Colorado's Extreme Winter Sports Take Center Stage in 2012

Tis the season…for extreme winter sports!

This winter, Colorado dishes up extreme winter sports that will literally take your breath away. From being dropped by a helicopter on top of a snowy peak, to reeling a trout out of an icy lake, to summiting an ice wall with crampons and ice axes, Colorado transforms into an extreme outdoor enthusiast's playground in the winter months. Below is a sampling of adrenaline-pumping events to watch and activities to try:

Ski and Snowboard Events and Competitions        
        
            --  ESPN's Winter X Games, January 26-29, 2012: For an unprecedented
                11th year in a row, more than 200 ski, snowboard and snowmobile
                athletes from across the globe will land in Aspen/Snowmass to
                compete in ESPN's Winter X Games 16 on Buttermilk. All events at
                Buttermilk are FREE and open to the public. In addition to the
                action at Buttermilk, Aspen/Snowmass will host a FREE Bud Light
                Hi-Fi concert at the base of Aspen Mountain.
 
www.aspensnowmass.com           
       
            --  U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships, February 8 -12, 2012:
                Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) and Mountain Sports
                International team up to bring the U.S. and World Freeskiing Tours
                to the birthplace of Big Mountain competitions. Crested Butte was
                the first in the U.S. to launch an extreme skiing contest, and
                this season marks twenty-one years. Competitors vie for the
                largest cash purse on the freeskiing circuit and coveted prizes
 
www.freeskiingworldtour.com           
       
            --  The Telemark World Cup, February 11-18, 2012: The Steamboat
                Springs Winter Sports Club hosts approximately 100 international
                telemark athletes as they compete in all telemark events over
                seven days. See the world's best international telemark athletes
 
www.steamboat.com            
       
Extreme Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Adventures
                
            --  Guided Skiing at Silverton Mountain: Silverton offers extreme and
                unique lift-served ski adventures accessing up to 1,819 acres of
                backcountry-type terrain. There are no groomed runs, no cut
                trails, just loads of nature's finest black diamond skiing in the
                country. Each guided group of eight skiers or less can expect to
                hike 5-10 minutes to ski runs although some drop straight from the
 
www.silvertonmountain.com           
       
            --  Cat Skiing at Monarch Mountain: Great powder, spectacular views,
                1,000 plus acres of expert terrain, steeps, trees, cliffs, and
                bowls -- that's Monarch Mountain's snowcat terrain. Considered
                some of the best snowcat skiing in Colorado, guests enjoy
                skiing/riding in closely spaced trees, variable snow conditions
                and extremely steep slopes. Space is limited to 12 guests per day
                and the snowcat runs from the end of December through early April
 
www.skimonarch.com           
       
            --  Heli Skiing with Telluride Helitrax: Telluride Helitrax operates
                in some of the highest ski terrain in North America: ranging in
                elevation from 10,000 to 13,500 feet. Telluride Helitrax is one of
                the most experienced yet personal heli-ski operations in the U.S.
                Up to twenty seats are available each day. Skiers are sorted by
                reservation groups, ability and helicopter load weight.
 
www.helitrax.com            
        
Ice Climbing        
        
            --  The 17th Annual Ouray Ice Festival, January 5-8, 2012. The Ouray
                Ice Festival is the world's premier ice climbing event. This
                annual gathering is attended by ice climbers from around the
                world, as well as industry sponsors, inspiring speakers, and the
                world's top exhibition climbers. Festival events are held in and
                around the Ouray Ice Park as well as various other venues around
 
www.ourayicepark.com           
       
            --  2012 Lake City Ice Climbing Festival, February 4, 2012: This event
                includes timed lead and top rope ice climbing events with men's
                and women's categories held at the Lake City Ice Park. Hot food
                and beverages are served on site with an apres-climb awards party
 
www.lakecityiceclimbs.com           
       
        --  Jeep Ice Racing: For the past 36 years, Our Gang Ice Racing has been
            holding jeep ice races on Georgetown Lake in the charming Victorian
            town of Georgetown. On weekends in January and February, Georgetown
            Lake becomes frozen over and is transformed into a race track for
            Jeeps and other four-wheel drive vehicles. Races are separated by
            class including a beginner's class, meaning that anyone can
            participate in a race, either as a driver or spectator.
 
www.ourgangiceracing.com            
       
Ice Fishing
                
            --  Antero Ice Fishing Contest, January 14, 2012: Get your poles, your
                bait, your sled and head to the Antero Ice Fishing Contest at
                Antero Reservoir in Park County. This contest is loaded with
                excitement, adventure and great prizes.
 
www.antero-icefishing-contest.com           
       
            --  Leadville/Twin Lakes Ice Fishing Derby, February 18-19, 2012: This
                is an annual Leadville Rod & Gun Club event at Twin Lakes with
                prizes by type of fish. Categories include mackinaw, brown trout,
                rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and kokanee salmon.
 
www.visitleadvilleco.com  

Read more http://www.marketwatch.com/story/colorados-extreme-winter-sports-take-center-stage-in-2012-2011-12-21

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Merry Christmas

Fireside Apartments would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

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Top 5 Weekend Family Events

There are plenty of family-friendly events this week! Here are the 5 best, as chosen by Pikes Peak Parent.com: 

A Holiday Evening

DEC. 17: A Holiday Evening: 4-8 p.m., Rock Ledge Ranch, Gateway Road (30th Street across from the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center); jingle bell wagon rides, music, entertainment, lantern tours, blacksmithing demos, barn dance; admission prices: adult/$8; youth/teen, ages 6-17/$4; kids 5 and younger/free;  information: 578-6777.

Christmas Symphony

DEC. 17 AND 18: Christmas Symphony: 8 p.m., Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.; classics, surpirses and annual favorites; cost: $19-$57; information: 520-7469 or pikespeakcenter.com. Additional time and date; 2:30 p.m., Dec. 18.

HOT CHOCOLATE

DEC. 17: HOT CHOCOLATE': 7-9 p.m., Mitchell High School, 1205 Potter Drive; holiday performance by Colorado Dance Company showcasing young Colorado Springs talent; cost: $15 at the door or purchase tickets online at www.LanayDanceAndYoga.com

A Nutcracker Sweet

DEC. 18: A Nutcracker Sweet: 2:30-4:30 p.m., Doherty High School Auditorium, 4515 Barnes Road; child-friendly version of Nutcracker Ballet performed by Spring City Ballet students as a benefit for the Marion House; cost: donation to Marian House; information: Hassie Daron, 495-5200.

Frog & Toad Holiday High Tea

DEC 18: Frog & Toad Holiday High Tea: 2 p.m., Deco Lounge, Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St.; tea, scones, clotted cream, sandwiches; hot cocoa; cash bar for mimosas and Bloody Marys; live entertainment; cost: $35/adults, $15/child; reservations required, 634-5583.

Read more http://www.pikespeakparent.com/component/content/article/7923.html

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Check out Deck the Hall tonight at Pikes Peak Center

It’s the Colorado Springs Chorale’s silver anniversary Christmas family favorite, Deck the Hall, “The Best Way to Celebrate Christmas,” (Best of the Springs, The Gazette) Friday, December 9, 2011, 7:30 p.m., at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts.
To celebrate Deck’s 25th annual performance we’re highlighting past Deck the Hall seasonal favorites, sacred, traditional and “pops’ and also capturing the sounds of a snowy Christmas morning through the use of off-stage bells ringing the peal of church bells distant and near.
We’ll gather with What Child is This and process with our traditional, O Come all Ye Faithful, then welcome all with Rutter’s What Sweeter Music and arrangements of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Ding Dong Merrily on High. Around our imaginary center stage tree we’ll present a Robert Shaw/Robert Bennett Many Moods of Christmas medley. Our traditional “Christmas Eve Concert” will be the glorious Beethoven Kyrie and Gloria from his Mass in C. We’ll shift to the images of brisk winter with: “Outdoors: A Crisp December Evening” and a series of tunes supported by our Christmas Bells, called “A Russian Christmas Morning.” The section includes a melodic lullaby, Bahyooshkee Bahyoo by our own Judy Kramer. Our treatment of the lighter side of Christmas “Merry Christmas, All, Y’all” will include a little tongue-in-cheek PDQ Bach, Good King Kong Looked Out and the raucous Leroy the Redneck Reindeer. Our finale will be an audience favorite, our assistant conductor Dan Brink’s frequently requested arrangement of Deck the Hall.

The Chorale’s gorgeous sound, affordable tickets, and a beautifully decorated stage with striking and atmospheric lighting, combine to create a delightful family evening of traditional, favorite, and new Christmas music.

The Colorado Springs Chorale’s more than one hundred auditioned singers will craft a beautiful and inspiring experience that touches your soul and lifts your spirits with just the right amount of fun. There’ll be carols and a Beethoven “concert within a concert” to celebrate the spiritual side of the season, and audience sing-alongs and popular Christmas standards to recall the memories of childhood Christmases past and to create family memories for the future.

Add to this Santa and Mrs. Claus in the lobby, decorations, spectacular lighting and the marvelous accompaniment of Dan Brink, pianist and Carol Wilson, organist, for a very festive Christmas celebration.

And we’ve dramatically reduced prices to make sure you’ll be there! Tickets: Front Orchestra and Balcony $15, Main Orchestra and other areas $20, Mezzanine Boxes, $40, may be purchased at the Pikes Peak Center Box Office; TicketsWest, 719 520 SHOW (7469); at all TicketsWest outlets, or www.ticketswest.com. (Surcharges may apply).

Information courtesy of: http://events.gazette.com/colorado-springs-co/events/show/217175824-deck-the-hall

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Colorado's year-round Christmas workshop

Are you going to see Santa this year?

Phil Tracy, the new jolly old elf running Santa's Workshop, walks toward his "house" to greet young visitors. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

When the sun sets and the temperature dips at Santa's Workshop, the 55-year-old Christmas village and kiddie amusement park nestled in the mountains northwest of Colorado Springs, the last man on site just happens to be the big man on campus.

Santa Claus, played this year for the first time by longtime area resident Phil Tracy, feeds reindeer and llamas before retiring to a single-wide, on-site trailer he calls home.

"(Santa) is here any time the park is open," says general manager Tom Haggard.

And as it turns out, Tracy is here when it's not.

Haggard and Tracy's friendship dates back to their youth, when both worked at Santa's Workshop — just like myriad other youngsters who grow up near Pikes Peak. After years away from Colorado (and pining to get back), Tracy is now among the 80 or so seasonal employees who have spent recent weeks readying themselves for this, their prime time, when easily more than 2,000 people will visit on a single day.

"Summer is steady," Haggard says, "but not explosive like the holidays."

The kitschy allure of Santa's Workshop includes its magic shows, kiddie-sized train, blacksmith shop, arcade, funnel cakes, souvenir shops, and rides like the Candy Cane Coaster and the up-and-down Christmas Tree.

Yet Santa Claus is the main draw, second only to "Santa's Post Office," where cards and gifts that arrive before Dec. 21 are reshipped with a North Pole postmark.

"Corny" is good

Holiday music is the year-round soundtrack at this 27-acre park inspired by a similar one in Lake Placid, N.Y., that was conceived by a former Walt Disney artist. Colorado's version of the North Pole is outfitted with oversized candy canes and iced-gingerbread-looking cottages, many constructed from native lodgepole pines.

There are few holiday decorations to hang here because Santa's Workshop is always decked out in red and green and twinkling lights. So the staff
ramps up for this time of year by installing outdoor heaters, touching up paint on the facilities, and readying snowblowers and plows for the inevitable overnight dump.

"We are not a thrill park," Haggard says. "To a lot of people, we are a step back in time."

He isn't offended if the word that comes to mind for some visitors is "corny." Haggard concedes that he didn't fully appreciate Santa's Workshop, which was run by his parents before him, until he had kids of his own.

"We are not all things to all people," Haggard says. "We cater to families with young children."

The boss' biggest tip for his new Santa Claus: It's a tough job, so get plenty of rest.

"On busy days, the line to see Santa will literally be across the park," Haggard says.

Nonstop smiling and conversation are a must with this gig. The suit is hot, and, yes, there will be the occasional crying child.

"Have to love kids"

"You just have to love kids," says Tracy, 59. "If you love kids, you're going to be patient with them."

A Saint Nicholas doppelgänger with a full, white beard and wire-rimmed spectacles, Tracy also is a journeyman glazier and a former nightclub owner. He broke into the Santa Claus business last year as the main man in red at Madison Square Mall in Huntsville, Ala., where he was briefly living to be closer to extended family.

"It's a big responsibility," Tracy says of the job. "Santa is the only stranger that kids are allowed to talk to."

It comes as little surprise to maintenance man Doug Haddock that the park's new Santa Claus spent the better part of his childhood growing up in nearby Cascade. "I don't think there's a kid in (this area) who hasn't worked here," says Haddock, 45, another Colorado native who easily becomes nostalgic for his own childhood field trips to Santa's Workshop.

"The Christmas Tree ride was here when I was a kid," Haddock recalls.

As for Tracy, he considers this spot to be his little slice of heaven. He loves the forested, high-country setting and the geese that wander from the park pond to his trailer after hours. He jokes about living in "a gated community."

"The only way I'll leave here," Tracy says, "is in the coroner's van."

If you go...

Santa's Workshop is located at the foot of Pikes Peak at 7,500 feet. Management likes to remind visitors that the weather at that altitude is unpredictable, and the park is only open when Mother Nature cooperates.

Where: 5050 Pikes Peak Hwy., Cascade
Hours:10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through December 23; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve, after which it is closed until mid-May. The park is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Admission: $12.95-$17.95.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/insideandout/ci_19415387#ixzz1fIwDia3b

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