Demo Skis at Winter Park Resort

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Chris

Mountain Adventure Center Winter Park CO ski demo sales Winter Park CO

Winter Park Resort Ski Rentals

Looking to demo some skis? Want to spend a day trying out some of the latest and greatest skis on the market? Winter Park Base Rentals and the Mountain Adventure Center offer some great demo skis and rentals and are very conveniently located in the Winter Park Resort Base.

We recently tried out a couple of pairs from the MAC (Mountain Adventure Center) and the staff was knowledgeable and very friendly. Charles was the man who steered me to a pair of Volkl Bridges that just screamed thru the trees and bumps and asked for more. Next day there was a bunch of powder and we took out a pair of the Salomon Shoguns for some great fun and a rippen ski that floated in the powder.

Check out the demo ski selection that they have at the MAC. The staff must get to ski these skis because they knew exactly what ski would be best for that particular days snow conditions. My favorites so far this year are the Rossignol S86, the above mentioned Salomon Shogun and the Rossignol S3. all are great skis that want to rip up the mountain. The demo package is about $50 a day and is well worth it especially if you are looking to purchase a pair of skis. One of the best ways to do the demo package is take out a pair in the morning and at lunch come back down and try out another pair. The MAC will let you switch out the demos to get a feel for the some different skis.

The Mountain Adventure Center is conveniently located in the Zephyr Mountain Lodge Riverside building and steps from the Zephyr Express chairlift. The MAC offers the latest demo skis from Salomon, Rossignol, K2, Head and Nordica. Try before you buy – Try one or try them all, you can exchange between models all day long for no extra charge. Find something you like? Apply up to 2 days rental to the cost of a new pair of skis! Open daily from 8AM – 6PM.

It would be nice to own a pair of skis for each days snow conditions but that gets a bit expensive. Let Winter Park Base Rentals and the MAC keep you on the skis that work best for your day. My buddies ask when I’m going to fill my quiver with another new ski. No need with the Mountain Adventure Center keeping the best skis on hand.

36th Annual Wells Fargo Ski Cup at Winter Park Resort

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Chris

March 4th thru 6th, 2011 – Winter Park Resort

The Wells Fargo Cup is one of of the ski season best events and is now in the prime ski month of March. This charitable event is coming upon us quickly and lodging at Winter Park Resort id filling up quickly. The Wells Fargo Cup brings together world-class disabled ski racers, Denver celebrities, Broncos alumni along with amateur skiers and snowboarders of all abilities for a weekend of activities to benefit the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD). Competitors in the Governor’s Cup, a Pro Am race, assemble a team of five friends, family members or co-workers to compete for cash prizes and bragging rights. The highlight of the weekend is the World Disabled Invitational, when disabled skiers compete head-to-head on parallel courses. The Celebrity Challenge is one of the most entertaining events of the weekend as celebrities and former football stars make their way down a racecourse. A giant silent auction attracts frivolous and frugal shoppers alike!

The Wells Fargo Cup is an annual fund raising event for the National Center for the Disabled. It has numerous events scheduled which included a silent auction for merchandises and certificates, a celebrity/team race that everyone can participate for a fee or watch for free (on Saturday) and the World Disabled Invitational race on Sunday.

Help raise money to support the life changing programs for the NSCD and win great prizes like ski passes to Winter Park Resort (raise/donate only $100), VIP hospitality at the 36th annual Wells Fargo Ski cup and season passes to Winter Park Resort for the 2010/2011 season.

To help raise money and participate in the Wells Fargo Cup check out the NSCD.

Lodging is filling up quickly so book your Winter Park Resort Lodging with the Winter Park Lodging Company.

Winter Park, Colorado New Year Skiing

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Chris

winter park resort skiing Mary Jane CO skiing

mary jane co lifts

bump skiing mary jane co

Winter Park & Mary Jane Skiing

We have had unbelievable skiing so far in 2011. We started the new year out with some frigid days but the cold has left and the skiing has been great. The above photos are all from the Monday after the New Year with blue skies, sun on the shoulders and five inches of fresh powder. The storms are lined up this week to drop a couple of inches every other day until the coming weekend and then we are looking for another ten or more inch dump this weekend.

The Mary Jane chutes have been open for a day here and a day there with Runaway open the last couple weeks. Eagle Wind lift has been running the last couple of weeks and the skiing over there has been tremendous.

If you are looking to ski now is the time. Winter Park Lodging Company is offering the deal of the year for bookings made before Jan 15th. Buy one night of lodging and get the next night free. Half price to come up to Winter Park and Mary Jane and ski your heart out. Or go sledding, soak in the hot tub or have a night out with the wife and family at one of Winter Park’s fine restaurants. Lots of things to do here in WP and if you have three weeks or so you can fit them all in and what a blast of three weeks that would be.

Anywho, it is all about skiing this time of year and the ski conditions and weather have been cooperating. Winter Park and Mary Jane now have great conditions for skiing!

Powder Day at Winter Park Resort

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Chris

Powder Skiing at Winter Park and Mary Jane

The snow has been just unbelievable so far at Winter Park this year. And with all that fluffy white comes the oh so awesome powder days of skiing. Since we have so much early snow it has allowed us to get out fairly often and check out the conditions. Grade A is what we give Winter Park and Mary Jane this year.

The video was shot in early December after about seven inches of new snow. The light wasn’t the greatest but the skiing was phenomenal. After spending the morning over on Mary Jane we headed for the un-skied tracks over in the trees at Vasquez Ridge. Aces & Eights trees are what we are skiing and man it was fresh pow turn after fresh pow turn. A truly unbelievable day was had on the slopes.

Skiers in the video are yours truly and my buddy Mr. Steve Worth. The song Negative Attitude (some may say that describes me to a T) is from an old favorite, Lloyd Cole, off the Negatives album. demo skies were provided by Epic Mountain Sports, the finest ski fitters in all of Grand County. I was skiing the Rossignol S86′s and they were just about perfect for the day.

If you are looking for some small stashes of fresh late on a powder day, head over to Vasquez Ridge. It takes some effort to get over there but you will be rewarded with some hidden powder in the trees and usually no snowboarders as the run out usually has them shying away. Vasquez Ridge is served by the Propspector lift and at the top are some of the best views you can get ov the Town of Winter Park and The Fraser Valley. That is Sarah, the hotty, below taking in the view from the top of Prospector.

There is snow falling now outside the window here in WP, so it may just be another powder day tomorrow.

vasquez ridge skiing at Winter park

Christmas in Winter Park, Colorado

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Chris

Christmas eve in winter park co Christmas Celebration at Winter Park Resort

The holidays are here and it is time to decide what are you going to do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Well if you are lucky enough to be up here in Winter Park, Colorado you are sure to have a great Christmas celebration.

To start your Christmas eve off there is the torchlight parade down the ski hill that is pictured to the left. At the bottom the word “Noel” is spelled out in flame. The event begins with Christmas carols around the bonfire at the base of Winter Park Resort, next to the Zephyr Lift at 4pm. At 5:30pm, a procession of torch-bearing skiers head down Lower Hughes trail, followed by Santa Claus and the elves. Then a spectacular fireworks display and snowcats adorned with Christmas colors light up the slopes in a Christmas tree formation to conclude the festivities. Immediately following the show at 6:00pm, guests are welcome to attend Christmas Eve interdenominational services located in the lower level of the Balcony House and Catholic Church services located in West Portal Level 4. Services are scheduled to last about an hour.

If you are heading out to the torchlight ski down plan to get there early as the base is jumping with people and holiday spirit. Follow the Christmas service with a bite to eat at the Cheeky Monk, Deno’s or the new Pizza Pedel’r.

What to do after all the Christmas Presents are opened? Ski, of course! There is no better way than spend the Christmas Day than on the slopes of Winter Park and Mary Jane. The skiers are few (especially if you head over to the East side of Mary Jane) and the way the snow has been this year you will probably be skiing some fresh powder. To spend the day outside on Christmas is dreamy. You can even sit by the fire up at Sunspot Lodge and enjoy a hot toddy or, heck it’s Christmas, a beer and a shot.

To spend Christmas in Winter Park, CO is a dream and blessing. Get outside and celebrate.

Winter Park Resort Snow Report

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Chris

winter park snow report Snowfall in Winter Park, Colorado

Boy oh boy, have we had a great year for snow so far this year. This little La Niña weather pattern has been very nice to Winter Park and Mary Jane. Last year the Mary Jane side of the mountain didn’t open until December 24th. This year pretty much the entire mountain is open besides the runs served by the Eagle Wind lift are open over the entire resort.

Here is the snow report for today and the year:

NEW WINTER PARK RESORT SNOW (IN INCHES)
24 HRS	48 HRS	72 HRS	SEASON
2″	7″	8″	95.6″

That is almost 100 inches of snow and it’s not even mid-December. This is setting up to be one of the best snow years in a long while. It seems we are getting a new storm system coming through every two or three days. The La Nina SST pattern (strong) is here for the winter, through possibly the season following (through 2012). This usually means near to just above average snowfall for northern Colorado resorts and near to just below average snowfall for southern Colorado resorts.

Come on up to Winter Park and Mary Jane and ski the Colorado’s number one destination resort for snow. Let the Winter Park Lodging Company take care of all your lodging, Winter Park Resort lift tickets and ski/board rental needs.

You can also follow all the Winter Park, Colorado happenings at:

Winter Park Blog

Winter Park Lodging Blog

Winter Park Lodging Company Facebook Page

Let it snow, let snow, let it snow.

Learning to ski at Winter Park Resort

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Chris

Skiing with Children in Winter Park, CO

Where was the first place that you skied? What was your favorite run as child? Well pretty much all my childhood memories of skiing are right here in Winter Park, Colorado. My oldest brother, David, would take me and my two other older brothers, Matthew & Stephen, and slog us up the hill and try to ski down with me between his legs. David is now up for sainthood. Even though I remember it being very hard and sometimes cold the biggest memory is of how incredibly fun it was to get out on the slopes on snow and shuush down the hill. Probably just a convenient memory because at four I was definitely not shuushing.

Anywho, it is time for me to pay back the teaching. We have been taking our twin boys, Nicholas & Willem, out to the teaching areas at Winter Park and Mary Jane and man what a kick they are getting out it. The above video is of Mom and Nicholas hitting Discovery Park. After a few runs at Mt. Maury we took Nicholas up the Gemini and let him get after some skiing. we then went back down and Nicholas fell in love with the magic carpet and trying to do pizza with his skis. The edgy-wedgy helps a lot with the young kids keeping the skis together.

At the end of the day we met up with Teddy, Niko and Theo for some french fries, PB & J and some nice sunshine. We will be heading out this weekend with both Nicholas & Willem and those two will be rippen’ up the slopes. A couple more trips to Winter Park and Mary Jane and the little tykes will be ready for Winter Park Ski School.

learn to ski winter park colorado skiing with kids at Winter Park mary jane

Cat Skiing in Winter Park, CO with Powder Addiction

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Chris

Powder Adddiction Winterpark Back Country Skiing Winter Park, Colorado

The snow is here at the resort and now the cat skiing is starting up. Winter Park Resort has had the best early season snow in years and a majority of the resort os open with great snow conditions. Now the backcountry skiing can also be explored with such great snow conditions.

Powder Addiction will start running their new snow cat starting December 4th. This is over a month earlier than last year and last year there was some pretty spectacular skiing up on Jones Pass. Here are the details of the early season cat skiing in Winter Park, CO:

It has been snowing like crazy and we have some of the best early season skiing in the last 10 years! We are opening early, and offering super special pricing on catskiing:

December 4 – December 21, 2010

$250 for a single seat

$2,500 for a private cat

You must pay in full and ski before December 22, 2010 to take advantage of this offer.

For reservations call 970-726-5442 or email info@powderaddiction.com

Check us out on the web:

Powder Addiction

jones pass co cat skiing To the right is the new Powder Addiction snow cat that will take you up to the top of Jones Pass for some of the sweetest powder skiing of your life. If you are a decent skier at all and have a good sense of adventure you need to take a trip with Powder Addiction. For your snow cat seat you will get some nice wide rockered powder skis, lunch, transportation to the hill and up the hill and a couple of Steamworks beers after, while checking out photos and video of yourself tearing up the white fluffy on Jones Pass. The trip is truly a excursio that you will be talking about all season. There are spectacular views, spectacular skiing and you will be completely exhausted in the best way at the end of the day.

Give yourself or a friend an early (or late) Christmas present and take a trip up with Powder Addiction for some skiing to remember.

Winter Park Resort Opening Week Skiing

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Chris

Early Season Skiing Winter Park, CO

What an amazing first week of the ski season we have had here in Winter Park. The Resort opened with top to bottom runs on the very first day at Winter Park, Then there was another six inches of snow and Mary Jane opened three days later. And today Outhouse opened with some great snow and spectacular bump skiing. There should be a few more inches of snow before lifts start up mañana. A great early season for snow and skiing so far and we are looking for this La Niña to keep these powdery storms coming on through. Anywho, I thought that the skiing has been so good that we should take a little video with the new helmut cam to show how good of condition the slopes are already in.

The above little video was filmed Saturday and was the first time I used this helmut cam skiing. I need a little practice to get the angles correct. Iwas skiing with a buddy of mine and we were up pretty early and this was the first run of the day down Balch on the Winter Park side of the resort. Music is Smash Mouth’s You Are My Number One featuring Ranking Roger of The English Beat.

Winter Park and Mary Jane are open for skiing. Six months of glorious, glorious snow, skiing and fun here in the Colorado Rockies. Remember a bad day of skiing is better than a good day at work.

Come up and enjoy the WInter Park and Mary Jane slopes and let Winter Park Lodging Company handle the plans so all you need to be concerned with is the skiing.

Winter Park, Colorado Ski Rentals – Epic Mountain Sports

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Chris

Winter Park CO ski rentals Ski Rentals in Winter Park, Colorado

We have a new partner here in Winter Park, CO for ski and board rentals. Epic Mountain Sports is a locally owned and operated ski/sports shop that is renting some of best equipment you can find in the Winter Park area. Winter Park Lodging Company has a great deal with Epic Mountain Sports , the newest ski & snowboard rental shop with two central locations in downtown Winter Park. Epic Mountain Sports specializes in quality rentals at a great price, friendly service & expert advice.

Epic Mountain Sports offers packages for individuals, families and groups. Rentals include all a skier/ boarder could want: shaped skis, high performance skis, basic snowboards, performance snowboards, snow blades and children’s packages. Kid’s rentals are free with each paying adult. If skiing is not on the list, then try out some snowshoes for a beautiful and exhilarating walk through the stunning woods that surround Winter Park.

If you are ready to demo some the best and newest technology in boards and skis head on in and talk to the skiing and boarding crazed techies at Epic. They have all-mountain, powder skis, front-side carvers, twin tips for the park & pipe, mid-fats, mogul skis, and backcountry. Of course all of these skis come in women specific models too. Take your pick of models from Volkl, Rossignol, Dynastar, K2, Nordica and Icelantic. The techies know the equipment and know the mountain and will help you pick something fun for you to try. Ask about the new “rocker/early rise” technology in this years new ski models.

Epic Mountain Sports is growing. They now have a new, bigger store in downtown Winter Park across from Cooper Creek Square. The free ski shuttle picks up steps from the door. What convenience. And they still have their store on the north end of Winter Park, located next to Mirasol and Conoco in the Park Place Shopping Center.

And best of all Winter Park Lodging Company has an exclusive deal with Epic Mountain Sports that will get you on the hill in the best equipment at the lowest prices. Check out Epics Winter Park Resort Ski Rental Deals with Winter Park Lodging Company.