To get an event listed in the weekly calendar, send your information to OEcalendar@denverpost.com or fax 303-866-9004 (attention Outdoor Extremes). Please be sure to include a contact number for verification.
CLIMBING
Saturday-Sunday
Intro to Ice Climbing class; designed for people with no previous ice climbing experience and also for those who wish to review and improve techniques; $386; Rocky Mountain National Park. cmsschool.com/home.asp
Dec. 17
Vertical Ice course; learn how to steal rests from marginal stems, draft by hooking in old placements, clean pro quickly and cleanly and improve your movement skills by borrowing from rock climbing (prerequisite: CMS Intro to Ice Climbing course or equivalent); $170; Rocky Mountain National Park. cmsschool.com/home.asp
CYCLING
Mountain and road
Ongoing
Road rides each weekend in south metro area hosted by the Highlands Ranch Cycling Club; intermediate to advanced; two to five hours; helmet required; free. highlandsranchcycling.com
Gunnison Valley Mountain Biking instruction and tours; private, groups, ladies only, half day, full day or custom; fees vary; Gunnison/Crested Butte. 970-275-0485
RUNNING
Ongoing
Niketown Running Club, meets in front of downtown Denver store Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., year-round rain or shine. Includes stretches and runs or walks from 3 to 7 miles. Your choice, your pace. 303-623-6453 or nikerunning.com
Saturday
Rudolph’s Revenge 5-mile/10-mile; 10 a.m.; $20 to $25; at Chatfield State Park, 11500 N. Roxborough Park Road in Littleton; the first race in the Boulder Running Company Winter Distance Series; series consists of progressively longer races to help runners maintain fitness through winter. coloradorunnermag.com
Clear Creek 4-miler and Pancake Breakfast; 10 a.m.; at Prospect Park, West 44th Avenue and Quail Street in Wheat Ridge. comastersrun.org
Sunday
Jingle Bell 5K Run for Arthritis; 10 a.m.; at Washington Park, Denver. 303-694-2030
SNOW SPORTS
ski, boarding, snowshoeing, dog sledding
Ongoing
Steamboat Ski Touring Center Masters Program, Wednesdays through Feb. 22; at Steamboat Ski Touring Center, Steamboat Ski Resort; sessions focus on training, technique, ski prep, nutrition, fluid intake, goal setting and tips; Silver Master Program, $60; Gold Master Program for $200; 5:30-7 p.m. steamboat.com, nordicski.net or 970-879-8180
Friday
Friday Night Rail Jams; at Steamboat’s Gondola Square, 6 p.m.; a three-event series and fusion of music, action sports, top-ranked athletes, sponsor demos and prize giveaways; competition portion of the jib jams are invitation-only athletes (skiers and snowboarders). steamboat.com
Friday-Sunday
FIS women’s alpine World Cup races; at Aspen Mountain; Olympic favorites and hopefuls; fastest women in the world compete for three days in giant slalom, super-G and slalom before the Winter Olympics in Italy in February; televised by NBC and OLN; includes an outdoor concert downtown with fireworks. aspensnowmass.com
Saturday
Beaver Creek Snowshoe Series; 11 a.m.; at Beaver Creek Mountain; from beginners to pros; all ages and abilities; features the East West 5K Quest, a 10K competitive run, Kids K and the Dash for Cash. beavercreek.snow.com
Love Park Rail Jam; 9 a.m.; at Loveland Ski Area; skiers and riders of all ages and abilities invited for a Rail Jam-style competition. skiloveland.com
Seventh annual WinterFall Luna Chase Snowshoe Race; at River Run Village, Keystone Resort; 6:30 p.m.; travel the Peak to Peak Trail, more than 2 miles above sea level. keystone.snow.com
Gold Run Classic; a 5K, 10K and Citizen’s Classic Technique Race; 10 a.m.; at Breckenridge Resort, 200 Clubhouse Drive. breckenridge.snow.com or 970-547-7889
Wolf Creek Ski Area hosts a number of fun races throughout the ski season, beginning Saturday; open to skiers of all ages and abilities; free for both men and women, boys and girls, (with purchase of a lift ticket); 12 age brackets, age 3 to 65 and over; registration at 9:30 a.m.; in the Prospector; races at 11 a.m.; course in a dual format. wolfcreekski.com
Saturday-Sunday
Rocky Mountain Masters; at Loveland Ski Area; 9 a.m.; Rocky Mountain Masters offer age-class racing on FIS homologated courses for men and women 21 years of age and older. skiloveland.com or 303-285-9222
Sunday
Copper Mountain Snowboard Series GS/Slalom; at Copper Mountain; longest-running amateur snowboard series in North America; bib pick-up at Jack’s Slopeside Grill & Bar day of event. copperseries.com
Monday-Dec. 14
NASTAR Race Camps in Steamboat; qualifying for the NASTAR National Finals in Steamboat; also several NASTAR race camps with coaching and training; $199, single day; $597, three days. steamboat.com
Dec. 13-17
Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix; first stop of the USSA-sanctioned snowboard series; includes superpipe competition and night exhibition; Peak 8, Breckenridge. breckenridge.snow.com
Dec. 15
Twilight Nordic Series; at Breckenridge Resort, on Peak 8; cross country ski time trials by torchlight, individual and relay events; 5-7 p.m. at the Breckenridge Nordic Center, 1200 Ski Hill Road. breckenridge.snow.com or 970-453-6685
WINTER ACTIVITIES
Today
Atlas Explore Winter – Women’s Snowshoe Workshop; workshop created by adventure racing legend Cathy Sassin teaches how to choose the right snowshoe, what to wear and trip planning; 7 p.m.; at REI stores in Lakewood and Denver. rei.com
Today-Sunday
Hartford Ski Spectacular; at Breckenridge Resort, on Peak 9; the nation’s largest winter sports festival for people with physical disabilities; includes learn-to-
ski and race programs, youth development camps, sanctioned USSA races and a celebrity fun race. 970-453-5000 or breckenridge.snow.com
Today-Thursday
Avalanche Awareness class; basics of avalanche awareness and mountain travel; 7 p.m.; at REI stores in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Denver and at University of Colorado Student Recreation Center. rei.com
Wednesday
CAIC Avalanche Awareness Slide Show with director Ethan Greene; 7 p.m.; explore the phenomenon of avalanche; free; at the Mountain Shop of Fort Collins, 970-493-5720. themountainshop.com
Wednesday-Thursday
Ski Touring Essentials class examining the fundamental differences among backcountry, telemarking and touring ski styles; 7 p.m.; at REI stores in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Englewood and Denver. rei.com
Friday-Sunday
Bootpacking at Silverton Mountain; one day of volunteer bootpacking earns a day of unguided skiing in April; two days of bootpacking earns a free day of guided skiing in December or April or two days of unguided skiing in April; must have an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe to participate; must be able to ski or snowboard advanced/expert terrain comfortably; 8:45 a.m. silvertonmountain.com
Level I avalanche course; two-day, one-evening course; introduction and review of avalanche phenomena, travel techniques, decision-making strategies and avalanche rescue; classroom and mountain-based sessions; Friday 7-9:30 p.m.; all day Saturday and Sunday; $195; Estes Park. cmsschool.com/home.asp
Avalanche 1 class; topics include recognizing avalanche terrain, go/no-go decision making and rescue techniques; for those new to travel in avalanche terrain or those in need of a skills tuneup; skills required are intermediate skiing/riding skills, or travel on snowshoes; $220; Boulder/Berthoud Pass. alpineworldascents.com
Saturday
Snowboard Demo Festival; reps scheduled to attend include K2, Mervin, Lib Tech, GNU, Rome, Winterstick and Salomon. Free; must be 18 years or older and have a valid driver’s license; Winter Park. skiwinterpark.com or 970-726-1564
Pine Needle Mountaineering Demo Day; 9 a.m.; at Durango Mountain; visit Pine Needle Mountaineering and try out a pair of telemark skis. durangomountainresort.com
Opening day, Powderhorn Resort. powderhorn.com
Total Telemark Tour; 9 a.m.; at Durango Mountain Resort; traveling festival for free-heel skiing; features professional instruction from PSIA and Babes in the Backcountry, equipment demos, athlete appearances; kids’ equipment and instruction, movie premieres, women’s clinics, steep camps, backcountry safety seminars and more. durangomountainresort.com
Arapahoe Basin tele clinic; 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; a three-hour clinic; for all levels and abilities; instructors will guide through the latest techniques in “free heel” skiing; $45 to $50. arapahoebasin.com
Saturday-Sunday
Betty Fest; at Keystone Resort; festival includes extensive on-hill training, video analysis, yoga and discussions about nutrition, women’s specific concerns and equipment; recommended for skiers comfortable on green terrain and snowboarders of any level; one-day camps also available. keystone.snow.com or 800-468-5004
Dec. 13
Tele Tuesday; 9:45 a.m.; at Durango Mountain Resort; an anything-goes format for intermediate to expert skiers; explore various aspects of modern telemark skiing; classes meet slope side of the big trail map at the base area at 9:45 a.m. durangomountainresort.com
Dec. 14
Avalanche Transceiver Basics class; national ski patrol expert teaches how to effectively and efficiently use an avalanche transceiver to locate buried companions; excellent tips on practicing with and use of avalanche transceivers, plus avalanche awareness and mountain travel; 7 p.m.; at REI Denver. rei.com
LECTURES, CLASSES
Ongoing
Maps, Compasses, & Orienteering class; a U.S. Geological Survey-hosted map, compass and orienteering class; expert instruction for orienteering skills; free; 1 p.m. Friday at REI Denver flagship store, 1416 Platte St. rei.com
MISCELLANEOUS
Ongoing
DIVAS give; through the month of December, Outdoor DIVAS will be sponsoring a Giving Tree to benefit Big City Mountaineers Colorado girls programs; BCM serves underprivileged and at-risk teens in the Denver area and across the United States; products from the outdoor DIVAS Giving Tree are raised specifically for the Colorado girls courses at Big City Mountaineers. 303-449-DIVA or outdoordivas.com
Mile-Hi Skydiving Center; open for all skydiving operations, Friday through Sunday from 8 a.m. through sunset, Monday through Sunday; tandem jump prices, $189; accelerated free-fall, $279; experienced skydives jump prices, $23 up to 12,500 feet, and $16 to 4,000 feet. 303-702-9911 or info@milehiskydiving.com
