The area will be hosting The Spyder Grind, an uphill, downhill adventure race designed to introduce new participants to backcountry skiing as well as challenge veteran skiers. Races are modeled after European randonee events with competitors beginning on foot and running to clip into their skis. Athletes skin uphill on a challenging course and race down to the finish. The race category vertical is approximately 4,500 ft., while the recreational category is 2,000 ft.

The Splashdown Pond Skimming Championships hits Steamboat once again for a 5th season on Closing Day – Sunday, April 15th! Wrapping up another epic season at Steamboat, this event has antics like you wouldn’t believe. The Splashdown Pond Skimming Championships brings brave (and slightly crazy) skiers and riders in costume with a dream – of crossing the icy pond successfully – and, if they’re lucky, with style!

You can watch this event on Stampede at the Base of the Steamboat Ski Area.

From Copper Mountain:

Sunday, April 15 at high noon, Copper Mountain and Woodward at Copper will be hosting the inaugural SlopeSoakers: Floating Rail Jam. Positioned in front of Jill’s deck, the pond will have a rail floating on top of inner tubes creating a unique spin on the traditional pond skim. Come watch some of the best athletes around get soaked on our slopes. This event is free for contestants and spectators.

This hilarious event is one not to miss. The 5th annual Schneetag event (pronounced Sch-knee Tog) invites teams of four to create a craft that they will pilot down a slope by Spider Sabich Race Arena at the base of the superpipe on Snowmass and attempt to float across a 40×100 foot pond. Every team has a theme and will perform a skit before they descend. This event is just as ridiculous and entertaining as it sounds. Each team is judged based on creativity, skit performance, craft construction and success in riding the course. Prizes will include a trip to the ESPN Summer X Games in Los Angeles, tickets to Rock Jam in Grand Junction and tickets to a Colorado Rockies game in Denver. Visit www.aspensnowmass.com/schneetag for more info.

From Copper Mountain:

Calling all Grizzly Adams and Madams — Time to pull yourself up by your longjohns and cross “run through a giant pit of hot chocolate” off your bucket list. The CopperMan winter adventure race is geared towards thrill-seeking snow-lovers ready to tackle the snow and sun during Copper’s Sunsation weekend. Participants will suit up in costumes and embark on the ~3K course through Copper’s base areas, finishing in Center Village where live music, a beer garden and outdoor food will await!

Compete in the Keystone Slush Cup for your chance to win one of three Summit Passes! Award categories include: Best Costume, Best Crash, and Best Overall. This contest is a qualifier for the World Championships at Vail on April 15th, 2012. Space is limited to 100 contestants. Entry fee to compete is $35.

Monarch’s signature event, the 7th Annual Kayaks on Show, is back once again. Contestants race head to head, similar to Skier Cross, down a specially designed course featuring berms, banks, and bumps, ending in an icy pond. This event is as fun to watch as it is to race. Sponsors will be on hand to provide plenty of stoke for this unique event, including Mountain Khakis, Bolle, Colorado Kayak Supply, Camelbak, Cliff Bar/Aquaphor, and The North Face.

From their Facebook Page: “We are really sad to do this, but due to the conditions, we are cancelling the Kayaks On Snow.”

We are bringing back our infamous on-mountain Colorado Scavenger Hunt series and were adding a couple to the west coast! This is a day to don your best costume, chase chickens, search for bigfoot and answer some ridiculous riddles all while skiing, raising money for a great local non-profit, and bonding with your friends – or the person you meet in the check-in line and decided to sign up as a team. So! Get a buddy or 4, bring $10 per person and your ski pass, or purchase a lift ticket, and join the fleet of New Belgium characters on the slopes for a Scavenger Hunt like no other…

Benefits the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado: www.sustainablecolorado.org

www.newbelgium.com/hunt

Racers of all ages will have the opportunity to meet, race and compete with current and former U.S. Ski Team members. Catch the live music, Warren Miller film screenings, parties, sponsor demos, race video, and more.

From Eldora:

This is a day to don your best costume, chase chickens, search for bigfoot and answer some ridiculous riddles all while skiing, raising money for a great local non-profit, and bonding with your friends – or the person you met in the check-in line and decided to sign up as a team with. So! Get a buddy or 3, bring $10 per person and your ski pass, or purchase a lift ticket, and join the fleet of New Belgium characters on the slopes for a Scavenger Hunt like no other…

All proceeds from the Scavenger Hunt will support Leave No Trace. A Boulder-based Non-Profit with the global focus of teaching people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly.

www.newbelgium.com/hunt

From Aspen/Snowmass:

The Colorado Freeride Championships consists of a qualifying event plus a one-day championship event. The qualifying event is open to the public, skiers and snowboarders, men & women, 16 years or older (athletes under the age of 18 will need to have a parent present to sign the waiver). The events will be held on Snowmass’ famed Hanging Valley Headwall and Burn Side Cliffs, steep faces littered with rocks, cliffs and hanging snowfields.

Butterfly Roundup is one of the feature events at Monarch this year. Teams of two hunt around the mountain collecting colored butterfly stickers worth various points, and the top three teams win prize packages. There are extra points awarded for costumes, and the event is open to all ages. The cost is $10 per team. For more information, call (719) 530-5081.