Copper Pro-Celeb Union
The first Pro-Celebrity Union at Copper Mountain will be Jan. 20-22. All proceeds benefit The Summit Foundation. The kick-off party is at 8 p.m. Friday at Storm King Lounge. Activities include live music, a celebrity poker challenge, ski events and more. Visit procelebunion.com.
Brazil’s Guitar Quartet
The Brazilian Guitar Quartet will perform at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Steamboat Springs Christian Center, 821 Dougherty Road and East U.S. 40. Formed in 1998, the quartet explores new guitar instrumentation by combining traditional six-string instruments with the eight-string guitar developed by member Edelton Galbraith. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $35 for reserved seats and are available at Strings in the Mountains, 970-879-5056, ext. 105, at stringsinthemountains.com and at the box office.
Pianist Pompa-Baldi
Pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Silver Medalist at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will perform works by Mozart, Bach, Chopin and Czerny at 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 846 Oak St. Pompa-Baldi has performed more than 70 recitals in cities across the country. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $35 for reserved seats and are available at Strings in the Mountains, 970-879-5056, ext. 105, at stringsinthemountains.com and at the box office.
Durango Snowdown
The 28th annual Snowdown in Durango will be Feb. 1-5. Snowdown features more than 70 activities, including waiter/waitress races, hotel bed races, Spam carving, and the region’s largest nighttime light parade. Visit snowdown.org.
Culinary Classic
The eighth annual Beaver Creek Culinary Classic is Feb. 2-5. The 2006 winter festival features a celebrity chef ski race, grand tasting, MasterChef challenge, cooking demonstrations, wine seminars and live music . More than 30 chefs from Beaver Creek and across the nation will participate. Call 1-888-323-7612.
Winter Carnival
Winter Carnival Weekend will be Feb. 3-5 in Crested Butte. Events include the 20th annual Alley Loop Nordic Marathon, “Dog Chute” K-9 Benefit Race, disco ice skating, Belgian Brewery’s Taste of the Alley, “Big-Air” competition on Elk Avenue and the Adaptive Sports Center’s silent auction, with former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn closing the auction.
The “Dog Chute K-9 Benefit Race is at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 3. To pre-register, visit cbnordic.org or call the Nordic Center at 970-349-1707. Disco ice skating will be 8-11 p.m. at the Crested Butte Nordic Center Ice Rink Feb. 3. The 20th annual Alley Loop Nordic Marathon will be at 10 a.m. Feb. 4. To register, visit cbnordic.org or call 970-349-1707. Cost varies based on race length. New Belgian Brewery’s “Taste of the Alley” will be during the Alley Loop race on the deck of Brick Oven Pizzeria on Elk Avenue. Cost is $20. Big Air runs 4-9 p.m. on Elk Avenue and benefits the Crested Butte Avalanche Center. To register, visit cbavalanchecenter.org or call 970-349-4022.
The Adaptive Sports Center’s 14th annual silent auction will be 3-8 p.m. Feb. 3; 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Feb. 4; and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Treasury Center at the base of Crested Butte Mountain Resort ski area. For information on the auction, call 970-349-2296 or visit adaptivesports.org.
“Lighted Man” back
The Winter Carnival in Steamboat Springs began 93 years ago and continues Feb. 8-12. The signature event, the Night Show Extravaganza, features the “Lighted Man,” who skis down Howelsen Hill’s Lower Face outfitted with more than 200 lights and shooting Roman candles from his backpack. Street events include skijoring, where skiers and snowboarders (6 and up) are pulled behind horses down Steamboat’s Main Street. The Diamond Hitch Parade concludes the carnival with an appearance by the Steamboat Springs High School Ski Marching Band, the only marching band in the country to perform on skis. Visit steamboatchamber.com.
Snowcross Blazing Trails
The seventh annual Crested Butte Snocross Blazing Trails will be Feb. 11-12. Racers from the western United States will compete for prizes and cash in this Mountain States snowmobile racing event that is coordinated by Gunnison County Sno-Trackers. There will be more than 50 races during the two-day event. Both days, qualifying rounds begin at 9 a.m. with races at 10 a.m. at the Crested Butte Town Ranch. Admission to the races is free. For information or to register, visit mssrracing.com or call 970-326-7305 or 970-349-5398.
Mardi Gras Festival
The Mardi Gras Festival will be Feb. 22-28 in Crested Butte. Bead and mask sales begin Feb. 22 at Crested Butte Mountain Resort and in front of the Crested Butte Post Office. The Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball will be at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at Le Bosquet restaurant. Tickets are $75 per person. On Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28, catch flying beads and trinkets during the Mardi Gras parade that fills the streets of downtown Crested Butte at 5 p.m. as the ski slopes close. Other activities include live music, skiing events and more. For information about the parade or to purchase a masquerade ball ticket, contact Crested Butte Mountain Theater at 970-349-0366.
Telemark Workshop
Vail Coed Telemark Workshop will be Feb. 27 at Golden Peak. Cost is $72 for season pass holders, $130 for the lesson and lift ticket. Telemark equipment rentals are available on a first come, first served basis through Vail Sports. For information, call the Vail Nordic Ski School, 970-479-3210. For information on lodging and other events, visit vail.com or call 800-404-3535.
