Author: Santa

Lift tickets at the Crested Butte Mountain Resort are comparable in price to those of other resorts in the area, and typically sell for around $100. There are occasional discounts at different times and for some special events. Whatever the reason, a $40 lift ticket is a real deal, and you can ski Crested Butte for $40 on December 15 of this year (2018). There are several conditions attached, but there are always strings attached to particularly good deals.

What You Need to Do

To qualify for this great discount, you have to show up in a Santa suit. Just wearing a Santa hat won’t cut it. You have to be dressed in red from head to toe. You need to have a Santa beard as well, which can be purchased, rented, or your own. Santa just doesn’t look like Santa without the white beard, and you don’t want to look like just another guy or gal in a red suit. You are allowed to remove the beard when skiing, but you are encouraged to wear it if you can. That’s a total of four things to remember to wear to get your discount – hat, top, bottom, and beard.

There are two things you need to be aware of. First of all, there is not an unlimited supply of Santa suits available. The organizing committee is hoping for at least a thousand entries this year, and hopefully has made arrangements for about that number of suits, but to be extra safe you might want to bring your own if you happen to have one lying around.

The Dangers of Early Partying

The second note of caution is this. The downhill event starts at the Umbrella Bar at Ten Peaks halfway up the mountain at 3:30 in the afternoon. If you pay $25, you get a free Santa suit and 5 free drinks. That means if you, and several hundred others meet at the Umbrella Bar an hour or so before the downhill event is scheduled to begin, a party could easily get started. This has apparently not been a problem in the past, but if you have several hundred people going down the same slope at the same time and a hundred or so of them are three sheets to the wind, there could be some problems.

The sobriety committee has apparently thought this through and dictated that drinks at the Umbrella Bar will not be served until 2:30 PM. It isn’t impossible to go through five drinks in an hours’ time, but skiing down the slope is a lot more fun than sliding down or somehow getting lost. Save the drinks, or at least four of them, for later in the day. The downhill run is a blast, and something you will want to experience to the fullest.

The best skiing events often coincide with major festivals, such as the Vail Film Festival every March or events at Aspen, Breckenridge, or Steamboat Springs. Crested Butte is a little more out of the way than some of these more well known resort areas, but it more than holds its own insofar as major ski events are concerned. Maybe it’s just that people in a close-knit community like Crested Butte enjoy life a little more, and have a bit more fun. Having fun can be contagious as anyone who has participated in a Crested Butte Santa Ski & Pub Crawl will tell you.

Many of, and perhaps the best, or at least the best-known skiing events take place in the spring. Ski season in some Colorado resorts often extends into April and many of the top events in the state take place in March. The one exception of course is the winter festivals that usually coincide with the holidays.

One of the better attended events is the Annual Bud Light Spring Jam held at Aspen/Snowmass during the latter part of March. Major happenings during recent Spring Jams included the NASTAR Championships, where skiers from almost every state in the Union converged to compete for a number of national skiing titles. Even without the NASTAR events, the Bud Light Spring Jam is well attended and worth attending.

Loveland has several events in late March and early April featuring everything from scavenger hunts on skis, the Loveland Derby, which is the longest running amateur ski race in America, and Skiing Magazine’s Don’t Stop Skiing Day, which may or may not be an annual event at Loveland every year.

Arapahoe Basin has an annual Easter Egg Hunt on the beginner’s slopes (adults need not apply), and the Annual Grind, where contestants are not required to purchase a lift ticket, the reason being they have to climb up the slope on skins, a popular method back when rope tows were first coming into prominence.

You could take a ski vacation in Crested Butte and participate in the Santa Ski & Pub Crawl, one of the major events in which you’re not merely a spectator, and then hit another resort in the spring. Or, you could make a return trip to Crested Butte where the fun has not really stopped. This time, the main event is not a combination Santa Group Ski and Pub Crawl, but a combination of downhill skiing and pond crossing. If you choose to participate, your goal is to gain enough speed, and have good enough balance, to make it all of the way across a 50-foot pond of water at the bottom of the slope. This is your chance to see yourself on YouTube, and cap your ski season with a mild case of hypothermia. In the meantime, everyone else at the event is having fun watching.

There are of course many other events as well. What many of these events have in common is that they are conceived and sponsored by people who think outside of the box, or those who having watched someone on water skis, figure it’s no big deal to cross a large body of  water on a pair of downhill skis or a snowboard, but probably not on cross-country skis.

The countdown has begun! In many stores it began well before the leaves began to turn. The early appearance of Christmas cards and decorations in the stores doesn’t mean you have to begin your shopping now, although the retailers might think otherwise. What it does mean is this; if you are thinking about a holiday vacation, it’s probably high time to get started. You’ll need to plan where to go, how to get there, where to stay, and what to do.

You can do all that now, and in the comfort of your own home, as those who advertise online like to point out. A ski vacation in itself can be a great way to spend the holidays. If you like to be home for Christmas, you can take your vacation during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, a time when most ski resorts will be opening or have already opened. Most of the western states plus several of those in New England have great places to ski, but for some, Colorado tops the list, and one of the best places in Colorado you can put on a pair of skis is at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The town itself is a fun place to spend a few days, but the action you’re looking for will mostly be at the resort.

Mark Your Calendar

The 15th of December is situated roughly mid-way between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so you might start by circling that date on your calendar and then planning around it. Why the 15th? It just so happens that is when one of the premier events of the year is held in Gunnison – Crested Butte, the getting-more-fun-and-famous-by-the-year Santa Ski & Pub Crawl. This event is fun to watch, but you really need to participate to make your vacation one you’ll long remember. To kick off the holidays right, pencil in the 15th now, and begin your real planning tomorrow, if not later in the day today.

You’ll need to make travel arrangements, find lodging, register for the event, purchase a red Santa suit, and then just show up. The Santa Crawl features two main events; the Santa Group Ski and the Pub Crawl that follows. The Group Ski is open to anyone who can ski, or at least thinks they can, but you have to wear a Santa suit, complete with white beard, in order to participate. The Pub Crawl is limited to those who are of legal age (bring your ID) which is 21 in Colorado. Keep your Santa suit on.

What better way to spend part of your holiday vacation than skiing down the slope in the company of several hundred other men, women, and children dressed in Santa suits? The event’s sponsors are hoping a thousand will participate this year. It’s an absolute blast. Be sure to choose one of your family or a friend as your designated photographer as both the Santa Ski and the Pub Crawl are events you’ll want to capture on camera or video.

When your vacation comes to a close, the first thing you’ll want to do is to kick off next year’s holiday season right, which means finding out the date for the 2019 Santa Ski & Pub Crawl and penciling it into next year’s calendar.

Christmas traditions vary around the world, but not as much as you might think. Each country has its special traditions, but most have more in common than there are differences. Here is a sampling of how the holidays are celebrated in several far-flung places.

• Germany – FroheWeihnachten! – Christmas in Germany is quite special, especially the time leading up to the holidays when the Christmas markets – Christkindl Markt – are in full swing. While they are usually open all of December, a visit to one is not the same as shopping at home in stores that decorate for Christmas in October! A Christkindl Markt is special. Sankt Nikolaus visits children on December 6th. Many households have Advent wreaths as well as Christmas trees, and many Germans attend church services on Christmas Eve.
• Great Britain – Happy Christmas! – The British celebrate Christmas on Christmas Day. Christmas on that side of the pond is not terribly different than in North America. Children have Christmas stockings and open their gifts on Christmas morning. Christmas trees will be found in most homes and streets and stores are usually decorated. Santa Clause, also called Father Christmas, rides in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer – probably the same one we see. Christmas Day is a time for family, a good meal, and a church service.
• Italy – BuonNatale! Italian holiday traditions include festivities that date back to Roman times and feature a blend of Christian and pagan traditions. Then there’s the lady in black who rides on a broomstick. The Italians don’t have their holidays mixed up! The lady in question is La Befana, a kindly old witch who brings presents to children. She is dressed in black because she’s covered with soot from going down chimneys. Makes you wonder how Santa keeps his suit so clean.
• Africa – KuwanaKrismasinjema! (Swahili) – GesëendeKersfees! (Afrikans) Africa is a large continent with many countries. Christmas traditions there closely follow Western traditions in large part due to European colonization. Christmas carols are sung, Christians attend church services, special meals are prepared on Christmas Day and many homes decorate Christmas trees (in West and Central Africa a species of palm tree is often the tree of choice).
• Russia – S Rozdhestvom! Christmas, once frowned upon along with most other religious celebrations during the days of the Soviet Union, is making a comeback in Russia. It is celebrated on January 7th since the Russian Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar. Russians eat a traditional meal on Christmas Eve, one that usually features large helpings of sauerkraut, and church services are attended later on in the evening. Presents, brought to the children not by Santa but by "Father Frost" are opened on New Year’s Eve following a traditional dance around the Christmas tree.
• Antarctica – Brrrr! Christmas is a busy time in Antarctica. After all, summer has just begun and the people living there – mostly scientists – are outside working to take advantage of the not-quite-so-terribly-cold weather, plus the sun is out. There are no street decorations, no TV specials, and no shopping, so most ‘Antarcticans’ celebrate the day having a special meal. The food and drink served usually varies according to nationality. Photos showing penguins wearing red Santa hats are believed to have been altered.

Pick a favorite and go visiting, or stay home and make the most of the holidays by going on a ski vacation instead.

No matter what time of the year you first visit Crested Butte and the surrounding area, you’ll find it’s flat-out beautiful – a nice place to work, play, or stay, by any measure. If you are in town for the opening day of ski season, for the Santa Ski & Pub Crawl just after Thanksgiving, or at any other time during the winter season you’ll likely be spending most of your time at the ski resort or in town. During the summer, you can take somewhat longer excursions as the Rocky Mountains are at your disposal.

No Shortage of Lodging

Although Crested Butte and Gunnison are not large towns, they are large enough to feature a good number of bars and dining establishments. You’ll have a good choice of lodging as well, including resort condominiums, vacation rentals, hotels, and bed & breakfasts, as Crested Butte is a tourist destination, but one that is rarely over-crowded. If your visit is during the summer, a stay at a nearby guest ranch might be to your liking.

Most of the places you might want to visit in Crested Butte are within easy walking distance and the best way to get to and from the ski area is a short shuttle-bus ride away, and the ride is free. You’ll find many of the accommodations are only a short distance from the ski lifts and are places to stay where you can ski in and ski out.

Plan Your Trip around a Festival and Check for Specials

If you plan to take part in one of the many festivals that are held in Crested Butte every year, the Santa Ski & Pub Crawl is but one of them and may be the most fun of all, it would make sense to make any necessary reservations in advance. One thing that many if not most first timers are not aware of is the travel packages that are available at various times during the year. It is often possible to get travel and/or lodging discounts if a festival or some other event is taking place during your visit. Something else worth looking into is to see if any of the hotels offer ski lift ticket discounts as part of a package. Some offer discounted tickets and one or two offer a free day of skiing if you stay with them. Rates can vary during the season as well, both for air travel and for lodging, making it advisable to do a little comparison shopping when planning your visit.

One thing you needn’t be concerned about is the reception you’ll receive. Crested Butte is not only a charming place to visit, but you’ll find it a friendly place to visit as well.

The Santa suit is so traditional it’s hard to change too much and still call it a Santa suit, but there are nevertheless a number of possibilities.

The hat style can make quite a difference however. You can stick to the traditional suit if you don’t feel like making too many changes, but you’ll stick out from the crowd with a radically different hat style. Whatever style you choose, keep it red, preferably a red that matches the suit. Here are five ideas:

• Cowboy Hat – Choose a style that best fits your personality and dye it red. Consider the Rancher Style, the "Gus" style like Robert Duvall wore in ‘Lonesome Dove", or the Bull-riding style. The latter can be black instead of red. It makes a statement.
• Baseball Cap – A red baseball cap will definitely set you apart, although if you take part in a Santa Group Ski bring along a pair of earmuffs. If you can find a red cap with a Holiday logo, so much the better.
• Elmer Fudd Hunting Hat – These hats are traditionally red with a black pattern, the earflaps can be worn up or down, and they are especially cool looking with a Santa suit if you’re wearing sunglasses. If you take part in the Pub Crawl after the Santa Group Ski you can relate your adventures chasing after "that Wascally Wabbit" to others at the bar.
• Fedora – You’ll also look pretty sharp wearing a red fedora, although it may make you look a bit narcissistic. The Elmer Fudd hat is more down to earth and it makes you look a little dumb, hence more lovable.
• Plush Animal Hat – If you can find one with antlers, you’ll be easy to pick out should a video of the Santa Group Ski show up on YouTube.

The Rest of the Outfit

• Long Underwear – Long johns would be perfectly acceptable although they should definitely be red. Since you will be skiing in them, and doing a bit of pub-crawling later, it would be advisable to wear a second pair underneath. It’s called dressing in layers, and you can always put a parka on later. If you’re on the heavy side however, long underwear might not be the best choice.
• The Suspenders – Santa wears suspenders while working in his shop, so you can too. If you wear regulation Santa trousers but no top, you can wear red or black suspenders and red or white long underwear.
• The Boots – Fortunately, most ski boots go well with a red suit, and with red underwear too for that matter.
• The Jacket – There are all sorts of possibilities here. Red is still the color of choice, but you may have other ideas. A red bowling shirt with the name of your team on the back is always a classy choice. Another thought might be a red blazer with a white or black bow tie, or a turtleneck. Don’t wear a turtleneck with a bowling shirt however. They clash.
• The Ladies – Most of the above ideas are offered with men in mind, but most can apply equally to women as well, long johns being a possible exception. Women look particularly sexy when wearing cowgirl hats, as well as baseball caps when wearing ponytails. Sequins and costume jewelry open up a world of possibilities.

The truth is, most women don’t need a list like the above because most of them are much more creative than men are. When it comes to Santa suit ideas, men don’t like to push the envelope too far.

While eagerly awaiting Christmas, and begging for and half expecting to receive, a Red Ryder BB gun, Ralphie learned a few lessons about life. For a young kid, he was quite observant, yet things did not always turn out the way he expected them to. That was one of the lessons in life; life is full of surprises.

One lesson dealt with a neighborhood bully named Scut Farkus. Scut was bigger than Ralphie and bigger than most of the kids he picked on, a common trait among bullies. After living in fear day after day that Scut would pop out from behind the fence along Ralphie’s path to school, the day came when Ralphie had enough. He lit into Scut with such ferocity that Ralphie’s mother, hearing the commotion, had to pull Ralphie away. Life lesson: If you don’t stand up to a bully, he will torment you forever.

Lessons Learned

Ralphie learned a great deal from his father about what a grown up man should be like. Ralphie was proud of his dad, ‘an Oldsmobile man’ who used profanity a lot and whose chief nemesis in life seemed to be the furnace downstairs. While he may not have been the greatest role model at times, he was a very good father.

Ralphie could be forgiven if he came to believe that adults could not be trusted. Even when they could, they often had their own agenda. In this respect, one lesson that Ralphie learned about was how a kid could be fooled by commercialism. A highlight of the movie was when the long awaited Captain Midnight secret decoder arrived in the mail. At the end of each radio adventure, sponsored by Ovaltine, a secret message was transmitted, letter by letter. If you didn’t have a decoder, you’d never know what it said. Ralphie had his decoder; the message came over the air – "Drink your Ovaltine." Ralphie had just learned a lesson about crass commercialism.

Ralphie learned that department store Santas aren’t always that jolly, especially towards the end of the day. When he asked Santa for a Red Ryder BB gun the response was, "You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!"

Ralphie got his RedRyder BB gun after all, and nearly shot his own eye out, his eye being saved by his glasses. Maybe adults weren’t so mean and uncaring after all, and maybe there is more to Christmas than the commercialism that goes with it.

One message from the movie might be to be careful what you wish for. That’s a piece of advice that a kid Ralphie’s age isn’t likely to understand. It’s something that often has to be learned. Another message from the movie might be we learn a great deal from experience, and not just from what others tell us. We learn how to handle a bully by confronting him, we learn that those who advertise or promote things sometimes have a hidden agenda. We learn not to do stupid things like daring a classmate to touch his tongue to a steel flagpole in the middle of winter, because we see what can happen. We also learn that Christmas is a wonderful time of the year.

If the Pub Crawl at this year’s Santa Ski festivities will be your first one, you’ll no doubt want to be making a few preparations ahead of time to not only make certain you survive, but that you get the most out of the experience as well.

Look to the Experts

You can of course look to anyone who has participated in pub crawls before for guidance, and if you come across someone who has made it safely through a major St. Patrick’s Day event, you’ve probably hit the jackpot as far as getting some good tips are concerned. The larger St. Patrick’s Day events usually take place in the cities, however, and there seldom is six feet of powder to contend with or get lost in should you wander off course. You will of course be either escorted by or escorting other Santas, so help should always be nearby.

Bear in mind that most Pub Crawls have certain rules, although those rules are usually in place to make the Crawl as much fun as possible. The bars or pubs you will visit are often kept secret as well, although in a town the size of Crested Butte, most people probably know which bars will participate. It’s hard to keep things secret in small, closely-knit communities.

• St. Patrick’s Day Tip Number One – Always carry cash. This tip can probably be dispensed with. If you’ve been registered for the Crested Butte Santa Crawl you will have your Santa suit, a lift ticket, and tickets for five free drinks.
• Tip Number Two – Don’t wear high heels. Who wears high heels out of doors in Gunnison and Crested Butte in December anyway? The experts recommend wearing flip flops instead, definitely don’t wear those either.
• Tip Number Three – Eat first. That makes good sense. Do so before the Santa Group Ski, however, as the Pub Crawl begins immediately afterward. A hearty lunch between 1 and 2 PM should help you keep your balance through at least the first half of the Crawl.
• Tip Number Four – Have a glass of water at every bar. That makes sense too. Don’t substitute a carbonated beverage for water, however; carbonated beverages can make 5 drinks feel like 10.
• Tip Number Five – Focus on keeping track of your partner (unless you’re on the lookout for a new one). This is important because if you’ve had a little too much to drink and everyone is dressed like Santa, it’s hard to keep track of someone.

Better Yet, Look to another Santa for Advice

The best tip of all would be to talk to someone who has been through a Pub Crawl at Crested Butte Mountain Resort before, especially one that was part of a previous Santa Crawl. Rules will be posted, and those may be all the tips you’ll ever need. Pace yourself, and have a good time. Take pictures of others too, and threaten to post them on Facebook.

Finally! It’s time for the long-awaited Pub Crawl to commence. The start is at the Ice Bar. That everyone knew. The other stops have been a secret, but now they are revealed, and this group of Santas is on its way. One stop is a bit of a puzzle. It’s the Secret Stash. Is this something to search for? Does the person or persons who find the Secret Stash get a prize?

If you’ve been in town for any length of time, you already know the answer. It’s not something that’s hidden away. It’s not even a secret. There is a prize, however, and that prize is the best pizza west of the Mississippi, or at least in the Crested Butte area. The wings are pretty good too.

There are other stops of course, each one with something special to offer. You’re not just going from one bar to the next bar, which looks like the first bar. The Secret Stash for one thing is large, it’s colorful, it’s friendly, and as those who frequent it will tell you, it’s unlike any pizza place you’ve ever seen. You’ll literally start thinking about coming back once you’ve stepped inside the door. It’s inviting.

The Secret Stash

Best bar, best pizza, unusual decorations, upstairs, downstairs, red gallery, Asian seating (and regular seating as well) – you name it, you’ll probably find it here. Trip Advisor gives it high ratings for food, value, service, and atmosphere; a hard-to-beat combination. It’s not uncommon for a waiting line to be outside the door, and it makes you wonder just how several hundred Santas will be accommodated during a Pub Crawl. Hopefully, someone has a plan.

You can order a large pizza, or order several small ones, each of a different type if you’re with a group. You’ll discover some very interesting combinations on the menu. For the ultimate in coziness, visit the Red Room. It features a bar and a pool table, but it’s the bar’s design, the seating arrangements, and the overall décor that make this part of the Secret Stash a fun place for food and drink.

Speaking of food and drink –it’s not just pizza and beer (the local Colorado beers are very good by the way). You can have your choice of steaks, seafood, and delicious desserts as well. Numerous events are held here and menus can be custom designed to suit each and every one, but the standard menu features enough variety for most visitors.

It’s unspoken, but it’s obvious. This is not your typical more-interesting-than-most dining establishment. You can practically see the tender, loving care that has been put into it oozing out of the woodwork. The Secret Stash is more than a stop on a Pub Crawl. It’s a place that belongs on every person’s bucket list, and given the long lines that are waiting to get in at times, maybe it is. It’s definitely the worst kept secret in Crested Butte.

In a place like Crested Butte it truly does take a village to create an event as big and fun as the Santa Ski & Pub Crawl.

One of our favorite photos from 2013 (and the main image on this website) was shot by Chris Kopf, of Bighorn Realty.  He graciously let us use it for free, and even blogged about the event.  If you are looking for honesty and someone that understands the Crested Butte community, give Chris a call.

You can learn more at: Crested Butte CO real estate

Mt. Crested Butte is in the Rocky Mountains – quite a ways back in the Rockies for that matter. It lies 231 miles to the southwest of Denver. The nearest larger town is Gunnison, 28 miles away. Gunnison and Mt. Crested Butte have a lot in common and work together on a number of events, including the Santa Crawl.  That means winter sports and summer outings galore. The town itself is a great place to visit, with more than enough to do for everyone at any time of the year.

Fall is a particularly good time to visit, unless your only goal in life is skiing. There’s mountain biking, mountain climbing (mountaineering if you prefer), hiking, fishing, and you can try your hand at kayaking and river rafting as well. The area is also famous for its wildflowers, and if you come mainly for the scenery, you won’t go away disappointed. Snow comes early however, since Mt. Crested Butte sits over 9,000 feet above sea level. The ski resort usually opens just before Thanksgiving and ski season runs well into April most years.

Just down the Road sits the historic downtown of Crested Butte.  Would you like to see what downtown looks like at this time of the year? The CantinaCam gives you a great shot down Elk Avenue. If you can’t see the far end, it means there will be great skiing tomorrow!

What goes on besides opening day at the ski resort and the Santa Crawl; two highly popular events. There is also a Nordic ski area, a Nordic ski opening day, and an annual Nordic ski marathon, theAlley Loop, which is held at the highest elevation in the United States – if you want to participate, come early and get acclimatized! Another event is Big Air. This takes place annually on Elk Avenue, where a portion of the street is blocked off and a ski jump is put in place.

Mt. Crested Butte is also a place for the arts and for music.  In the summer check out one of the numerous art, music or beer festivals.  It would seem that the locals never run out of ideas, and never stop having a good time.

The visitor center is not hard to find and is a great source of local information. When youarrive at the base of the ski area, look for the Transit center at the bus stop. That’s where you’ll find it.

Children love Santa Claus. Most children love to ski. Children also enjoy spending time with one another, and with their friends and classmates.

Definitely a Family Affair

The Wirsing family, who hail from Crested Butte, made a day of it during last year’s Santa Ski. One lesson they taught us is that the event is truly a family affair. The son, Connor, who is 12, and daughters Cassidy, 9 and Tessa, 6 enjoyed wearing Santa suits and taking part in the group ski. They certainly weren’t too small or too young so as to be shuttled off to the side while the parents took part in the day’s events. There is plenty to do for everyone at a Santa Ski and it makes for a great family outing.

The Fun Lasts for More than a Day

The Wirsing kids did have somewhat of an advantage over kids coming from out of town in that many of their friends and schoolmates were there as well. All of them talked about the event days before it happened and talked about the good times they had for days afterward. They were able to ski on their own in the late morning, and then join everyone else for the Santa Group Ski early in the afternoon.

Children who are ages 12, 9, and 6 aren’t apt to play together all that much, in part because they have different interests at those ages. The Santa Ski made a difference. Connor, Cassidy, and Tessa not only skied together and with friends, but participated in many of the other happenings, listened to the live music, and drank hot chocolate.

The message here is that if you’re coming to the Santa Ski from out of town, you don’t need to leave the rest of the family behind. Even if the kids are in school, the event is on a weekend and you could probably take them out of school for a day or two if needed and make a long weekend out of it.

Lasting Memories

Part of the fun of course is dressing up in Santa suits, and part of it is also zooming down the slopes along with a few hundred other Santas, plus the fact that the photos and videos you take will provide lasting memories. Something that makes the day even more special is that the whole town of Crested Butte likes to dress up and have a good time. This doesn’t just happen on the day of the Santa Ski either. Crested Butte is a fun place to visit, and you will enjoy your stay.

There is also the chance that enough would-be Santas will show up that the event will set a World Record for having the most people dressed up like Santa participating in a group ski. It’s an opportunity for the whole family to be a part of history! If you can’t make it this year, shoot for next year. The Santa Ski is an annual event, and it is one of the premier winter events in Colorado.