With fresh snow on the ground and most Colorado ski resorts open for
business, extreme sports events will take center stage this winter
season. Colorado’s mountains offer guests opportunities to watch
professional ski and snowboard athletes compete for coveted titles, or
strap on equipment and get in the action themselves. From the
high-profile ESPN Winter X Games 17 at Buttermilk Mountain to the
amateur cross-country ski race Alley Loop
at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colorado visitors will find endless
event entertainment on the slopes this winter. Below is a sampling of
the 2012/13 winter sports events line-up. For more information, visit
www.colorado.com.
Watch From the Sidelines
- Ski and Snowboardcross Cup
(Dec. 12 – 15, 2012) Teams from around the world will gather in
Telluride on their road to the 2014 Sochi Olympics. This year’s action
will begin December 12 with Skiercross, followed by Snowboardcross
December 14 and 15, both of which provide fantastic viewing
opportunities for spectators. This is the first year the two events have
been combined.
- Dew Tour
(Dec. 13 – 16, 2012) The Dew Tour’s iON Mountain Championship brings
the world’s top ski and snowboard athletes, including Shaun White,
Scotty Lago, Louie Vito, Kelly Clark and more. Athletes will compete on
the mountain in freeski and snowboard superpipe, Big Air, and slopestyle
events. Attendees will also find entertainment at concerts and parties
in the town of Breckenridge.
- Sprint U.S. Grand Prix (Jan.
7 – 12, 2013) Witness top freeskiers and snowboarders from around the
globe as they battle on Copper Mountain in one of the largest
competitive winter sports events, the U.S.S.A. Halfpipe Grand Prix.
- Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships
(Jan. 22 – 26, 2013) This year, 16 teams from 15 different countries,
including teams from India and Singapore, will put their skills to the
test, hand-carving 12-foot-tall, 20-ton blocks of snow into works of
art. New this year, amateur photographers can join in a half-day
workshop to gain knowledge, tips and techniques for
capturing the temporary outdoor art gallery.
- ESPN Winter X Games 17
(Jan. 24 – 27, 2013) More than 200 of the world’s best skiing,
snowboarding and snowmobile athletes will converge on Aspen this January
for the action-packed and highly anticipated four-day event. Shaun
White, Gretchen Bleiler, Lindsey Jacobellis and other world-class winter
athletes will compete for some of the most coveted
medals in action sports. The Winter X Games events are free to the
public at Buttermilk Mountain.
- 22nd Annual Extreme Freeskiing Championships
(Feb. 6 – 10, 2013) As a 4-star qualifier stop on the Subaru Freeskiing
Tour, Crested Butte Mountain Resort challenges the best skiers and
riders in the world to take the craziest runs down epic mountain
terrain. Spectators can watch competitors vie for the Sick Bird award
and for points toward the Swatch
Freeride World Tour.
- U.S. Telemark National Championships
(Feb. 22 – 24, 2013) Watch as the fastest telemark skiers in the U.S.
compete for the highest title during this three-day event at Steamboat
Resort. Racers telemark ski through GS gates, over jumps and stake
uphill on this challenging course as they go head to head against the
top telemark skiers in the country.
Get in the Action
- 18th Annual Ouray Ice Festival (Jan.
10 – 13, 2013) World-class ice climbing competitors will showcase their
edge in Ouray’s premier ice climbing festival this January. Guests both
young and old can witness and partake in climbing competitions,
demonstrations, clinics, guided climbs and additional activities.
- Winter Park SnowDash
(Jan. 26, 2013) The SnowDash is an adventurous 5k race in downtown
Winter Park, where extreme racers climb over cargo nets, run uphill in
the snow, crawl through powder pits, and dart up steep terrain. Four
waves of competitors will complete six to eight obstacles in front of a
cheering crowd and loud music.
- 27th Annual Alley Loop Nordic Race (Feb. 2, 2013) Crested Butte’s signature race and costume party returns for the 27th
year for all ages and Nordic ski abilities. Cross-country skiers will
race through alleys, over bridges and past downtown homes. More
challenging loops are available on
the outskirts of Crested Butte. The event also features a Friday night
ski-pub crawl, “Taste of the Alley.”
- Winter Mountain Games Presented by Eddie Bauer
(Feb. 8 – 10, 2013) Professional and amateur athletes will converge on
Vail Mountain and Vail Village for the second annual Winter Mountain
Games in celebration of adventure sports. The event will feature
competitions in mixed/ice climbing, mountain cyclocross, Big Air, dual
slalom biking, Nordic and telemark skiing, ski mountaineering, snowshoe
racing
and ascension with $60,000 in prize money up for grabs.
- Twin Lakes Ice Fishing Derby
(Feb 16 – 17, 2013) Anglers compete for the largest fish in this annual
Leadville Rod & Gun Club event at Twin Lakes. Prizes are awarded
for mackinaw, brown trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and kokanee
salmon. Prizes range from $50 to $500.
- Kayaks on Snow
(April 6, 2013) Join in Monarch Mountain’s signature event as
contestants race head to head down a specially designed course that
features multiple barriers and finishes in an icy pond. Spectators and
participants are encouraged to dress creatively.