AAA Colorado ~ EnCompass Magazine

Some of Colorado's wildest winter thrills — without standing in lift lines or buying expensive equipment — happen on a tube or sled.

You don't need lessons or special skills and it's a great way to introduce kids to the thrill of the slopes. Commercial sledding hills add some "oomph" to the slide zones your kids have probably already discovered for free on public land or in the neighbors' yard. Most sites charge $20 or less, including use of the tube or sled, and require that kids be 36 inches tall to ride alone; otherwise, they can team up with an adult.

You can get to the Fraser Tubing Hill via a free shuttle from Winter Park. The groomed, lighted hill has a tow-lift system so you can save your energy for the ride down. Hook up your tube with others for a really high-speed excursion down the slope with a long run-out. It gets busy, so go early in the day or on weekdays. 800-903-7275 or www.winterpark-info.com.

You'll hear the screams before you even enter the East Village at Copper Mountain. At the base of the SuperBee Lift, catch the Stinger surface lift for a ride to the top of the tubing hill. This place has groomed lanes so many tubers can run at one time. Reservations recommended. 866-841-2481 or www.coppercolorado.com.

You have two options at Keystone. The old-fashioned family tubing hill is located at the Keystone Nordic Center. For more extreme tubing, catch the lift to Adventure Point at the summit of Dercum Mountain. With a good pitch and long run-out, you're sure to get an adrenaline rush. Reservations recommended. 970-496-4386 or www.keystone.snow.com.

As the light begins to fade in Crested Butte, the ski hill transforms into a tubing hill. If sledding is your sport, the Nordic Center and Ice Rink complex also offer that. And you might just see a few parents using sleds to haul their kids around town so the little ones don't have to trudge through snowdrifts. Just watch out for traffic. 800-544-8448 or www.skicb.com.

Situated between Vail and Beaver Creek, Meadow Mountain in Minturn gets its share of snow. The groomed runs here are unique for their four banked turns — strap a group together for a spinning doughnut effect. There is a lift for tubers, and to warm up, you can buy a bowl of soup, a hot dog, coffee or hot chocolate on site. 970-476-9090 or www.meadowmountaintubing.com.

Snow tubing joins snow-biking, snow-shoeing, ice skating, a trampoline and snowmobile rides for kids at Vail's Adventure Ridge. Kids 5 and younger must ride with an adult. A lift serves the multiple-lane tubing hill. 970-476-9090 or www.vail.com.

Both guests and non-guests can take in some family-style tubing at the YMCA of the Rockies' Snow Mountain Ranch near Granby. It's got a lift and it's an easy run. 303-443-4743 or www.ymcarockies.org.

Beasts, bikes and extreme oatmeal

Activities

There's always something new at the Denver Zoo, and we're not lion. Have you seen the new cubs? Also check out the baby giraffe, Asiatic bear cubs, hyena cub and other new arrivals. Don't hesitate to go this time of year. On a fine winter day, you'll find many animals are more active than in summer. 303-376-4800.

Hop on your bike and hit the slopes at the 5th annual Purgatory International Ski-Bike Festival at Durango Mountain Resort. The event, Feb. 21-25, is as fun to watch as it is to do. But in order to participate, you have to show a ski-bike certificate or sign up for a free lesson in riding one. 800-982-5103.

It's not the Iditarod, exactly, but you can mush your own huskies at Alpine Snowmobile & Dogsledding in Leadville. One team can pull up to six riders, so bring some friends along and get your thrills off the hills. 719-486-9899.

We know where the wild goose goes. To Lamar, for the fifth annual High Plains Snow Goose & Birding Festival, Feb. 23-25. The festival includes a Nature Arts and Crafts Fair featuring local artists. The geese won't be shopping, but they will be flying through on their way back to the Arctic, where they nest. 719-336-4379 or 719-336-6608.

Need a little fiber in your diet? Check out the Lafayette Oatmeal Festival on Jan. 13. It includes a 5K race (a qualifier for the Bolder Boulder later this year), a health fair and, of course, an oatmeal breakfast. And we're not talking the plain stuff. You can check out 145 toppings, ranging from fruits and nuts to … Gummi Bears?! Well, it takes all kinds. 303-926-4352.

Dining

When someone says Fat Tire, do you think of bikes or brews? If it's the latter, go tour the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. Besides making some fine beers, the brewery has won national recognition for its "green" operation. Visitors can see that a company dedicated to conservation and recycling can still make a profit. Then you get to sample some of their wares. 888-622-4044.

After a long day of playing in the snow in Telluride, you might feel the need for … an ice cream cone? Sweet Life has 250 original flavors to try (not all at once, of course), and if you need help deciding which one to choose, just ask resident taster Dwayne. OK, he's a pug dog, but he knows his ice cream. This '50s-style diner also serves a great burger, the locals say. 970-728-8789.

Shopping

The Shops at Broadmoor in Colorado Springs have also enjoyed a recent major expansion, including some lines and stores not found anywhere else in the state. Most of the new shops surround a courtyard and include a bookstore, luggage and travel accessories store, bridal shop, cosmetic shop and women's stores that carry such lines as Michael Kors, Prada, Escada and Dolce & Gabbana. 719-634-7711.

You can shop before or after you have a scrumptious lunch at Back in Thyme, an antiques store and restaurant in Alamosa. Try the delectable homemade breads and brownies. 719-587-3388.

Another place to shop and dine simultaneously is at Country Bounty, arguably Salida's most popular restaurant. Browse Southwestern jewelry and other nice gifts while you're waiting for your extra-yummy burger or sandwich. They offer Mexican dishes, too, and be sure to try the homemade pies. 719-539-3546.

Accommodations

The upscale Park Hyatt Beaver Creek is undergoing a $20 million renovation, and $12 million of that is going to expand its famous Allegria Spa. Adding a second story to the spa doubles its size to 30,000 square feet and includes new water features, such as the Water Temple, where guests can soak in a heated mineral pool. 970-748-7500.

Tucked into the willows on the banks of a mountain stream, the Barn on the River is a quiet hideaway just off Breckenridge's historic main street. But you can easily walk to the free ski shuttle, great little shops and local restaurants. Antiques and fireplaces make it a cozy nest for recovering from a long day on the slopes. 800-795-2975.

Linda DuVal is a freelance writer and former travel editor for The Gazette in Colorado Springs.