Winter Park End of Season Ski Pass

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Chris

photo by Scott Hefel

Ski April for $99 at Winter Park Resort

Winter Park Resort is offering an end of season ski pass from April 9th till end of ski season for $99. Now that is a screaming deal.

Planned closing of Winter Park and Mary Jane Ski Resort is April 22nd this year (and don’t forget Winter Park Spring Splash is that day). So for $99 you can ski 13 days at a total price of $7.62 per day. Now that is a grand ski bargain price.

Check out the Last Blast Pass on the Winter Park Resort website.

Last Blast Pass valid for all-day lift access April, 9-22, 2012. No blackout dates, photo pass, non-transferable. Advance purchase 48 hours in advance of first day of use required.

ADDED BENEFIT: Free garage season pass with purchase of Last Blast Pass, good from date of purchase through 4/22. Show purchase receipt at the parking hut to redeem.

Weather has been very warm this ski season and the skiing should be classic blue sky mashed potato turns through April 22. Winter Park Resort Lodging is at the best price of the year now and it is a great time to be on the slopes of Winter Park and Mary Jane.

If you are wanting to get the last turns of the year in with great weather the Last Blast Pass is a perfect way to get on the slopes and not break the bank.

Here is to spring skiing at Winter Park and Mary Jane!

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 #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.

Spring Skiing Winter Park Resort

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Chris

Winter Park Colorado April Spring Skiing

The snow has been just unbelievable this spring and the storms keep on coming in. Here is a video of some of the skiing that we have had here in Winter Park this April. It is a good thing that Winter Park/Mary Jane os open a week later than the past few years as the storms look to keep on dropping this fluffy white powder right through closing day and hopefully we will have POW day Winter Park Spring Splash.

The video was shot the first week of April after a nice dump of 11″ of snow that closed Berthoud Pass and left a play day for those that were here. Skiing are some of Winter Park’s finest residents: Nick Meyer, Chas McConnell, Kelly Glancy, Sarah Bradford and one of the not so finest, me. The snow was deep, fresh and untracked and was a great day all around. The whole of Winter Park and Mary Jane were exquisite but we were skiing the front side of Eagle Wind, Bella Fourche and my favorite The Weather Station Cliffs.

April is the unknown ski month here in Colorado. The weather is a little warmer and snow is usually a bit wetter. We can get some very big snow storms moving through and it is a great time to be on the ski hill. April is usually the third snowiest month in Colorado behind March and December. If you are looking to have a good time skiing when the big ski resort prices drop, April is the time to come.

Here is to spring skiing!

Children Skiing Winter Park Resort, Colorado

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Chris

Learning to Ski Winter Park, CO

Here is out latest ski video here at Winter Park Resort, Colorado’s Favorite. We are highlighting children and the youngsters learning to swoosh down the hill this segment. The above video is staring WPLCo’s very own and my very own twins, Nicholas & Willem. This is Nicholas & Willem’s second year skiing and they are now able to ski from the very top of Winter Park Resort to the very bottom with only a little help from mom and dad.

The Winter Park Ski School and ski teacher Rosie have done great work with these two little tykes this year. The boys took a a series of four ski lessons with Rosie this January that totally turned around the skiing learning curve. They wen’t from heading straight downhill with no interest in slowing, stopping or turning to being able ski freely downhill stopping on command and turning pretty much anywhere they would like to go.

If you have kids or have someone that is learning to ski, Winter Park Ski School is a great investment of your time and money. A couple of days with group or private lessons will turn your skiing/boarding skills around and get you enjoying being on the slopes. As we learned with our twins trying to teach your kids yourself usually is not a good idea time-wise or for family unity. Going skiing with kids let a professional teach them and parents can have a peace of mind that they are being taken care of and being taught the proper way to ski and board.

Check out Nicholas and Willem skiing Winter Park at 2 years of age and look how far the little boogers have progressed.

Winter Park Resort Closing Day 2011 Ski Season

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Chris

Closing Day Winter Park and Mary Jane

Winter Park’s closing day for this 2010/2011 ski season is a bit later than usual. WP will stay open through most of April, for hopefully some huge spring snow storms, and close on April 24th – Easter Sunday. That is right Winter Park will be open through almost all of April this year.

Best time to ski Winter Park/Mary Jane? That would be late March and April. Really April this year because so many schools spring breaks go into the first week of April. That means there are three weeks of blue sky, fresh powder, slopes to yourself skiing for those coming up to stay in April.

The last few years some of the best snow and best skiing has been on the very last weekend that Winter Park and Mary Jane was open. This year we have a whole extra week to let mother nature dump some fluffy white and give some blue skies for our skiing pleasure. And what a great way to celebrate Easter this year, skiing Mary Jane and heading to C lot for the end of ski season celebration, Winter Park Spring Splash.

The lodging is cheap, the snow is plentiful, and the skies are blue come up and stay with Winter Park Lodging Company and celebrate spring with some great spring skiing. In April of 2008/09 ski season we received 70 inches of snow when WInter Park Resort was open. That is 70 inches in 17 days that year! Lets do a snow dance and hope this year can repeat that snowfall.

Presidents Day Skiing at Winter Park and Mark Jane

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Chris

Winter Park Resort Ski Video

The busiest weekend of the year has come and gone but we have some video to commemorate Presidents Day weekend here in Winter Park and Mary Jane. The weather was absolutely fantastic for this years Pres. Day weekend with a bunch of new snow on Wed and Thurs before and blue sky sunny days all weekend long.

We had lots of guests here to enjoy the Winter Park Lodging Company’s digs and we even had some family visiting. Relatives from Minnesota way here to enjoy the three day weekend and they were very happy with the snow/weather conditions. Crowds were not that bad if you know how to travel Winter Park and Mary Jane and steep slopes with threes and boulders seems to keep the crowds down.

The above ski video is shot on Cheshire Cat, Pine Cliffs, and Buckaroo Trees. As you can see most of the skiing is on untracked lines with almost perfect weather. Skiing is done by Michael Allen and Mark Allen of Rochester, Minnesota. Camera work and skiing is by yours truly as is movie production and editing. So if you think the skiing and/or movie isn’t up to snuff leave your thoughts below.

This is our first movie created in Apple’s Final Cut so I’m just getting a handle on the complexity of this technology, almost like putting a machine gun in a toddlers hands. It may be a tad more power than is needed for our purpose but you can really create some cool videos. Music is an old, old favorite – Guadalcanal Diary from Athens, GA.

We have been doing quite a bit of skiing this past week with a Powder Addiction cat ski trip and have taken the Winter Park Lodging Company mascot twins to WP Resort a few time this past week. I will be working on a Powder Addiction video as well as a learning to ski at Winter Park video. I know Y’all are holding your breath. Anywho, stay tuned for some WPLCo skiing action.

And as Warren Miller says get out on the slopes because if you don’t do it this year you will only be another year older when you do.

Winter Park Resort Private Lesson Deals

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Chris

Winter Park private ski lesson deals Winter Park Ski School Deals

The Winter Park Resort Private Lesson Center continues to receive rave reviews! Presidents weekend is right around the corner and the skiing is looking to be fantastic the rest of February and March.

The Winter Park Private Lesson Center has many new promotions that they will be offering Private Lesson Guest from he Thursday before Presidents weekend February 17, 2011 and will run through the end of March. Please feel free to stop by the PLC with any questions.

- The new online rate for the Full Day Private Lesson will be $499; No other discounts apply.

- There will be a $25 discount for ALL Full Day Private Lessons booked 7 days in advance over the phone.

- All Season Pass holders will be offered last year’s rates at $489 for the full day and $365 for the half day if they book their lesson(s) by February 28, 2011; no other discounts apply.

- If 3 consecutive half day lessons are reserved 48 hours in advance online or 7 days in advance by phone the guest will get the three lessons for a total of $1035; that’s $345 each lesson.

If you are looking to improve your skiing or have just taken up the sport, there is not a better way to improve than a private lesson at Winter Park Resort. Group private lessons are also a great way for the family to experience the thrill of skiing together and improving your skiing and boarding skills. winter park resort ski instruction

Ask for Tom Gulden (pictured at right) one of our favorite Winter Park Resort private ski instructors or one of the other Winter Park Lodging Company recommended private ski instructors.

La Nina has delivered a wintery punch this season with incredible snow conditions at Winter Park and Mary Jane. Check out the snow conditions, lodging deals, photos and videos at winterparklodgingcompany.com.

Mary Jane and Winter Park Ski Video

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Chris

Mary Jane Powder, Bumps & Trees

It is time for another Winter Park Lodging Company ski video. We have been getting so much great snow this year the video opportunities have been close to endless. We have not been crushed by a huge storm this year in Winter Park but we have been getting a steady flow of good shots of moisture. It’s been 10 inches, 7 inches, 8 inches, 13 inches of snow about two to three days each week. Truly, this has been the best start to a ski season that I have seen in the last fifteen years.

Anywho, the above video is another after about eight inches of snow on a really cold day. Temperature high for the day was maybe 5 degrees at Winter Park Village. It was so cold the snow was screeching at us and was kinda sticky. I finally had someone else wear the camera besides me and Mr. Ed was the lucky guy who got to film my exploits. We skied Little Ten under the Challenger lift and Rainbow Cut on the video.

Demo skis were from the Mountain Adventure Center in the Winter Park Village and courtesy of Winter Park Resort Base Rentals – Thank You! Ed and I were both on Salomon Shoguns. A little rippen’ ski that liked the powder and wanted to turn a bunch. With the cold temps and sticky snow it was a little tough telling what the ski could do until later in the day.

The song is Road Rage by Catatonia, an old favorite, and iI think it kind of gets the mood of the skiing that day. The movie was created in iMovie by Apple.

Hope you enjoy the video and it gets the skiing juices going enough to head up to Winter Park and Mary Jane and hit the slopes. If you are looking for lodging up in the Winter Park area make sure to Winter Park Lodging Company a shout.

SIA On Snow Ski and Ride Demo Fest, Winter Park Resort

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Chris

SIA on snow demo-fest Winterpark Winter Park, Colorado SIA Demo Fest

The Snow Industries of America Snow Show is returning to Denver and Winter Park the last week of January, 2011. This will be the second year that the SIA Demo-Fest is here at Winter Park Resort.

The 2011 Denver SIA Snow Show will be followed by the On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest, January 31 & February 1 at Winter Park Resort (Alpine/Snowboard & Ski-Ride Fest) and Devil’s Thumb Ranch (Nordic). Over 150 brands are involved in this, two-day demo/ski-ride fest event complete with on-snow competitions: Uphill/Downhill Challenge and Office Booyz & Girlz Competition and a 2 Mile High BBQ at the Sunspot Lodge on Monday, January 31. The Nordic Demo begins Sunday, January 30, with a presentation on the Nordic Market Overview and Welcome Reception at 6:30P and a New Belgium Beer Dinner, Monday, January 31. In partnership with CCSAA (Cross Country Ski Areas Association) and in conjunction with WWSRA’s (Western Winter Sports Reps Association) Rocky Mountain Demo, this is where for the first time-globally, the market can try out the equipment and experience the latest technologies for ski, snowboard, AT, backcountry, cross country and snowshoe while mixing with their peers on the hill.

Last year was a great on snow demo at Winter Park Resort. There were many ski wear vendors giving out free gear and it was a very party-like atmosphere. Looking for SIA on snow demo-fest lodging? Winter Park Lodging Company still has some Winter Park Resort ski lodging available for Jane 31 and Feb 1.

If you are looking to just have a good time and hang around some ski industry and skier types head up to Winter Park and Mary Jane Ski Resorts for the SIA Snow Show Demo Fest.