Seven Places to add culture to a Colorado ski escape
Colorado offers unparalleled adventure and recreational pursuits, a thriving arts scene and a rich cultural heritage across its 27 renowned ski areas and resorts. Visitors can combine days on the slopes with unexpected arts experiences to add some culture to the traditional ski trip.
Aspen: Aspen is hard to beat when it comes to the arts in a ski town. Aspen Skiing Company, which includes four world-class mountains, has partnered with Chicago and Aspen-based artist Paula Crown to design five unique lift tickets for the upcoming ski season. The Aspen Art Museum will feature a series of exhibitions, including Nate Lowman, Zoe Crosher and Dara Friedman. Throughout the season, several arts festivals will take place, including Aspen Film's Academy Screenings, Aspen Music Festival, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and more. aspenchamber.com
Breckenridge: The town of Breckenridge not only offers five huge peaks spanning 2,908 acres of world-class skiing, it also offers The Breckenridge Arts District – a certified Colorado Creative District. BreckCreate is a multidisciplinary non-profit organisation established in 2014, developed to support and promote the arts, culture and creative experiences throughout Breckenridge. The Breckenridge Arts District is the region's newest epicentre of creativity, bringing together studios, galleries, performance spaces, historic landmarks, public art, restaurants and other creative businesses that animate and populate a vibrant cultural corridor in downtown Breckenridge. gobreck.com
Durango: Known for its proximity to some of southwest Colorado's best skiing and snowboarding at Purgatory Resort and Hesperus Ski Area, Durango is also a historic town with a thriving arts scene. The town is home to world-class art galleries, a theatre, public art, visiting international and local musicians and a variety of art classes and workshops. Visitors can get a sense of the area's historic roots as the state's mining district with a stay at authentic and preserved Victorian era hotels, The General Palmer Hotel and The Strater Hotel. durango.org
Silverthorne: The town of Silverthorne is the ultimate basecamp for any ski trip with a total of seven ski areas and resorts within an hour's drive. After a day of outdoor adventure, visitors can enjoy an evening of entertainment at the Silverthorne Performing Arts Center, the largest new build theatre in the state. The main attraction of the new facility is a black box theatre with the capacity to seat 198 guests. silverthorne.org
Snowmass: The 2017/18 winter season marks the 50th anniversary of the Snowmass Ski Area and the resort will also play host to the Olympic qualifier Toyota US Grand Prix event featuring the best freestyle athletes in the country, taking place 10 – 14 January 2018. Not only is this winter an exciting time on the slopes in Snowmass, but also off the slopes through art and culture. The annual Holiday Open House at Anderson Ranch is a festive evening featuring Artists-in-Residence studio tours, a special exhibition opening in the Patton-Malott Gallery, holiday-themed craft activities for children and a trunk show in the ArtWorks Store. gosnowmass.com
Telluride: This iconic mountain town, tucked in a box canyon in the San Juan Mountains, offers 2,000+ acres of skiable terrain and is a magnet for interesting people and new ideas. Telluride Arts, a 501(c)3 non-profit organisation, focuses on sustaining, promoting and expanding a culture of the arts in the Telluride Arts District. The district currently includes several galleries, First Thursday Art Walks, events, festivals and in 2020, The Warehouse will open as a space to inspire museum-quality exhibitions and installations, music, small film screenings and more. visittelluride.com
Vail: Skiing Vail's infamous back bowls is not the only activity worth exploring in this beautiful mountain town. The town's public art collection includes over 45 works ranging from paintings, sculptures, murals, playground components and site-integrated art, which can all be explored in a Winter Art Walk. The tour winds its way through the village with discussions of Vail Valley's history, including the founding of Vail Mountain, the master planning of the village and the importance of the town's art collection. vail.com
Colorado is a year-round destination offering unparalleled adventure and activities, an abundant arts scene, Western heritage, distinctive cuisine and 27 renowned ski resort areas. The state's diverse landscape boasts natural hot springs, the headwaters of four major rivers, numerous peaceful lakes and reservoirs, 11 national parks and monuments and 58 mountain peaks that top 14,000 feet, known as 'Fourteeners'. Colorado is the gateway to the West with direct flights from the UK to Denver served by British Airways and Norwegian, as well as indirect with Icelandair. From 25th March 2018, United will launch a daily direct route from London Heathrow.
Further information can be found at colorado.com.
