Denver News Blog

c/o Onthesnow.com

Get better fitting boots before trying this one.

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Skiing is a difficult enough sport without your feet feeling like they've been coal-walking all day. But many skiers go through multiple seasons spent in various states of denial about how their ski boots may be severely limiting their skiing.

"If you go to the hill on a busy weekend, I'd say that probably 50 to 60 percent of the people on the hill are in boots that are too big, and you can tell that from their bad habits," says Larry Houchen, of Larry's Bootfitting in Boulder. "They lean back in their boot, or over-buckle the boots, because it's the only way they can hold their foot down."

Photo courtesy of John Picken's Flickr.

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Every week On the Edge is giving you the skinny on where you should be hitting the slopes, as if our humble opinion will somehow make you reconsider your riding loyalties despite having sold your soul for that season pass.

Just in case, you know?

​The first-annual Denver Backyard Bang Rail Jam is a good reason to stay off the slopes and in the city tomorrow while still getting a healthy dose of tasty shred.

Salomon Snowboards and The Art Institute of Colorado have teamed up to host the event that will bring top pro and amateur snowboarders from across the state and region to compete in the rail jam from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Golden Triangle District at 1200 Lincoln Street.

The entire Salomon Pro Team will be chilling at the event, including Louif Paradis, Jed Anderson, Chris Grenier, Bode Merrill, Scotty Arnold, Harrison Gordon and Chris Carr, while dozens of seasoned and up-and-coming local boarders throw down on a custom ramp created by the urban boarding gurus at Galvanic Design -- al for a chance to win some serious cash prizes ($2K for the dudes and $1K for the ladies).

Via our friends at ToplessRobot.com:

What did you expect, Tattooine?

Photo by Shane Taylor

​Sure, Vail will be a popular destination for opening weekend -- but do they have sharks?

One brave alternative to the festivities at 8,150 feet: snorkel or dive at the Downtown Aquarium. The sharks aren't aggressive; some of them are downright snuggly, despite having skin like sandpaper. You need to be certified to dive, but snorkeling is open to anyone who can swim.

And you can save the slog up I-70 for a weekend when more terrain is open.

​Apparently, the first rule for season pass holders at Durango Mountain Resort is "you do NOT talk about Durango Mountain Resorts." Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort canceled Lauren Slaff's season pass after she publicly criticized the resort in the Durango Herald for changes in this year's operating schedule.

At the beginning and end of the season, Purgatory plans to stay open only on weekends, a strategy Slaff and others say cuts down on ski days for weekday pass holders. In comments to the Herald, she also argued that this policy caters to tourists at the expense of locals.

Durango Mountain Resorts responded by pulling her pass and refunding the full $539 charge to her credit card. They informed her via long-winded letter:

Photo by Benjamint444

​After breaking the seal on my Loveland pass yesterday, I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been run down by a truck, or at least a compact SUV. I can't be alone in having a few early-season aches and pains in certain cranky muscles that weren't in high demand during the off-season.

Then I remembered some advice I got from a wise old ski instructor a few years back: drink cherry juice. I forwent the ibuprofen, hit up the local natural foods market for a bottle of cherry juice concentrate, and took a shot.

I think it worked.

Kite surfing might seem totally out of place here in Colorado, what with our lack of any discernible oceans, waves, banana boats, etc. But Dillon actually hosts Colorado Kite Force, one of the most respected places to learn how to kite surf -- on frozen lakes. As soon as Dillon Reservoir safely freezes, they'll begin hosting instructional courses on kite skiing and kite snowboarding.

Until then, you can experience the outer limits of the sport on water as practiced by wily Brits. English kite surfers Lewis Crathern and "Big Air Master" Jake Scrace (nice title, mate) used 40 mph winds and fierce offshore conditions near Worthing, England to launch clear over a pier. By my estimate, they get at least 80 feet off the deck. Watch the video above.

Photo courtesy AlliSports.com

Breck local Bobby Brown wins inaugural Dew Tour stop, 2008

​Parents and high school guidance counselors reading this might want to go stick their heads in the snow for a minute: Recent Cherry Creek High School graduate Bobby Brown is making good on his promise to keep Professional Freeskier at the top of his resumé.

Brown's post-graduation plans last year included moving up to Breckenridge to ski full time, and making it to every slopestyle contest he could get to. He's sponsored by Breckenridge, and he left his mark on his home mountain early last season with a big win in the Men's Freeski Slopestyle Finals at the inaugural stop of the Winter Dew Tour, ultimately finishing third overall on the three-stop tour and picking up an extra $5,000 for the tour's Toyota Go Big Award.

This year, the 18 year-old is planning to go even bigger: We caught up with him after his first week back on the slopes at Breck to check in and help corrupt the impressionable young minds of the next generation of ski bum dreamers who'd like to follow his tracks.

Candace Horgan

Ski Tracks.

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You're skiing along, reveling in the crisp mountain air and distinct absence of your cubicle walls, when "WHAM!" -- you're knocked onto the snow.

"Sorry dude, I didn't see you," someone says from above you, an earbud hanging down from his ear. He (or, yes, she) quickly takes off, leaving you dazed on the snow. It's a snowboarder or skier who wasn't in control who has possibly ruined your season with their stupidity.