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Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, w…
Humans have always h…
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to …
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, ge…
Sometimes, writing a…
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, getting splashed in a Halloween horror show in the basement of a spaghetti emporium, sweating through a DIY D&D in a comic shop, savoring (har har!) Sweeney Todd’s enraged high notes, and trying to quiet my howling dog in a public house. I’ve found myself in some odd and awkward scenarios. To update the metaphor, writing this column is a lot like drunk-clicking through an endless algorithm o…
Jessie Hanson
January 8, 2020
We all like to make resolutions after a new year. It's a time to start anew; a beginning to a newer and better you. At least, that's what I read in a motivational book somewhere. In reality, it's pr…
We all like to make …
We all like to make resolutions after a new year. It's a time to start anew; a beginning to a newer and better you. At least, that's what I read in a motivational book somewhere. In reality, it's pretty hard to follow every new years resolution you make. Regardless, it's a good way of organizing a set of goals to achieve in the new year, which is why I've prepared a list of new years resolutions for wilderness adventurers. Learn How to Cross Country Ski Cross country skiing is both great exercise and a great way to see the great outdoors during the snowy season. There are loads o…
Sam Skelton
January 1, 2024
Gregory Canyon's trailhead has seen better days. Currently, it's actually in the process of seeing better days, because construction vehicles are finally beginning to rebuild the road that was destro…
Gregory Canyon's tra…
Gregory Canyon's trailhead has seen better days. Currently, it's actually in the process of seeing better days, because construction vehicles are finally beginning to rebuild the road that was destroyed in last year's floods. I hadn't been in the Gregory Canyon area since before Boulder's big flooding incident, so this road was quite a shock to me, but it was merely foreshadowing what was yet to come on the trail. The Saddle Rock trail looks quite a bit different since the floods. The flooding paved a huge riverbed through the forest area, leaving behind all of the bits n' bobs of nature…
Sam Skelton
January 27, 2022
We've all got problems in life, and many of these problems become apparent during college.College is the first step of the rest of your life, and often times, that first step turns into more of a stum…
We've all got proble…
We've all got problems in life, and many of these problems become apparent during college.College is the first step of the rest of your life, and often times, that first step turns into more of a stumble. Luckily, there's a way to ensure that your first step isn't a stumble. In fact, I could ensure you that your step will be more majestic than Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon. How do you take this majestic first step, you wonder? Well, all it takes is one book. University of Colorado graduates David Westreich and Scott Sharp Armstrong have just released their latest book, the …
Sam Skelton
December 17, 2021
BestCollegeReviews recently put up a list of the fifty best college towns in America, and the number one slot was saved for none other than Boulder, Colorado. Boulder is no stranger to being includ…
BestCollegeReviews r…
BestCollegeReviews recently put up a list of the fifty best college towns in America, and the number one slot was saved for none other than Boulder, Colorado. Boulder is no stranger to being included in these "best of" lists for college towns, either. Previously, Travel and Leisure put Boulder as the sixth best college town on their list. AIER also previously listed Boulder as the best small metro college city. Livability also gave Boulder the number one spot for the best college town back in 2013. Really, anyone living in Boulder knows just how great it is. In case anyone has forgotten, …
Sam Skelton
December 11, 2021
Normally, when you're celebrating someone's hundredth birthday, you're not talking about climbing mountains. The hundredth birthday Rocky Mountain National Park, however, is a little different than…
Normally, when you'r…
Normally, when you're celebrating someone's hundredth birthday, you're not talking about climbing mountains. The hundredth birthday Rocky Mountain National Park, however, is a little different than most birthdays. Back in 1915, on January 26th, Woodrow Wilson signed Rocky Mountain National park into law. People were visiting the gorgeous Rocky Mountains far before 1915, but that's the date when Wilson made things official. Rocky Mountain National park is huge. To give you a basic idea, here's a few interesting stats: More than 260,000 acres of unfathomable beauty. Includes six…
Sam Skelton
January 27, 2015
If you're still looking for a Christmas gift to get your friends with dogs, it may be wise to give them a leash. That, or maybe some classes. Effective on January 1st, Boulder will be introduc…
If you're still look…
If you're still looking for a Christmas gift to get your friends with dogs, it may be wise to give them a leash. That, or maybe some classes. Effective on January 1st, Boulder will be introducing new requirements for the Voice and Sight Control program. What are the new requirements? Well, here's the rundown: What it is: Dog owners who wish to walk their dogs without a leash must attend an education class about Boulder's new expectations. In return, dog owners will receive a special blue tag for their furry companion, which will allow dogs to be legally off-leash. What to …
Sam Skelton
December 24, 2014
Winter in Colorado means a season of skiing, and with every coming year, ski resorts look for new ways to improve the skiing experience. In 2014, Colorado's ski resorts have been very busy with innov…
Winter in Colorado m…
Winter in Colorado means a season of skiing, and with every coming year, ski resorts look for new ways to improve the skiing experience. In 2014, Colorado's ski resorts have been very busy with innovation, and many mountains have introduced some really incredible features. It's hard to get more excited about skiing, but somehow, the resorts keep making that happen. Exciting for Parents: Do you have a child who has never seen a ski mountain? Then you're in luck! Colorado's Aspen Skiing Company spent $5 million redesigning the base of Buttermilk, one of Aspen's four ski areas, i…
Sam Skelton
December 17, 2014
According to a recent article on MSN, Boulder is America's most educated city. It comes as no surprise, looking at Boulder's wide diversity in higher education programs. First, there's Univers…
According to a rece…
According to a recent article on MSN, Boulder is America's most educated city. It comes as no surprise, looking at Boulder's wide diversity in higher education programs. First, there's University of Colorado Boulder: An expansive college that's been in Boulder since 1877. Then, there's Naropa: a liberal arts college that's also one of America's only buddhist universities. There's also Boulder's College of Massage Therapy: where people learn the art of relaxation. Finally, there's Escoffier: School of Culinary Arts, which is a culinary college that likely contributes to Boulder's inc…
Sam Skelton
December 10, 2014
Over a year ago, the floods damaged many of the hiking trails in the Chautauqua area. Many of these trails were repaired fairly quickly, but one took longer than others. The Royal Arch trail was deva…
Over a year ago, the…
Over a year ago, the floods damaged many of the hiking trails in the Chautauqua area. Many of these trails were repaired fairly quickly, but one took longer than others. The Royal Arch trail was devastated by the floods, and it was quite difficult to put it all back together. You may even recognize a few new routes that had to navigate around the flood's more serious damages. It couldn't have been rebuilt without a team of dedicated workers, however. Mike Patton, OSMP director, talked about the reconstruction in a news release. "With combined hard work from the local climbing commun…
Sam Skelton
November 26, 2014
It was around noon on Monday, November 10th when snow blanketed Boulder. This frigid snow blanket, which coated Boulder after a morning high of 66° F, took many residents by surprise. Walking arou…
It was around noon o…
It was around noon on Monday, November 10th when snow blanketed Boulder. This frigid snow blanket, which coated Boulder after a morning high of 66° F, took many residents by surprise. Walking around campus showcased students wearing shorts and T-shirts, reflecting how many people were unprepared for such sudden change in weather. I too, was once unprepared for this sort of weather pattern. I never made that mistake again. I've lived in Colorado my entire life, which means I should be fairly accustomed to Colorado's sudden changes in weather. When I was a freshman at Colorado Unive…
Sam Skelton
November 12, 2014
It's no secret that Boulder is a very bike-friendly town. With bike trails spanning throughout the entire city, it makes transportation particularly convenient for anyone who owns a bike. Transportati…
It's no secret that …
It's no secret that Boulder is a very bike-friendly town. With bike trails spanning throughout the entire city, it makes transportation particularly convenient for anyone who owns a bike. Transportation aside, however, Boulder also has some particularly fun bike trails. Boulder's mountain biking Mecca, however, is Valmont Bike Park. Valmont Bike Park is a mountain biker's paradise. With nearly twenty trails ranging from every difficulty, there is something here for mountain bikers of all skill levels, and it's free for everyone to access. Valmont Bike Park is still fairly new, ope…
Sam Skelton
November 5, 2014
For today's Pay-it-Forward Friday, AboutBoulder and B-Cycle have teamed up for one more promotion before Colorado's weather gets too chilly. B-Cycle, for those who aren't familiar, is a company th…
For today's Pay-it-F…
For today's Pay-it-Forward Friday, AboutBoulder and B-Cycle have teamed up for one more promotion before Colorado's weather gets too chilly. B-Cycle, for those who aren't familiar, is a company that offers temporary rentable bikes which people can pick up and drop off at their many B-Cycle stations in Boulder. There are more than two dozen B-Cycle stations scattered throughout Boulder. In order to win, you must take a selfie at any of B-Cycle's stations a…
Sam Skelton
October 31, 2014
On Monday, October 27th, pilot Steven Moore's single-engine plane crashed and burst into flames after taking off from Boulder Municipal Airport. According to an official statement, Moore unfortunate…
On Monday, October 2…
On Monday, October 27th, pilot Steven Moore's single-engine plane crashed and burst into flames after taking off from Boulder Municipal Airport. According to an official statement, Moore unfortunately died in the crash. Steven Moore, who was an experienced pilot, was a role model for many people. He helped hundreds of young pilots make their way through in the aviation industry as the executive director of the National Gay Pilots Association and also served as a pilot for ExpressJet Airlines. The NGPA is an organization that supports diversity in aviation and fosters equal treatme…
Sam Skelton
October 29, 2014
Due to an overwhelming response last time, we contacted the guys at Cloud Nine Float Center again and they're giving away even MORE float sessions! What is floating? Well, have you ever experienced…
Due to an overwhelmi…
Due to an overwhelming response last time, we contacted the guys at Cloud Nine Float Center again and they're giving away even MORE float sessions! What is floating? Well, have you ever experienced zero gravity before? If you're not an astronaut, then that's likely a big "no," but for today's Pay-it-Forward-Friday, you don't need to be a big fancy astronaut to experience zero gravity. In fact, all you need to do is just relax. At Cloud Nine Float Center, relaxation is key. They use state-of-the-art sensory deprivation tanks that use skin-temperature water to give people the sensation …
Sam Skelton
October 17, 2014
For anyone who's been sitting under a rock, the Colorado greenery is slowly turning into reds and oranges and yellows. It's a prime time to explore the outdoors, and with the weather being so temper…
For anyone who's bee…
For anyone who's been sitting under a rock, the Colorado greenery is slowly turning into reds and oranges and yellows. It's a prime time to explore the outdoors, and with the weather being so temperate, there couldn't be a better time to hike a few more trails before it gets too chilly. I biked up Boulder Canyon last weekend, and the beautiful colored trees made it a real treat. The Boulder Canyon trail can be accessed by traveling west on the Boulder Creek path. It goes along the highway for a short period, but then it starts following alongside a beautiful river. In fact, I almo…
Sam Skelton
October 8, 2014
Recently, a lot of people have noticed black bears investigating the dumpsters behind their homes. Black bears are on the search for more food before they go into hibernation, and they have been ma…
Recently, a lot of …
Recently, a lot of people have noticed black bears investigating the dumpsters behind their homes. Black bears are on the search for more food before they go into hibernation, and they have been making a wealth of recent appearances in Boulder. They'll eat up to 20,000 calories a day, which is almost twice the amount that olympic swimmer Michael Phelps consumes on a daily basis. These bears are on the prowl, and they are ready to wreak some minor havoc. On Saturday, for example, two cubs crashed a wedding. They weren't aggressive, but much like unwanted in-laws, they got a little to…
Sam Skelton
October 1, 2014
AboutBoulder.com has been doing exceptionally well recently. It has grown faster than we ever could have imagined, and continues to exceed our expectations every coming day. AboutBoulder is the go-to…
AboutBoulder.com has…
AboutBoulder.com has been doing exceptionally well recently. It has grown faster than we ever could have imagined, and continues to exceed our expectations every coming day. AboutBoulder is the go-to website for both Boulder and Boulder County and it has lots to offer. First of all, we now have over 20 columnists. That's twenty different people with different areas of expertise, all posting about the great happenings around Boulder. Our categories now range anywhere from business, cycling, food, yoga, health, coffee, and so many more. There's something here for everyone, and each of our col…
Sam Skelton
September 26, 2014
A half inch of snow blanketed northern Colorado on Thursday last week, with eleven days of summer left after it. Last time I checked, it typically isn't supposed to snow in the summer. Colorado …
A half inch of snow…
A half inch of snow blanketed northern Colorado on Thursday last week, with eleven days of summer left after it. Last time I checked, it typically isn't supposed to snow in the summer. Colorado has always been known to have sporadic weather patterns, and with climate change at hand, it's only bound to be more sporadic in the coming months. This is far from a bad thing, however. Winter, how do I love thee? Let me count thy ways... 1. Tis' the Season to Ski and Ride. When someone asks a Coloradan what the best winter activity is, they're probably going to say "ski…
Sam Skelton
September 17, 2014
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