snowboarding

Vail Resorts will launch a new function in its My Epic app next season using advanced artificial intelligence to answer questions visitors have about ski conditions, dining options and other aspects of mountain operations. Called “My Epic Assistant,” the service will be available for the 2024-25 ski season at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone with plans to expand it to other resorts in future seasons. “For more than a decade, we have been committed to improving the guest experience through the use of…

Ski season is nearing an end in Colorado’s high country, but it’s just beginning inside what used to be a big-box clothing store in a Thornton shopping center. That’s where the owners of Snöbahn opened their second location on Saturday at 14200 Lincoln St. The 38,000-square-foot space, previously home to a Stein Mart, features four “ski slopes” — inclined moving walkways — where people can learn how to ski and snowboard indoors or practice what they’ve already learned. Competitive skiers and riders can use it for…

On a sunny morning last winter, I found myself facing an oh-so-Colorado predicament. My friend Tom was visiting from Michigan and he wanted to go skiing. Of course I wanted to go with him, but I had two non-negotiable work deadlines to meet that day. What to do? Take my work to the ski area, of course. As Tom loaded up the ski gear, I packed my laptop and charger. We made our way up Boulder Canyon and arrived at Eldora Mountain a little before 9 a.m. While Tom skied over to the chairlift, I found a cozy corner in the West…

If there’s one thing that Coloradans and visitors to the state share, it’s the sometimes crazy experience of driving on Interstate 70 between Denver and the mountains. So those who frequent the winding highway have assuredly come across the i70Things Instagram page, whether to check road conditions or have a few laughs at the expense of fellow motorists. Denver’s Alejandro Brown started the wildly popular Instagram account in December 2019 while sitting in traffic on the interstate and watching the winter madness from the…

In one of the most substantial updates to the Nintendo Switch’s N64 library, Nintendo has announced three new games are available now as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack service. Man, how did this one slip me by until now? Oh, right, this news broke during The Game Awards. Well, even if you’re feeling tired from a marathon of game trailers and celebrity appearances, these classic games are still well worth checking out. Also, the trailer for the update features more than a few seconds of gameplay from…

If you’ve been hoping to get your snowboarding fix even in the summer, Traqpod just might have the thing for you. The Barcelona-based skateboarding company has just gone electric, launching a powered version of their board known as the Traqpod 3 Electric. The board eschews typical skateboard trucks and uses a novel type of folding mechanism that stows and deploys the front and rear wheels. The unusual trucks feature steel springs instead of rubber bushings and allow the board to carve hard –…

There are a lot of factors that contribute to a good day on the slopes. Weather, terrain, and ability level are all important, but having the right equipment can mean the difference between having a comfortable, safe, and thrilling day, and tumbling down a mountain while freezing your ass off. Here then, are my picks for the best gear for winter fun, of the downhill variety.Killing Vampires With the Help of Social MediaBest of all, it has been an absolute banger of a year for snow in the western U.S. Several resorts have…

Kirsten Lynch, the chief executive of Vail Resorts, is beginning her second year at the helm of a ski industry behemoth that owns 41 resorts in the U.S, Canada, Australia and Switzerland, including five in Colorado. Born and raised in Chicago, she fell in love with skiing at Wilmot Mountain, a tiny area in Wisconsin improbably nicknamed “The Matterhorn of the Midwest” despite having only 193 feet of vertical drop. Her family skied there often and made frequent ski trips to Colorado, fueling her “dream” to live here…

Snowmaking at some of Colorado’s ski resorts will begin any day now, and we’re counting down the hours to powder days, sweet turns, gorgeous views and fun with friends. But we’re also getting itchy to try some new resort attractions and amenities that are coming this winter. Here’s a sampling of some of them: Winter Park Winter Park adds new terrain in the Cirque called “Jelly Roll” because of its steep rolling pitch. Resort officials say it’s in an area that tends to hold fluffy snow for days after storms exit. There is…

When skiers and snowboarders flock to the annual Labor Day weekend clearance sales this weekend at Christy Sports and Epic Mountain Gear, they will be continuing a Colorado tradition that goes back to 1954 and the first Gart Brothers “Sniagrab” sale. Sniagrab was born that year after owner Jerry Gart wrote the word “bargains” on a breakfast napkin while on a business trip and then noticed what it spelled when flipped upside down. Sniagrab would soon become synonymous with big savings on ski gear. “It was a big deal for…