So go to ColoradoSummitLife.com. Bookmark it, subscribe, add it to your feed and read all about Colorado travel.

Loving A-Basin so much we took engagement photos there. Photo Courtesy David Watson, see below for link to watsonphoto.com

I enjoy skiing and snowboarding at A-Basin so much I bought a hat. So it’s no surprise that on an early-season weeknight, bored out of my mind, I would cruise arapahoebasin.com searching for any info on when new terrain will open.

Knowing full well that winter needs to really arrive in order for more of Arapahoe Basin to open, I piddled around and instead came across information on the Black Mountain Lodge Full Moon Snowshoe Dinner Series.

Enjoying a beautiful day on the patio at the Black Mountain Lodge, Arapahoe Basin, Colorado. Photo courtesy David Watson. See below for link to watsonphoto.com

Once a month in February, March and April (of 2010), Black Mountain Lodge will open its doors after dusk for themed cuisine, booze to match and live entertainment. I’m always a fan of earning my burgers, chocolate and cheese with runs and other types of aerobic activity, but the Snowshoe Dinner Series holds a different magic.

Snowshoes in hand, diners ride the Exhibition Lift to the Black Mountain Lodge. After an evening of music and fine cuisine, the whole lot snowshoes dinner away with a hike to the base (under a nearly full moon, of course).

A similar summer affair, with a sunset wildflower hike and gourmet cuisine, took place in July after last winter’s snowshoe dinner sold out. We’ll be buying our tickets early and taking pictures. What’s in the queue?

February 27, 2010: Dinner in the Dolomites, featuring food from Northern Italy

March 27, 2010: Under a Fiji Full Moon, showcasing Asian flavors

April 24, 2010: A Night in the French Alps with classic French entrees and cheeses

For more info, visit the Arapahoe Basin Dinner Snowshoe Series page.

Photos in this post courtesy David Watson. http://watsonphoto.com

Summit County, Colorado Skiing and Snowboarding in Montezuma Bowl, Arapahoe Basin

“Just turn!” says boyfriend.

Tears well up in girlfriend’s eyes.

“Just turn … like this,” says boyfriend, who proceeds to demo the move.

Learn to conquer powder with hot lesson deals at Summit County's two Colorado Gems.

Anyone who skis or snowboards in Colorado has probably witnessed this scenario more than a few times. They’ve watched the scene explode into tears, yelling and possibly a call to ski patrol. Maybe they’ve even been part of it.

Whatever the case, ski and snowboard lessons are worth the investment. Several of the big boys offered unlimited lesson packages to early-bird buyers, but Summit County’s two Colorado Gems – Arapahoe Basin and Loveland Ski Area – have long cornered the market on unbeatable ski and snowboard lesson packages. The real reason it’s a deal? Prices include SEASON passes.

The Colorado Gems, a product/term created by Colorado Ski Country, U.S.A., refers to nine of the state’s smaller ski areas, which generally cater to families and lower budgets, thus creating the “Lift Line? What lift line?” mentality. This isn’t to say you can’t find big terrain at the Gems. Just ask the regulars at A-Basin.

Arapahoe Basin: Guaranteed to Succeed – For a mere $339 A-Basin offers a season pass, three half-day lessons and three full-day gear rentals. The kicker: anyone not skiing/riding blue terrain after the third session gets lessons until they tackle blues.

Loveland Ski Area: 3 Class Pass – When kids or beginner/intermediate adults complete three lesson packages (which includes rental equipment and a lift ticket) the bonus prize is a free or low-cost Loveland season pass. Totals average $255-$370 per person for the classes, rentals and season pass.

Colorado Avalanche Information Center Benefit Bash
Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge, Colorado
tickets include food, 3 beer tickets and a door prize ticket
5pm-10pm
$20

Friends of the CAIC is a non-profit organization that was developed to both support the CAIC and increase avalanche awareness and education throughout the state of Colorado. As the main force behind the Benefit Bash, Friends of the CAIC relies on community donations and major sponsors to host the event, which includes a silent auction. Last year, Friends of the CAIC raised over $26,000 and hosted nearly 800 people. http://friendsofcaic.org

The CAIC, based in Boulder, Colo., began in 1973 as the Colorado Avalanche Warning Center and is said to be the oldest avalanche warning center in the country. Today, the center runs its main office as well as three field locations (Breckenridge, Aspen and the northern San Juans) throughout the Colorado mountains.

The staff works to “minimize the economic and human impact of snow avalanches on recreation, tourism, commerce, industry and the citizens of Colorado.” They work closely with both the Crested Butte Avalanche Center as well as the Department of Transportation. http://avalanche.state.co.us

Breckenridge, Colorado: Opening Day Eve on Peak 8

Free coffee is quickly becoming a Breckenridge tradition on opening day eve. If you live in Breckenridge, or maybe anywhere in Summit County, you probably picked up your free coffee and mug this morning. What local doesn’t have a collection of Wake Up mugs?

Throughout Summit County and all of Colorado, we have snow guns (and snowmakers and cold temperatures) to thank for October/November opening days.

Folks will flock tomorrow, November 12, for Breckenridge’s opening day and of course, for the free pancakes. It will mean all Summit County Resorts are open for business. Though the mountain will open with more terrain than last year, many will wait to head out until the real snow begins falling.

Local radio stations will begin blasting at 6am, free pancakes start at 8:30 and the first chair heads up at 9. Be there, or head to A-Basin where the lift lines will likely be less than half as long.

What’s left to open nearby?
Monarch: 11/25/09
Vail: 11/20/09
Beaver Creek: 11/25/09

Kilauea at sunset

Photographs of brilliant orange lava flowing from the Big Island into the Pacific Ocean are abundant in most Hawai’i travel books. But since the sky is rarely as blue, the forest hardly ever as green as full-color glossy photos make them seem, we didn’t expect to witness Hawai’i’s land development in tangerine, molten lava force. We ended up driving right to it.

The viewing site, operated by Hawai’i County, places visitors what feels about a mile or so from the location where lava enters the Pacific. Open from 5pm-10pm (last car in at 8pm), the site requires a short hike over hardened lava.

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach: When molten lava flows into the cold ocean, it hardens and can shatter. This process creates the black sand beaches found throughout Hawai'i.

After a visit to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, where we learned both geology and myth, we set out at the viewing site with rain jackets and flashlights. In daylight, massive plumes of smoke rise where lava enters the ocean.

An orange glow illuminated the billowing cloud as the sun dipped. And when twilight turned to blackness, lava sputtered into a haze where crashing waves merged with the smoke. Scattered spots of orange, the path of lava traveling toward the ocean, showed on the hillside like a rain forest lizard weaving its way down through dark underbrush.

For current eruption info on Kilauea check out these sites:

USGS Eruption Updates: Kilauea
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/kilaueastatus.php

USGS Hawai’i Volcano Observatory
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/observatory/

National Park Service: Hawai’i Volcanoes
http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm

Some cool facts from veloswap.com:

• Attendees withdraw some $175,000 annually in cash from the on-site ATMs
• Fire marshals have previously threatened to stop entry to the event, due to nearing max capacity of the roughly 140,000-square-foot venue
• The event expects around 12,000 attendees annually. And at $6-$8 a head … somebody’s making some major cash (though I’m sure the location fee for the National Western Complex isn’t cheap)

We sat at our booth all day, so I can’t attest to the exhibits and clinics and etc. But after all the fuss about eco-friendliess and recycling, I was surprised to see what appeared to be Vitamin Cottage reps handing out plastic bags en-masse.

Anyhow, the day proved profitable, we saw some super-cool vintage bikes and though we couldn’t convince anyone to buy the dirt jumper, we inadvertently managed to sell a size medium skinsuit to a size large guy. I suppose on Monday, bike shops were full of folks looking to put their brand new, “I-got-this-killer-deal” derailleur onto a bike on which it wouldn’t fit.

My goal starting the day: practice tunnel vision; don’t come home with more stuff than we brought. Overall, mission accomplished.

traversing toward Uneva Pass, near Frisco, Colorado

Route: Uneva Pass from Frisco to Copper Mountain via the Gore Range Trail (also known as the Wheeler-Dillon Trail)
Start: North Tenmile Creek Trailhead in Frisco, I-70 exit 201; overnight parking available in the bike path parking area
End: Copper Mountain
Season: Fall

The sounds of our breathing as we punched our feet through knee-deep snow was mostly what we heard at near 12,000 feet. That, and the occasional jet flying overhead.

a blue-sky morning near the top of Uneva Pass, southwest of Frisco, Colorado

Named for Sir George Gore, a notorious sport hunter, the Gore Range boasts a stunning, jagged ridgeline. Some 55 miles in length, the Gore Range Trail runs from the northern reaches of Summit County and terminates at Copper Mountain. The Wheeler Trail continues south through Frisco and Breckenridge along the Tenmile Range.

High above the two main access points, we encountered no other users and amazing views of both the Tenmile Range and the Continental Divide. Had we not lucked out with blue skies, little wind and amazing weather, we may have turned around due to the hip-deep snow and my somewhat inappropriate footwear (trail running shoes).

On the second day I wrapped my feet in plastic bags, which kept my toes toasty as ever. I’ve seen snow-covered mountain tops out my window just about every morning in October when I’ve checked out the sunrise over the Tenmile Range; I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me to wear my winter boots.