What a difference a year makes. Take 37 feet of snow at Winter Park Resort, give snow sport devotees the season of their dreams, then melt it into lush, green hillsides with rampant, technicolor wildflowers. Watch the rivers and rafters froth with whitewater excitement, while reservoirs open once more for fishing and boating.
Winter Park distinguishes its seasons quite simply. Snowy months’ action is on the mountain; summer fun and games happen at the foot of the big hill. And, we’re not talking run-of-the-mill fun and games. Winter Park’s village is a veritable amusement park for the adventurous and the thrill-seeker.
Picture yourself hooked into a special harness that is attached to two bungee cords. Got the image? Add a trampoline, and let the jumping, high-flying and flipping begin. This is Winter Park’s Leaps & Bounds Bungee. Try it for $10 ($8 for children 13 and under).
Ever want to simulate weightlessness? Climb on the Rock ‘n Roll Gyro, a human-sized sphere that allows riders to spin upside down and around. A ticket to ride is $8 for those 6 and older; $6 for children 5 and under.
Half-and full-day passes for both the Bungee and the Gyro start at $38.
Attention Superman or Spiderman wannabes. You can “fly” 100 feet across Winter Park’s West Portal Station. There’s a catch; you’ve got to be harnessed to a steel cable called the Zip Line. Regardless, it’s the next best thing to free flight. Going airborne costs $8 for adults and $6 for children 13 and under.
To help you “leap tall buildings in a single bound,” Winter Park’s Climbing Walls get you in shape. The 24-foot outdoor wall is a gentle introduction to rock climbing, $8 for adults and $6 for children 13 and under, per climb. Experienced climbers choose the 30-foot indoor wall. Three climbs cost $10 for adults and $8 for the 13-and-under set.
For the directionally challenged, Winter Park offers its popular brain-teaser: the Amaze’n Human Maze. Enter an ever-changing wooden labyrinth full of twists, turns and dead-ends. Players who enter the maze compete against the clock and each other while attempting to find the fastest way out. Conquer the maze for $8 (adults), $6 (children).
Though the following three amusements have their starting points in the village, they “happen” on the mountain.
Speed demons gravitate to Colorado’s longest Alpine Slide. Riding sturdy plastic sleds equipped with runners and hand-held brakes, “sliders” slalom down the dips and swooping turns of 3,030-foot parallel tracks (not unlike luge courses). Choose to ride in the slow lane or the fast lane for $10, ($8 for children ages 6-13), including a chairlift ride to the top of the slide.
Mountain biking is a whole separate adventure at Winter Park, but for an unusual ride down the bike trails, try the all-terrain Diggler Mountain Scooter. Stand on a wide platform that’s fitted with knobby tires and hand brakes for a thrill-a-minute ride down the mountain. A chairlift ride with bike costs $16; scooters can be rented at Slopeside Gear & Sport for $12 an hour or $32 for the day.
While playing disc golf at the top of Winter Park Mountain, the challenge becomes not being distracted by the 360-degree drop-dead gorgeous views. Frisbee-type golf is one of the latest mountain crazes; the 18-hole course here winds around the summit. Throwing the disc is tricky when you factor in the 11,000-foot elevation. As in regular golf, drives (pitches) carry farther in the thin air. This course is free when you purchase a Zephyr Express chairlift ticket for $10; $8 for children ages 6-13. Discs are available for a $2 rental fee at Slopeside Gear and Sport.
It’s a quick drive to Winter Park and Grand County, or you can ride the rails, as the Ski Train makes its two-hour trip every Saturday through Aug. 23.
Lillian Ross is a freelance writer who lives in Howard.
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If you go
Winter Park is 67 miles northwest of Denver, via Interstate 70 and U.S. 40 over Berthoud Pass.
For information about Winter Park Resort’s new village and its lodging special – from $44 per person, per night – call 800-729-5813, or go to www.winterparkresort.com.
To learn about the resort’s schedule of music festivals, mountain biking, dining options and its adventure-oriented activities, go to www.winterparkresort.com.
