Ro Troia

Boots and Fur (faux of course, it’s Boulder)

You know it’s winter in Boulder Colorado when the bike racks come off the cars and the ski racks go on AND the fashion changes for the women to “boots with fur” around the top!   I think it was my son in law that coined that phrase about Boulder Colorado because it was the first thing he noticed on his very first visit as we went strolling down Pearl Street Mall.  Everyone was wearing them!  More Boots with Fur….I think he might have been noticing the girls to..do ya think?   Pearl Street Mall happens to be within walking distance of the University of Colorado so the mall is abuzz with young inventive fashion designers. Winter in Boulder, ahhhh…it’ a little like the thought of warm bread and a great bowl of homemade soup in front of a fire and a cold local brewsky.   All the ski rental places have geared up on their inventory with anticipation of the additional airfare charges to carry your skis, and all the 5th graders now have their annual free ski passes that are provided for every 5th grader in the state of Colorado by the Colorado Ski Country USA. Check out the Gold Pass ski pass for adults – transferable to 21 great Colorado ski resorts – employers love them!

Eldora Ski Resort is the closest place to Boulder for downhill and cross country ski.  It’s located just 45 minutes up Boulder Canyon (take Canyon Blvd. west up into the canyon past Nederland).  As you travel south out of Boulder on CO 93 you pick up I-70 west for a day ski trip to Loveland Ski Area,  Araphoe Basin (commonly known as A-Basin), Keystone, Breckenridge, and Copper Mountain.  If you are feeling adventuresome you can travel a bit further and hit Vail and Beaver Creek Ski Resorts.  You can buy an annual ski pass that allows you to ski 21 of the Colorado Ski Resorts and also one that allows you to ski the Vail Resorts only.

Locally here in Boulder a club of Nordic Skiers are getting ready to create their ski track in the North Boulder Park which is about a mile northwest of downtown, west of Broadway in the Newlands neighborhood.  It’s free to use for anyone.  If you’re not an avid cross country skier but just want the exercise this is a great place to get outdoors and pump up your heart!

Skating is also a popular sport in the wintertime here in Boulder Colorado at the downtown skate rink that is created each year on 14th between Canyon and Walnut).  Also the towns of Louisville and Lyons have skating parks which are only 15 minutes outside of Boulder.

The Lights on Pearl Street are a hallmark of the downtown shopping area during the dark days of winter and the Parade of Lights marks the official winter season in all it’s glory!

For all you birders out there who want to participate in the Winder Bird Count,  check out the Boulder County Audubon Society for what their winter schedules are.

Speaking of nature….I live in the Wonderland Hills neighborhood and we have the most beautiful foxes here.  I heard that this area used to be a fox farm where they would raise the foxes for their pelts. I also hear that when the fox farm disbanded they let all the foxes go free.  We call them our “pet foxes”.  We watch all the new babies pups grow up, they mind their manners by using the sidewalks and look both ways before crossing the street (most of the time).  The neighborhood kids put up “SLOW DOWN” signs so we don’t run over any of our pet animals.  We have an 8 pointed buck mule deer that has quite a herum of females and babies too that wander from street to street.  Check out the Boulder Nature Club if you’re looking to get involved with nature’s side of Boulder.  And don’t forget we have tons of prairie dogs here too.  I told my friends back east that they make hotdogs out of prairie dogs..(as a joke of course, but my mother believed it!

My very favorite thing to do in the winter time in Boulder is enjoy the hiking trails. Park at Chautauqua off of 9th St and head up into the foothills. You will be memorized by the beauty. The sky is always so blue after a snow storm and the contrast in colors are amazing!

You’ll be glad to hear that getting around town in “all the snow” really isn’t a problem at all.  Boulder County does receive an average of 150 or so inches a year of snow, but for the most part, the snow melts as soon as the sun hits the roads (at least here in Boulder).   And if it doesn’t your all season radials or snow tires will get you around town just fine.  As a matter of fact, we haven’t even had our first snow fall of the season yet which is unusual.  Oh… and for those of you wondering about what to do with “all that snow”, unless it’s a foot deep, you don’t shovel here, you sweep the snow because it’s so light and fluffy most of the time !  And if you really want adventure some winter evening, try taking the RTD (the local bus which runs until midnight) downtown on a snowy night and walk the mall, stop in a few of the brew pubs, eat a nice dinner at one of the great Boulder restaurants and for goodness sakes…DON’T FORGET YOUR FUR BOOTS!

Tags: Tags: boulder colorado, Boulder real estate, colorado ski resorts, hiking, nature, pearl street mall, prairie dogs, ski resorts, winter in boulder colorado

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 10:15 pm and is filed under Colorado Round Up, Focus on Boulder. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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