Grand Adventures in Winter Park has new snowmobiles!

Posted on November 22, 2009 by sam

Grand Adventures, our local go-to for snowmobiling in Winter Park, has purchased brand new fleets of snowmobiles for the winter season! The new snowmobiles are 2 seater Yamaha Venture Lites (for guided tours) and 1 seater Yamaha Phazers (for unguided tours). Here are the specs, with translation for those of you who aren’t professionals: Phazers

Fourstroke: Quieter, more efficient, and larger than two stroke engines. Also, the professionals over at Grand Adventures tell me you won’t get any of the fumes that come with two stroke engines.

Ergonomic: They are designed to fit your body, resulting in a super comfortable ride that requires less work from you.

Smoother acceleration: So you don’t have to deal with whiplash while you’re cruising on the continental divide at almost 12,000 feet

Heavier: In the words of the Grand Adventures professionals again, this means that the snowmobiles “won’t dance around, but will plow through the snow.”

AND, these new snowmobiles burn 1/2 as much fuel, making them more environmentally friendly. Plus, they’re quieter, making it easier for you to get a good look at all the wildlife you might run into.

Check out Grand Adventures’ website: http://www.grandadventures.com/ for more information on rentals, tours, rates, and more. Snowmobiling really is one of the most fun ways to check out some incredible views of the mountains and Winter Park, not to mention being quite a bit easier than hiking up a mountain in the middle of winter. Have fun!

Winter Park Village | Back Bowl Soup Company

Posted on October 26, 2009 by Chris

The Back Bowl Soup Company will be opening in the Winter Park Village at or around Winter Park Resort opening day. I took a peek in the windows today and there is construction going on and it looks to me like they should make opening day. Don’t hold your breath though, we are talking mountain construction. Love thier logo to the left and the store front looks great below.

Check out their offerings on their website. They fill a niche that was definitely lacking at the base. I see they have beer and wine so it will be another place to unwind after a hard day on the slopes with an adult beverage. How hard is a hard on the slopes? It is much better than a good day at work unless you tear your ACL which then I would rather be in cubicle land in some basement.

Anywho, enough rambling already, there are now four eateries in the Winter Park Village. Well, make that three as we have heard that Lime is not going to open back up for ski season. So we have Cheeky Monk, Goodys and now the Back Bowl Soup Company. Also, have heard that Grand Adventures will be opening a store front in the Village just opposite Back Bowl to sell their snowmobile tours and rentals and their new Powder Addiction snow cat skiing operation.

Good luck Back Bowl Soup Company! I’m sure you guys are ready to be open and be done with construction and inspections.

Winter Park Village Restaurant Lime

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Chris

We have been hearing some grumblings up here in Winter Park that the restaurant Lime in the Winter Park Village is not going to open back up for this ski season. The whispers have been saying that there are liens placed against the property from restaurant construction and that the rent is passed due. Hope the rumors are not true but since we are hearing specifics I think that they just may be.

Lime opened as one of the first two restaurants in the Winter Park Village along with the Cheeky Monk this past February. The times we dined or drank at Lime the offerings were good, especially their $1 taco Tuesday promotion. Margaritas were also very good and the happy hour was a good deal. Problems I saw were with the cold/heat and a lack of a vestibule when entering the restaurant and service was darn slow on a few weekends this summer. The design of the open kitchen was probably not the greatest idea either for a down and dirty Mexican food eatery.

Anywho, I will miss the Pacifico and tequila shot after a long day on the slopes.

Anyone else hearing the grumblings about Lime, Winter Park? Any word of a replacement eatery? Let us know in the comments below.

Winter Park Village | restaurant and kids arcade coming to base

Posted on August 15, 2009 by Chris

Check out this old picture of the Winter Park Base from the mid 1960′s. Place is looking a little different nowadays don’tcha think?

Intrawest has been having their owner HOA meetings this weekend for Zephyr Mountain Lodge, Founders Point and Fraser Crossing. Lots of songs and dances and odd comments. Heard Intrawest employees calling these meetings their Superbowl. WOW! How do they win and who are they playing?

Anywho, found out a little information about the Winter Park Village. Retail space is currently 38% leased. Lots of trying to explain that number away. And no mention that they changed from selling space at the base to leasing it in the middle of the transaction. That sure couldn’t have any thing to do with the lack of tenants.

Oh Well, they have two more businesses coming into the Village. First is a restaurant called the Soup Bowl?? that will have homemade soups from down in Golden and will have bread from Denver’s Grateful Bread Company. Second is a kids video arcade called Winter Parcade?? (?? mean I think that these are the names but I could be completely wrong)

From the talks that were given I guess they are wanting two more restaurants. Doesn’t seem like anyone is jumping at the chance right now. Let’s be happy that the three restaurants are up and running and a fourth is on the way.

I will quit giving Intrawest a hard time, even though they deserve all that is given, and commend them on a good looking village!

Moose At The Winter Park Base

Posted on June 18, 2009 by Chris

winter-park-resort-moose

We have moose up at the Winter Park Resort! A couple bull moose came over to check out all the goings on at the resort this past Tuesday and it seems they think all is well. They tried to get onto the alpine slide but were politely turned away. The moose came over and hung out a little and then slowly made their way off.

There is lots of wildlife to see up here in Winter Park this time of year. Also , with all the rain that we have gotten the plant life is out and green and the area looks great. Come on up to Winter Park and see some wildlife and enjoy some of the Winter Park activities that can be had.

Thanks to the Winter Park Resorts Twitter account for the above photo.

Cheeky Monk At The Winter Park Base

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Chris

There’s a lot going on at The Cheeky Monk, a new favorite at the Winter Park Resort with a cozy European atmosphere, over 50 specialty beers and great food. Their “mud-season menu” with reduced prices and their awesome weekday dinner specials makes it easy to go out for a fun night. The buzz around town is all about the Fresh Ground Angus Chuck Burger and a St. Bernardus ABT 12 for only $12 on Thursdays. To boot, our guests get a free draft Blanche de Bruxelles beer with purcha se of an appetizer or entree. (Guests pick up the coupon at the Winter Park Lodging by Owner office).

Check them out on Saturday nights for live music from 4pm to 7pm and on Sundays, their chef creates a gourmet three-course dinner paired with a specialty Belgian beer for an amazing price.

On August 22nd, Cheeky Monk is sponsoring “Beer for Butts” here in Winter Park, a Belgian beer festival to benefit Colon Cancer Awareness. It is an opportunity to taste some of Belgium’s best, rarest and most popular beers. Great beer and live music from 11am -3pm. Tickets will go on sale soon at www.beerforbutts.com. Downright cheeky!

Winter Park Resort Opens for Summer

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Chris

Winter Park Resort will open for 2009 summer season on June 13, 2009. All of the favorite activities are back: alpine slide, human maze, the bungee trampoline, the Gyro, miniature golf , outdoor climbing wall and the Zephyr lift.

Hours of operation are from 10AM to 5:30 PM with the Zephyr lift closing at 5PM. The Trestle Bike Park opening will be announced later and is dependant on the the weather. The Resort will close down again on Labor Day September 7, 2009 for weekdays but will remain open on weekends through September 26, 2009.

The opening coincides with Race #1 of the Winter Park Mountain Bike Series. The Village restaurants and shops will be open also.

If you haven’t been to Winter Park in the summer you are missing out. The saying goes “You come to Winter Park for the winter but end up staying for the summer”.

Mountain Biking in Winter Park, Colorado

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Chris

There are reasons that Winter Park, Colorado is known as Mountain Bike Capitol, USA. How is it that our little town has earned the mighty moniker of Mountain Bike Capitol, USA? Is it because of the 600 miles of pristine forest trails, the Fat Tire Classic, the Winter Park Mountain Bike Series or the Crankworx Mountain Bike Festival? I think it’s a mix of these and so much more. Where else can you find all the trails, festivals and the overall biking culture all in one place? Winter Park is the mountain biking mecca!

Lets start of with all these 600 miles of rideable trails. Nowhere else can you find such beauty accompanied with the wide variety of terrain. From beginner to expert and singletrack to rugged downhill resort riding you can find it all here in WP. Here are just a few of the trails that can be had at the Winter Park Resort http://epicsingletrack.com/trails/wptrailstatus.html.

Headwaters Trails Alliance: Winter Park/Granby area trails advocacy. They sell a map, but it looks like it’s too large scale to use for navigating.
The Devil’s Thumb Park Loop (near Fraser in Grand County)

600+ miles of designated trails, eight major loop arteries, thousands of backcountry roads, this is what makes the Winter Park area a haven for bikers. A couple of my favorites:

Long Trailwinds up from the base through aspens and lodgepole pines with beautiful views of Fraser Valley
Upper Roof of the Rockies another ride with amazing views that climbs to over 11,000 feet
Tipperary and Spruce Creek another great choice. Follow highway 40 to County Road 5 to County Road 50 to the Tipperary trailhead. The trail winds up through mountain meadows then down to RD160 from where you can take other trails or head back
Sunken Bridges

The Winter Park Mountain Bike Series makes its return for the 2009 summer. This will be the 17th year of the series and it just keeps on getting better. Lance Armstong has raced here in the King of the Rockies race in1999 after winning his first Tour de France. There six racing levels: pro, expert, sport, beginner, Clydesdale, or single-speed with staggered start waves to keep the racers spread out on the course. Race schedule can be found at http://www.epicsingletrack.com/default.asp. Come on up and feel the thrill of a mountain bike race this summer!

Crankworx Mountain Bike Festival returns to Winter Park Resort from July 30th to August 2nd, 2009 for its third year. This free event features the dual slalom, downhill, slope syle tricks and cross country riding. The festival also features the Trestle Bike Park that is still under construction but looks like a blast. This is a great event for families and kids and it is fantastic spectator event with the all the jumps and tricks that are at the base of the resort.

The Fat Tire Classic also makes it’s return to Winter Park after a two year absence. This is one of the most fun mountain bike events of the year and this year they are limiting ridership to 800 people. Sign up now before it is too late. The event now benefits both The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) and the American Red Cross. Dates for the evnt are July 17th to July 19th, 2009. Info can be found at Fat Tire Mountain Bike Classic.

The Fraser River Trail is a paved trail that runs from Winter Park Resort to Fraser that is a wide, flat, 5-mile trail. It’s a haven for walkers, bikers, and in-line skaters. This is a great bike ride for the the younger kids and the dogs.

Get on up here and lets do some mountain biking in Winter Park. Mention you saw the Winter Park Lodging by Owner mountain biking blog and recieve 15% your winter park lodging.

The Wells Fargo Easter Egg Hunt at Winter Park

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Chris

Looking for somethng fun to do for Easter up in the mountains. Winter Park Resort is having an Easter egg/candy hunt on the slopes. Date is 4/12/2009. There is also an untimed fun race for the kidos. The hunt begins at 11:45am and the race registeration starts at 8:30 am and the race begins at 12:15pm.

Information can be found at the Winter Park Fraser Chamber of Commerce website http://www.winterpark-info.com/index.aspx?sectionDirectory=events&eventID=1913 . Mention you saw the Winter Park Lodging by Owner Easter egg hunt in Winter Park blog and get 15% off your lodging. Also, see why skiing in April is such a good time in Winter Park

Winter Park Spring Splash 2009

Posted on March 13, 2009 by Chris

Aahhhhh!! this is going to be cold!

Spring Slash is coming upon us soon. On April 19th the official Coca-Cola Winter Park Spring Splash, celebrating the last day the ski resort is open, will mark it’s 41st year. Wow! I guess they started it the year I was born. The race will start at noon at the base of Winter Park with the athletes rideing and skiing the lower part of Larry Sale. Registeration starts at 8:30am the day of the race. There will be live music in the plaza from 2:30pm to 6:00pm. It is a great day for the whole family to celebrate the close of an awesome ski season. Details can be found at the Winter Park Fraser Chamber of Commerce website http://www.winterpark-info.com/index.aspx?sectionDirectory=events&eventID=1915

Over on the Mary Jane side of the resort is the unofficial Spring Splash. Not for the whole family, this is the locals way of saying lets get it on summer! Live music, lots of BBQ and more adult beverages than can be named. This is a rip roaring good time and it isn’t so tame. Very crowded later in the day and the Winter Park/Fraser Police have showed up the last few years so be sure to get a ride from the Valley Taxi guys. Their website is http://www.winterparktaxi.com/