Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25044
trailblaze at boulder mountain parks Find the Pearl Street Mall and walk, ride, drive if you must, toward the hills ... adjacent to town you can hike, trail run and rock climb in the extensive Boulder Mountain Parks, 303-441-3408. Watch for mountain !'ion, black bear and ripped locals out on their 20-mile runs. 1 radi t SU ski eldora Twenty miles up Boulder Canyon awaits Eldora Mounta in Resort, 303/440-8700. It might not be Vail, but it's half an hour away and the Snow Gods dumped on them gener ously last year. Snowboard, snowshoe, Nordic, Alpine or backcountry ski. Take lessons in any of the above and don't miss Laura's Mountain Bakery, 303-258-7346, when drive back down the canyon. rock climb at eldorado canyon state park Less than ten miles south of town on Hwy 93, South Boulder Creek has carved out a rock climber's paradise: Eldorado Canyon State Park, 303-494-3943. Enjoy hiking and unparalleled climbing during the mild Front Range winter. Grab a guide from the UIAGM certified guiding service in Colorado at · the American School of Climbing Arts, 303-545-2555, and scale the famous Bastille, scenic Wind Tower or legendary Redgarden Wall. scale the rockies 3 hour radius ski out-of-bounds vail Take your life in your hands on 1-70 and race up to Vail ... smile at the crowds though, because Snocat Tours, 970-476-9090, will take you out to remote Ptarmigan Pass in their plush Snowcats, fix you lunch, loan you a pair of fat skis and give you 10 or 12 runs on virgin powder. They'll even get you back down to Vail at the end of the day; you'll be soaking in the hot tub by seven. 5 take a powder tour at steamboat The snow up in the northwest corner of the state always seems a bit lig hter, especi ally in Steamboat Springs. Find the deepest white stuff with Steamboat Powder Cats tours, 800-288- 0543 . Stuff yourself on the complimentary breakfast and lunch, ski yourself silly and make it back in time to check out the natural Strawberry Park Hot Springs, 970-879-0342. hour radius learn survival skills in crestone Should you ever lose all your earthly possessions and be th rown out of modern society (it could happen) you'll be glad you took a course from Earth Knack, 71 9-256-4909. Located in the funky little town of Crestone, in the Sangre de Cristo mountains south of Denver, you will learn "how to live like your ancestors" through classes on pottery, bow-and-arrow making, edi ble plant identification and other survival basics. Also check out the local Zen community and Mission Wolf, a wolf sanctuary, 71 9-746-291 9, just over the mountains in Westcliffe. Escape the "tourons" at Rocky Mountain National Park by sca l.ing the magnificent year-round snow fields and peaks with a guide from the famous Col orado Mountain School, 970-586-5758. For 1he Long's Peak climb, they'll rouse you at 2AM, you'll walk all night/day with a heavy pack, risk your life and want to do it all over again.