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Special Feature
A Peak Ahead: Outdoor ideas to kick-start your Colorado winter Compiled by Jeff Miller For many of us, nothing speaks more about the joy of living in Colorado than wintertime in the Rockies. The crunch of crystallized snow under ski boots, the magical lightness of champagne powder, the grand stillness of frozen lakes, the festive interplay between blue skies, evergreen forests and brilliant white snow.Colorado Ski Areas Arapahoe Basin, 888-272-7246, arapahoebasin.com; Aspen's four resorts: Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk, and Snowmass: 800-308-6935, aspensnowmass.com; Four Vail Resorts properties: Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Vail: 800-404-3535, vailresorts.com; Copper, 866-841-2481, coppercolorado.com; Crested Butte, 800-544-8448, crestedbutteresort.com; Durango Mountain, 800-525-0892, durangomountainresort.com; Eldora, 303-440-8700, eldora.com; Hesperus, no number, durango.com/skihesperus; Howelsen Hill, 970-879-8499; Kendall Mountain, 970-387-5522; Loveland, 800-736-3754, skiloveland.com; Monarch, 888-996-7669, skimonarch.com; Powderhorn, 970-268-5700, powderhorn.com; Silverton Mountain, 970-387-5706, silvertonmountain.com; Ski Cooper, 800-707-6114, skicooper.com; SolVista, 800-757-7669, solvista.com/winterhome; Steamboat, Steamboat.com; 800-922-2722, Sunlight Mountain, 800-445-7931, sunlightmtn.com; Telluride, 866-287-5015, tellurideskiresort.com; Wolf Creek, 970-264-5639, wolfcreekski.com; Winter Park, 800-729-5813; skiwinterpark.com The thrill of speed— world-class downhill skiing and snowboarding Your heart races as you stand and take in the moment: a cobalt blue sky, air so crisp it makes your nose tingle, and surrounding mountain peaks draped in a fresh covering of snow. Down below is a trackless field of knee-deep powder waiting for your artistic etchings of graceful turns. With a final check of your equipment, you shove off and feel the mountain take you in its loving embrace — a shout of pure joy springs from your lips. When it comes to downhill skiing and snowboarding, it doesn't get any better than Colorado. And the word is spreading-in Ski magazine's annual "Top 60 Resort Guide" (the definitive ranking of North American ski resorts), Colorado resorts captured six of the top ten spots, including number one: Vail, #1; Snowmass, #4; Steamboat, #5; Breckenridge, #6; Beaver Creek, #8; and Telluride, #10. Altogether, Colorado boasts 27 ski areas. While their terrain and services vary, most resorts include alpine and nordic facilities, shops, restaurants, accommodations and numerous complementary activities. For more information about each area, use the contact information below. A quieter, slower pace— cross-country skiing & snowshoeing For those who find beauty and serenity in the stillness of a winter morning's meadow-set off by sparkling sunshine and the hint of paw prints in new fallen snow — then an outing on cross-country skis or a hike on snowshoes might be for you. Colorado has some of the best groomed and natural trails in the country. Most ski resorts now boast nordic trails both on and off the regular alpine runs. Numerous nordic ski centers offer a variety of adventure tours on cross-country skis and snowshoes — with introductory lessons a part of many rental packages and guided tours. Some suggestions: Snowshoeing in the Mt. Evans Wilderness or along Guanella Pass Scenic Byway. Near Creede, several cross-country ski trails are maintained by The Upper Rio Grande Nordic Club. The town of Carbondale has a community-run cross-country ski area. Beaver Creek has a dedicated snowshoe and cross-country ski park atop its mountain. Breckenridge has two nordic centers: The Gold Run Nordic Center and the Breckenridge Nordic Ski Center. The Winter Park/Fraser Valley area boasts five nordic centers: Devil's Thumb Ranch, Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic, SolVista Resort, the Grand Lake Touring Center and Latigo Ranch. Grand Mesa Nordic Council publishes a map and maintains a series of trails throughout the Grand Mesa National Forest and surrounding area. Sharing with four-legged friends— horseback riding, sleigh riding and dog sledding 
Sleigh bells jingling, dogs a'mushin', horses snorting huge clouds of frosty-white condensation, warm blankets wrapped around your legs and bundled to your chin. All of these experiences create such a feel-good sense of winter that even Arizona sunbirds will turn into Colorado snowbirds. One of the best places to enjoy four-footed winter vacation fun is on a dude ranch. Yep, pardner, after taking a breather from the busy summer season, many dude ranches reopen for the "quiet" season of winter. Discount packages are usually available that include lodging, meals and many activities. Several ranches actually offer downhill and cross-country skiing, as well as sleigh rides, dog sledding, skating, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and horseback riding. (The Colorado Dude & Guest Ranch Association, 970-887-3128, coloradoranch.com). Some suggestions: Near Creede, the Lost Trail Ranch has yurts and cabins for winter adventurers. In the Winter Park area Devil's Thumb Ranch is known as an excellent cross-country ski center. Snow Mountain Ranch, between Winter Park and Granby, has lodges and cabins, a Nordic center and plenty of activities. Sundance Trail Guest Ranch, near Ft. Collins, takes in only seven families or 24 people, and horseback riding is the main activity in winter. Mechanized adventuring— snowmobiles, snow cats and trains 
The roar of an engine, the reassuring vibrations of well-oiled pistons doing their job, and the feel of a bracing wind on your face as the scenery goes screaming by — ah, the love of snowmobiling, it's definitely an acquired taste; one that's usually acquired after only one exhilarating run. Add to that the rush of a big snow cat plowing up a steep vertical, or the whistle of an old locomotive chugging through virgin winter territory and you have the makings of several exciting winter adventures. Some suggestions: When it comes to snowmobiling, a true mecca is Grand Lake, which is becoming nationally known. Popular areas in Gunnison County include the Alpine Plateau area that travels the Continental Divide in the Uncompahgre National Forest, Taylor Park in the Gunnison National Forest and the scenic Kebler Pass west of Crested Butte. In Winter Park there are guided twilight snowmobile dinner tours. The Snow Country Explorers snowmobile club maintains trails that link with snowmobile trails maintained by the Lake City and South Fork clubs. Near Grand Junction, Grand Mesa is a popular destination for snowmobilers, with guided tours and rental equipment available from many local outfitters. (Colorado Snowmobile Association, 800-235-4480, sledcity.com.) When it comes to snow cats-the large vehicles used to groom resort trails-many do double duty as cozy tour guides. It's a safe and warm way to see some black diamond (most difficult) slopes and watch the pratfalls of skiers. For those with even bigger tastes in machines, Colorado has a trio of winter train experiences that can't be beat: the weekend Ski Train from Denver to Winter Park; the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Train; and the twilight dinner train aboard the Royal Gorge Route Railroad.
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