How To Pack for a Day on the Mountain

Your day-pack can make a significant difference in how your day goes on the slopes. Being warm and comfortable on the mountain is crucial; and (not to be over-dramatic) having a day-pack prepared for the unexpected can be a matter of life-or-death. To aid your morning rush to beat everyone to first chair, I’ve put together a list of items to prepare you for a full day on the mountain.

• Backpack
  • This is the most important element, for obvious reasons. I prefer a backpack with an A-Frame ski carry, which provides straps on either side of the pack to carry your skis. If you plan on doing in-bound hiking, this feature will free up your arms for pole planting up the ridge.
  • A sternum and hip strap are helpful in keeping the pack from swinging around.
  • Exterior pockets allow for easy access to smaller items.
• Clothing
  • Layering appropriately will set you up for success. You never know what Mother Nature will bring, so pack for a variety of conditions (and be prepared for when your buddy inevitably spills beer on you at the bar). For any circumstance, base layers are key for a comfortable day and are easy to roll up and stash at the bottom of your bag.
  • A hat and sunglasses are essential après gear for when you're sunning yourself on the deck.
  • Slip out of your boots and into comfy shoes or boots for the drive home.
• Equipment
  • Don’t lose your vision by not being prepared for weather. Having two pairs of goggle lenses, one for low-visibility and one for sunny days, will make all the difference in your performance and safety.
  • I always carry a neckie (a.k.a. buff or gaiter) in my pack for protecting my face from wind, or as a headband to disguise my helmet hair. Non-cotton neckies help wick water on snowy days.
• Miscellaneous
  • Stay fueled by bringing snacks and water. Your friends will ask you to share, so if you want to keep your ski posse tight—bring extra. If you're not skiing with friends, bring some to share on the lift with strangers!
  • You never need a carabiner until you have one. Attach one to the outside of your pack to hang miscellaneous things. 
  • Sunscreen and lip balm. Need I say more?
  • Earphones can provide your own personal soundtrack while you ski – but make sure you are still aware of your surroundings.

Some helpful tips:

• Pack the night before
  • Beat the rest of the Front Range out the door, or hit the snooze button one more time, by packing the night before.
• Stay organized
  • Pack with the intention of having easy access to the items you’ll need most often. Be strategic in how you layer the items in your bag. Try starting with base layers in the bottom and ending it with essentials like sunscreen and snacks at the top.  
• Avoid over packing
  • You’ll be back home by evening and you don’t need much for the day, so leave the trivial items at home. Having a light, lean pack will be more comfortable throughout the day and allow you to tuck through the trees without getting snagged by branches.
• Consider the packing space you have on your body
  • Small items such as your phone, ski pass, lip balm, sunglasses, lens cloth, etc. can be stashed in your coat or pants pockets.

Although a daypack is not confined to these items, this short list of items and packing tips will help you get the most out of your day on the slopes. Pack your bags and ski with the confidence that you’ll have what you need, when you need it.

Start Anti-Marketing

 
In 1970, the late great Hunter S. Thompson ran for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado, where Aspen was just starting to blow up. Thompson ran on a platform of tearing up all the pavement in town, legalizing drugs, and re-naming the community “Fat City” to deter real estate hype and close-minded visitors. Nearly 50 years...

In 1970, the late great Hunter S. Thompson ran for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado, where Aspen was just starting to blow up. Thompson ran on a platform of tearing up all the pavement in town, legalizing drugs, and re-naming the community "Fat City" to deter real estate hype and close-minded visitors.
Nearly 50 years later, hype rules and ski towns have paid the price. Thompson spent his later years in a drug-addled haze of gin and despair, in no small part driven by the pain of watching what had been the coolest mountain town in America turn into a place owned by Saudi sheiks, twats in leather pants, and other glitterati who didn't ski. After Aspen, every other great American ski town has followed suit.
They're all Aspens now, where locals are squeezed out by empty mansions that will never house anyone. The ski industry, once the province of quirky family founders and dashing European pioneers, is now mostly a collection of properties in the portfolios of corporate conglomerates and sleazy hedge funds.
A similar fate has befallen the ski media, where keen minds with sturdy livers and a passion for deep-snow immersion are being replaced by ad platforms and data-collection services known to the rest of us as "social media." In turn, consumers of media have become ad platforms themselves, blithely turning their lives into an advertorial photo shoot for Instagram and Facebook, as if the Marketing has crawled inside their heads and taken control.
Because it has.
Actual real life, the texture and vicissitudes of reality, has become subordinate to Marketing Reality, where everything is better, prettier, cooler, and more satisfying. It's as if every experience is a Tinder profile, Airbnb listing, or bluebird powder day.
Sadly, all this hype is killing ski towns and keeping us from focusing on the stuff we should be doing, like actually skiing, the Thursday night co-ed wrestling league I'm trying to start, and not living in a Subaru. Everything that's good in these places is the product of the fierce and weird energy of skiers: people who own semi-feral huskies, know what a mustache is for, live by the rhythms of nature and the seasons, who will be your friend for life after a single day's adventure, and who will risk their life to save yours.
While Thompson himself would ironically be consumed by his ultra-marketable alter-ego, the writer was certainly onto something with his campaign for sheriff.
The success of feeds like Jerry Of The Day and Kookslams suggests the mechanism to our eventual freedom may lie in turning marketing against itself. If you live in, or love, a ski town, it's time for some Anti-Marketing. I propose the following solutions:
1. Rename every ski town in the spirit of "Fat City." Steamboat would be Flatboat; Crested Butte becomes Crusty Butt; Vail is Vile; Squaw can be Squat; Jackson turns into Jacking Hole; and Little Cottonwood would simply be The Traffic Ditch.
2. Leak rumors of savage bear attacks on the groomers and in expensive wine bars.
3. Pass regulations requiring real estate agents to provide clients with a thick packet of graphic information about how to survive bear attacks, avalanches, forest fires, hookworm, and Mysterious Bacterial Infections.
4. Institute mandatory No-Plow Days during holidays.
5. Fart loudly and frequently in crowded public spaces and claim it with a hearty "Welcome to Jacking Hole!"
6. Airbnb listings would be required to replace the words like "luxury" or "slopeside" with "moist," "fungal," or "built by desperate immigrants living four to a room in a mobile home 50 miles down valley."
7. In public, always make sure to talk about Chairlift Disasters and the out-of-control chlamydia epidemic in town.
****8.****Ban all forms of Powder Alerts from ski resorts. They will only be allowed to release alerts for Crust, Refrozen Mank, or Flat Light.
Never Instagram anything nice. Accepted material would be relegated to squalor and misery, lift lines, bags of dog shit at the trailhead, blown edges, blown knees, and tourists fighting for parking spots.
Instituting these steps could turn things around pretty quickly. If you took all the marketing money spent in ski towns last year and turned it into housing or schools or mental health support, it might have been worth something. Instead, 99 percent of it went to benefitting corporations, creepy foreign-financed hedge funds, real estate development, and Mark Zuckerberg.
So let's just kill it, and start the Unbullshitting. Only then may we be able to actually live in a ski town without having to sleep in a Subaru.

Springtime in the Rockies and March Events

Springtime in the Rocky Mountains is truly one of the best times of the year. Bright blue skies, even brighter sunshine, warm weather and great skiing conditions are par for the course. It’s the perfect time to come catch some rays in the high country and work on your goggle tan before ski season is over. One of the best parts about spring is all the events at the various resorts in Summit County. During the entire month of March each resort puts on its own version of a spring break celebration. Lucky for you, Summit Mountain Rentals has gone through every event calendar for each resort and compiled all the best events into one place: this blog!
Breckenridge
Breckenridge hosts a number of events during the Spring including Breck Pride, a LGBTQ appreciation week presented by the Breckenridge Tourism Office, Breckenridge Creative Arts and the Breckenridge Ski Resort. This event features live music, daily après, DJs, a color run in costumes down the mountain, and a first tracks event that allows guests on the mountain an hour early to experience the fresh corduroy and early morning light. Breckenridge Resort will be hosting exciting competitive events in March including The Five Peaks, North America’s highest ski mountaineering race, and a couple of big mountain style events including the Bam Royal Flush Big Mountain Comp and the Helly Hanson Big Mountain Challenge. Big mountain competitive skiing events are on the rise and a ton of fun to watch. Contestants are judged on style, fluidity, and line choice as the tackle some of the most difficult runs on the mountain. Skiers typically choose a line that incorporates steep and technical skiing as well as large enough cliff drops and jumps that allow them to gain extra points for tricks.
Keystone
Keystone will feature family friendly events during March with three different events centered around kids, fun, and music. The first event on the docket is the Winter Family Welcome Party where you can take your boots off and bounce around in one of the many bounce houses in the Keystone Lodge and Spa. This free event starts at 4:30 on March 2nd and will have plenty of family friendly activities including a photo booth, cookie decoration, and crafts for the whole family. If you miss this great event on March 2nd, don’t fret since Keystone will have another one of these events on March 30th. The second event is the Kidtopia Music Experience that brings a week of music and family friendly activities every night for a week! Starting March 2nd, the Kidtopia Music Experience is a great place to bring the whole family for a night of fun and dancing! A variety of music acts will play every night for the entire week with some nights ending with a firework show. Check the lineup for this excellent event! If you’re looking for an event that is suited for some adult fun, check out Head for the Hills with Front Country at Warren Station on March 3rd. Come ski and ride all day and party late into the night with some stellar Colorado bluegrass. Head for the Hills is known for their high energy and entertaining shows where they pride themselves on defying expectations, turning neophytes into converts and genre purists into exploratory listeners. Front Country is an acoustic band born in the land of tech innovation, San Francisco. This funky band is an eclectic mix of a variety of artists and instruments. Drinks will be flowing all night from the bar as you listen to some great musical acts!
Arapahoe Basin
A-Basin is one of the local’s favorite places for spring skiing. Nothing beats soaking up the sun from the beach at the base of A-Basin. You can hop into your skis and onto the lift for a lap and then hop out of your skis and into a folding chair to enjoy another beverage with your friends and family. While A-Basin doesn’t host too many events during the spring, the resort itself is one big spring event. If you have never skied a spring day at A-Basin, can you really say you’re a Colorado skier?
Copper Mountain
Copper Mountain is a great place to attend events due to the down to earth and fun vibe of the resort. On March 24th Copper will be hosting Copper Uncorked where Copper chefs will compete for the best wing recipe and wine pairing in this unique spin on a traditional chicken wing challenge. This event proves that wings can be more than beer and football. Copper will also host Moonlight Dine & Ski where you can enjoy an evening of music and fine dining by moonlight on the mountain. Music will be provided by Beau Thomas, a Summit County based musician with strong, soulful vocals and up-tempo arrangements. His style incorporates soul, funk, rock, and folk undertones.

The Most Iconic and Underrated Trails in Ski Country

Have you ever asked a skier or rider for the most famous or well-known runs at their home mountain? Chances are, they were happy to list the most iconic trails, rattling off the crowd favorites and giving you advice on which lifts to ride and why these runs are so popular.
But if you’ve ever asked a skier for their favorite powder stash, hidden gem trail or best kept secret, you probably noticed a different response. Loyal skiers can be pretty tight-lipped about the underrated trails at their favorite ski areas, but we’re here to spill the beans.
According to resort staff, these are the most iconic and the most underrated trails at each of our member ski areas:

Arapahoe Basin

There are several iconic runs at Arapahoe Basin, each one offering a unique experience for skiers and snowboarders. The Pallavicini lift serves some of the steepest terrain in Summit County, including the iconic Spine and Main Street runs. On the East Wall, the hike-to chutes of the North Pole are renowned for being the easiest line among this double-black diamond terrain. And High Noon is well known for being the first to open and the last to close at A-Basin, which has one of the longest ski seasons in the country.
Underrated runs at Arapahoe Basin include the West Zuma cornice and Miner’s Glade in Montezuma Bowl. Meanwhile, according to A-Basin staff, “Faceshot Gully back in The Beavers will be your new favorite run, and Sundance is the best (dark) green run in ski country.”

Aspen Snowmass

Each of Aspen Snowmass’ four resorts hold both iconic runs and underrated secrets. At Aspen Mountain, you’ll find fame surround the Ridge of Bell, but few appreciate the glory of the Bingo Glades. At Aspen Highlands, locals and visitors alike rave about the hike-to Highlands Bowl, but you’ll find underrated skiing at Boomerang Woods or No Name. At Buttermilk, most are familiar with the X Games Park, home to the annual X Games Aspen, but fewer are familiar with the Tiehack Parkway. And at Snowmass, crowds flock to Sneaky’s, Long Shot or the Cirque, leaving wide-open spaces and underrated terrain at the Campground run.

The highlights of X Games Aspen 2018 at Buttermilk.

Cooper

At Cooper, the iconic Trail’s End has the most amazing views of Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive.

Copper Mountain

The most iconic runs at Copper Mountain, Andy’s Encore and Rosi’s Run, are part of the US Ski Team Speed Center training venue. The bottom pitch of the course (Rosi’s) was the location of a world cup race held at Copper in 1976. The run is named after Rosi Mittermaier of West Germany who won two gold medals for women’s slalom and giant slalom.
For the lesser-known runs at Copper, we turn to long-time staff for their secret stashes. According to Mike Looney, Slope Maintenance Manager, "Union Creek Quad zone is highly underrated. Scooter and Easy Feelin’ are two of the best rollie pollie trails on the mountain. It’s pretty easy to make laps with short lift lines and a ton of skiing.  Resolution and Copper bowl are quick lift lines and beautiful views. If you want to hike, Tucker is Copper's big mountain experience." If you ask Janie Merickel, Copper Ski Patrol, "West Ten Mile is a fantastic saunter through the woods. It’s a green run, folks always dismiss it as too easy, but it’s refreshing and happy, and if you’re lucky enough to have some fresh snow it is a dream."

Crested Butte

At Crested Butte, it’s difficult to identify just one iconic run. Beginners enjoy the famous Houston trail, while intermediate skiers and riders cruise the Paradise Bowl and advanced skiers find the most iconic terrain on International. For expert skiers and snowboarders, Crested Butte’s most iconic steep terrain is The North Face.
As far as underrated runs go, the Prospect and Gold Link zone on the mountain offers some excellent intermediate skiing as well as two terrain parks. While these chairlifts may not be the fastest and the vertical rise may not be the tallest, the snow quality (lots of North facing terrain) and sparse crowds encourage families to explore and truly feel like they have the entire mountain to themselves. These intermediate runs offer a great stepping stone for skiers and riders who are looking to take the step into Paradise Bowl and East River but want to get a few more laps under their belt.

Echo Mountain

At Echo, Elsa’s Way to Breanna’s Passage is a lot of fun for nearly all ages and abilities. Meanwhile, EJ’s Glades is a less-visited area, leaving great snow for those who are in on the secret.

Eldora

Eldora’s most iconic terrain is the Corona Bowl, known for its black and double-black terrain. The most underrated area at Eldora is the Little Hawk Family Zone, a great place for new skiers and riders to get their feet under them for the first time.

Granby Ranch

Granby Ranch’s most iconic run is Easy Money, known as a quintessential, variable pitch, groomed blue. Meanwhile, Gettle’s Glade is the intermediate skier’s secret powder stash, with no crowds and great fresh tracks after a snow storm.

Loveland Ski Area

The most iconic trail at Loveland Ski Area, Cat’s Meow off Lift 1, is visible from base area and highway and is known for being steep with challenging bumps. Loveland’s lesser-known, but still incredible, trails include In the Mood off Lift 8. It’s not hard to get to, but takes a few lift rides, and the snow stays good on this run for a long time after a storm.

Monarch Mountain

Since 1939, Monarch Mountain has been home to Gunbarrel, a famously steep run built by the Work Projects Administration, one of the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agencies. Mirkwood Basin is also an iconic hike-to area, with steep all-natural experts-only terrain. Elsewhere on the mountain, savvy skiers and riders can find underrated skiing at the Curricanti Power Line cut.

Powder skiing in the Mirkwood Basin at Monarch. 

Powderhorn

Powderhorn’s most well-known and well-loved run is Bill’s Run, the perfect trail for skiers and riders of all skill levels. This spacious run falls right through the heart of Powderhorn, giving skiers and riders the option to dip off the trail into aspen glades or an easily accessible boulder field. This run is also named after one of Powderhorn’s founding fathers, Bill Foster.
More off the beaten path, Mad Dog Glade is found skiers right of West End. This run stashes powder for days after a storm. This steep grove of widely spaced aspen trees is a spectacular run that will have you going back again and again to stack your turns.

Purgatory

Purgatory’s signature trail is Styx, a black diamond, which follows the natural contours of the frontside of the mountain, featuring steep, classic moguls that will make your legs burn. The most underrated run is Deadspike on the backside. It’s a nice, long run that starts out as an intermediate trail with incredible fall line skiing, and ends at the bottom of Lift 5 as a black diamond with moguls. Deadspike always has great consistent snow coverage and very few people ski the trail, so you can find powder stashes even after a storm has passed.

Silverton

On Silverton Mountain’s experts-only slopes, the Dope Chute is the most iconic run. A steep entrance on a summit snow field from 13,000ft leads to a couloir with rock walls on both sides. You’ll have to hike for it!
Waterfall is the most underrated run at Silverton Mountain. Although it is just off the lift and doesn’t require a significant hike, it is still steep from top to bottom. To avoid the frozen waterfall at the exit, skiers and riders have the choice of super steep pitches like Skid Mark, Waterfall Ramp or TBS. All the exits from Waterfall are exciting test pieces, even for the most expert level skiers or snowboarders.

Steamboat

Steamboat’s most well-known run is Heavenly Daze, a blue trail that runs underneath the gondola. Pioneer Ridge is the lesser-known secret: On almost any day of the year, guests can board Pony Express lift without a line and access a variety of advanced terrain on Pioneer Ridge. It’s great spot to hit on a powder day, when most advanced skiers and riders are headed for hike-to terrain on Mount Werner, as well as on busy days during the holidays.

Sunlight

Sunlight's 2.5 mile Ute Trail, named as one of America's "Top 10 Scenic Green Runs" in 2017 by Liftopia, is the most iconic run at Sunlight. Skiers and riders from around the globe rave about the terrain and panoramic views on Ute. In fact, local news reporter Carla Jean Whitney considers Ute her "go to run." For a secret stash, try the steeps on East Ridge and the glade skiing. But Sunlight staff cautions, "This is a well kept secret, so tell only your best friends. Shhhh."

Telluride

Telluride is filled with iconic runs, but the Plunge takes the title as the most famous, as it was featured in the 1993 Visa commercial. See Forever is the resort’s best-known run, while Double Cabin is the run you’re most likely to have to yourself.

1993 VISA Commercial featuring The Plunge at Telluride. 

Winter Park

On the Winter Park side, the signature trail is Cranmer, named after the founder of Winter Park, George Cranmer, and one of the handful of first runs created at the resort. Per Cranmer’s wishes, it was intentionally cut wider than most trails at the time and today is a wide-open intermediate trail. On the Mary Jane side, the signature trail is Mary Jane Trail, which actually pre-dates the creation of Winter Park Resort. In the early 1930's, a private ski group out of Denver called the Colorado Arlberg Club built a clubhouse at the base of Mary Jane and began clearing a sheep trail for the purposes of skiing. It is the first man-made ski trail in the western US and today, Mary Jane Trail makes up the spine of the iconic Mary Jane Territory.
The most underrated area is anything off of Eagle Wind Lift.  Eagle Wind is tucked into the backside of Mary Jane and is well off the beaten path, providing some of the resort's most persistent powder stashes. It’s also some of the best tree skiing on the mountain, which is saying something with the iconic tree-skiing of Mary Jane.

Wolf Creek

Wolf Creek has a rich history and many trail names give nods to influential people that helped make Wolf Creek Ski Area possible, including Kelly Boyce Trail, an iconic beginner run named for the Boyce family, who crafted some of the first runs at the ski area. Tranquility, located off the Treasure Stoke Chairlift, is another well-known run at Wolf Creek that will take you from the top of the Continental Divide to the base area. For the advanced intermediate and expert skiers, well-known runs include the hike-to Horseshoe Bowl and Alberta Peak.

Tips for Spring Skiing in Colorado

Spring skiing and riding has arrived in Colorado, bringing with it gorgeous sunny days, warmer temperatures and soft snow for skiers and snowboarders. Spring is a favorite time of year at Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) member resorts and it will bring family friendly events, bluebird days and snowfall across the state. First-time spring snow enthusiasts might need a little advice, while long-time spring snowsport veterans may also need a refresher on how to have a successful spring season:

1. Don’t forget the sunscreen. Sunscreen is a good idea all season, but it’s especially important in the spring. The days are starting to get longer, the sun is higher overhead and skiers and riders who neglect to apply sunscreen are easily identified by the goggle sunburn - blazing red cheeks and a pale white forehead.

2. Prepare for variable weather conditions. Spring skiing or riding is known for being unpredictable – blue-bird days can be interrupted by significant snow totals. The forecast might call for powder or carving skis, for low-light goggle lenses or just a pair of sunglasses. Experienced spring skiers and riders know to bring more gear than they’ll need so they can be prepared for anything.

3. Dress in layers. In the spring months, temperatures can vary from below freezing in the morning to balmy in the afternoon, and also vary from the base of the mountain to the top of the lift. Rather than a single heavy coat, layering with long-sleeves and water-resistant layers allows skiers and riders to be cooler when the sun is hot – and warmer again when the wind picks up or the sun disappears.

4. Follow the spring skiing schedule. As spring progresses, the freeze-thaw cycle means the softest turns are often in the middle of the day. Depending on the weather, the sun will warm the snow enough for soft turns between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., leaving plenty of time for after skiing activities.

5. Take advantage of spring skiing deals and events. Spring is the time to enjoy a thriving après ski scene, skiers and riders in hilarious costumes on the slopes, family-friendly spring events and lift ticket and lodging deals. These can’t-miss spring skiing deals and events at Colorado ski resorts will warm any spring skier’s heart.