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Editor’s Picks: Summit County’s best bets for the weekend

The Ullympics are back on Saturday, Jan. 16 and registration is free to participate in group ski racing, a ski boot relay and more.
Carl Scofield / Breckenridge Tourism Office |

The older I get, the worse the falls hurt.

I was coming down Frosty at Breckenridge Ski Resort, following my guide on the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance’s Ski Through History tour on Monday. So far, it had been a great day — chilly, but only on when riding the lifts, and I was learning a lot about the history of the town while at the same time getting to snowboard on a work day. I’ll be totally honest, it was only my second day out on my board. This winter, after moving out to Fairplay, I bought cross-country skis, so I could enhance my hermit lifestyle by avoiding the resorts. I love the alone time on my skis, and our 1-year-old Chesapeake can’t get enough of the activity.

I can’t blame my guide; she was going fast enough, so that we didn’t get bored, but not so fast we couldn’t keep up. With the recent lack of fresh snow, it was a bit icy on the trail coming down, and I was trying my best not to be “that snowboarder” by not scraping all the snow down the hill as I went. If you’re familiar with Breckenridge, you know there are a few bumps on the left side of that trail toward the bottom next to the lift. But it’s been a while since I’d been out, and I forgot those bumps until it was too late. A better snowboarder would have bent their knees and taken the bumps like a champ, but instead I tried to slow myself down right as I hit it. As I was falling, I distinctly remember saying to myself something along the lines of, “Oh, I really hope this one doesn’t do any real damage” and probably some other words that would get edited out of this column. Sometimes, you have those falls where time seems to stop, and you just know this one is going to hurt. I only landed on my behind, not my back, but hit my tailbone hard enough that my goggles and helmet went a few inches backward on my head. As I sat there and assessed, one of the participants on the tour came up behind me to see if I was OK, saying, “I think you found every piece of grass on this trail.” It was true; I somehow had scraped up the snow enough to find green. At the time, I was more embarrassed then hurt; it was a dumb fall — all the skiers on my tour were doing elegant turns, and here the lone snowboarder couldn’t even stay upright. I’ve had falls to where my head was facing down the mountain, but none of them have hurt as bad the next day — I guess I’m not in my 20s anymore. I called my dad the next day; “I hurt myself,” I said. He sighed, “How bad?” — not surprised at all. Ever since I moved to Summit County five years ago, he waits for calls like this one — like when I had a concussion my first season out. He’s resigned himself to the fact that, one day, I’m going to break a bone, so this call didn’t seem so bad.



I think this must be what getting hit by a car would feel like. It’s day three, and I can finally move around a little better and less like a robot. The mountain beat me that day, but I’ll be back. Maybe I’ll stick to my cross-country skis until I heal.

ULLR FEST



Ullr Fest continues Friday and Saturday with more events. I hope everyone made it out to the parade and bonfire yesterday, but if not, don’t fear — Breckenridge has even more goodies lined up for the weekend. The Hangover Breakfast hosted by Quandary Grill and Poached is from 10 a.m. to noon at Main Street Station Plaza and, following that, is the Ice Plunge. New this year, watch people crazy enough to jump into Maggie Pond in January or take the challenge yourself. There’s a fat bike race at the Gold Run Nordic Center, a comedy night and finish the evening up with a Bucks hockey game. On Saturday, events continue with an ice skating party, Ullympics and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival rounds out the evening. See story on Page A14 for more on the film festival.

MUSIC

A highlight of the evening when it comes to live music is two nights of Motet at Warren Station on Saturday, Jan. 16 and Sunday, Jan. 17. This funky Colorado band has been around since 1997, bringing their jams to festivals and touring extensively around the nation. I’ve been to plenty of Motet shows and they are always a great time, and the band only continues to get better and gain popularity over the years. The band will be headlining Red Rocks this summer with Medeski, Martin and Wood. Check out a feature about Motet in Saturday’s paper.

SKI THROUGH HISTORY

Fall aside, the Ski Through History tours put on by the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance are a fun afternoon activity whether you are a local or just visiting. The town has a colorful history when it comes to mining and the early days of the resort, and this tour is a really entertaining way to learn more and ask questions. While skiing the mountain, learn why the runs are named the way they are and the history behind it. The tours are Mondays from 1–4 p.m. Go to breckheritage.com/ski-through-history-tour/ to learn more, and look for a full article on this tour in next week’s Summit Daily.


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