / 55.4	68.1 / 119.2	114.2 / 169.0	39.0 / 102.4	410.7 / 114.1
2003/4	0 / 0	72.1 / 128.9	59.6 / 102.1	30.9 / 41.6	55.3 / 90.9	40.2 / 67.6	10.6 / 27.9	268.7 / 74.6
2004/5	18.0 / 365.8	48.2 / 75.6	38.3 / 63.4	47.5 / 71.3	43.1 / 75.5	68.1 / 102.2	29.5 / 79.4	292.7 / 82.0
2005/6	11.0 / 205.4	79.5 / 125.8	87.0 / 145.8	68.0 / 103.1	50.6 / 89.4	51.6 / 77.4	17.3 / 46.9	365.0 / 103.0
2006/7	42.0 / 758.3	28.2 / 44.2	54.1 / 89.3	28.2 / 42.7	69.6 / 123.4	46.7 / 70.6	33.7 / 93.0	302.5 / 85.3
2007/8	14.0 / 209.6	15.1 / 24.1	86.8 / 143.8	75.1 / 115.8	73.1 / 128.6	70.0 / 108.3	55.1 / 152.3	389.2 / 110.2
2008/9	7.0 / 101.4	34.6 / 56.5	93.2 / 152.4	73.5 / 112.8	59.3 / 103.4	41.2 / 62.7	70.0 / 190.5	378.8 / 107.0
2009/10	21.0 / 304.2	16.0 / 26.5	49.3 / 79.4	39.4 / 60.2	64.1 / 111.7	52.2 / 80.3	33.5 / 88.8	275.5 / 77.6
AVERAGES	14.8 / 121.5	48.7 / 118.5	66.2 / 77.2	51.3 / 120.8	58.4 / 100.3	56.9 / 143.5	32.7 / 180.2	329.1 / 117.9

So there is a silver lining to the slow snowfall start here in Winter Park: we will be getting a bunch of snow in the next two and a half months. Maybe some of the best ever spring skiing here in Winter Park, Colorado.

So make sure to get your Winter Park Spring Ski Lodging early and have some grate spring skiing fun.

NASTAR Winter Park Resort 2012

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Chris

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.

Winter Park Resort Snowfall

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Chris

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.

Get the the Bird’s Eye View of the Village at Winter Park Resort

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Valarie

When we saw this fun and hip video with the bird’s eye view of the entire Village at Winter Park Resort, everyone at Winter Park Lodging Company was truly impressed (and wished we had come up with the idea ourselves).

From the long boarder guiding you through the gates into the Village, to the soaring views of the entire Village at the Winter Park ski resort, the video taken from above is captivating, with catchy tunes and amazing imagery.

See it all from the sky, including the Lofts, Village restaurants and shops, Zephyr Mountain Lodge, Fraser Crossing and Founder’s Pointe condos. We’re sure that you will be impressed, too. Check out this cool Aerial Video of the Village at Winter Park Resort now and let us know what you think.

Winter Park Resort #14 in Ski Magazine

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Chris

Top 15 Ski North American Ski Resorts: Winter Park

The Ski Magazine ski resort rankings are out and Winter Park Resort was one of the big winners. Ski magazine does their yearly resort rankings each October and this years rankings has Deer Valley, Utah as #1 and Vail as #2.

Winter Park Resort came in at #14 this year. Winter Park/Mary Jane jumped 8 spots in SKI Mag’s rankings to #14! The most moves out of all the North American ski resorts.

Down-to-earth feel. Nicely quiet at night. Serious skiing in the day! Winter Park Lodging Company couldn’t have said it better. With pluses of, Local favorite with a neighborly feel. And minuses of, Village and town lacking in dining and après ski.

On the minus notes we are getting new and better restaurants here in Winter Park. No, it is not Vail but who really wants that? As Ski Magazine said, Serious skiing in the day! Friendly locals and skiing that is what Winter Park, Colorado is about. Ski goes on about this a little bit: You still won’t find the dining or shopping that other Colorado resorts are known for, but there’s a sense of community here that you won’t find at those resorts either. Employees eagerly point you in the right direction or grab a wagon to haul your gear around the base— not because they have to, but because they want to.

Well sign me up, all skiing no pretension and friendly locals…. that sounds like a ski vacation. And yes this is Winter Park/Mary Jane, the #1 Colorado destination resort for snowfall. You can have the fur coats, the snooty lifties and all the shenanigans that Vail and Breckenridge throw at you. Give me my bumps, powder and tree skiing at Mary Jane and I will leave with a smile on my face.

So thank you Ski Magazine, finally someone is seeing the light, Winter Park Resort: a gem of a ski vacation destination.

Check out the complete top 20 North American Ski Resorts from Ski Magazine.

Winter Park Resort First Snow Contest Winner

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Chris

First Snow Winter Park, Colorado

We have a winner to our first snow contest here in Winter Park, CO. It has taken a little while to get around to announcing this but yes we have had a couple of snows since the first last week.

There were thirty five entries on our blog and about twenty five more on the Facebook post about the first snow contest and yes there was a lucky soul, ok maybe talented, who hit the first snow date. It was not a huge snow this year as last but it was over an inch and there is no disputing the picture to the left that it was a measurable snow last week.

So our first snow date for 2011 is, drumbeat please ………….. October 6th. Yes that was last Thursday and we have a winner. Stormy the snow predictor this year is Thomas Schneider. And Thomas pretty much hit the snow fall total also. Nice work Thomas! Here is the winning snowfall total post “The ‘dust’ is already at the top, so it won’t be long. That first 1/2 inch will come on Oct 6.”

The fourth Winter Park Resort first snow contest is now concluded and we hope that this relatively early snow and subsequent snow storms means that we are in for some La Nina powder this year. ALl the mountains surrounding Winter PArk and the Fraser Valley are now painted a nice white and it is looking as ski season is almost here. Today up at Berthoud Pass there were three a couple of impatient folk with there planks out looking to find some fresh lines down the hill. That is the spirit.

Well, here is to snow early and often all year long. Put the trail maps in the freezer and do the snow dance…..

LET IT SNOW, LET SNOW, LET IT SNOW

Exercise to Prepare for Ski Season if You Don’t Ski Winter Park Resort

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Chris

Ski Prep for those NOT coming to Winter Park Resort

We have a bit of a comical exercise program for all those that are planning to ski somewhere other than Winter Park Resort. While skiing can be a trying endeavor for all it is much more convenient and easier on the wallet here at Winter Park Resort.

SO if you plan on hitting the hills this year make sure you come to Winter Park, Colorado to avoid the exercise regimen below:

1. Visit your local butcher and pay $30 to sit in the walk-in freezer for a half an hour. Afterwards, burn two $50 dollar bills to warm up.

2. Soak your gloves and store them in the freezer after every use.

3. Fasten a small, wide rubber band around the top half of your head before you go to bed each night.

4. If you wear glasses, begin wearing them with glue smeared on the lenses.

5. Throw a hundred dollar bill away-now.

6. Find the nearest ice rink and walk across the ice 20 times in your ski boots carrying two pairs of skis, accessory bag and poles. Pretend you are looking for your car and sporadically drop things.

7. Place a small but angular pebble in your shoes, line them with crushed ice, and then tighten a C-clamp around your toes.

8. Buy a new pair of gloves and immediately throw one away.

9. Secure one of your ankles to a bed post and ask a friend to run into you at high speed.

10. Go to McDonald’s and insist on paying $13.50 for a hamburger. Be sure you are in the longest line.

11. Clip a lift ticket to the zipper of your jacket and ride a motorcycle fast enough to make the ticket lacerate your face.

12. Drive slowly for five hours – anywhere – as long as it’s in a snowstorm and you’re following an 18 wheeler.

13. Fill a blender with ice, hit the pulse button and let the spray blast your face. Leave the ice on your face until it melts. Let it drip into your clothes.

14. Dress up in as many clothes as you can and then proceed to take them off because you have to go to the bathroom.

15. Slam your thumb in a car door. Don’t go see a doctor.

16. Repeat all of the above every Saturday and Sunday until it’s time for the real thing.

The real thing would be November 16th, 2011 at Winter Park Resort this year. So book your lodging now with Winter Park Lodging Company and avoid the painful exercises above.