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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No one was injured, and they hope it stays that way for the rest of the winter season.

CAIC has recorded more than two dozen avalanches in Vail and Summit County in the last week.

“Over the next couple of days, we’re going to see probably very few natural avalanches, but there’s still going to be a pretty good chance for human-triggered avalanches,” Ethan Greene, the director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, said.

One concern isn’t just backcountry skiers on avalanche terrain, but also hikers or snowshoers triggering avalanches from below.

Read the full story from our partner at denver7.com.

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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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But when Ullr Festival kicked off Thursday, Dec. 7, one woman who partook in this year’s successful bid to break the world record for the longest shot-ski was not just celebrating winter — she was also celebrating her 99th birthday.

Maxine Eldridge traveled from her home on Grand Island, New York, to Colorado to visit her daughter Deb Lesinski, a Breckenridge resident, and join in the Ullr Fest activities that happened to coincide with her 99th birthday.

“You have no idea how much we’ve all looked forward to this,” Lesinski said. “We all have our ridiculous viking hats. I just love it.”

Read more at summitdaily.com.

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The first contract was officially ratified on Dec. 14, 2021, and for the most part was a smooth process between the union and Vail Resorts representatives.

“COVID took a lot of stress fractures in all industries — but definitely in the snowsports industry and the ski and vacation industry,” Breckenridge ski patrol union president Ryan Dineen said. “Like everybody, we were incredibly understaffed. Working under the complications of COVID was tough. It kind of highlighted a lot of the disparities that we were dealing with of being the ground floor laborers that are generating the wealth that is being extracted from our communities.”

The first contract focused primarily on wage increases, employee housing, parking for patrollers closer to work and education and training requirements. The contract also ensured that ski patrollers are no longer at-will employees, meaning that ski patrollers cannot be fired without due process.

Read more at summitdaily.com.

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But with the millions of people exploring Colorado’s outdoors every year also comes a large number of accidents in the wilderness. The Colorado Search and Rescue Association estimates there are about 3,000 search and rescue incidents annually in the state and about 40,000 search and rescue volunteer hours logged.

This year’s incidents so far show even seasoned outdoorspoeple can be killed in accidents, and unprepared newcomers or people driving through the high country can also be faced with challenges or extreme conditions.

From thousands of search hours to national park closures and unique rescues, these are 10  incidents this year that required the most effort from search and rescue teams.

Two men stranded in Pike National Forest for 21 hours rescued by National Guard helicopter

Two men were stranded overnight in their car during a snowstorm in the Pike National Forest for 21 hours on May 11 before being rescued by a Colorado Army National Guard helicopter team.

A third man in the vehicle was rescued by a Douglas County deputy before snow conditions worsened and several trees toppled onto the roadway. Crews worked overnight to try and cut the fallen trees with chainsaws before the National Guard was called and flew in to rescue the men the next day.

Lost snowmobiler rescued from Vail Pass by helicopter

A lost snowmobiler on Vail Pass who later said he was not prepared for self-navigating was rescued May 14 after a search involving the Eagle and Summit counties sheriff’s offices, Colorado Search and Rescue, Colorado’s State Search and Rescue Coordinator Resource, Summit County Rescue Group and a Flight for Life helicopter.

Two other snowmobilers in the area were also given his last location and sent into the field from Vail Pass to search for him.

The helicopter and a rescue team eventually found and lifted him back to safety.

Dog saved from 14er during 8-hour Fourth of July weekend rescue

A seven-member volunteer team of rescuers from Alpine Rescue Team on July 2 spent eight hours rescuing a dog from the sheer east-facing side of Torreys Peak. The dog’s owners called for rescuers after she fell 600 feet over the side of the mountain, and 26 people responded to their call.

A rescuer descended about 30 feet to rescue the dog, and the team saved her using a bag as a makeshift harness.

CPW river ranger makes three round-trip Arkansas river crossings to save stranded rafters

A Colorado Parks and Wildlife river ranger traversed the Arkansas River in Brown’s Canyon three times overnight July 6 to save three rafters who had become stranded on the canyon’s sheer side.

Two Chaffee County Search and Rescue North team members and a team from Chaffee County SAR South assisted ranger Jeff Hammond in the daunting rescue that sent him bushwhacking through brush to the water’s edge in the darkness, kayaking across the river and back twice, then crossing the river a third time to rescue the rafters.

Aspen man’s body recovered after two-day search, rescue and recovery effort

A hiker reported missing from work July 30 was found dead in Conundrum Couloir during search and rescue efforts, and it took two days to recover his body due to weather conditions.

Mountain Rescue Aspen and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office began the search for the man, and when the team climbed up the couloir, they found the hiker’s body wedged into the skier’s lift against the rock face and mostly covered by snow.

Mountain Rescue Aspen wasn’t able to attempt recovery that day due to weather and had to return two days later on Aug. 2 for the hiker’s body.

Hiker found dead two months after going missing; his dog found alive with his body

Local, state and national search and rescue teams spent nearly 2,000 cumulative hours searching for a Pagosa Springs hiker and his dog who went missing in August before a hunter found the hiker’s body and the dog alive in late October.

Rich Moore, 71, was reported missing Aug. 19 in the area of Blackhead Peak approximately 18 miles east of Pagosa Springs. A hunter on Oct. 30 reported to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office he saw the hiker and a white dog in the lower Blanco River drainage basin.

On Oct. 31, a team flew in to recover Moore’s body and rescue Finney, the dog who stayed with her owner for more than ten weeks and who has regained her strength after losing half her body weight.

Driver gets vehicle stuck on hiking trail on 14er

A driver who apparently didn’t realize he was on a hiking trail, not a road, got his pickup truck stuck above 10,000 feet elevation on Mount Lincoln in Park County on Aug. 27, and it took several days for crews to recover the truck.

The nonprofit group Colorado 4×4 Rescue and Recovery said it spent 132 volunteer hours, and team members drove a total of 1,480 miles during its unsuccessful attempt to recover the GMC Canyon. Towing company Mountain Recovery eventually got the truck down the mountain.

 Man last heard from Sept. 27 in Rocky Mountain National Park still missing

Rocky Mountain National Park officials announced Oct. 12 that broad-scale search efforts for Chad Pallansch, a 46-year-old Fort Collins man, had been suspended. The search involved closing a large area that was reopened after federal, state and local search and rescue crews unsuccessfully combed the area.

Pallansch was reported missing in the park Sept. 28 after last being heard from the previous day when he was near the summit of Mount Alice, according to park officials. Park rangers found his car still parked at the North Inlet Trailhead near Grand Lake, where he started his planned 28-mile trek.

A GoFundMe started for Pallansch’s family states efforts to find him will likely not resume until late next summer.

Hiker with no food, water or cold-weather gear saved from Colorado 13er after 10-hour rescue

An ill-prepared hiker who attempted to bushwhack to the summit of a 13er in Chaffee County on Nov. 8 was located and brought down safely by Chaffee County Search and Rescue North after nearly 10 hours.

The person had been caught in inclement weather and was hypothermic when found by search and rescue.

The hiker contacted 911 about 7 p.m., and a rescue team found them about 2 a.m. After warming the individual up for three hours, the team began extracting them around 5 a.m. They were being evaluated in an ambulance by 7 a.m.

Chicago family rescued from Greenhorn Mountain in southern Colorado

A Pueblo County Search and Rescue team was flown by Flight for Life to the top of North Peak to rescue a family of five visiting from Chicago who were stuck on Greenhorn Mountain on Nov. 22.

The family of three adults and two children set out from the Greenhorn Trailhead, which has 3,880 feet of elevation gain.

The rescue team hiked with the family a mile over the peak, where they were joined by county and local fire personnel, and then hiked to Ophir Creek, where emergency vehicles were waiting for them. The rescue took about seven hours.

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The temporary drawdown reduced levels in Lake Estes from its typical level of 7,472 feet in elevation. The reduced levels also affect Marys Lake.

“Every five years, an upper C-BT water conveyance inspection must be completed,” said Ronnie Rogers, Power Plant Supervisor for the Estes Park and Marys Lake power plants. “Engineers come down from Montana and Denver to evaluate and inspect concrete every five years. They check to make sure the condition of the pipes is up to standard.”

In addition to the inspections, seal replacements will be performed on the radial gate on Olympus Dam

According to Rogers, the process to prepare the system and reduce the water levels so inspectors can safely walk the tunnels takes about a week. Starting with shutting off West Portal in Grand Lake, the water starts to drain down eastward. Water is drained from the Alva B. Adams Tunnel and Marys Lake, through Prospect Mountain Tunnel and from Lake Estes. The water is diverted to the 8-mile pipe between Crocker Ranch and Pole Hill Gatehouse.

“The process completed this morning [Dec. 4],” said Rogers. “People will be in the tunnels this week doing inspections while crews work on the gate on the dam. Next week, inspections will take place from Pole Hill to Flatiron [Reservoir].”

The work is anticipated to be completed by Dec. 14, with refilling taking a couple of days.

The 250-mile C-BT Project is one of the largest and most complex natural resource developments undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation. C-BT stores, regulates and diverts water from the Colorado River west of the Continental Divide to provide supplemental irrigation water for 615,000 acres east of the Rocky Mountains. It supplements the municipal and industrial water supply and provides recreation for more than 1 million residents in Northeastern Colorado. It also produces enough electricity to power nearly 68,000 households.

Built between 1940 and 1944, the 13.1-mile Alva B. Adams Tunnel is the largest water diversion project in Colorado, moving water from Grand Lake under the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park and into East Portal. The water then travels to Marys Lake, Lake Estes and other reservoirs along the system.

Lake Estes, which was formed after completion of Olympus Dam, was dedicated in 1949.

If you are interested in learning more about the C-BT, visit https://www.usbr.gov/projects/index.php?id=432.

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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When Ryan climbs and skis big peaks blanketed in backcountry powder, he sings prayers in his Native language while hoping non-Native skiers and snowboarders understand the need to respect the mountains even as they use them for recreation.

“The ski industry, and the outdoor industry, they need to reconcile with the fact that this whole industry happens on Native land,” Ryan said in a ski film he made in 2022 called Spirit of the Peaks. “They are places that have been deeply related to Indigenous people for so long, and there’s not blame in that statement, but there is responsibility that’s needed on the other side.”

Ryan’s film was produced in conjunction with NativesOutdoors, a Native-owned creative and athletic collective that also has been involved in initiatives with Winter Park Resort, Ryan’s home mountain. Through the collective, Native skiers and artists worked to create art pieces installed on the mountain this year that reflect awareness of the area’s Native heritage, connection to the land and ecology.

At the summit of the mountain is a new monument with a pattern created by Native artists Jordan Craig and Vernan Kee. It depicts prominent mountains in four directions — Longs Peak to the north, Parry Peak to the east, Mount Blue Sky (formerly known as Mount Evans) to the south and Byers Peak to the west — along with a river flowing from them. On the monument is one Ute word, Heniiniini, which means “There is snow on the ground.”

Elsewhere on the mountain, a new snow stake incorporates the same four mountains, rivers flowing from them, and a snow measuring stick with a Native artwork pattern.

“I wrote the initial vision statement as someone who knew all the artists who were going to be working on it, but also as someone who closely knows the community of Winter Park and tried to find that intersection of where the work of the artists and the community intersect,” Ryan, who grew up in the Front Range, said in an interview.

“I do a lot of other work with (Winter Park) to get Native American folks up to experience the mountain through skiing. Less than half of a percent of skiers, according to Snowsports Industry America (an industry trade association) are Native American or Indigenous,” he said. “Increasing that representation starts with having a reflection of ourselves be visible on the mountain, but also the other work Winter Park does to be more accessible to people of all backgrounds.”

Two years ago, Winter Park issued a statement saying it “acknowledges and honors that the land on which we operate today is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Nookhose’iinenno (Arapaho), Tsis tsis’tas (Cheyenne), and Nuuchu (Ute).” That statement also pledged, “We reaffirm and recognize that connection both through our words here and our actions.”

Reverence for the land reflected in the new artworks on the mountain also is a call to environmental sensitivity. Snowmelt at Winter Park drains into the Fraser River, which feeds the Colorado River not far from its headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park.

“All that snowfall is going to provide life to countless ecosystems and communities between here and the Sea of Cortez,” Ryan said. “People through skiing are getting connected to the snowpack, to ecology, and realizing a lot of the things that Native American people have valued about these landscapes for a really long time. To me it’s a place where we can find that commonality around conserving and protecting what is valuable, and at the same time for Native American folks, it represents a potential economic and career space for our people to be in that is more in line with our cultural values. Recreation is far more sustainable than extractive industry.”

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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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