Chasing Icons: Finding Our Favorite Hidden Line at Winter Park
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There's a lot of quirks that make Winter Park a stand out ski resort.
For one, it's one of the few ski areas in the nation owned by a municipality. Colorado's longest operating resort, in 1940 the city of Denver established the area as a city park and the lifts have been running ever since. Only 90 minutes from the city, the area enjoys the benefit of being off of the I-70 corridor, which perpetuates the relaxed small town vibe.
Digging in deep into Winter Park's light untouched snow, you can't help but be giddy like Amie Engerbretson. TGR Photo
Merely one component of an overall outdoor-centric community, the terrain lends itself to more than just skiing. Year round Winter Park is a playground—mountain biking, fishing, camping, world class skiing—it's no wonder it has consistently been voted one of Colorado's top adventure town. A quick interaction with local here reveals that adventurous spirit.
The crew lucked out with some overnight snow, and thanks to the resort were able to explore a variety of fun zones. TGR Photo
Randi Zastrow is a fourth-generation resident and is proud to call Winter Park her hometown because of the community and incredible skiing.
"Being a fourth generation local, we've seen a lot of change. Everyone who has been involved with WP has been thoughtful and the community has always been important," Zastrow, who works with a local nonprofit, told us. TGR photo.
Following her and fellow residents Freddy Mooney and Ryan Arrington, we did as the locals do, and started out the day at the C-lot to catch the Challenger lift. From there it's all about tagging some classic Mary Jane trails, like Trestle and the Trees.
However, the three locals echoed the same sentiment: Much of Winter Park is still undiscovered. Therefore, you just need to get out there and rip.
"There are a lot of hidden spots that are so fun to discover." Arrington tells us. The local Smokin Snowboards rider loves the hidden gullies and jibs just waiting to be discovered.
According to Mooney it's all about the seek-and-destroy.
"The skiing is underestimated," Mooney told us. "There is really good terrain, you just have to know how to find it."
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The terrain is the most impressive part about WP; there's a little bit of everything out here. Engerbretson sampling one of WP's rowdy chutes. TGR photo.
Mooney-who moonlights as the Canadian National Mogul Team coach (he just snagged a gold in PyeongChang)—suggested heading over to the chutes. Not only are they steep and stashed with snow, but they often fly under the radar. We couldn't say no to that.
Stoked was abundant from 12,600ft, our crew—a mixture of locals and new riders—were excited for a full day of shred. TGR Photo
However, a Winter Park experience is not complete without catching the breathtaking view from the Panoramic Express. Topping out at 12,600 ft, you feel like you're on top of the world. From there you can drop into the Cirque, which has some of the best spots on the mountain.
"When I used to spend time here — the cirque wasn't open so it is really cool to see that the resort is even better with fun new terrain" - Todd Ligare TGR Photo
Despite our epic day, we're a tad bummed to miss out the springtime shenanigans.
The resort gets rowdy with tailgating, bluegrass, and pond skims as it gets warm. Arrington even created a local snowboarding event—High Noon—which is a synchronized freestyle snowboarding competition. "We really wanted to add a local snowboard event purely for the soul of it," he told us.
It's starting to feel like spring out here and the fun doesn't quite when the temps rise. - TGR Photo
The options are impressive for après—Idlewild distillery, Hideaway Brewery, Peperonis—but thanks to the gorgeous weather we opted for the classic tailgate finish to our day.
