Fireworks are a quintessential New Year’s Eve event, whether your plans include a raucous party or a chill gathering of friends. Only a couple of cities on the Front Range will be hosting fireworks this year, so they are bound to be prime attractions.

Or you could head to the mountains where many towns will be shooting fireworks off early to accommodate kids (and the cold). Most include a torchlight parade, in which skiers carry flares for a spectacular visual effect as they come down the mountain.

Join us as we count down the 10 best places to see New Year’s Eve fireworks in Colorado.

Downtown Denver

The 16th Street Mall (1001 16th St., Denver) will be the epicenter of the Mile High City’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, with a free, outdoor block party featuring multiple fireworks shows. At 9 p.m. and midnight, fireworks will illuminate the skyline and DJs along the promenade will play a soundtrack to the 8-minute show. Live music will continue between displays, too, for NYE revelers in the area.

Find more information at denver.org/event/new-years-eve-fireworks/108069/.

Parker

Douglas County celebrates New Year’s Eve with a fireworks-inspired drone show at EchoPark Stadium (11901 Newlin Gulch Blvd., Parker) starting at 7 p.m. Attendees will be able to watch from the parking lot and because no food or drinks will be for sale, they can also bring their own.

Find more information at douglas.co.us/event/new-years-eve-drone-show/.

Keystone

The best spots for viewing Keystone Resort’s NYE fireworks display, which starts at 7 p.m., will be at the base of River Run Gondola and River Run Village (100 Dercum Square, Keystone). That is, unless you choose to go night skiing, in which case you can take in the spectacle from the slopes.

Find more information at keystoneresort.com/explore-the-resort/activities-and-events/events-calendar.aspx.

Copper Mountain

Skiers celebrating the end of the year with laps at Copper Mountain can join a party in the Center Village (206 Ten Mile Circle, Frisco) that kicks off with a torchlight parade at 6 p.m. and ends with fireworks at 10 p.m. A DJ will spin tunes as vendors sell food and drinks at this free, family-friendly event.

Find more information at coppercolorado.com/things-to-do/events/december-events/new-years-eve-2023.

Vail

The Vail Ski and Snowboard School kicks off the NYE fun with a torchlight parade down Golden Peak (75 S. Frontage Road, West Vail), followed by fireworks that will be visible throughout the mountain town. The parade starts at 6:15 p.m. and fireworks start at 6:25 p.m.

Find more information at discovervail.com/event/new-years-eve-torchlight-parade-fireworks/.

Beaver Creek

The Winter Circus comes to Beaver Creek Village (26 Avondale Lane, Avon) to add a little wonder to this New Year’s Eve. The party starts with a 6 p.m. “ski down” the mountain, during which 200 skiers equipped with glowsticks will traverse the slopes down to the base where aerialists, contortionists, jugglers, break dancers, and fire dancers will be performing. Enjoy food and drinks until fireworks go off over Beaver Creek Mountain at 10 p.m.

Find more information beavercreek.com/explore-the-resort/activities/beaver-creek-events.aspx.

Aspen

Fireworks will illuminate the sky over Aspen Mountain at 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Before the show, stop by the outdoor pedestrian mall in downtown (at the intersection of Mill Street and Cooper Avenue, Aspen) to enjoy music, firepits, hot chocolate and entertainment such as winter fairies and stilt walkers (noon to 3 p.m.). Or head to the Aspen Ice Garden and go ice skating for free from 3 to 6 p.m. (233 W. Hyman Ave., Aspen).

More information at aspenspecialevents.com/new-years-eve/.

Snowmass

So you’ve watched a torchlight parade, but have you ever participated in one? Snowmass invites intermediate skiers ages 8 and up to join its New Year’s Eve torchlight parade – no lift ticket required. The parade starts at 6 p.m. and cascades down Fanny Hill before a fireworks show at 10 p.m. To watch the festivities, head to the Snowmass Base Village (84 Carriage Way, Snowmass Village).

Find more information at gosnowmass.com/event/nye-torchlight-parade/.

Telluride

Dual torchlight parades will descend from the peak of Telluride Ski Resort down the mountains to the town center and to Mountain Village starting at 6:30 p.m. Fireworks follow the parades and visibility will be best from the Mountain Village core (670 Mountain Village Blvd., Mountain Village), which is also a public consumption area. That means you can grab a beer to-go from one of the bars to enjoy during the show.

Find more information at telluride.com/event/new-years-eve-torchlight-parade-fireworks/.

Steamboat Springs

Snowcats decorated with lights will help Steamboat Springs ring in 2024. The snowcat parade precedes a torchlight parade and fireworks to cap off the evening. The free event runs 5:30 to 6 p.m. at the base of the ski resort (2305 Mt. Werner Circle, Steamboat Springs).

Find more information at steamboat.com/things-to-do/events/new-years-eve-fireworks-and-light-up-snow-cat-parade.

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On Monday, the Denver City Council approved a contract that will allow an airport concessionaire to open a Fat Sully’s Pizza restaurant inside Concourse A.

Known for its ginormous New York-style pies, Fat Sully’s is owned by the Atomic Provisions group, which also owns Denver Biscuit Co. and Atomic Cowboy. Airport concessionaire FM Juice Company will operate the pizza shop under the Fat Sully’s name. (All of DIA’s branded concessions, from Tattered Cover to Great Divide Brewing, do business this way.)

The restaurant group declined a request for comment.

The city council also approved a second Chick-fil-A and a second Shake Shack in Concourse A. Both Chick-fil-A and Shake Shack opened their first DIA locations in Concourse B.

Atomic Provisions, owned by former CU Buffs football player Drew Shader, boasts seven Colorado locations with all three restaurant brands, including the newest, which opened this fall, in Golden, and two locations in Kansas City.

Other local businesses with their names at the airport include: Snooze, Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli, New Belgium Brewing, Smashburger, Elway’s, Etai’s, Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs, Boulder Beer Tap House, and Mercantile Dining & Provisions.

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And The Denver Post’s readers love to dig into those stories. This year, as always, skiing was one of the top topics of discussion, especially Epic Pass sales and a resort ranking. But hiking and camping were also big, especially when it came to Rocky Mountain National Park.

We also had an unusual sighting, literally, in our top 10. But we’ll let you see that for yourself. Here are our 10 most-read outdoor recreation stories of the year, with the number-one story at the end.

Bad drivers in the backcountry are a big problem

The sheriff in San Miguel County called a group of people who slid off Black Bear Pass in their truck “ass clowns,” which is funny. But the problem is real: More and more people, who lack skills or experience or proper maps, are driving on backcountry roads they can’t handle in Colorado — or simply ignoring closures — resulting in more rescues.

First-of-its-kind hiking permit proposed for Blue Lakes

The gorgeous Blue Lakes in the San Juan Mountains near Telluride have become so crowded in recent years that the U.S. Forest Service wants to require permits just to hike there during the day — as well as to camp. The goal of the plan, which would be the first in Colorado of its kind on forest service land, is to reduce the environmental impact of recreation.

Colorado’s oldest chairlift will be retired at age 70

Sunlight Mountain Resort’s Sunlight chairlift began its long life at Aspen in 1954 before being relocated in 1973. Since then, it has faithfully served skiers at Sunlight. The relic of ski history engineering is still safe, but is scheduled to be put out to pasture this spring.

High-alpine lake is one of Colorado’s most spectacular hikes

Nearly 2,500 feet below the summit of Long’s Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park is a beautiful alpine tarn called Chasm Lake. The 4.2 hike to get there is strenuous, but the steep rock walls soaring into the air above the water make it one of the most beautiful payoffs in Colorado.

Another hassle awaits Rocky Mountain National Park visitors

Rocky Mountain National Park has been feeling the heat. Not only will its busiest campground, Moraine Park, be closed into this summer (see below), but visitation continues to soar, resulting in what will likely be a permanent ticketing system. To make things worse, one of its two Estes Park-area entrances, Fall River, was under construction all summer and fall.

Epic Pass prices increase, early bird on sale for 2023-24 season

Vail Resorts announced its early bird prices in March for this season’s Epic Passes — and Denver Post readers wanted to know all about it. Of course they did. The pass, which includes Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge and Crested Butte, is one of the hottest items in Colorado. so the costs, the on-sale dates and every other detail is big news.

Colorado ski resort named the best in North America by website

Magazines, newspapers and websites love to rank things, including ski resorts, and since Colorado has some of the best in the world, they often end up on lists. In March, readers of OnTheSnow, a website, voted Steamboat as North America’s best overall resort.

Campground closure at RMNP could have ripple effect across Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park’s largest campground, the immensely popular Moraine Park, shut down last summer so it could undergo a major modernization project, meaning 244 fewer sites in the area. That figured to put more pressure on nearby campgrounds in the adjacent and already overloaded national forests. The campground will hopefully reopen in June 2024.

Coloradans may see Northern Lights more often in coming months

Seeing the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, is on a lot of people’s bucket lists. So, how cool would it be to be able to see them from Colorado rather than having to travel to the Arctic? Space weather predictors say there is more of a possibility of that happening in 2024 with increasing solar storm activity — something that happens in an 11-year cycle.

Bigfoot may have been caught on camera from Durango train

In October, a Wyoming couple was looking for elk while riding the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in southwest Colorado when they spotted, well, something that looked like Bigfoot. The story made national news after a video taken by another passenger went viral online. Was it really the famed but elusive cryptid? We’ll let you judge for yourself. See our story, with video, here.

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Sure, we could all just hunker down and hibernate through the snow and ice. Instead, we gather with friends around bonfires. We ski. We marvel at ice sculptures. We play games. We watch live music. We climb icy waterfalls.

In Colorado, we welcome winter like an old friend. And perhaps nowhere is that sentiment more true than at the many diverse festivals dotting the state from December to April. So, as you make your plans for winter fun, add one or two or more (!) of these beloved annual gatherings to your list.

Ullr Fest

Dec. 7-9, Breckenridge, gobreck.com/event/ullr-fest

Some mythical gods can be kinda scary, but not Ullr. Ullr, the Norse god of snow, benevolently dumps powder on Breckenridge’s mountains, thus ensuring that skiers and snowboarders have plenty of fluffy stuff to play in all winter. That’s why this Summit County ski town organizes an entire festival around Ullr, to pay homage and give thanks for the (hopefully) snowy months ahead. Enjoy a parade down Main Street, the crowning of the Ullr king and queen, a bonfire, live entertainment and more.

Winterfest

Dec. 8-10, Boulder, chautauqua.com/winterfest-2023

Nestled at the base of the Flatirons, the Colorado Chautauqua is gorgeous at any time of year. But in winter, when its historic buildings and wide lawn are dusted with snow, it’s downright stunning. Winterfest offers a chance to spend time together as a family, with events like dreamy horse-drawn carriage rides, a trip to Santa’s cottage, guided hikes, a tree lighting, crafts and more.

Wintersköl

Jan. 11-14, Aspen, aspenchamber.org/events/winterskol

Wintersköl is Aspen’s annual toast to winter, a chance to welcome the snowy season with open arms. This multi-day festival has been going strong since 1951 and includes lots of celebratory activities, such as a torchlight ski parade down Aspen Mountain, fireworks, snow sculptures, performances, film screenings and other community gatherings. So, head to Aspen, raise a glass and say “Sköl!” to winter.

Aspen Gay Ski Week

Jan. 15-22, Aspen, gayskiweek.com

If you want to participate in the longest-running annual gay ski week in the nation, get yourself to Aspen for this festival. It’s been running for 47 years and brings together LGBTQ+ skiers and snowboarders from around the world. The mood is joyful, with events including drag queen bingo brunches, dance parties and a costume contest. And, of course, there’s plenty of skiing and snowboarding for every level of rider, newbie to expert. The annual gathering raises money for AspenOUT, a nonprofit that supports the Roaring Fork Valley’s LGBTQ+ community.

Ouray Ice Festival

Jan 18-21, Ouray, ourayicepark.com/ouray-ice-festival

You don’t have to be a hardcore adventurer to enjoy the Ouray Ice Festival. Much of the fun comes from watching other people use ice axes and crampons to scale towering walls of ice. Beyond the competition, the multi-day festival in the “Switzerland of America” is a chance to celebrate this once-niche sport that’s rapidly growing in popularity. You can join a climbing clinic, check out the latest and greatest ice climbing gear, attend movie screenings and presentations, and hang out with fellow cold-weather aficionados.

X Games Aspen

Jan 26-28, Aspen, aspensnowmass.com/visit/events/x-games-aspen

Gravity? What gravity? The world-class athletes who compete in X Games Aspen at Buttermilk Ski Resort seem to defy the laws of physics. Top skiers and snowboarders compete in heart-pounding events like SuperPipe, Big Air, Knuckle Huck and slopestyle. Live music and engaging DJs help round out the fun. there’s no cost to enjoy the action on the mountain, and there are activities for kids, too.

International Snow Sculpture Championships

Carving week is Jan. 22-26, viewing week is Jan. 26-31, Breckenridge, gobreck.com/event/international-snow-sculpture-championships

Sculptors work with lots of different materials including clay, wood and stone. A brave few choose to specialize in a slightly chillier medium: snow. During the first part of this festival, you can watch teams of artists use hand tools to transform 25-ton blocks of snow (12 feet tall!) into truly impressive works of art. After up to 94 hours of carving, they must walk away from their masterpieces. At this point in the festivities, downtown Breck turns into an outdoor sculpture garden that’s lovely to wander through, day and night.

Rio Frio Ice Fest

Jan 26-28, Alamosa, rioraces.com/rio-frio-home

A little snow and ice never stopped anyone from having a good time, right? That’s certainly the mentality of the folks behind the Rio Frio Ice Fest in Alamosa. This festival is centered around a 5K that takes place on the frozen Rio Grande River. (Yes, people run on the river!) Make a weekend out of a trip to the San Luis Valley by enjoying other fun festivities like ice carving demonstrations, a disc golf tournament, a bonfire party and more.

UllrGrass Music & Beer Festival

Jan. 26-28, Golden, ullrgrass.com

You won’t mind the cold so much when you’re jamming out to live music and sipping craft beer with friends at this Golden festival. In addition to concerts in Parfet Park, there’s a costume contest, a troubadour contest (for the best singer-songwriter) and other fun activities. Be sure to dress in your Viking finest, as this gathering also pays homage to Ullr, the Norse god of snow.

Snowdown

Jan. 26-Feb. 4, Durango, snowdown.org

The theme of this year’s festival — which has been running since 1979 — is “Peace, Love and Snowdown,” so get yourself to Durango to soak up the good vibes. You can partake in dozens of festivities over the course of this 10-day community extravaganza, including a light parade down Main Avenue, a chili cookoff and bloody mary contest, a golf tournament and much more.

High Plains Snow Goose Festival

Feb 2-4, southeastern Colorado, highplainssnowgoose.com

No matter what’s going on in the world, you can count on nature to keep doing its thing. Like clockwork every winter, thousands of dazzling white snow geese descend upon southeastern Colorado during their migration. At this community festival you can see the birds — which are truly a sight to behold in such large numbers — and also listen to lectures, go on sunrise tours, shop the goods of local artisans and more.

Manitou Springs Carnivale Weekend

Feb. 3 and 10, Manitou Springs, manitousprings.org/carnivale-weekend

You don’t have to fly to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. Instead, head to Manitou Springs, which celebrates Carnivale over two weekends in February. First, on Feb. 3, there’s CarniBall, a masquerade ball with live music, Cajun-inspired food and the crowning of the Carnivale king and queen. Then, on Feb. 10, there’s the Mumbo Gumbo Jumbo Cook-Off and the Carnivale Parade.

Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival

Feb. 8-11, Steamboat Springs, sswsc.org/events/winter-carnival

This long-running festival is basically embedded in Steamboat’s DNA. It’s been going for more than a century– 111 years, to be exact. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, which hosts the carnival, goes all out to celebrate the Yampa Valley’s Western roots and its love of winter sports. Horses will pull skiers along Main Street, a man wearing a pyrotechnic suit will ski down Howelsen Hill and, most importantly, everyone will have a jolly time. Past events include ski jumping, ski ballet, snow biking, s’mores and live music.

Cripple Creek Ice Festival

Feb. 17-25, Cripple Creek, visitcripplecreek.com

You’ll feel inspired after attending the Cripple Creek Ice Festival, where some of the nation’s top ice-carving teams will show off their creative talents by making highly detailed sculptures out of nothing but ice. When they’re all done, you can cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award. The teams will be working on their masterpieces throughout the festival, but you can also watch them go head to head during several high-energy carving challenges.

Aspen Laugh Festival

Feb. 21-24, Aspen, wheeleroperahouse.com

When was the last time you laughed so hard your cheeks and abs hurt? If it’s been a while, get yourself to Aspen’s historic Wheeler Opera House for days of jokes, gags, funny stories and more. Fun fact: When the opera house opened in April 1889, its first show was a comedy.

Leadville Ski Joring & Crystal Carnival Weekend

March 1-3, Leadville, leadvilletwinlakes.com/things-to-do-detail/leadville-ski-joring-crystal-carnival-weekend

When you learn just how high Leadville sits above sea level — 10,158 feet — you’ll be even more impressed at the skiers who glide behind horses down Harrison Avenue. While a skilled horse rider navigates the course, a skier riding behind careens over jumps and tries to nab as many dangling hoops as possible. This is just one of the many adrenaline-pumping events that take place during this action-packed festival, which also includes a paintball biathlon, Nordic ski races, an after-dark fat tire bike ride and more.

WinterWonderGrass

March 1-3, Steamboat Springs, winterwondergrass.com/steamboat

Think music festivals are only for summer? Think again. Head to Steamboat Springs for a few days jam-packed with bluegrass, folk, rock, country, roots and more. Headliners include the Dead South, the Infamous Stringdusters, Paul Cauthen and Sierra Ferrell. They’ll be joined by dozens of other musical artists.

Frozen Dead Guy Days

March 15-17, Estes Park, frozendeadguydays.org

In case you missed it, Frozen Dead Guy Days moved from its longtime home in Nederland to Estes Park last year. Organizers are still finalizing the schedule, but festivities are set to include coffin races, a polar plunge, a dance, Sunday brunch and tons of live music. This quirky festival pays homage to a man named Grandpa Bredo, whose frozen corpse has been on dry ice since 1989.

Taste of Vail

April 3-6, Vail, tasteofvail.com

Spring skiing is one of life’s greatest pleasures. The sun is shining, the days are long and the après-ski scene is livelier than ever. Combine that with one of the best food festivals around and you’ve got yourself a winner of a getaway. You can ski to your heart’s content between events at Taste of Vail, which has been running for more than three decades. Sip rosés, munch on perfectly crafted bites, and hob-knob with fellow foodies.

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Outside the Colorado Convention Center on Thursday night, and unable to get into the structure, protestors threw projectiles at police and the building, breaking a window and covering the legs of its iconic “big blue bear” sculpture (officially called “I See What You Mean,” by late Colorado artist Lawrence Argent) with spray paint, crayons, lipstick and other graffiti-media.

“We don’t have a CSI crime lab in the back, but if there’s a substance on it that we can’t get off with the chemicals on hand, we call the city or the artist’s (estate) to come clean it up,” said Rich Carollo, director of sales and services at Colorado Convention Center. “Fortunately we did, and we had it cleaned up by 7 a.m. the next morning.”

Protestors left handprints in paint on the sculpture’s legs, although its 40-foot height and sturdy footing kept it from getting much worse than that, according to pictures and video of the protests. Installed in 2005, the sculpture is an icon of Denver that’s used in official city marketing materials.

There were 15 arrests tied to the protests and vandalism outside the convention center, Denver Police have said. Those arrested were later released.

Cleaning the grand sculpture is a straightforward but not always easy task, Carollo said. When the sidewalk outside the convention center’s front entrance, along 14th Street, between Stout and Welton streets, was tagged with protestor’s messages earlier in the week, officials thought they could use an on-hand power washer to remove them. Instead they needed to call in “something a little more heavy duty” — in this case bigger and more powerful industrial washer.

This isn’t the first time the bear has been vandalized. Ten years ago, someone splashed green pain all over the bear’s back — something that cost $11,000 to remove.

Meanwhile, convention center workers are working to fix a broken window along Stout Street (“although nobody really sees that,” Carollo said) and remove scratches on the exterior made by various instruments protestors used last week.

Officials have not yet estimated the cost of the cleanup, Carollo said, but there’s built-in room in the annual budget for them. Owned by the city, and managed by Denver Arts & Venues, the convention center has never seen such intense vandalism, Corolla said — not even during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, when international activists visited Denver to march through downtown and protest at specific sites.

“Our windows have built-in protections,” Carollo said of the anti-shatter lining and thickness, “and that makes it a little easier for us (to fix). But you can’t just go to Home Depot and buy one, so it’s going to be $3,000 to $4,000 to replace that one window.”

Carollo said he hesitates to call the protests violent, but did observe them from the other side of the glass after being ushered into the building under tight security. He said he saw cans, water bottles, a wooden flag pole, and even a wooden spoon being banged on the outside of the structure. The next night, Denver police extended the fencing around the front of the building to push protestors further away from the exterior.

“It was a frustrating night for us because we didn’t expect so many people slamming against the windows,” he said. “The (sculpture) is a very unique thing and it’s a bummer when people want to deface it for whatever reason.”

Denver also saw a handful of its public art monuments, mostly in Civic Center park and at the State Capitol, defaced or toppled during George Floyd protests in June 2020. Some of those are still being replaced or kept in storage for fear of more vandalism, Arts & Venues officials have told The Denver Post.

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“Campground fees have remained unchanged since before 2016, while boat launch fees have not changed since at least 2003,” according to a statement from the National Park Service. Fee  money is used to pay for new projects and ongoing maintenance of park facilities; recent projects included trail rehabilitation, marina improvements and an amphitheater upgrade.

“The new pricing structure will bring the parks into closer alignment with nearby and comparable campground and boating services. The increased fees will provide additional revenue to fund operations and deferred maintenance projects,” the agency added.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, it will cost $20 per night to stay at the North Rim Campground and in loops A and C in the South Rim Campground at Black Canyon. That is a 25% increase over the previous $16 fee. Loop B, which includes electrical hookups will go from $22 to $34.

Camping in the Stevens Creek, Ponderosa, Dry Gulch, Red Creek and East Portal campgrounds at Curecanti will rise from $16 per night to $20, while camping at Elk Creek, Lake Fork and Cimarron will go from $16 to $24. Electrical sites at Elk Creek will rise from $22 to $34.

As for boating, the permitting system has been streamlined. Seasonal permits are up by $10 to a total of $40, while 7-day passes are $20. (There are no longer 2-day or 14-day permits.)

In 2022, visitors spent $70.2 million in the areas around Black Canyon and Curecanti, the park service said. “These expenditures supported a total of 799 jobs and $85.9 million in economic output in local gateway economies surrounding” the two natural areas.

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But for 2024, the company’s travel experts have recommended one place in Colorado that should be on every vacationer’s bucket list.

Boulder is one of 24 places to land on Fodor’s “Go List” for 2024 and one of just two destinations in the United States. The other is Cannon Beach, Ore.

Fodor’s praised Boulder’s accessibility to recreation and nature, enticing outdoor enthusiasts with 30,000 acres of city-owned open space for hiking, mountain biking, climbing, and tubing. The story also noted the allure of Pearl Street’s al fresco dining options, the majesty of the Flatirons and the innumerable craft breweries worth their pint.

All that and a nod to Coach Prime, who led the University of Colorado football team on a nationally spotlighted journey this season. (We’ll give Fodor’s a pass for perpetuating the myth about Colorado’s 300-plus days of sunshine since we agree there’s nary a bad time of year to visit.)

“Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast or simply looking to flock to a beautiful city nestled amidst nature, Boulder needs to be on your list,” the publication said.

Other places Fodor’s thinks travelers should visit in 2024 include Nelson, British Columbia; Botswana; Cape Verde; Franschhoek, South Africa; Ifrane, Morocco; Coron, Philippines; Sri Lanka; George Town, Malaysia; Kakaban Island, Indonesia; Stanley, Tasmania; Queenstown, New Zealand; Albania; Bergen, Norway; Rouen, France; Sighișoara, Romania; Copan Ruinas, Honduras; Negril, Jamaica; Puerto Escondido, Mexico; Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica; Cartagena, Colombia; Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay; and São Paulo, Brazil.

On the other side of things, Fodor’s suggested in its 2024 No List that people stay away from nine over-touristed areas of the world, including two in the United States: San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in California and Lake Superior in the Midwest.

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The internet has changed that, of course. Now, snow stakes often serve as marketing tools, even celebrities, for some resorts. Most have webcams focused on them around the clock so powder hounds can see for themselves how much snow has fallen. Several have time-lapse capability.

At the other extreme is Arapahoe Basin’s ultra-humble snow stake, which actually has no stake at all, and is decidedly old school in keeping with the vibe of a 77-year-old ski area nicknamed The Legend. It doesn’t have a measuring device, just a wooden A-Basin logo attached to a platform. It’s so anti-fancy, in fact, that it didn’t look, to The Denver Post, like it had been set up yet for the season — even though A-Basin was the first area in the state to open this year, as usual.

“Actually, that’s just it,” said Arapahoe Basin spokeswoman Shayna Silverman. “Our snow stake is more abstract and does not have numbers. You’ll see everything we report online, though.”

Two Colorado ski areas have redone their snow stakes this year to add some real personality.

Winter Park’s new snow stake is a work of art depicting four well-known mountains to the north, east, south and west of the resort — Longs Peak, Parry Peak, Byers Peak and Mount Blue Sky (formerly known as Mount Evans), along with rivers draining their snowmelt. It is a companion piece with a similar work of art that has been erected at the summit of the mountain. Both were created in partnership with Native and Indigenous artists to honor those peoples who summered for centuries where skiers play in the snow now.

“It’s a level of appreciation for those who came before us,” said Winter Park spokeswoman Jen Miller. “There’s something to feeling a sense of awe and wonder and connection when you’re standing at the top of a snowy mountain. There were Native and Indigenous people long before us that honored and respected the land and are better at articulating that sense of awe and appreciation. It’s really just honoring our true history and heritage beyond the ski resort.”

At Sunlight Mountain Resort on the western slope, the new snow stake has been designed to honor a unique aspect of Sunlight’s history. At the end of this season, Sunlight plans to retire the 70-year-old Segundo lift, the oldest operating lift in Colorado. Segundo began operation on Aspen Mountain in 1954 and was relocated to Sunlight in 1973. It has distinctive lattice-work steel towers, common in the middle of the last century, that remind some of childhood erector-set projects. The five-foot base of the new snow stake is designed to emulate those lift towers and was built at Conklin Welding and Fabrication in Glenwood Springs.

“We looked at snow stakes online and just felt like most were fairly generic,” said Sunlight spokesman Matt Ericksen. “Besides that, we really wanted to include some members of the community that have a ton of artistic talent. We’re a community, local-based mountain. We wanted to include some of those community members that have the ability to create a really special and neat snow stake for us. We’re also trying to pay homage to the Segundo lift.”

Barring unforeseen complications, the ancient two-person Segundo lift will be replaced next summer by what used to be Arapahoe Basin’s old Lenawee triple chair. For the past year, its parts have been stored in the maintenance area at Sunlight.

Here’s a peek at some of the more notable snow stakes around Colorado:

Aspen, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk: Snow stakes at all four Aspen Snowmass areas have wooden backgrounds with the Aspen Ski Company’s aspen-leaf logo and the name of the area in black letters, along with a large Hublot clock, a 24-hour measurement on one side and storm-total measurement on the other. They all have a time-lapse function, so you can see when the most recent snowstorm came through, but you have to click on the arrow to the left of the live images to access the time-lapse.

Beaver Creek: The Beav’s Snow Cam gets high marks for two features: It has a time-lapse function, and it has renderings of two six-inch chocolate cookies flanking the 24-inch measuring stick. If you don’t understand why those cookies are there, you’ve never had Beaver Creek’s famous free, freshly baked cookies at the end of the day. The snow stake used to have a clock and thermometer and they will be reinstalled soon.

Breckenridge: A simple 24-inch ruler marked off in two-inch increments, but like Beaver Creek, it has a 24-hour time-lapse function.

Cooper: Simply a three-foot pole marked off in two-inch increments, topped with the Cooper logo.

Copper Mountain: Copper’s sassy snow stake uses a little attitude to dress up its 18-inch measuring board. It has Copper’s logo displayed next to inches 15 through 18. It says “MEGA” next to  inches 12-13, “DEEP” next to inches 9-10, “DUMPING” next to the 6-inch mark, “POW DAY” next to the 4-inch mark and “FRESHIES” at 2 inches.

Eldora: This one is actually quite attractive, but it’s also difficult to describe, so we’ll let Eldora spokesman Sam Bass handle it. “It’s a laser-cut metal disc, with our tree logo cut out of the middle, and an amber-colored translucent acrylic disc mounted on the back with inches marked on the tree’s trunk.” Nailed it.

Keystone: Here we see a dial thermometer, a smaller circular clock within the thermometer face, an 18-inch measuring stick and a red Keystone logo.

Loveland: Another simple approach: a large plaque incorporating Loveland’s logo and a 20-inch measuring bar.

Powderhorn: A 16-inch ruler with limbs on both sides indicating snow depth in two-inch increments.

Purgatory: A two-foot measuring stick with a large Purgatory logo at the top.

Steamboat: There are two webcams. The Mid Mountain Snow Cam is located at Thunderhead and records Steamboat’s official snowfall. A Champagne Powder Cam is located at the summit of Sunshine Peak and isn’t regarded as the resort’s official snow measurement because of its higher elevation of 10,384 feet. The Mid Mountain Snow Cam is located at 9,080 feet.

Telluride: The “Powcam” is located in Prospect Basin. Like many snow cams in the state, it is set up to reflect 24-hour snow totals and the total snowfall from multi-day storms.

Vail: Another snow stake that measures 24-hour snowfall and storm totals with a time-lapse function. It has a clock and a thermometer. Measurement marks in one-inch increments are set against a photo of a blue sky over the back bowls.

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Growing up in the suburbs of New Orleans, La., I had a leg up on my fellow Southerners, at least. Both of my parents skied in Washington State where I was born, with my dad proposing to my mom by surprising her with an engagement ring in her ski goggles on Christmas 1994.

I took snowboarding lessons as a teenager on family trips to Alpental ski resort near Seattle and Park City, Utah. That was sufficient enough to proclaim my love of the sport because, even as my gear gathered dust in the attic, many of my peers hadn’t even stepped foot in fresh snow before.

Then, at the age of 26, I found a sublet in the Mile High City after accepting a reporting job at The Denver Post, with ski season already on the brain. Before I said goodbye to Washington, D.C., friends on the East Coast raved about the ski resorts dotted throughout the Centennial State, and my mom shipped decade-old equipment up to my new home.

But as I befriended Denverites who had largely relocated from the Midwest, a horrifying realization dawned on me: Compared to them, I didn’t know the first thing about snowboarding. For instance, my Minnesotan boyfriend started skiing in his middle school’s ski club, and can land tricks like aerial 360s. My friends would weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the Ikon and Epic Passes – both costing extraordinary amounts in the eyes of an amateur snowboarder.

With the help of peer pressure, I committed to my first ski pass last winter, an Ikon, vowing to make the $1,000 price tag worth every penny. In my inaugural season, I woke up at 5 a.m. to beat the inevitable Interstate 70 traffic, and spent a total of 14 days on the slopes, graduating from green runs to a double-black diamond.

And I only managed to give myself one minor concussion.

Last winter, I frequented five ski resorts, and can humbly offer my opinion on the best and worst destinations in Colorado for snowboarders who are still learning.

5. Winter Park Resort

In a controversial pick, Winter Park Resort takes the bottom spot on the list as my least favorite ski resort. My reasoning is simple: Winter Park isn’t built for snowboarders.

First opened in 1940 before the advent of snowboarding, skiers have enjoyed Winter Park for decades. But I had the opposite experience during my two visits because of the sheer amount of cat tracks, also known as catwalks. They’re flat trails “that traverse across the fall line (downward slope) of a mountain,” according to snowboarding brand Burton.

In order for a snowboarder to successfully conquer a cat track, she needs to build up speed in advance, which can be tough for a hesitant first-timer. If not, then she’s eventually left sliding to a stop.

And this isn’t solely an inconvenience suffered by snowboarders, but also by their skiing friends, who will inevitably have to extend their poles and execute minor rescues.

I recognize the cult following behind Winter Park, particularly because it’s only a 60-mile drive from Denver. But its proximity to the city means the resort is often crowded, making parking difficult.

Still, on New Year’s Eve, I’ll happily give it another chance as the resort is where I ring in 2024.

4. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area

Arapahoe Basin, or A-Basin, is held dearly beloved by Denverites because it’s another one of the closest options.

It’s also home to the only “beach” at a ski resort, the reserved front-row parking area where skiers and snowboarders can party all day with easy access to nearby lifts. A-Basin’s warm welcome to revelatory patrons – accompanied by designated drivers – and their leashed dogs is part of its mass appeal.

It boasts one of the state’s longest ski seasons, typically opening in October and closing in June, and offers more affordable season passes and day lift tickets than other giants in the ski industry.

I snowboarded A-Basin twice last season, including one solo day. Its Montezuma Bowl is a great spot to practice snowboarding in the trees, albeit a little steep at the top. Practicing on blue and black runs, I unlocked my fastest speed: 40 miles per hour.

But in my eyes, the ski area earns the No. 4 spot because its amenities are lackluster compared to competitors like Vail Resorts. And for a first-timer, the drive along the U.S. Highway 6 over Loveland Pass to reach the high-elevation ski area left me clammy and slightly terrified, especially as a snowstorm rolled in.

3. Vail Ski Resort

Vail Ski Resort, about 100 miles from Denver, sits in the middle of the pack. Its world-renowned reputation precedes it as an extravagant locale that Coloradans either hate to love or love to hate, but I give credit where it’s due: It’s an impressive resort, with well-groomed blue runs that I flew down (and, then, trekked back up because my lift ticket blew off of my ski jacket).

Although I got stuck a few times on flatter trails, the fresh powder on its back bowls made Vail an easy place to practice carving and making small jumps, with jaw-dropping mountain views. Since it’s the largest ski resort in the state, I only explored a portion of its 5,000 acres.

The lift tickets were a surprise gift from a friend, so, without them, I wouldn’t have gone since Vail isn’t included on the Ikon Pass, and a one-day ticket can jump as high as $300 at peak window price. Parking is also scant, with drivers sometimes leaving their cars across the interstate and walking great lengths to reach the slopes.

2. Steamboat Ski Resort

Steamboat Ski Resort takes silver in my rankings because, even though I visited during closing weekend, April 15-16, the widely-lauded quality of its snow still managed to impress.

Of course, slush and ice pooled at the bottom by the lifts, but, as I climbed higher and higher into the sky, the remaining snow made for excellent end-of-season snowboarding.

Steamboat is also where I attempted my first double-black diamond slope, bumbling through the trees before making it back onto the run. Although I mangled it, I carved through to the end, and that’s what matters, right?

The town of Steamboat, which offers easy access to the resort by bus or even on foot, serves as the picture of a classic ski destination nestled in the mountains, with popular hot springs like Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs ready to relax those aching muscles.

Although it’s a bucket-list snowboarding spot, it still falls short of No. 1 because of its distance from Denver at over 150 miles, which means three to four hours of driving one way.

1. Copper Mountain Resort

Easily navigable and luxurious, Copper Mountain Resort ranks as my top-tier Colorado ski resort. Just check my kitchen cabinet – at least three aluminum cups from various watering holes at Copper have been kept as souvenirs.

This is where it all began for me last December. In the season’s earliest days, I slid down the green runs, then transitioned to blue runs. I took advantage of the often-uncrowded slopes to make plenty of mistakes, falling hard when I tried to carve or even gracefully exit the ski lift (every snowboarder’s nightmare).

Still, I felt comfortable riding solo at Copper, and racked up seven days there, finally moving onto black diamond runs and moguls, or fields of bumpy terrain.

The main lifts – American Flyer and American Eagle – stay very busy at peak times, so arriving early is worth the sacrificed sleep.

Depending on the traffic, the 90-mile drive to Copper from Denver only takes an hour and a half on a good day, so it’s more accessible for city slickers. It counts as my go-to spot to bring friends and family members from out of town.

The free shuttle buses from the parking lots circulate reliably, with an easy system to ferry visitors to their preferred runs, with green, blue, black and purple express routes. And after hours of shredding, I can easily find a snack – and, more importantly, a strong cocktail – at one of several bars and restaurants eager for exhausted snowboarders to stay a while.

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Travelers flock to New Zealand to experience its lush mountainscapes, jaw-droppingly blue waters and world-renowned wines. Even if the Instagrammable landscapes are the impetus for a trip, those who visit receive complimentary schooling on the country’s native Māori culture, which shows up prominently in language and local traditions notwithstanding the history of colonialism there.

As far back as the late 1300s, Polynesian settlers inhabited the islands that comprise New Zealand and formed that distinct Māori culture. When British colonialists arrived in the 1800s, they signed an agreement with the Indigenous people known as the Treaty of Waitangi setting the stage for the Māori to maintain sovereignty over their lands and villages.

But the reality was not that simple. Because some English words did not directly translate into Māori, the Indigenous communities unknowingly signed away some of the very rights they believed they were codifying. That led to conflicts in the decades following the establishment of New Zealand as a British colony.

Today, New Zealand makes a concerted effort to acknowledge and celebrate its Indigenous roots. Māori language appears on road signs and in common greetings like kia ora (“hello”), as well as throughout local art and customs.

One Māori tradition I brought home with me from a recent two-week trip to New Zealand comes in the form of beautiful nephrite jade, also known as pounamu or greenstone. The stone is revered by the Indigenous people who have a deep spiritual connection to it as they consider it a stone from the Gods.

Importantly, New Zealand does not mine pounamu. Instead, people search for and find it in riverbeds and glacial valleys on the South Island, named Te Waipounamu in Māori, meaning “the Greenstone Isle.”

In 1997, the government deemed the South Island’s largest tribe, Ngāi Tahu, guardian of the mineral. The tribe ensures any local pounamu that is sold is harvested ethically from the island. The tribe also advocates for protecting the rivers where the jade comes from and the communities that surround it.

Māori communities have long used the stone, which is strong and durable, in tools and weapons. Given its rarity, pounamu is also worn as jewelry and gifted. The Māori believe that the stone embodies a person’s mauri – or a piece of their essence and being – when it’s worn, making it a sentimental heirloom.

Local artisans often carve the sturdy stones into six designs that symbolize additional sentiments that the gifter wants to bestow. I’m not a deeply spiritual person, but I was so touched by the story of pounamu and its connection to the people and the land of New Zealand that I did all my holiday shopping at a Mountain Jade store before returning home.

Surely someone you know deserves this for Christmas? pic.twitter.com/0Lx9dsUeUl

— Ngāi Tahu Pounamu (@NTPounamu) October 21, 2014

The six Māori symbols are as follows:

• Manaia: The design features a mythical creature in Māori culture that’s a spiritual guardian and protector.
• Toki: Shaped like an adze tool, it represents strength, courage and determination.
• Koru: The spiral shape harkens to the unfurling of New Zealand’s silver fern, symbolizing new beginnings, life and hope.
• Pikorua: This twisting shape represents an everlasting bond of friendship, love and loyalty.
• Hei Matau: The fish hook design nods to the importance of fish as sustenance in Māori culture and represents strength, good luck, and safe travels over water.
• Hei Tiki: Symbolizing the human form, the design is traditionally passed down from parents to their children as a form of protection and good luck.

Mountain Jade sources stone from New Zealand as well as other countries like Canada, Indonesia and Australia. Its network of artists carve it into the shapes above and others. The Ngāi Tahu tribe also sells authentic pounamu through an online shop.

If this sounds like the kind of storied gift you’d like to share with the loved ones in your life, nephrite jade jewelry is widely available online through Mountain Jade and other retailers on Amazon and Etsy. (Don’t forget to wrap in the free history lesson, too.)

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