Arapahoe Basin Opens
Jones No More, the 2006-2007 Ski Season is Here
For many of us, it begins with an email, or phone call from a friend, then a frantic head-first dive into the closet to dig out a hat, gloves, goggles, maybe some wax and an edge tool.
That's how Colorado's 2006-2007 winter season began for me the other day, when word came that Arapahoe Basin would be opening one intermediate trail on the bottom half of the mountain on Oct. 13. A Friday, no less, but not unlucky at all if you're a skier or a snowboarder.
That early season strip of man-made snow has sometimes been tabbed – unfairly, in my opinion – as the white ribbon of death, for all the potential mayhem and carnage that can occur when you put several hundred speed-seekers on a patch of snow that's not much bigger than the floor space in one of the McMansions sprouting throughout Rocky Mountain ski country.
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ACTION!
Aspen Steps in to Save Movie TheaterThe city of Aspen has stepped in to keep the lights on -- or rather, off -- in the resort town's last remaining movie theater.
It's a unique approach in a unique town where amenities like movie theaters and bookstores struggle to stay open amid soaring land prices.
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WILD BILL
Rex Rammell Could Be a HeroThey say you should address the issue, not the person. But in this case, I'm going to make an exception because like most people, I like to give credit where credit is due, to honor somebody who has done something not many people have been able to do.
Which brings me to Dr. Rex Rammell, the now-notorious owner of a game farm near the west edge of Yellowstone National Park--you know, the one with a big hole its fence.
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'WORLD'S GREATEST SKI TOWN'
Outside Goes Aspen
Aspen may never be able to scramble to the top of SKI magazine’s list of readers’ favorite resorts, but Outside magazine calls the burg below the “world’s greatest ski town.” That’s gotta count for something.
In the November issue heading now to newsstands, the magazine set up shop in Aspen for its 2007 Snow Report, where it says “the backcountry’s in, stuffy lodges are out.”
Whether or not that’s really true, it’s a refreshing take on a town better known for those stuffy lodges than its beckoning backcountry.
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'SCRAMBLING FOR SOLUTIONS'
Affordable Housing Woes Plague Colorado Resort RegionIn Summit County, where more than two-thirds of the houses are second homes, the average home price is nearly 10 times the average income. In Steamboat Springs, housing prices have risen so high that families are disappearing from town. In Grand County, home to Winter Park, the construction industry is booming, but construction workers have trouble finding housing.
Those are some of the problems communities across the state face as rising housing prices outpace incomes and threaten to change the face of towns throughout the resort region, housing advocates say.
"We're all scrambling for solutions," said Susan Shirley, director of the Mountain Regional Housing Corp., a nonprofit seeking affordable housing solutions in the Roaring Fork Valley.
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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
Western Slope Seen as Key in Colorado Governor’s RaceThe Western Slope may lack the voter numbers of the urban Front Range, but both colorado's gubernatorial candidates view the region as important territory to win in November.
That's particularly true of the 3rd Congressional District, a vast swath of the state that includes much of the Western Slope, plus the southeastern city of Pueblo. Some observers view the area, with a large bloc of moderate voters, as being a tie-breaker between Front Range conservatives in Colorado Springs and parts of Denver, and liberals in Boulder and other parts of Denver.
"We need to win in the 3rd Congressional," said Rep. Bob Beauprez, a Republican, whose running mate, Janet Rowland, is a Mesa County commissioner. Beauprez has pledged to buy a Western Slope home so he can stay close to regional issues. "I believe in the other districts, we're going to break even. How we do on the Western Slope is how we're going to go down when the election is over."
Democrats take heart in the recent success of some key Democrats in western Colorado, including Rep. John Salazar, his brother Sen. Ken Salazar and state Rep. Kathleen Curry. All three have seen success in a part of the state often considered conservative. Much of the region has a strong bloc of independent voters, though, including Garfield County where independents have recently outnumbered Republicans and Democrats.
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'ACHILLES' HEEL?'
In Governor’s Race, Beauprez Aims for ImmigrationRep. Bob Beauprez said illegal immigration is the "Achilles' heel" of his opponent Bill Ritter, and he plans to press the issue in the remaining weeks of the governor's race in an effort to close in on the frontrunner.
"We're going to keep tweaking that Achilles' heel until it breaks," Beauprez, a Republican, told supporters on Wednesday before a debate at Rifle High School. "I believe on Nov. 7 we're going to have victory."
Ritter, a Democrat, said he doubts Beauprez will get much traction on an issue that has divided the Republican Party, with business interests often relying on immigrant workers.
"There are reasons that I think he's struggling with some normal Republican constituents and a lot of it is, he's talking about immigration in politically-convenient ways but not about solutions that are achievable," Ritter told the Aspen Daily News on Thursday after a breakfast meeting with supporters in Glenwood Springs.
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RIFLE SHOOTOUT
Colorado Guv Hopefuls Meet in Energetic DebateGubernatorial hopefuls squared off on energy issues in Rifle on Wednesday in a debate that highlighted western Colorado's emerging role as the center of the state's natural gas boom.
Democrat Bill Ritter called for the state to do more to oversee the industry and mitigate environmental and social impacts that can come along with it. He criticized his opponent's environmental voting record as a congressman.
Rep. Bob Beauprez, a Republican, accused Ritter of trying to shut down the energy industry and pledged to balance industry needs and environmental concerns.
The debate focused primarily on energy issues, but Beauprez also pressed immigration issues, saving his last words to fire a salvo at Ritter, accusing him of plea-bargaining 152 felony cases of illegal immigrants to avoid deportation when he was Denver's district attorney.
"They're aliens," Beauprez said. "They committed a crime. Get them out of here."
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WILD BILL
Idaho Wolf Kill Shot Down, Anybody Surprised?
I understand why they do it. Their political bosses make them do it. But someday, I'd like to see an estimate of the amount of energy and money government officials waste by charging headlong and unarmed into issues knowing they have no chance of success.
A great example is the recently shot down plan by the Idaho Fish and Game Department to kill up to 75 percent of the wolves in one hunting district in central Idaho. I have to ask, Is anybody surprised this kneejerk plan went down in flames?
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PEAK POPULARITY
Peaks Suffer From Wear, but Aspen 14ers Fare Better Than SomeTalk about a tough job, but a good view out the office window.
Beth Grady and Andrew Larson spent the last two summers climbing 21 of Colorado's Fourteeners as researchers for the Peak Rangers program of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, a program co-founded by the Forest Service. They discovered that while some of the state's most popular climbs have paid the cost of foot traffic, the more technical peaks around Aspen have weathered their popularity a little better.
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