The Outside Festival: Get ready for cold plunging to The Heavy Heavy 

Sneak Peek of the Week

The Outside Festival pairs action sports and the arts with equity and access for all

For the first time ever, you’ll be able to watch hyperkinetic dogs wiggle through a slalom course in competition with other pups while you cold-plunge under the guidance of a breathing instructor and listen to the Fleet Foxes — live — from an inner-city outdoor adventure hub deep inside Denver June 1 and 2.

It’s all part of the two-day Outside Festival that will sprawl out on the interlocking lawns and sidewalks of Civic Center park in Denver courtesy of Outside Interactive and the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Office. The Big Gear Show happens at the same time, across Broadway in Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park, but it’s “adjacent” to the Outside Festival, said Chris Jerard, vice president of marketing at Outside, Inc.

Expect film screenings, concerts, action sports contests and hands-on participation opportunities like climbing walls, camping zones and e-bike tracks as the state takes its first step in creating an immersive event for consumers and industry insiders since the massive trade show Outdoor Retailer rolled up its tent and moved to Utah in 2022.

Conor Hall, head of the Colorado outdoor recreation industry office, says the state is taking advantage of something that’s always been obvious but never truly capitalized on: the fact that Denver is “base camp to all the greatest outdoor adventures anywhere. But, you know, take a day to enjoy it before heading out, because it’s a global city with incredible sports teams and restaurants. That’s really how we view it at the office. And Visit Denver recognizes it. They’re really embracing the idea. Let’s advertise it.”

In a preview of the location May 17, Gov. Jared Polis called the event “Colorado’s first outdoor festival.” It was a bit of a head-scratcher when outdoor recreation generates $62 billion, accounts for 18% of the state’s workforce and draws millions of Coloradans outdoors every year, many to festivals like the 22nd annual GoPro Mountain Games, which will unfold June 6-9 in Vail.

Whatever he means, the Outside Festival will be stacked with immersive activities, some requiring you to move your body and others designed for you to sit and soak up the changing ethos of the outdoor industry, which in Colorado, Hall says, is focused on getting people from every demographic outdoors, in fresh air, be that on the top of a fourteener or under a tree next to the capitol.

For more on this story, head over to The Colorado Sun on Monday.

Breaking Trail

A bear swiped at someone on a morning stroll in Steamboat. Was it grouchy or just being a bear?

A black bear took a swipe at person out for a morning walk in Steamboat Springs on Tuesday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say, reminding us that bears are awake, alive and active now that the pasqueflowers are blooming and chipmunks have had their babies.

The victim was strolling along when they saw what appeared to be a yearling cub. They then felt a swipe from behind and were knocked to the ground, the agency said. The person was able to finish their walk before receiving first aid for scrapes on their arm from the fall, which is kind of amazing if you read it the right way and is potential fodder for a story by The Onion.

It also raises a question: Are bears grouchy when they emerge from hibernation?

CPW says bears usually come out of their dens in late March or early April, so staying alert, keeping your dog on a leash and knowing what to do if you encounter a bear is important.

If you see a bear don’t run. Stand still, stay calm and slowly back away until the bear is out of sight. If you see cubs, their mother is usually close by. Leave the area immediately to give them space.

But if you encounter a bear soon after it wakes up it might not be as dangerous as it could become later, according to research that shows immediately after emerging from their dens, bears are torpid, and just slightly more dangerous than while they are hibernating. They eat little, amble around and slowly get their bearings. It takes a few days for their hunger to kick in. And they need to toughen the pads of their feet, which grow soft during their months of torpor (the North American Bear Center says they also eat pieces of their feet, which have been found in their fecal plug, but that’s a different story).

Once fully active, bears can be dangerous to humans. Especially, as was demonstrated by the person in Steamboat, if you mess with the wrong yearling.

The Guide

New technology could help search and rescue teams find missing people in the backcountry within minutes

A Durango-based helicopter company is testing a new tool that could help search and rescue teams in helicopters detect missing and distressed people in Colorado’s backcountry within minutes and communicate with them, even if they are stuck in an area without cellphone service.

The technology, akin to a miniature cellphone tower, attaches to the outside of a helicopter and allows searchers to pinpoint the locations of any cellphones within a 3-mile radius using a map on a tablet, said Dr. Tim Durkin, a search and rescue program coordinator for Colorado Highland Helicopters.

“As we detect the phone, basically a blotch shows up on the map and as we fly around that area, that blotch gets smaller and smaller and smaller until we can see exactly where they are,” Durkin added.

The technology, called Lifeseeker, is under review by the Federal Communications Commission. It will need approval before it can be sold to the state or counties hoping to use it for their SAR efforts.

There have been several high-profile search and rescue missions to look for missing hikers and ultrarunners in remote, mountainous areas like La Plata Canyon northwest of Durango, which is bordered by several 12,000- and 13,000-foot peaks on either side with a dense forest at the bottom.

“It is very difficult to see people from the air who are lost, even if they are trying to be found and if you have somebody that’s in dense tree cover and muted-colored clothing,” Durkin said.

That difficulty could be alleviated if the FFC green lights Lifeseeker.

Search crews found the two people they were looking for within two minutes and 14 seconds using it during a recent test run, Durkin said.

Learn more in a story by Olivia Prentzel over at The Sun on Tuesday.

A $6.8 million ditch upgrade could be good for boaters, anglers on the Yampa River

For decades, ditch riders have walked 2 miles round trip down a narrow strip of land between the Maybell irrigation ditch and the Yampa River to open and close a key headgate that brings water to farmers and ranchers in Moffat County.

After 126 years, the diversion is getting a multimillion-dollar facelift to help fish and boaters as well as ranchers.

Recreators had a hard time navigating around boulders, some of which were the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, placed in the river as part of the diversion structure. The boulders created big waves that could flip boats and cause a difficult, pinball effect for paddlers passing by the diversion.

“I had run that. It wasn’t a dangerous run, but it was hard to maneuver, and this will make it a lot easier,” said Darryl Steele, a rancher and former boatman for the National Park Service. “You won’t have to be a really professional boatman to navigate it.”

Now, the headgate is upgraded and fish passage improved. The hazardous boulders in the river have been removed. The work could open more recreational opportunities in the future, especially as a plan to build a whitewater park upstream in Craig could boost rafting in the area.

The project also offers a model for bringing different groups together, which partners say is the path forward as Colorado and other Western states grapple with a hotter future in the Colorado River Basin.

“It kind of opens the door for a lot of people — especially the ag community and the environmental communities — to realize they can work together to solve some of these problems we have,” said Mike Camblin, a Colorado rancher and president of the Maybell Irrigation District. “Everybody wins.”

Read more about the Maybell diversion project’s impact on fish, floaters and farmers in this story by Shannon Mullane at The Sun.

That’s it for this week’s Outsider, curated by Tracy. Check back next Thursday when Jason Blevins returns.

— t

Corrections & Clarifications

Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.