Wildflowers in Colorado Ski Country - Scott Rappold 

It keeps snowing. 

It's mid-April, a month since ski season came to a sudden halt. Okay, more like a crashing yard sale, like when you miss a turn or lose an edge or hit a rock while skiing and your goggles go one direction, your poles go another and you wind up with a faceful of snow. It's a jarring shock, maybe even a little painful, but you'll laugh about it later at the bar.

But the Covid-19 pandemic that has brought the world to a standstill is no laughing matter. Ski tourism was identified

Wolf Creek Ski Area in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado - Christi Bode 

By R. Scott Rappold

en·nui 

noun

a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.

"he succumbed to ennui and despair"

Spring Skiing Fun at Arapahoe Basin - Curtis DeVore 

By R. Scott Rappold

Spring is nearly here in Colorado, and you don't have to be on a wild spring break road trip from Texas to get crazy on the slopes (though it certainly helps.)

The spring calendar is full of events celebrating the silly season at Colorado ski areas when layers come off and costumes come on. Dance at concerts in your ski boots. Drink a lot of beer. Build a makeshift sled to race with or bring

Tucker Mountain at Copper Mountain - Scott Rappold 

By R. Scott Rappold

The powder was soft, deep and untracked in the back bowls of Copper Mountain. So why wasn't I satisfied?

It was Feb. 25, 2020, and the Summit County resort was experiencing its snowiest February ever, 88 inches (that's more than 7 feet of powder). It had snowed the day before and the flakes were still falling. It's the kind of conditions powder addicts such as myself dream of all year and the reason I drove three hours to get here. 

But even as I enjoyed

Steamboat Resort 

By R. Scott Rappold

If you're at a Colorado ski resort, you're already having a good day. Just ask the 13.8 million skiers and snowboarders who visited a Colorado Ski Country USA resort last winter. 

But there are challenges to being way up in the Rockies in the dead of winter: blinding snow, bitter cold, other skiers tracking up the powder that is rightfully yours. 

Anyone who skis as much as this reporter (101 days last winter) has a bag of tricks, little things they do to deal with the elements and have

Cooper|Chicago Ridge - Scott Rappold 

By R. Scott Rappold

I'm at Cooper Ski Area and frankly I'm scared.

It's an odd sensation up here. This mountain isn't known for difficult terrain. In fact, for 77 of the 78 years it's been in existence, it has offered no runs rated double-black-diamond. 

Amazing views? Wide-open groomed avenues? Affordable prices? A family-friendly vibe? Yes to all of the above, but no true challenging, expert-level terrain.

All that changed a few days before my visit in early January

Wolf Creek Ski Area - Roseanne Pitcher

By R. Scott Rappold

Editor's note: Our mountain correspondent and resident ski bum R. Scott Rappold missed several deadlines, did not respond to emails and his voicemail was full. We tracked him down in Steamboat Springs, where he had been sleeping on various sofas since it started snowing in early January, and convinced him to stop skiing long enough to file this report. Numerous threatening references to his editors have been omitted. 

Santa Skis at Arapahoe Basin 

By R. Scott Rappold

'Twas the day before Christmas Eve and it was raining heavily in southern California with a wind out of the southwest.  

For Colorado skiers and snowboarders, that means one thing: snow is on the way. 

And, for my part of Colorado at least, Christmas will be a powder day. 

Santa Claus got my list!

Arapahoe Basin - Festival of the Brewpubs

The main reason most of us visit a ski resort is, of course, the snow. 

But winter is also a time for celebration for skiers and snowboarders. We wait all summer and fall for the first freeze or dusting of snow on the peaks, and when it comes, we're giddy with joy. 

And many of us want to party. 

So with that in mind, we present your guide to the biggest, best and most iconic events, festivals and parties in ski towns and at ski areas across Colorado this winter. Just

Eldora Ski Area 
 

By R. Scott Rappold

When I heard recently that a writer for the New York Times Travel section wanted to interview me, I was shocked. 

She was writing an article on money-saving tips for skiers for a global audience, folks who probably think of posh, mega-resorts like Aspen, Park City or Chamonix when it comes to skiing. Me, I live in tiny Del Norte, Colorado. I mostly ski smaller, mom-and-pop ski hills.  I've never used a ski valet, flown for a ski trip or stayed in a