August 2010 – Jonathan Lawson (aka Jonnie Law)

Breckenridge Parking during ski season

1.6 million skier/rider days make Breckenridge one of the most popular destinations in the world. Parking in Breckenridge can be at a premium. If you are staying in Breckenridge, you probably have a parking spot and use the excellent bus system to get from your home to the Gondola.

But if you are like many who visit Breckenridge for some skiing, here is a quick primer on parking. When you are arriving from the North, I-70 and Frisco, you will first see the FREE parking on Coyne Valley Rd (stoplight) make a right turn and you will be guided to the Airport Rd parking lot. There are many buses which can take you from Airport Rd to the Gondola (1mi).

Parking for the 2010-11 season will be the same as last year. $5 Monday-Thursday, and $10 Friday-Sunday with $5 discount if there are 4 or more people in the vehicle! That’s right FREE parking during the week if you have 4 or more in the vehicle. You may also buy a season’s parking pass for $159.

If you come into Breckenridge (which I would suggest). You have convenient options. The map to the right shows you 3 of the main lots. When you pass the Breckenridge Recreation Center, make a right BEFORE you get to the roundabout, this will keep you on HWY 9. You will pass the City Market on your left. Make your first left on North French St, and this will take you to the NORTH GONDOLA Lot. This lot is paved, so during a wet spring it is a good option.

However there are two more options if these fill. Go to the next street and make left on Watson Rd, then a right into the SOUTH GONDOLA lot. This is an unpaved lot, but still very convenient. The Gold Rush and Postal Lot (possibly returning) are overflow lots. These will both be charged at the rate of the Gondola lots.

BONUS: Insider Tip

During busy days Weekends or Holidays, instead of making the right before the roundabout go THROUGH the roundabout. Drive down Main St, then make a RIGHT on Watson Rd. You will see Ski Country Sports (Yellow Building). You will access the South Gondola lot and save yourself 5-10 minutes.

The Gondola will take you to the bases of Peak 7 and Peak 8 (Main Facilities base). You can pick up lift passes at the base of the Gondola.

First Snow hits the High Country, Colorado

We have been enjoying our summer riding, rafting, parades and golf. However, we can’t help but think towards the autumn season and golf. And this morning Park County, CO highest peaks saw a little snow.

: The first snow in Ski Country falls outside of Breckenridge

I had a pleasant surprise when we woke this morning. Although skiing and snowboarding came to mind initially, I started thinking about the great events and weekends in Breckenridge coming in the fall. The Labor Day Weekend offers cool mountain air and sunshine. There are art festivals right behind Ski County Sports. Then one of the great events of the autumn, Breckenridge Oktoberfest on Sept 17th weekend.

The golf courses, mountain bike trails, fishing, and hiking are all in prime condition this time of the year. There is no reason to have to endure city traffic and 90+ temps when Breckenridge and Summit County is so easy to visit.

Dynamic Warmup for Skiing – Elsbeth Vaino

This is a repost of Elsbeth Vaino’s MySnowPro.com Blog. This is an excellent pre-ski day routine. Visit Elsbeth’s blog regularly. You may follow it via an RSS feed, by selecting “subscribe to the feed” in the right hand column of her blog page. Thanks Elsbeth.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should do some sort of warmup before a day of skiing, I can provide a simple answer for you: Yes. What you should do is a bit more of a challenge. To help with this, I have created a video that shows a set of 9 activation exercises and dynamic stretches that will help to prepare your body for the ski day ahead.

Each exercise can be done on snow, in your boots, and the only equipment you need is your poles. The warm-up includes:

– Pectoral stretch

– Lower trapezius activation

– Thoracic spine rotational stretch

– Fore-aft leg swings

– Rotational leg swings

– Psoas activation

– Glute medius activation

– Lunge stretch with lateral reach

– Lateral squat with hip rotation

Do 5 reps of each exercise on each side with a 2-3 second hold for each. Then follow it up with an easy run to get a feel for the skis and the conditions. Move a lot during that first run – think 1000 steps and exagerated and repeated flexions/extensions (small/tall). Try a few hockey stops and a few roller blade turns. Then you’ll be ready to enjoy the fact that you’re spending the day doing he best activity on earth.

When you’re back at home or in the hotel room, think about foam rolling: your body will thank you tomorrow if you do. If you’re not familiar with foam rolling, check out this blog article about it, as well as this set of how-to videos.