Eldora on a Colorado Blue Bird Day
Spring Forward
Spring break and ski resorts can conjure up images of Solo cups, swimsuit-clad skiers and rowdy pond-skimming events. At Colorado Ski Country resorts, however, spring takes on a side as soft as the snow, as family-friendly activities abound. Whether you want to take the kids to one of the most incredible spectacles of racing in the world, jump into Olympic-grade trampolines, or catch live music (and a few Mardi Gras beads), the Rocky Mountains have you covered—no swimsuit required.
Aspen Snowmass
Tamara Susa -Aspen Snowmass
The standout of this spring’s offerings at Aspen Snowmass is the NASTAR National Championship, which was first held here at the Spider Sabich race arena in 1998 and now makes a triumphant return from March 24 to 28 after a tour of numerous American resorts. It’s the Olympics of recreational racing, with perhaps even more fanfare as athletes aged 1 to 95 take on the Blue Grouse racecourse. It’s fast-paced fun, and a good chance to meet famous pacesetters Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Laurenne Ross and Marco Sullivan, among others.
Copper Mountain
Curtis DeVore – Copper Mounain
With 24 lifts, nearly 2500 acres of skiable terrain and more than 140 marked trails (half of which are beginner or intermediate), Copper has your family covered for spending spring break exploring seemingly unlimited options on the hill. Plus, the mountain received 98 inches of the white stuff last March—the snowiest month of the winter. But Copper’s also cool because of its wide array of alternative activities. Ride the Rocky Mountain Coaster, terrorize the tubing park or take the team uphill with the latest trend of skinning to the summit. But the shiniest spring break at Copper has to be the Barn at Woodward, a 19,400-square-foot indoor playground of foam pits, Olympic-grade flybed trampolines and BMX training zones, to name a few of the head-spinning features.
Steamboat
Steamboat Ski Resort
Besides its world-famous Champagne Powder, Steamboat has plenty of high-spirited events that require no spirits to enjoy. Laissez les bon temps rouler at the mountains’ Mardi Gras celebration that kicks of February 22: kids can pick apart tiny crustaceans at the crawfish boil, collect beads, see street performers, cheer on a parade and get their faces painted. Instead of NOLA, it’s snow-LA. Also, every Saturday in March from 3:30 to 5:30 means live music at the base area.
Winter Park
We’ll skip the planes and automobiles, please, and take the train, instead—namely, the Winter Park Express that bypasses 1-70 for a scenic tour through mountain passes and 31 tunnels, including the 6.2 mile Moffat Tunnel (yes, the length of running a 10K). From Friday through Sunday, the Amtrak train departs Denver’s Union Station at 7am, arrives right at the Winter Park lifts at 9am, and heads back to Denver at 4pm. Snag a seat in the bi-level Superliner Sightseer Lounge for onboard snacks and drinks and floor-to-ceiling views of the Rockies.
