Posted inNews, Outdoors

Colorado’s 7th avalanche fatality this season comes in Jones Pass slide during historic conditions

A backcountry skier employed by a guide service was killed in a slide in Clear Creek County on Thursday amid “historic” avalanche conditions across Colorado so extreme that authorities were advising people on what to do if their vehicles are struck by a wall of snow. The avalanche on Jones Pass killed 48-year-old Hans Berg, of […]

Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government

Luis Benitez leaving outdoor recreation office he built to work for outdoor juggernaut VF Corp

Luis Benitez is leaving the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office after almost four years directing the country’s second-ever office of its kind and establishing the state as the epicenter of the outdoor industry. The mountaineer and former Town of Eagle trustee who united Colorado’s diverse outdoor community, helped land the Outdoor Retailer trade shows, lured […]

Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Transportation

Colorado’s weekend snowstorm prompted avalanches in areas that hadn’t slid in decades. Here’s why.

Dramatic dashboard recordings over the weekend of avalanches along Interstate 70 between Frisco and Copper Mountain have stoked anxiety among Coloradans about the safety of the state’s high country roadways sitting beneath avalanche chutes. But experts say the slides are the result of historic conditions that have been lining up for the entire snow season, […]

Posted inBusiness, News, Outdoors

Vail’s new Epic day pass lowers pre-purchased lift tickets to as low as $89

Vail Resorts on Tuesday dropped a new product that the resort conglomerate hopes will end the persistent argument that skiing is too expensive. The “Epic for Everyone” offers pre-purchased lift tickets for as low as $89 a day, extending to infrequent skiers the same discounts delivered to Epic Pass buyers who paid as much as […]

Posted inBusiness, Culture, News, Outdoors

Women-only Colorado Classic picks up big sponsor, giving the race financial stability and long-term viability

VF Corp hasn’t officially moved to town, but the giant outdoor gear company has signed on as a title sponsor of the women-only Colorado Classic bike race, signaling its commitment to playing a key role in its new community. The two-year deal announced Wednesday also puts the race on firmer financial footing than its predecessor, […]

Posted inNews, Outdoors

Backcountry skier killed in “especially tragic” slide near Telluride, becoming Colorado’s 5th avalanche death of season

A 47-year-old man was killed Tuesday in a large avalanche near Telluride triggered by snowboarders on a slope above him, authorities say, becoming Colorado’s fifth snow-slide death of the 2018-19 season. Salvador Garcia-Atance, who was backcountry skiing on a well-traveled trail above Telluride, was the third man killed in a four-day period following heavy snowfall […]

Posted inBusiness, Culture, News, Outdoors

What really led A-Basin to quit the Epic Pass cash cow? “Parking is our pinch point.”

The deluge of weekend Epic Pass skiers has forced Arapahoe Basin to abandon its decade-long partnership with Vail Resorts. “We are pretty darn full on weekends and we don’t need any more people on weekends. If anything, we could probably whittle those numbers down a little bit,” Arapahoe Basin’s longtime leader Alan Henceroth said Monday, […]

Posted inNews, Outdoors

Aspen-area men killed in avalanche near Crested Butte, bringing Colorado’s 2018-2019 avalanche death toll to 4

Colorado authorities say two men died in an avalanche near Crested Butte this weekend, bringing the state’s avalanche fatality tally this season to four. The Mt. Crested Butte Police Department tells the Aspen Times that 27-year-old Owen Green, of Aspen, and 37-year-old Michael Goerne, of Carbondale, were reported missing Saturday night. A police statement says tracks were […]