Tree Skiing at The Beavers and Steep Gullies at Arapahoe Basin - Helen Olsson 

The Saturday before last, I went to bed at 8:30 p.m. I mean lights out, sawing wood at 8:30. In fact, I’d crawled under the covers at 7:30 p.m., half an hour before prime time. This is something I don’t believe I’ve done since I was like 10. Here’s why:

I’d spent the day skiing Arapahoe Basin with my husband, Jeff. We skied nothing but steeps all day in The Beavers and capped our day with what my friend Jilly would later call “zesty vert” in the Steep

Fresh Corduroy at Copper Mountain - Curtis DeVore 

Ripping fresh, early morning corduroy delivers a unique sensation on skis that is different from the sensation of floating in powder by a long shot, yet it’s nearly just as grin-inducing. For the first few runs of the day, the trails are covered in a layer of crisp white ridges left behind by the overnight snow groomers. It looks like the ridges of corduroy pants or crinkle-cut potato chips but magnified 100 times. As you carve turns through the

Spaulding Bowl at Copper - Helen Olsson 

As parents, we often find ourselves doing crazy things for our children. But someday, those sacrifices will translate to epic skiing or riding with the family in Colorado Ski Country. 

My Cold Right Foot

I was skiing the vertiginous pitch Aspen Highlands’ Temerity, 1,690 vertical feet of 28-degree pitch, and every right-footer turn I took was a little less awesome

Suglarlips - Copper Mountain 

Tiny handcrafted donuts, incendiary hot cocoa, and nostalgic candy: Here’s where to get your sugar fix in Aspen, Winter Park and Copper.

Aspen

Fluffy Pow, Fluffy Pancakes

Some businesses in ski country threaten to shut down on powder days, a boon for their employees. But here’s an even better twist on the eight-inch rule: When it dumps more than eight inches overnight, the 

Warren Miller Entertainment sends its film crews to all ends of the earth to capture jaw-dropping footage for its annual iconic film. This year’s flick features Chamonix, the Swiss Alps, and heli-skiing in British Columbia’s Bella Coola. It also features unassuming Front Range favorite, Eldora Mountain. 

When it comes time to brainstorm its annual globe-trotting itinerary, the team at Warren Miller, which is based in Boulder, Colorado, heads up to Eldora for inspiration. “They come up here and use Eldora as their

Warren Miller film Timeless, presented by Volkswagen, the 70th film in the long-running series, features Silverton Mountain.

US Ski Team mogul skier Jaelin Kauf used to sit on the couch with her brother watching watch old tapes of Warren MIller movies that her parents were featured in. Her mom, Patti Kauf, appears in an all-girl segment in the 1991 film "Born to Ski", back when Patti was a ski

Photo Credit: Helen Olsson

Here was the devastating part of my recent trip to Purgatory. The snowfall report was 24 inches in 24 hours. A tally like that promises the kind of over-the-head blower powder shots that you’ll be telling your grandkids about. But I was in a car with another mom driving away from a ski-in-ski-out condo at the base of Purgatory towards the town of Durango. We were like fish swimming upstream against the traffic of rabid powderhounds heading to the resort. What gives, you ask?

I had come to Purgatory to watch my 18-year-old

Photo Credit: 10 Barrel Brewing Co.

The ultimate mashup is coming to Colorado this week. With stops in Aspen and Eldora, the 10 Barrell Brewing Co. Beercat is one part brewpub, one part snowcat. Pro snowboarder Mike Basich crafted the Beercat out of a vintage 1987 Spryte snowcat on top of which he custom-built a tiny brewpub with walls that fold down, transforming into decks for the ultimate slopeside happy hour.

The 10 Barrell Beercat will be at Aspen on March 15

My ski tips hung over the pitch of Steeplechase at Aspen Highlands. One little push, and I’d be ripping turns and playing with gravity on the elevator-shaft pitch. That’s my favorite thing to do on skis. (Well, aside from powder). I love me some steeps.

“I am not skiing that,” my daughter announced. “No way.”

My husband, Jeff, and my 18-year

The January 31 deadline for the 5th and 6th Grade Passport is rapidly approaching! Here’s how our family used the Passport when our kids were of Passport age.

By Helen Olsson

If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done. That’s what savvy procrastinators like to say. And, people, the last minute to get a Colorado Ski Country USA  5th and 6th Grade Passport is upon us. The deadline to get the Passport is January 31. And why