Dylan focuses on some steep powder at Mirkwood Basin, courtesy of a free 5th-grade ski passport issued by Colorado Ski Country USA. Click on the photo for more information on the pass.
SUMMIT COUNTY — “Is that Pike’s Peak, Dad?” Dylan said last winter, panting after hiking to the top of Monarch Ski Area’s powder-filled Mirkwood Basin.
Located near the center of Colorado, Monarch is a great place to combine skiing with a quick geography lesson, a fun benefit of the free 5th-grade ski passport offered to Colorado students by the state’s ski resort trade group.
The view from Monarch’s 11,960-foot summit ski area spans a big slice of the state’s major ranges. Pikes Peak looms to the east. The East and West San Juans show up as jagged sawtooths on the southern horizon, and the Elks and West Elks rise to the west.
As we visited about half of Colorado’s ski resorts last winter, we tried to learn a little bit about the history of each area and how they are part of the state’s cultural and economic fabric — not a bad deal when you combine a little knowledge with three days free skiing at each of the member resorts.
Colorado Ski Country USA is about to launch applications for this year’s edition of the passport. More information is online at www.coloradoski.com/Passes/PassportProgram/, and information on the passes will also be available at some of the Labor Day retail ski gear sales around the state.
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