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Colorado Ski Season 2020-2021

November 18, 2020 By Claire Garlick Leave a Comment

Colorado Ski Season: Guide on when resorts open, COVID-19 rules

The 2020-21 Colorado ski and snowboard season is here. And like most things this year, it will look a little different due to COVID-19.

The good news is that most of the time when skiing or snowboarding — coronavirus pandemic or not — you’re probably already wearing a mask. The bad news is, well, Colorado ski season will not only look different in general, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic — it’ll also look different from resort to resort.

While there’s currently no statewide mandate on how to keep people safe during ski season, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has put out guidance for ski areas to follow, in order to reopen. Using that guidance, each ski area (with assistance from their local health agency) will develop their own COVID-19 rules for visitors.

Those plans must be approved by the state before the mountain can reopen to the public. And if a ski area is part of a family of resorts (like Vail Resorts) or a pass provider (like Epic Pass), there may be even more specific rules that apply. When in doubt, check the ski area website or give them a call if you can’t find answers online.

So, what should you consider before going skiing in Colorado this year?

  • Figure out if you need a reservation first. Some ski areas are requiring them, some aren’t — and some are giving first priority to pass holders. Skiing multiple mountains in one day? You’ll need to check what the requirements on each mountain are.
  • Buy your ticket in advance. Even if the resort may plan to have onsite lift ticket purchasing available, those plans could quickly change based on COVID-19 restrictions in that county, or due to exposure. Buying your ticket online or over the phone is a safer bet.
  • Check out your parking and shuttle options. The Winter Park Ski Train is out of the question this year, and the Snowstang buses that serve Arapahoe Basin, Loveland and Steamboat Springs may not be operating either. Also — shuttles from parking lots may require extra time due to reduced passenger capacity and social distancing measures.
  • Pack a lunch. Check the ski area’s website to see what dining options are available. Capacity at cafeterias will likely be reduced, full bar service may not be available and some on-mountain dining areas may be closed. If you really need that bowl of chili instead of packing a sandwich, bring a credit card — many ski areas have resorted to cashless transactions.
  • Know that you may not be able to ride the chair lift or gondola with your group. Whether you can all ride together in the same chairlift or gondola will depend on the rules of each resort. Make a plan ahead of time with your group to stay in touch.
  • Mentally prepare for this year to be different. Physical distancing measures, face coverings, temperature checks, reduced Après-ski gatherings and more are all on the table. Measures will vary from resort to resort.

 

Colorado Ski Area And Resort Opening Dates For 2020-2021

All the dates listed are subject to change.

 

Article originally published at https://www.cpr.org/2020/11/11/colorado-ski-area-opening-day-coronavirus/.

Filed Under: Colorado Updates, Community, Explore Colorado, Health and Fitness, Just For Fun, Things to Do, Travel Tagged With: Community, COVID-19, Just For Fun, Local News, Nature, Out and About, Skiing, Things to Do, Travel, Winter

Train Your Muscles Without a Gym

July 13, 2020 By Claire Garlick Leave a Comment

Get to a nearby park and get in shape (safely).

Now that stay-at-home restrictions are easing, those of us interested in strong, healthy muscles but wearied by burpees in the living room may want to consider heading to the nearest reopened park or playground for weight training. Experts note that you can perform most standard exercises there if you’re willing to use your imagination — you can even recruit your children to help as giggling, resistance-adding workout partners. What follows are a few moves for a full-body, sun-drenched routine. (Wear a face mask, observe social distancing and use gloves or hand sanitizer to protect yourself and others, of course.)

For a lower-body workout, find a tree trunk.

In the park, look for a tree narrow enough to encircle with your arms. Hug it. Then squat, bottom out, knees bent to almost 90 degrees. Hold a few seconds and repeat the full squat or pulse shorter ones, moving up and down rapidly a few inches at a time. As Dannah Bollig, a personal trainer in Chicago and a former Division I soccer player, explained, “You just took your barre class outside” and worked muscles in your thighs and backside. You can perform the same exercise using a basketball hoop or light pole, she said.

Use a park bench as a step stool or dip bar.

Instead of lounging on it, a park bench (in good repair) can be used for for “step ups, box jumps and hands-elevated push-ups,” said Adam Rosante, a New York-based personal trainer. In non-gym jargon: Face the bench and rapidly step onto and off it, first with one foot then the other. The fit and well-coordinated might try it with both feet together, hopping.

For upper-body strengthening, face the bench from far enough away that when you lean against it, your arms and back are straight. Lower yourself toward the bench by bending your elbows until your chest almost touches the bench. Push back up. Repeat until your upper arms start to wobble like noodles.

Park benches and low playground equipment also work well for dips, which strengthen the upper-arm muscles, said Jeremy Loenneke, an assistant professor of health, exercise and recreation science at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Situate yourself at one end, back to the bench, with your arms holding the edge of the bench behind you. Then lower yourself until your elbows are bent to about 90 degrees. “The movement can be made easier by bringing the feet closer,” Dr. Loenneke said, “or more difficult by walking the feet out further.”

Head to the monkey bars with your little helper.

One of the best resistance exercises, pull-ups work your entire upper body and midsection. You could use tree branches, but their health and carrying power can be suspect, so better to head for the monkey bars at the playground. (You should also check with your local parks and recreation department to find out if public playgrounds have reopened and whether adults are welcome.) Grab the bar about shoulder-width apart, palms facing out, and pull yourself up. Here’s a good playtime opportunity for toddlers who are game: For greater resistance, swing your little one onto your shoulders before starting, creating a piggyback pull-up, said Simon Walker, a professor of exercise science at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland. Afterward, perhaps, drop down gently and try some piggyback push-ups, he said.

If you cannot complete a pull-up — and many of us cannot — try lifting both of your legs while you hang from the bars, Mrs. Bollig said, either with or without your knees bent, which works the upper body and midsection.

Tire yourself out with a tire swing.

Finally, bear in mind that to our muscles, weight is weight, Dr. Walker pointed out, whether it comes in the form of a barbell or a boulder — our biceps, glutes, quads and other muscles will strengthen and grow similarly in response to lifting either. So, look for natural weights in the park or playground, including branches, logs and stones. Heft them “the way you would dumbbells or kettlebells,” Mr. Rosante said. “Use them to add weight on a variety of squats, lunges, hip thrusts and overhead presses.” If you hold a rock in each hand during these moves, make sure that they are of about the same weight, for balance.

Tire swings, too, can double as dumbbells, Mr. Rosante pointed out. Hold the tire by your side with one hand and shrug your shoulder up, for a “single-arm shrug”; or stand sideways to it, grasp, twist and raise it for “low to high woodchoppers”; or pass it to a partner like a medicine ball.

And should all of these exercises start to become easy and familiar, “set a timer for 10 minutes and see how many times you can make it through the entire playground,” Mr. Rosante suggested, a workout that should challenge the fittest and be, he said, “seriously fun.”

 

Article originally published at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/at-home/workout-without-a-gym-coronavirus.html

Filed Under: Health and Fitness, Just For Fun, Things to Do Tagged With: COVID-19, Health and Fitness, Just For Fun, Things to Do

Homes for sale Colorado Springs and Monument Colorado
Claire Boynton, The Platinum Group Realtors Monument Colorado Real Estate

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