Ski Equipment Rentals – Winter Park, Colorado

Epic Mountain Sports has great selection of ski and snowboard packages for every ability and every budget. Their experienced techs will inquire about your ski experience and ability and determine what you are looking to accomplish and then pick out the right skis for you. Epic will also take plenty of time to fit your boots properly–the first time. Nothing can ruin a ski vacation quicker than a pair of ill fitting boots.

The techs and owners at Epic remember their first ski trip, so if you are new to skiing, they will give you plenty of pointers and information, make sure you have all the right clothing and accessories so you will have a great time and want to come back to Winter Park again and again. (just they did for us)

If this is not your first time and you are looking to advance to the next level or just want to try something different, the Epic techs will pick out just the right ski or snowboard to get you to the next level of fun.

Wanting to your skiing or boarding up a level?

Epic Mountain Sports has a great selection of new demo skis and snowboards for you to try. 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.

Epic has some of the most knowledgeable ski techs in the Winter Park area and also the best ski selection.

Check out the Winter Park Lodging Company’s VIP Discount Card to get an exclusive WPLCo discount.

Make life easy on yourself and use Epic for your ski and board rentals this season.

Winter Park VIP Discount Cards

• Deno’s Mountain Bistro -  free dessert with bottle of wine purchase.
• Epic Mountain Sports - 20% off walk-in rentals & 15% off non-sale retail items.
• Powder Addiction - 10% off SnowCat ski tours when booked with EasySki.
• Elevation Pizza - order any pizza at regular price, get 2nd at 50% off.
• Grand Adventures - save 15% on snowmobile tours or rentals.
• PLUS - discounts for massage, yoga, dog-sled rides and more.

Ski and Snowboard Demos in Winter Park, CO

Wanting to check out the latest skis and snowboards on the market this year?  Well, there is not a better way to check out the new offering than at Winter P{ark Resort on December 3.

This years’ Ski & Snowboard Demo Fest is a one-day event featuring some of the best manufacturers in the industry, giving you a chance to try their new equipment for the 2011-2012 season. A variety of manufacturers will be on-hand to introduce guests to new products. This is a free demo located at the base of the Zephyr Mountain Express lift.

To participate, participants must be 18 years or older with a valid driver’s license, or under 18 with parental consent. Registration is from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and all participants must register in order to demo equipment. For more details contact Winter Park Resort Guest Services at 970-726-1564.

Demos can be taken out in 1-hour increments only, and 2:30 p.m. is the cut-off for the last demo.

Companies participating include Fortitude, Head, Icelantic, K2 Skis, Liberty Skis, Ramp Sports, Salomon, Vertical Skis, Flow, K2 Snowboards and Never Summer.

Also, if you are looking at new equipment here in Winter Park we recommend either Epic Mountain Sports or Winter Park Base Rentals for your demo packages.  Winter Park Base Rentals has very good demo skis at the Mountain Adventure Center (MAC) which is on the ground level of the Zephyr Mountain Lodge.

Demo-ing skis is the way to go to purchase skis, and a great time checking them all out. You are able to see what ski, boots and snowboards work best for you.

]]> http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2011/12/02/winter-park-resort-ski-and-board-demo-fest/feed/ 0 http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2011/10/21/winter-park-lodging-company-youtube-channel/ http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2011/10/21/winter-park-lodging-company-youtube-channel/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:40:12 +0000 Chris http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/?p=5862 Continue reading →]]>

Winter Park Lodging Company

WPLCO1′s Channel

Winter Park Lodging Company now has it’s own YouTube Channel. Want to see all of our latest ski and mountain biking videos to get you psyched up for your coming trip look no further than the WPLCo YouTube Channel.  Also, on the channel you will find tours of our properties to really see the vacation rental that you will be staying at on your trip to Winter Park, Colorado.

You can also find on the, hopefully in the near future, famous Winter Park Lodging Company YouTube Channel are Winter Park, Colorado mountain bike videos.  Some fun stuff on the 600 or so miles of mountain bike trails we have surrounding WP.  Here is a trip down Winter Park Lodging Company favorite Broken Thumb and Twisted Ankle:

Looking to see some Winter Park/Mary Jane ski and mountain bike footage subscribe to the Winter Park Lodging Company YouTube Channel.

If you would like to come and enjoy our ski runs and mountain bike hills check out the Winter Park Lodging Company vacation rentals.

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.

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

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.

She’s Baaaaack! The National Weather Prediction Center has made an updated outlook on the La Niña weather pattern for fall and winter 2011/2012.  Looking like we are in for another strong La Niña weather pattern bring some great snowfall.  Come on La Niña, you little b****.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center officially upgraded the La Nina Watch to a La Niña Advisory, which in essence means La Nina conditions are forecast to return for the fall and winter.

During September-November 2011, there is evidence that La Niña favors an increased chance of above-average temperatures across the mid-section of the country, and an increased chance of above-average precipitation for the Central and Northern Rockies.

Forecasters said La Niña contributed to extreme weather around the globe during the first half of this year and then faded, but has now re-emerged and is expected to gradually strengthen and continue into winter.

NOAA says there is a standing 50 percent chance of a secondary La Niña to follow a strong event as we had last winter. Usually the second dip is weaker than the first.

That said, last fall and winter didn’t really follow a typical La Nina script – La Niña didn’t really rev up until February and March. Perhaps this winter could be different since we have a head start now.

So, it’s good news for skiers, snowboarders, and rain lovers. It’s not good news for the south because La Niña has the opposite effect of maintaining very dry weather there. La Niña‘s also typically enhance the hurricane season, as we’ve already seen this year.  If the La Niña of last year could be followed by another early one this year we will be looking at some great skiing.

Winter Park Resort had a great snow year last ski season with snow early and late combined a steady flow of storms.  We did not have that one huge storm that we have become accustom to but the good flow of storms more than made up for that.

Winter Park and Mary Jane are making some improvements for this coming ski season.  Even with the economy in the doldrums the last few years ski visits in the US and particularly Colorado have been on the upswing.

According to National Ski Areas Association, the United States had more skier visits in 2010-11 than any previous ski season in history, surpassing the 60 million mark. Colorado resorts accounted for more of these visits than any other state in the nation with more than one in five skiers choosing to ski at a Colorado resort.

Winter Park Resort had a good year last year as well and the Resort is plowing the money earned back into the resort to improve the on hill experience.  Beginner skiers will see the biggest improvment this year with the Sorenson Trail Bypass.  Beginners will now have an easier trail to the Village at Winter Park with the opening of the new Sorensen Trail Bypass.

Winter Park/Mary Jane is also adding a new snowcat for the groomed runs. Other capital at the resort has been re-invested into improving existing infrastructure and services.

This year looks to be a great year in WP.  The weather pattern is looking to be neutral or another La Nina year with the same weather pattern as last years epic snow fall.

So lets get ready for November 16th when Winter Park Resort opens for ski season. The summer has been nice but we are ready for some snow.

Summer is still upon us here in Winter Park, but the bite of fall can and already has been felt. There are even some clumps of aspen trees that are already changing to yellow.  And what does all this mean?  It is time to get ready for the opening of Winter Park and Mary Jane.

This year opening day is Wednesday, November 16th 2011 at 9am.  Let the countdown begin! Last year we had an incredible opening with 7 inches of snow the night before opening and that led the way with a great snow season all year long.  Let us rejoice in La Nina.  The La Nina weather is supposed to stay with us through early winter and into the new year and we can only hope that it brings us the snow of last year.  It looks like we may have an ENSO Neutral, or weak La Nina in store for the fall/ winter period.

So as of today we have 97 days until the slopes of Winter Park are open for our skiing pleasure.  In that time we will get to see the newest Warren Miller ski movie, hit up Sniagrab for the some new ski schwag and hit the gym for the preseason ski conditioning classes.  Don’t forget to get you Winter Park/Mary Jane season ski pass before it is too late, 97 days we will be gone before you know it.

Wednesday, November 16th 2011 is the opening day for Winter Park Resort.

Hallelujah.