Primal Outdoors » Festivals

Massive Frisco Gold Rush bonfire!

Primal Outdoors — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:02:53 +0000

I just happened to be driving through Frisco, Colorado last weekend right when the Frisco Gold Rush bonfire was blazing. And it was massive! I pulled over to get some shots of the blaze that had flames easily reaching 30-40 feet into the sky. The city of Frisco was using a front end loader to dump loads of wood palettes and trees onto the fire creating quite the winter inferno!

This baby was really pumping out some heat on that cold winter night!

Spectators gather around the bonfire by the marina in Frisco, Colorado

C’mon baby light my fire! Try to set the night on … FIRE!

Plan now for WYDAHO Rendezvous Mountain Bike Festival in July

Primal Outdoors — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 20:44:52 +0000

Three reasons to attend the WYDAHO Rendezvous Mountain Bike Festival, July 27-29: it’s in the Tetons; it’s all about mountain bikes; and it’s sponsored by Snake River Brewing. Nuff said. Registration and details available here.

Sweet mountain town festivals this summer

Primal Outdoors — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 01:10:21 +0000

My new short write ups on some fantastic summer mountain town festival guides are now live on MountainGetaway.com. These would be some truly amazing festivals to attend.

Michael Franti rocks the Taos Solar Music Festival

Summer Teva Mountain Games hits Vail in two weeks

Primal Outdoors — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:39:53 +0000

The age of adventure-sports mountain festivals is well underway. The Summer Teva Mountain Games, May 31 to June 3 in Vail, Colo., is one of these splashy multi-day events that fuse adventure sports, art, music, “mountain culture” and partying, and attract everyone from amateurs to weekend warriors to world-class athletes.

Let’s take a look at some of the athletic events at the upcoming Teva games … cross country mountain biking — I like it. Road cycling — cool. Mud running — always fun. Full contact kayaking — what the? Stand-up surfcross — interesting. And there’s a lot more: climbing/bouldering, dog competitions, fishing, more mountain bike disciplines and running like the Vail Pass half marathon.

Non-sports events include a mountain photo competition, outside adventure film school, outdoors film series and on-site art. Toss in a bunch of free concerts including Keller Williams and you’ve got one “epic” fest.

Registration is ongoing, or participants can register on-site starting May 30. Luckily, Vail sits right next to Interstate-70 with easy access to and from Denver (except for periodic slow downs due to heavy traffic). Vail also has plenty of hotel accommodations.

Marathon and Bluegrass Festival in Salida, Colo.

Primal Outdoors — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:52:25 +0000

The Arkansas River Bluegrass Marathon and Half Marathon, Sunday, May 27, is one of the only marathons/bluegrass festivals I know about, and the idyllic mountain town of Salida, Colo., makes the perfect location. I love that town. I like stopping there for dinner after skiing nearby Monarch Ski Area. Registration includes free lunch and a free pass to the Salida Hot Springs Pool. If you’re a long-distance guru then this is a must-not-miss race! I checked registration and spots are still available. Runners are coming from all over including Arizona, Wyoming, Texas, Iowa and Wisconsin. This would be one to keep on the radar for next year, too.

Buena Vista Bike Fest on May 19: still time to register

Primal Outdoors — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:25:33 +0000

Buena Vista, Colo., is one of my favorite Colorado mountain towns. The culture is based on outdoors recreation, arts and festivals. It’s one of the world’s top whitewater rafting and kayaking destinations. The mountain biking and the road cycling is phenomenal. The Buena Vista Bike Fest is one of the town’s signature events. Up to 800 cyclists take off from Buena Vista on either a 35-mile, half century, metric century or the century route (routes here). The routes include breathtaking Colorado scenery including the Collegiate Peaks, a set of 14ers that dominate the horizon to the west of Buena Vista. This is a self-paced ride, not a race; it’s a celebration of bikes, the outdoors and mountain-town culture. The post ride party includes live blue grass by Grass it Up, microbrews, food and prizes. Get there if you can!

It’s one of those events that make life so good