The dirt road up to Ute Pass near Summit County, Colorado offers fabulous scenery and minimal cars.

Why wait for a week or two off work? Go overnight.

Living in Colorado makes this bike touring motto especially easy. Some would argue difficult, as for the most part in Summit County, the only two route options are uphill and downhill. And with one comes the other.

Regardless, there are many outstanding overnight bike touring choices across Colorado. Many are a snap to do from home or with a short drive.

Check out the photos on Facebook
Check out the route on MapMyRide.com

Bike Tour Route: 145ish-mile loop through Dillon/Summit County to Winter Park and back via Loveland Pass, Berthoud Pass and Ute Pass
Bike Tour Start/End: Dillon, Colorado in Summit County
Summit County/Winter Park Bike Touring Season: spring through fall, depending on temperature tolerance (cool, high-altitude sections combined with dry, warm sections means travelers should pack for various temperatures, no matter the season)

At some point, I’ll have time to go on about this stunning route and my love of bike touring. But now is not that time, and if you found this on Google, you probably only care about the route. So here goes.

[Read more →]

Arapahoe Basin's Full Moon Snowshoe Dinner Series has expanded to include a New Year's Eve dinner and an uphill event.

With the first of Arapahoe Basin’s five dinner events behind us, I figured it was about time to post the dates of the remaining four. Really, I was just procrastinating on registering for the January event and wanted to secure our spots before I shared with the rest of the world. And with the March 19 Dolomites dinner already sold out, I had good reason to wait.

2011 Arapahoe Basin Full Moon Dinner Snowshoe Series [Read more →]

Nighttime and sunrise are two scenic times to snowshoe in Summit County, Colorado.

One of the most popular posts on the site so far has been the Black Mountain Lodge Full Moon Snowshoe Dinner piece. So I decided to pass on a few of my favorite spots for full-moon snowshoeing and let folks know about a few group tours in surrounding counties. And, of course, you can always snowshoe or skin up the ski slopes at Summit County resorts. Just make sure to contact them regarding rules for uphill traffic.

A Few Spots for Moonlight Snowshoeing in Summit County, Colorado [Read more →]

Morning views while skinning the slopes of Arapahoe Basin, Colorado

Now that Eric and I have been skinning/snowshoeing at local resorts a few times a week, I’ve definitely picked some favorite uphill runs. The end goal is to finish the Imperial Challenge, so in order to make it before the time cutoff, I want to make sure my lungs and legs are ready for the long skin.

For those outside of Summit County, Colorado, the Imperial Challenge is a Breckenridge event that involves a winter bike ride and skinning/snowshoeing some 3,000 vertical feet; it finishes with downhill skiing/snowboarding.

Our skinning and snowshoeing has thus far involved groomers at the local resorts – everything in Summit County, Colorado except Copper. Once we go there, I’ll add more skinning info. In the meantime, below are the best groomed skinning routes, at least according to the Zerowins. [Read more →]

Loving A-Basin so much we took engagement photos there. Photo Courtesy David Watson, see below for link to watsonphoto.com

I enjoy skiing and snowboarding at A-Basin so much I bought a hat. So it’s no surprise that on an early-season weeknight, bored out of my mind, I would cruise arapahoebasin.com searching for any info on when new terrain will open.

Knowing full well that winter needs to really arrive in order for more of Arapahoe Basin to open, I piddled around and instead came across information on the Black Mountain Lodge Full Moon Snowshoe Dinner Series. [Read more →]

Summit County, Colorado: Skiing and Snowboarding in Montezuma Bowl, Arapahoe Basin

“Just turn!” says boyfriend.

Tears well up in girlfriend’s eyes.

“Just turn … like this,” says boyfriend, who proceeds to demo the move.

Anyone who skis or snowboards in Summit County (or anywhere in Colorado) has probably witnessed this scenario more than a few times. They’ve watched the scene explode into tears, yelling and possibly a call to ski patrol. Maybe they’ve even been part of it. [Read more →]