Aarn Bodypacks: Gear you want but don’t need

Traditional backpacks plop all of the weight you’re carrying on your back and aim to distribute it via an ever-more-complex series of straps and buckles. New Zealand’s Aarn Tate saw a better way: Why not start by distributing the weight more evenly? Your front is just as good as your…

Snake-like developer sinks fangs into Telluride backcountry

Developer Tom Chapman has a parcel of land in Telluride’s backcountry and now he’s blocking skiers from traversing old guided routes that cross it. Chapman paid $246,000 for old mining claims in the Uncompahgre National Forest and probably is hatching a plan to build a luxury home there. Or at…

Peak 2.0 software identifies mountains with your iPhone

If you’re a mountain lover like us, you’ve probably looked toward a mountain-studded horizon and wished you could know the names of all the peaks instantly. Now you can, sort of: Software developer Augmented Outdoors just released Peaks 2.0 for iPhone.The premise is simple. You hold your phone up to…

Copper Mountain hosts USA Snowboard Association Nationals April 3-10

The United States of America Snowboard Association (USASA) will hold its premier amateur snowboarding event this week, April 3-10 at Copper Mountain with the USASA National Championships, bringing nearly 1,500 competitors from across the country to Summit County for the amateur championships in slopestyle, superpipe, boardercross, slalom, and giant slalom…

Loveland and New Belgium Brewery team up to host scavenger hunt

When warm weather hits the ski resorts, thoughts turn to crazy costumes. Whether it’s a Retro Day or a costumed race, the longer days, warmer weather, and approaching closing dates bring a sense of frivolity to the hill. This weekend, Loveland and New Belgium Brewery are co-hosting an event like…

Colorado ski resorts give healthcare reform mixed reviews

A story in the Steamboat Pilot last Wednesday titled “Health policy raises red flags at Steamboat Ski Area” discusses the $2,000 fines insurance that will be levied against businesses who don’t provide health insurance to employees. Seasonal employees, who do much of the hard work for Colorado’s ski industry, are…

Last weekend of skiing arrives for five resorts

It seems like the ski season started just yesterday, but already, some resorts will be having their last days of the season on Sunday, April 4, so get out while you still can. Some of this weekend’s closures include big resorts. Events will be in full swing Easter weekend at…

Break out the DayGlo for Eldora Retro Day on Saturday

It’s not quite the Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Race in terms of color, but it is a fun day with a great chance to see how ski fashions have changed. Go digging in your closet, find those old neon one-piece suits and skinny skis and go up to Eldora this Saturday,…

Snowmass Schneetag and Aspen Highlands Battle in the Bowls this weekend

Aspen wraps up its 10th Annual Spring Jam this weekend with Schneetag on Saturday at Snowmass and the Helly Hansen Battle in the Bowls at Aspen Highlands on Sunday.Schneetag will feature four-person teams performing skits in silly costumes then propelling designated pilots down Spider Sabich in sliding/skimming machines for a…

The ShredBak: Gear you want but don’t need

If you’ve ever dreamed of wearing your drinking water? How about drinking from your clothes? Now you can do both with CamelBak’s wearable ShredBak, the first wearable hydration system.Released late last year, the ShredBak holds 72 ounces of water in a compressed state that keeps it from slogging and churning…

Ski Porn: Face shots at Echo Mountain

Okay, so it’s not exactly Girls Gone Wild, but with another six inches of new snow at Echo Mountain in the last 24 hours, on top of the 18 they reported the day before, the closest ski area to Denver is looking more and more like the place to be…