In this episode of the OutThere Colorado Podcast, Spencer and Seth chat about abandoned ski areas, a real estate market that's expected to blast off in 2025, an underground hidden gem, a snowboarder's fall from a ski lift, a new dark sky spot, and more! Oh, and Seth sings a song!
[00:00:00] On the twelfth day of Christmas Colorado gave to me Twelve bikers biking, Eleven skiers skiing, Ten roads a-leaping, Nine parks a-sprawling, Eight elk a-bugling, Seven fish a-swimming, Six lakes a-laying, Five golden trees, Four running rivers, Three buntings, Two sandhill cranes, In a mountain at 14,000 feet.
[00:00:26] There we go, ladies and gentlemen, Seth Foster in the house.
[00:00:29] You are either totally plugged in or you totally plugged out while around, I don't know, nine, the ninth day of Christmas there.
[00:00:36] Yeah, well, welcome to the OutThere Colorado Podcast. I'm Spencer McKee and that was the very talented Seth Boster singing a song of his own creation.
[00:00:46] Call me Burl Ives, please.
[00:00:48] Tell us about the song, Seth.
[00:00:49] There's some interesting bits in here. So yeah, of course, we're playing on 12 days of Colorado.
[00:00:57] 12 days of Colorado.
[00:00:58] And as you can tell, you know, I tried to match the rhythm and the rhymes of the original.
[00:01:01] I think you did a great job.
[00:01:02] But there's, you know, like, so four running rivers.
[00:01:05] I'm talking about four major headwaters in this lovely state being the Colorado, the Arkansas, the Platte and Rio Grande rivers.
[00:01:18] 10 roads a leaping, meaning 10 roads that leap over the Continental Divide.
[00:01:23] There are more than that.
[00:01:25] But, you know, Berthed, Boreas, I thought about.
[00:01:29] Cottonwood Pass, those guys.
[00:01:31] Independence Pass, Trail Ridge Road.
[00:01:34] What else is interesting?
[00:01:36] 14,000 foot mountains.
[00:01:37] No doubt.
[00:01:38] Maybe 58 of those, though, instead of one.
[00:01:40] I mean, five golden trees.
[00:01:43] You know, that was a gimme.
[00:01:44] Yeah, of course.
[00:01:45] You got it.
[00:01:46] Aspen season.
[00:01:47] Yeah.
[00:01:48] Nine parks of sprawling.
[00:01:49] I was thinking, like, so we got four national parks.
[00:01:52] And then five national monuments that people know being, like, what, Dinosaur, Colorado, Florissant Fossil Beds.
[00:02:03] What are the other ones?
[00:02:04] Canyons of the Ancients.
[00:02:06] Yeah, there's a few.
[00:02:07] Get them on there.
[00:02:08] Browns Canyon, which we're going to talk about Browns Canyon a little later here.
[00:02:12] Yeah, we got a lot.
[00:02:13] But, hey, one of the things you just mentioned, though, roads are leaping.
[00:02:17] Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park.
[00:02:20] First story of the day, Rocky Mountain National Park campground closed.
[00:02:25] And their biggest, most popular campground might be closed all next year, potentially.
[00:02:32] Yeah.
[00:02:32] Or what's the deal there?
[00:02:33] Moraine Park Campground.
[00:02:35] Folks are familiar.
[00:02:37] That closed in summer of 2023, I think it was.
[00:02:40] Yeah, I believe so.
[00:02:41] And there were some hopes that it was going to open in the summer of 2024, and it did not.
[00:02:49] And so here we are now at that six-month rolling window where people go to book their campsites.
[00:02:56] And Moraine Park, the biggest, across the park is still not open for reservations.
[00:03:02] And I'm told that's because the opening on 2025, right now they're saying, you know, there's still hope that it's going to open for the summer of 2025.
[00:03:11] But right now they can't say for certain when that opening date would be.
[00:03:16] So, but this was still, this was like the message last year, you know, that like, they were like, we're hopeful 2024 summer.
[00:03:22] It's going to be open.
[00:03:23] We just can't open it, open reservations yet because we don't know the exact date.
[00:03:27] And it never did open in the summer of 2024.
[00:03:30] So, yeah, there's, I would say, you know, there's some reasonable worry if it'll open up again for this summer.
[00:03:38] Well, and yeah, pretty ambiguous there, too.
[00:03:41] Just, you know, I mean, people are, it's one of the most coveted campgrounds, so to speak.
[00:03:45] So, people are definitely booking it six months out in a lot of cases there.
[00:03:50] What's the, what's the reason for that?
[00:03:51] That's right.
[00:03:51] Yeah.
[00:03:52] So, we should talk the construction, right?
[00:03:54] So, a big project that kind of goes beyond the campground from my understanding.
[00:03:58] You know, there's a lot of, I think, water and power lines that they're upgrading beyond just the campground.
[00:04:04] So, the project itself has a pretty big scope.
[00:04:07] But otherwise, like, yeah, a lot of upgrades within the campground itself.
[00:04:12] So, um.
[00:04:14] Kind of just improving that whole area from an infrastructure and also a safety standpoint.
[00:04:18] Reading here that part of the project is even just kind of removing dangerous trees and branches that have fallen in storms.
[00:04:25] But, yeah.
[00:04:26] Critical infrastructure project is what they're calling it.
[00:04:28] And, yeah, the spokesperson there told me, oh, where is that?
[00:04:36] Pretty much just like the, their, uh, the contractor's timeline is not matching up with the production at this point.
[00:04:45] So, explaining why that closure still exists.
[00:04:50] And, um.
[00:04:53] Quite a bit of loss on, um.
[00:04:56] Um.
[00:04:57] In terms of, um.
[00:05:00] Revenue.
[00:05:01] Yeah.
[00:05:01] I mean, you think these campsites, you know, national parks depend on that booking money for, for the revenue.
[00:05:07] So, um.
[00:05:08] And there's over 100 campsites there, right?
[00:05:10] I think it's like 244, isn't it?
[00:05:12] Yeah.
[00:05:12] Something, something wild like that.
[00:05:14] And, I mean, it is probably one of the most.
[00:05:16] Yeah, 244.
[00:05:17] Here we go.
[00:05:17] Uh.
[00:05:17] Typically open year round too.
[00:05:19] So, that's a big thing for them as well, just in terms of winter recreation.
[00:05:22] Yep.
[00:05:24] There's not, I mean, some of those, some of those campgrounds close in Rocky Mountain National Park just when it's too snowy to access them safely.
[00:05:31] Yeah.
[00:05:31] Or at least close in their general capacity.
[00:05:33] Yeah.
[00:05:34] And, yeah, I read in here that the project involves improvements to water, wastewater, and electrical distribution systems.
[00:05:40] Okay.
[00:05:40] With that electrical distribution system aspect involving moving these power lines in order to kind of make them a little bit safer in terms of wildfires and storm damage.
[00:05:52] So, yeah, pretty interesting stuff.
[00:05:54] $1.3 million in revenue lost for that additional summer.
[00:05:58] Dang.
[00:05:58] Estimated last summer.
[00:06:00] Dang.
[00:06:00] And that's just counting Memorial Day through Labor Day from what I was told.
[00:06:04] Dang.
[00:06:04] So, you know, I was told the nonprofit there in the park, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, is kind of shouldering some of those blows and quote unquote keeping it so that, you know, the impacts aren't being felt widely by visitors.
[00:06:19] But no doubt, I mean, you got to think that park is pretty eager to get that campground back online.
[00:06:25] Oh, I bet.
[00:06:26] And that campground is absolutely stunning too.
[00:06:28] Yeah, it is.
[00:06:29] Beautiful.
[00:06:34] Yeah.
[00:06:35] Get something reserved at the other campgrounds, you know, how much just more squeezed it is without the biggest being available.
[00:06:41] Yeah.
[00:06:41] Yeah.
[00:06:42] That's a good point too.
[00:06:43] Yeah.
[00:06:43] I'm looking at their project page here on their website.
[00:06:45] It looks like they're installing larger storage tanks to increase the water capacity that's available, upgrading the water treatment with more modern technology, repairing aging wastewater lines,
[00:06:58] and the electrical distribution systems, adding 15 accessible campsites, adding 90 new food storage boxes, adding electrical hookups to 49 campsites.
[00:07:11] So huge scale.
[00:07:13] I mean, anytime you have a big project, those timelines can get a little blurry sometimes whenever you're trying to deal with so much, I would imagine.
[00:07:19] But, yeah, big news just going into summer.
[00:07:23] I mean, got that winter chill in the air in Colorado and people starting to think toward warmer months.
[00:07:29] Yeah.
[00:07:29] I guess for now probably the message is weeks, months ahead.
[00:07:33] Just hope that you see those reservations pop up and that would indicate that they've got an opening date slated.
[00:07:39] But right now that opening date is to be determined.
[00:07:44] Well, and kind of tying into one other thing we wanted – we got several things to chat about today.
[00:07:50] As always.
[00:07:51] But one thing we wanted to chat about today was Ski Broadmoor.
[00:07:54] You had a pretty interesting piece about that.
[00:07:55] Kind of ties into Rocky Mountain National Park with abandoned ski areas in a sense.
[00:07:59] I think it was – was it Hidden Valley?
[00:08:01] Hidden Valley.
[00:08:02] Rocky Mountain National Park was a former ski area, now a sledding hill, essentially.
[00:08:07] You ever go there to sled?
[00:08:08] You know, I haven't.
[00:08:09] Most of the time when I look up – because you can look up the conditions on their website.
[00:08:13] And often, at least in any time I've checked in recent years, looking pretty sparse in terms of snow coverage.
[00:08:19] I can see why the full-blown resort would have been abandoned back in the day.
[00:08:23] So I was back there last spring, and I meet one guy, right?
[00:08:28] Like just a stranger, you know, small talk.
[00:08:31] Where are you from?
[00:08:31] Oh, I'm from New Orleans.
[00:08:33] Oh, okay.
[00:08:34] I meet another guy.
[00:08:35] Where are you from?
[00:08:35] Oh, I'm from New Orleans.
[00:08:36] Oh, I just met another guy.
[00:08:38] Are you with this guy?
[00:08:39] No, I don't know who that guy is.
[00:08:41] I meet a third guy.
[00:08:42] Where are you from?
[00:08:43] New Orleans.
[00:08:44] I'm like, what is going on here?
[00:08:46] And I tell this guy that.
[00:08:47] I'm like, I just met two dudes.
[00:08:49] You're the third dude I've met from New Orleans.
[00:08:51] And he's like, oh, yeah, it's because it's Mardi Gras weekend.
[00:08:53] We get the heck out of there, you know?
[00:08:55] I was like, oh.
[00:08:56] So everyone leaves Mardi Gras for Hidden Valley, apparently.
[00:09:00] Well, hey, that time of the year is probably pretty good for snowpack.
[00:09:04] Yeah.
[00:09:04] I mean, the last photo that they have here, I mean, I would imagine there's more snowpack now.
[00:09:07] But November 24th was their last update.
[00:09:11] And yeah, there's basically no snow.
[00:09:13] So yeah.
[00:09:14] But I would imagine there's a little bit more snow now.
[00:09:17] Yeah.
[00:09:18] It's free to sled there, too, I believe.
[00:09:20] Right?
[00:09:20] You just kind of show up and sled.
[00:09:22] Pets are not allowed on the hill.
[00:09:24] I see.
[00:09:24] Yeah.
[00:09:25] Skiers kind of have good tracks up to higher stuff through there, too.
[00:09:28] It's kind of a portal for backcountry, too.
[00:09:32] Yeah.
[00:09:32] That makes sense.
[00:09:33] One of the fun things you can do at Rock and Mountain National Park in the winter.
[00:09:35] In one of the lost ski areas scattered across the mountains.
[00:09:38] Yes.
[00:09:39] And Ski Broadmoor, another one.
[00:09:40] Is another one.
[00:09:41] You wrote a pretty interesting piece about that recently.
[00:09:44] And I love that quote, too.
[00:09:47] Let me pull it up real quick so I don't get it wrong.
[00:09:50] Yeah.
[00:09:50] I just pulled it up, too.
[00:09:51] Yeah.
[00:09:51] The quote that spoke to me the most is someone reminiscing about a time when that ski hill was there,
[00:09:58] like right in Colorado Springs.
[00:09:59] And he says, when I see it now, it's like, yep, there used to be an old ski area up there.
[00:10:04] Those were the good days.
[00:10:05] Those were the good days.
[00:10:06] I see it like when I walk out right outside of my street, I look south and the runs are just right there.
[00:10:11] Yeah.
[00:10:11] And you can see them.
[00:10:12] Yeah.
[00:10:12] If you know what you're looking for.
[00:10:13] I bet a lot of people look up above the Broadmoor now in that Cheyenne mountain area,
[00:10:19] like North Cheyenne Canyon, South Cheyenne Canyon.
[00:10:21] And they see those big swaths of land that are barren, but probably don't put two and two together.
[00:10:26] Right.
[00:10:27] Yeah.
[00:10:27] Do they think it's like an avalanche shoot or like, you know, or they don't even give any thoughts to it?
[00:10:31] Yeah.
[00:10:32] Yeah.
[00:10:33] But that's all speaking to, you know, this, this, the history of ski Broadmoor is getting,
[00:10:38] is stretching through the generations here, you know?
[00:10:41] So what?
[00:10:42] Opened in 1959.
[00:10:46] The, the, the opening was delayed, which would kind of foreshadow, you know,
[00:10:51] the struggles of this place in the years to come.
[00:10:54] Um, definitely one of those just classic stories of lost ski areas all over Colorado that was kind of doomed by climate and economics.
[00:11:04] You know, those two things kind of just coming together and, and dooming these little hills.
[00:11:08] But yeah, I mean, this place ran from what?
[00:11:11] 1959.
[00:11:12] Do I think officially 1991?
[00:11:15] The, the famous five-star historic hotel obviously oversaw it at the beginning.
[00:11:21] Just another thing, uh, for guests, right?
[00:11:23] Another amenity, um, for guests.
[00:11:26] And, but it quickly became a, a locally beloved place, right?
[00:11:31] Where kids learn to ski.
[00:11:34] Well, kids, soldiers, uh, army, air force people, you know, go into ski families.
[00:11:40] And just think of it like after school for kids, pre-work laps for us, post-work laps, you know, for people.
[00:11:48] Um, and they had night skiing.
[00:11:50] They had the lights on.
[00:11:51] Oh, dang.
[00:11:51] Yeah.
[00:11:52] Yeah.
[00:11:52] Well, also I was reading your piece, uh, they, they had some like really good snowmaking capabilities, right?
[00:11:58] Right.
[00:11:59] Was that something they kind of touted as something that they could do really well?
[00:12:02] It was praised as like, um, as the most powerful snowmaking machine west of the Mississippi.
[00:12:09] Dang.
[00:12:09] That they claimed it.
[00:12:10] And they, they came to call it the phenomenal snowman.
[00:12:14] Well, I mean, that's, that's like kind of like a foreshadowing of how crucial snowmaking is to a lot of all those resorts now.
[00:12:21] Yeah.
[00:12:21] They were kind of on the early front lines of it.
[00:12:23] Yeah.
[00:12:24] Um, is how historians talk about it.
[00:12:25] That makes sense.
[00:12:26] The newspaper said, uh, it would assure ski Broadmoor of fine skiing conditions, regardless of mother nature's whims.
[00:12:33] There we go.
[00:12:34] That would not be the case.
[00:12:35] Yeah.
[00:12:35] Man.
[00:12:35] And being, living in Colorado Springs and seeing that area, I can't imagine a ski area up there sometimes.
[00:12:40] It's like, you know, we hardly have snow on the ground in the city most of the year.
[00:12:44] Yeah.
[00:12:45] Yeah.
[00:12:45] So ski Broadmoor was the name, right?
[00:12:48] And people came to call it ski ice more because it would just be an icy, it would just be an icy sheet is what I heard.
[00:12:56] I can see that.
[00:12:56] Hey, being from Indiana originally though.
[00:12:58] Oh yeah.
[00:12:59] I get my taste of ice.
[00:13:00] For sure.
[00:13:01] I'm not going to taste of ice.
[00:13:02] Yeah.
[00:13:02] Like people from back East probably were not surprised, you know, when they got on it and it, and it made really good skiers.
[00:13:07] I mean, it, it, it molded, uh, very competitive young skiers is what I'm told.
[00:13:13] Yeah.
[00:13:13] That's true.
[00:13:14] Yeah.
[00:13:14] Nick Gepper, a Olympian, uh, from Indiana.
[00:13:17] He learned to ski in Indiana and he's a gold medal Olympian.
[00:13:21] If you could ski Broadmoor, you could ski anywhere.
[00:13:24] That was, that was the, that was the saying.
[00:13:26] Yeah.
[00:13:26] Skiing on ice.
[00:13:27] I mean, I would, I would much rather have powder any day, obviously.
[00:13:31] Yep.
[00:13:31] Yep.
[00:13:31] Well, and did you know there was lift, lift serve skiing, um, on Pike's peak for decades before ski Broadmoor.
[00:13:39] Yeah.
[00:13:40] And that was, they opened the Pike's peak skiing in like 1930s, right?
[00:13:44] Like 1931 or something like that.
[00:13:46] Yeah.
[00:13:47] I mean, there's just all these little, you know, areas that rose and fell.
[00:13:50] The, um, I was talking to the historian at the snow sports museum and she's thinking there was like over 150 of these places.
[00:14:00] Yeah.
[00:14:01] I've got all across the mountain.
[00:14:02] I've got it pulled up right now.
[00:14:03] Colorado ski history.com.
[00:14:05] Uh, yeah.
[00:14:06] Colorado has hosted over 175 ski areas since it became a state, which is wild when you think about that.
[00:14:12] Cause I think there's like 35 or so operational right now in the state.
[00:14:17] A lot of those being pretty small community Hills.
[00:14:19] So, um, yeah.
[00:14:20] And to clarify here, Pike's peak ski area from 1939 to 1984.
[00:14:25] Did they go into 84?
[00:14:27] Yeah.
[00:14:27] A lot of, a lot of people still hit the, hit the runs up there.
[00:14:30] Yep.
[00:14:30] You know, the Glen Cove area right on the mountain for back country skiing.
[00:14:34] Uh, was it little Italy or something?
[00:14:36] That's right.
[00:14:37] Literally.
[00:14:37] Yeah.
[00:14:37] That can be really gnarly.
[00:14:39] Like, I mean, if it's not good, it's not good.
[00:14:42] So I've heard.
[00:14:43] I mean, yeah, you don't want to.
[00:14:45] I know a few friends.
[00:14:46] A few friends have gotten hurt up there and definitely not for, uh, the inexperienced skier by any means at all.
[00:14:53] And then there was just the little humble ski broad more.
[00:14:56] Yep.
[00:14:57] Humble ski with a double chairlift.
[00:14:59] And, uh, man, I think it only ran up like 600 feet or something.
[00:15:05] I think it was pretty small.
[00:15:06] That's about what I'd expect.
[00:15:07] But hey.
[00:15:08] Yeah.
[00:15:08] Uh, I mean, a few other ones that people might recognize, right?
[00:15:11] You got a Berthey Pass ski area.
[00:15:13] Yeah.
[00:15:13] That's also now a, a backcountry spot.
[00:15:16] You got a Geneva.
[00:15:17] That's right.
[00:15:18] Geneva Basin.
[00:15:19] Up on Canella Pass.
[00:15:20] Um, Kuchar Mountain Resort, which we were chatting about last week.
[00:15:23] That one's kind of getting that new life, as we were saying.
[00:15:25] Listen to that last episode if you, uh, want to hear more about that.
[00:15:28] The revival.
[00:15:29] Yeah.
[00:15:30] Pretty interesting stuff.
[00:15:31] Um, Stagecoach ski area.
[00:15:33] Where was that?
[00:15:33] Uh, near Steamboat Springs.
[00:15:35] I think that's also one where they're might, they're trying to get something going there.
[00:15:39] I think.
[00:15:40] I want to say that's the place where it's a private.
[00:15:42] They want to try to do some sort of a private resort.
[00:15:44] That's the focus of this private effort, right?
[00:15:45] Yeah.
[00:15:45] Yeah.
[00:15:45] Kind of like Yellowstone Club.
[00:15:47] I'd heard about that.
[00:15:48] Um, where, yeah.
[00:15:49] You like, kind of like own land in the area and get to go ski there.
[00:15:52] Yeah.
[00:15:52] So pretty interesting.
[00:15:53] And I've heard some good things about Stagecoach too.
[00:15:55] Like if you read some of the.
[00:15:56] Really?
[00:15:56] Some of the reports.
[00:15:57] Yeah.
[00:15:57] Sounds like it had some pretty interesting, uh, pretty interesting terrain there.
[00:16:01] Um, but yeah, I guess, uh, kind of moving on from the abandoned ski resort.
[00:16:05] Speaking about skiing, uh, one of the news stories that I wanted to touch on was a case where a snowboarder,
[00:16:11] a 32 year old male snowboarder fell 47 feet from a chairlift at Keystone Ski Resort last week.
[00:16:18] Um, so pretty much what happened.
[00:16:20] He was on Ruby Express lift at the time.
[00:16:23] Uh, sounds like he was adjusting his snowboarding bindings and, um, the safety bar was raised and some,
[00:16:30] you know, you shift in your weight and he ultimately fell.
[00:16:34] Uh, there were some witnesses that saw that happen.
[00:16:36] Um, apparently the last I heard seriously injured.
[00:16:40] Um, so it sounds like he survived, but I have not seen an update yet on that.
[00:16:44] Uh, airlift to a hospital in the Denver Metro area.
[00:16:47] Um, wasn't due to a lift malfunction, right?
[00:16:50] It was just kind of apparently due to him, you know, shifting around on that and just losing his balance.
[00:16:56] Uh, pretty, pretty scary situation though.
[00:16:59] Um, we were chatting about this a little bit before we got going.
[00:17:02] Yeah, that's a big fall.
[00:17:03] 47 feet.
[00:17:04] Like, and I guess onto like a relatively, like it's early season.
[00:17:07] So like a relatively sparsely covered run, not a run that wasn't open yet.
[00:17:11] Right.
[00:17:11] So not enough snow to open the run.
[00:17:14] Um, yeah.
[00:17:16] Yeah.
[00:17:16] And that lift for, for references, uh, it goes from that little barbecue shack up to the top of Durkham mountain.
[00:17:21] Um, it's over a mile long.
[00:17:23] So pretty, pretty significant lift.
[00:17:25] Uh, but yeah, scary stuff.
[00:17:28] And, uh, we were chatting about this a little bit before, uh, we got rolling here today.
[00:17:32] Uh, but the lift bar debate, right?
[00:17:34] Do you put the lift bar up when you're on the, on the ski lift and you felt relatively strongly in one way?
[00:17:40] Yeah.
[00:17:41] I think I've got to be down.
[00:17:43] That's what you're referring to.
[00:17:44] Yeah.
[00:17:44] Gotta have the lift bar down, right?
[00:17:45] That's what you're saying.
[00:17:46] Yeah.
[00:17:46] I'm like, Ooh, you know, I just need that little extra layer of protection, man.
[00:17:50] Yeah.
[00:17:50] And they say, they say, you know, it's obviously like in your best interest to put the bar down and the resort rules say put the bar down.
[00:17:57] I think you do see a lot of people in Colorado not put the bar down.
[00:18:00] It's probably like 80% of the time you're on a lift.
[00:18:03] Yeah.
[00:18:03] People don't put the bar down.
[00:18:04] And there's always that, you know, if it's just you and a stranger, you know?
[00:18:07] Yeah.
[00:18:08] Oh yeah.
[00:18:08] What are we doing?
[00:18:09] Or it's like you get on and you get like some of the overzealous people, so to speak, where the lift bar comes down like while you're still boarding the lift.
[00:18:16] Yeah.
[00:18:16] It almost knocks you off the lift.
[00:18:18] Yeah.
[00:18:18] I was seeing a post on Reddit about this earlier today too, talking about it was basically someone, someone complaining that some people who were apparently speaking French.
[00:18:28] So presumably from France, pull that bar down immediately.
[00:18:33] Right.
[00:18:33] And it made them mad that they pulled that bar down so fast.
[00:18:37] And without warning, you know, you get into the comments on Reddit like one does and there's always an armchair expert.
[00:18:44] Oh yeah.
[00:18:44] Yeah.
[00:18:45] One of the comments was explaining how in Europe, which I've never skied in Europe, but in Europe it's like very, very, very common and encouraged to put that bar down.
[00:18:53] You'll get yelled at if you don't.
[00:18:55] So kind of like a little bit of a difference in ski cultures between European skiers and those in Colorado maybe.
[00:19:02] But yeah, interesting stuff.
[00:19:04] Has it ever been like awkward for you?
[00:19:06] Have you ever been in like a situation?
[00:19:08] I mean, I'll admit that I have not been one to always put the bar down, you know, especially if I feel like everyone else on the lift doesn't want it down.
[00:19:18] It's kind of, you know, stay out of the argument, so to speak.
[00:19:22] Yeah.
[00:19:23] Unfortunately, I've never been hit before with the bar.
[00:19:25] Have you?
[00:19:26] Or like had someone slam it down on top of your skis when you're not like quite positioned right.
[00:19:30] Yep.
[00:19:30] Yeah.
[00:19:31] So it can, I mean, you know, be courteous.
[00:19:33] That would probably be me, like the guy slamming it on a head.
[00:19:36] That's never happened yet.
[00:19:38] Yeah.
[00:19:38] So this is a good reminder for me to, you know, make sure everyone's situated.
[00:19:41] Yeah.
[00:19:42] I mean, all it takes is just, you know, bars coming down.
[00:19:44] But some people are listening to music right in their helmets.
[00:19:46] Right.
[00:19:46] So they might be a little bit unaware.
[00:19:49] But yeah.
[00:19:50] I mean, hey, you are pretty high above the ground on some of those lifts.
[00:19:54] Yeah.
[00:19:54] And there can be jerks and kind of, you know, some movement.
[00:19:58] Like, I don't know if you ever been on a windy lift, but that can be absolutely terrifying when that thing's swaying side to side.
[00:20:05] One that always comes to mind there is up on going up the Imperial chair at Breck sometimes, which probably, you know, that Whale's Tale area is one of my favorite little areas to ski in the state.
[00:20:17] So I've been up there quite a bit.
[00:20:19] And yeah, on a windy day up there, when that chair starts swinging a little bit, you want that bar down.
[00:20:24] Yeah, for sure.
[00:20:26] But yeah, no, put the bar down.
[00:20:28] And hopefully that snowboarder recovers from that fall too.
[00:20:32] Scary stuff.
[00:20:33] Yeah, for sure.
[00:20:34] Note to be extra cautious when you're on the lift.
[00:20:37] Every year we hear some story of fall, it seems like.
[00:20:40] Well, and just this Sunday, a chair popped off a lift.
[00:20:44] It's at a snowball in Montana.
[00:20:47] You hear about that?
[00:20:47] Yeah, it's a little double chair built in 1984.
[00:20:53] And essentially it was during operations.
[00:20:56] People were on the lift and one of the chairs kind of, it looks like in the photos, kind of down by the loading area.
[00:21:03] Just chair pops off.
[00:21:05] And no one was on the chair at that time just by coincidence or, you know, for whatever reason.
[00:21:09] No one was on that specific chair.
[00:21:12] And yeah, I mean, this photo is taken of the incident from other people on that lift.
[00:21:16] So yeah, no one was injured.
[00:21:18] They shut the lift down briefly, determined it was safe, and put people back on it.
[00:21:23] Wow.
[00:21:24] That's, yeah, that's one of those things where I'm like, okay, did we really figure out exactly what happened here, you know?
[00:21:30] But I mean, I guess they did.
[00:21:32] They felt comfortable with their team of experts reopening the lift.
[00:21:36] That's like the exact news a ski area does not want out there, probably.
[00:21:39] I know, right, yeah.
[00:21:40] Yeah, if someone falls off a lift is one thing.
[00:21:43] But if a chair falls off a lift, that's a bit of a different story there.
[00:21:47] You can put your bar down all you want.
[00:21:49] This chair is going down.
[00:21:50] Yeah.
[00:21:51] That is a very scary situation.
[00:21:54] But yeah, apparently it's safe to go.
[00:21:56] So in Missoula area, I've said it many times.
[00:21:59] I'm a big fan of Missoula, but have not been to Montana Snowball.
[00:22:03] Yeah.
[00:22:04] So fun little local hill, apparently.
[00:22:06] A lot of people are in there as well.
[00:22:08] Seems to cater to a wide range of skiers.
[00:22:11] But yeah, interesting stuff.
[00:22:13] You got anything else in ski news lately?
[00:22:14] Ski news.
[00:22:16] We talked to Kuchara.
[00:22:20] I don't think I do.
[00:22:23] Yeah, I guess here's one thing that kind of is maybe noteworthy.
[00:22:27] The lack of snowpack in Colorado.
[00:22:29] So snowpack just dropped to 96% of the norm for the date as of this morning with the USDA report.
[00:22:39] So yeah, snowpack kind of starting to dwindle, especially in that northern part of the state.
[00:22:45] Which, I mean, if you remember, some regions of Colorado this year with some of those big November storms.
[00:22:51] I was going to say.
[00:22:52] They were almost at record highs, if not at record highs.
[00:22:55] I think Arkansas River Basin was at a record high, at least for the last 20 plus years.
[00:23:01] So yeah, interesting turn of events, so to speak.
[00:23:05] It looked like it was going to be a powdery season.
[00:23:06] I know.
[00:23:07] It can turn.
[00:23:08] Yeah.
[00:23:09] Like, yeah, we were talking Thanksgiving, like how crazy travel was going to be.
[00:23:14] You know?
[00:23:14] I mean.
[00:23:14] Oh, yeah.
[00:23:15] It was going to be.
[00:23:15] That was some big time snow.
[00:23:17] And then here we are, mid-December and praying for more.
[00:23:20] And even early November, we got like 20 inches on the springs.
[00:23:24] Yeah.
[00:23:24] In Colorado Springs, which is like wild.
[00:23:26] Like, that's what made that Arkansas River Basin shoot up so much.
[00:23:30] Which, Arkansas River Basin is still above the norm.
[00:23:32] It's at 132, or 132% of the median for the date.
[00:23:38] Which does put it in that 76th percentile.
[00:23:41] So pretty snowy season in that Pikes Peak region.
[00:23:44] And kind of going down south toward Trinidad.
[00:23:47] But, I mean, the mountains, though, kind of lacking.
[00:23:50] It's been a dry December.
[00:23:51] And looking at the reports, it looks like the next couple weeks might be kind of dry, too.
[00:23:55] Yeah, I was going to say, nothing changing anytime soon.
[00:23:57] Yeah, there's a.
[00:23:59] Do your snow dances, folks.
[00:24:00] Yeah, yeah, right.
[00:24:01] National Weather Service snowfall report shows, you know, three inches in parts of northern Colorado over the next few days.
[00:24:08] But, yeah.
[00:24:10] But, I mean, granted, Colorado does tend to get most of its snow in that January through March time.
[00:24:15] So, might be one of those wait-and-see scenarios.
[00:24:18] But, we'll see.
[00:24:19] Hopefully.
[00:24:19] Was looking like it could have potential for record setting.
[00:24:23] Maybe not the case.
[00:24:24] We can never get too excited, can we?
[00:24:26] Yeah, right.
[00:24:26] Well, and also, one other thing to note is when you have these big periods of no snow after a lot of snow, it can really contribute to avalanche risk, too.
[00:24:35] Yeah.
[00:24:35] Because you've been a lot of messaging about that.
[00:24:37] Yeah.
[00:24:37] You get that weak layer snowpack.
[00:24:39] And then you're going to get snow on top of it.
[00:24:41] And that weaker layer has just been subjected to temperature changes and just kind of, you know, it's going to be interesting if we do start getting some big snow just because we got a lot of snow.
[00:24:52] That snow's stuck around.
[00:24:54] Yeah.
[00:24:55] But it hasn't really, those layers haven't been very consistent.
[00:24:58] Yeah.
[00:24:58] So.
[00:24:59] I was talking to a guy in Silverton and, you know, I was like, you know, I was like, how are things looking?
[00:25:06] And he's like, oh, yeah, this layer is just going to haunt us all season, man.
[00:25:10] Yeah.
[00:25:11] I bet.
[00:25:11] Yeah.
[00:25:12] Yeah.
[00:25:12] Always check the Colorado Avalanche Information Center website before you go on any winter adventure in Colorado.
[00:25:18] Even if you're just hiking or snowshoeing, right?
[00:25:20] Yeah.
[00:25:20] You got to know if there's some risks in the area.
[00:25:23] People overlook that.
[00:25:24] And be aware that even if you're down below a slope, right, you can send that cracking up the slope above you.
[00:25:31] So definitely something to be very aware of.
[00:25:34] I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being a pretty dangerous season in that regard.
[00:25:38] So far, it's been pretty safe.
[00:25:41] Pretty quiet.
[00:25:42] I don't want to say, but pretty quiet in terms of accidents.
[00:25:44] Yeah.
[00:25:44] Had a couple, like, partial burials.
[00:25:46] There's one on birth he passed last week.
[00:25:48] That's right.
[00:25:49] Dude got buried.
[00:25:50] I think he was by himself at the time, maybe.
[00:25:53] And he got out, right?
[00:25:54] Yeah, he got out.
[00:25:55] And they were like, this guy is very lucky.
[00:25:57] Yeah.
[00:25:57] You know.
[00:25:58] And he was too injured to get out of the area.
[00:26:01] But he was able to get out of the snow.
[00:26:03] And then I think his phone helped to relay the coordinates of where he needed to be rescued.
[00:26:09] And it was a whole large scale mission.
[00:26:11] But yeah, I always go with people too.
[00:26:14] That's a big thing.
[00:26:15] Did you hear about that rescue in Douglas County?
[00:26:18] I take it in National Forest.
[00:26:20] Uh-uh.
[00:26:21] Where, like, a 10-year-old wandered away from his parents.
[00:26:26] And Douglas County Search and Rescue initiated what they described as, like, their first rescue.
[00:26:34] Double check this.
[00:26:35] But, like, first rescue involving a drone in a certain way.
[00:26:40] Oh.
[00:26:41] Where they were.
[00:26:41] He was in cell range.
[00:26:43] And there again, they were able to track him, I think, for that.
[00:26:45] And they were able to send a drone to him that I think gave him, like, a blanket to stay warm.
[00:26:54] Oh, dang.
[00:26:55] Maybe some other stuff.
[00:26:56] Dang.
[00:26:57] Along with, like, a visual of, like, are you okay?
[00:27:00] Or an audio of, like, are you okay?
[00:27:03] Something along those lines.
[00:27:04] Dang.
[00:27:05] And just reassuring him, we are coming to you.
[00:27:07] We'll be to you shortly.
[00:27:08] Dang.
[00:27:08] That's pretty wild.
[00:27:09] Yeah.
[00:27:09] Look that up.
[00:27:10] I hope I didn't get those details too wrong.
[00:27:12] But along those lines.
[00:27:14] Dang.
[00:27:14] Like, they used a drone to make sure this kid was rest assured.
[00:27:18] And he was safe.
[00:27:19] All good.
[00:27:20] You know, got back to his parents within, I think, a matter of hours.
[00:27:23] Dang.
[00:27:24] But, yeah.
[00:27:25] Kind of interesting.
[00:27:25] That kind of reminds me, too, of some new technology that I think they're using a little bit in Europe, I want to say, right now.
[00:27:30] But, like, literally, like, almost like these jetpacks that transport search and rescue members up mountains.
[00:27:37] So, it's like, instead of it being, like, two hours to reach someone, it's a matter of, like, five minutes.
[00:27:41] Dang.
[00:27:41] And you can look up videos of this stuff, and it's wild.
[00:27:44] It's like, I think it's, I think the jets are on their hands.
[00:27:48] Like, it's like a jet-powered.
[00:27:50] Like Iron Man?
[00:27:51] Yeah.
[00:27:51] Kind of, like, similar to that type of thing where they can move around.
[00:27:54] Yeah.
[00:27:55] Pretty crazy stuff.
[00:27:55] But, I mean, when you're looking at, you know, it's like a helicopter might not be available, especially if it's, like, bad weather.
[00:28:01] And, like, you might need to stay lower to the ground in that regard.
[00:28:05] Wow.
[00:28:05] Yeah.
[00:28:05] So, pretty interesting stuff there, too.
[00:28:07] I'm hearing, like, the future of, like, commercial mountain tourism, you know, jetpacking to the top of a 14 or something.
[00:28:14] Oh, I bet.
[00:28:15] Yeah.
[00:28:16] Here we go.
[00:28:16] That'd be pretty sweet if you could just recreationally use jetpacks.
[00:28:19] Everyone's just, like, huffing and puffing and working their tail off to get up, and they look up, and some dude's just flying.
[00:28:25] Yeah.
[00:28:25] I don't know.
[00:28:26] I mean, I don't know if I can fully support that, right?
[00:28:28] But hopefully the wilderness areas and the motorized laws around that are, like, the no motorized laws.
[00:28:34] That's got to be, right?
[00:28:35] Maybe that helps prevent some of that.
[00:28:37] No fly zones.
[00:28:37] But it would be pretty sweet to just be able to fly around regardless of where you're going.
[00:28:43] Another rescue story.
[00:28:44] Just fly to work, right?
[00:28:45] Like, say, honey, I'm off.
[00:28:47] Right?
[00:28:48] Bye.
[00:28:49] See you soon.
[00:28:51] Yeah, another rescue story that was pretty interesting on Mount Beardstadt, right?
[00:28:56] Left from the winter trailhead because the normal trailhead's closed now with the snow.
[00:29:01] But a hiker left from the winter trailhead and essentially told his dad to call 911 if he didn't hear from him by 8 p.m.
[00:29:10] What essentially happened was the hiker's feet froze and his shoes froze, and he was unable to move.
[00:29:17] His shoes had frozen solid.
[00:29:19] So needed rescue there.
[00:29:21] He was rescued, and it sounds like everything ended up going well in that regard.
[00:29:26] Where was he?
[00:29:26] Where was he?
[00:29:27] It was on Mount Beardstadt.
[00:29:30] Oh, yeah.
[00:29:30] Off Goodwill Pass there, yeah.
[00:29:33] Yeah, so kind of a pretty crazy reminder there to just, like, make sure your gear is winterized, you know?
[00:29:40] And, like, be prepared to get wet, you know?
[00:29:43] It's like, even if you step through a little frozen section of, like, creek or something and get water in your shoe, you know?
[00:29:49] Mm-hmm.
[00:29:50] That could really turn into a dangerous situation fast.
[00:29:53] Big time, yeah.
[00:29:53] Yeah.
[00:29:54] Always good to have waterproof gear.
[00:29:56] Always good to use wool gear.
[00:30:10] Mm-hmm.
[00:30:11] When it's cold enough on some of those 14ers, you know, in, like, in that negative temperature territory, like, it takes, like, one accidental breath up into your goggles to just freeze them over sometimes.
[00:30:20] And there's probably a lot of solutions for that, but my solution is to just bring a couple pairs of cockles, usually.
[00:30:27] That's smart.
[00:30:27] But, yeah.
[00:30:28] Hey, you mentioned the Arkansas River snowpack, which reminded me of our new Dark Sky Park in Colorado.
[00:30:33] Oh, yeah, yeah.
[00:30:34] International Dark Sky Park.
[00:30:35] Yeah, you were literally just covering this.
[00:30:37] This is breaking news, essentially, right?
[00:30:39] Yeah.
[00:30:40] So, new International Dark Sky Park in Colorado.
[00:30:43] Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do.
[00:30:45] That was a drum roll.
[00:30:47] He's getting musical.
[00:30:48] We're about to just...
[00:30:49] I know.
[00:30:49] I think I'm just very festive today.
[00:30:51] Start us off with a song, bring on the percussion.
[00:30:53] Browns Canyon National Monument is the new international Dark Sky Park in Colorado, as determined by...
[00:31:02] Are they just...
[00:31:02] They just call themselves Dark Sky International now?
[00:31:06] The group that designates a place around the world.
[00:31:09] And what...
[00:31:10] I think this is the 12th Dark Sky Park in Colorado, the 18th place.
[00:31:15] There's communities slash towns that have international dark sky.
[00:31:18] Like Westcliff, for example.
[00:31:20] And Crestone.
[00:31:21] Yeah, Crestone.
[00:31:21] Yeah, what's that entail for Browns Canyon?
[00:31:25] The designation itself?
[00:31:26] Yeah.
[00:31:27] Well, it comes with...
[00:31:28] It's pretty metrics-driven, is how I understand it.
[00:31:31] Like, there's got to be some readings, you know, throughout the year that show very little light pollution.
[00:31:38] And then land managers, you know, praise the designation as kind of coming in line with their...
[00:31:45] With their management hopes for this monument, which is indeed keeping it dark, right?
[00:31:50] Dark sky, eliminating light pollution.
[00:31:54] Better for recreation, better for wildlife.
[00:31:57] Yep, exactly.
[00:31:57] Better for the environment.
[00:31:58] A couple years ago, the legislature...
[00:32:04] The governor signed into law an act that kind of praised and promoted dark skies in Colorado as just kind of being center to our heritage and aesthetic.
[00:32:14] And, yeah, to those points like the health benefits to people, plants, and animals.
[00:32:20] So, yeah.
[00:32:21] Bronze Canyon is the latest to join that list.
[00:32:24] Great sand dunes.
[00:32:24] Outbound Dina Vista.
[00:32:25] Yep, Chafee County.
[00:32:27] Very popular for rafting.
[00:32:28] Camping.
[00:32:29] Great for camping back in there, if you can get a spot.
[00:32:31] Yeah, you just mentioned Great Sand Dunes is another one.
[00:32:33] Yep.
[00:32:34] Dinosaur National Monument.
[00:32:35] I got a list here.
[00:32:36] I won't read them all, but there's something like...
[00:32:38] Black Canyon of the Gennesan.
[00:32:39] Yeah, Black Canyon.
[00:32:41] Forest and Fossil Beds.
[00:32:42] Hovenweep National Monument.
[00:32:44] I haven't been there, but it looks beautiful.
[00:32:47] Yeah, I mean, all these spots, though, really, it's like...
[00:32:50] I did...
[00:32:50] Camping.
[00:32:51] Yeah.
[00:32:51] Pretty great spots.
[00:32:53] I went to a star party, as they call them, at a...
[00:32:56] Florissant Fossil Beds.
[00:32:57] How was that?
[00:32:57] Last year.
[00:32:58] Super cool.
[00:32:59] Yeah?
[00:32:59] Super fun.
[00:33:00] Yeah, and they have like an astronomer, you know, pointing things out.
[00:33:02] That's cool.
[00:33:03] There's like a little laser pointer.
[00:33:04] That's cool.
[00:33:05] I swear it's just pointing into the heavens.
[00:33:07] It's crazy.
[00:33:07] I took a class on astronomy in college, and it was one of the more difficult classes
[00:33:11] that I took.
[00:33:12] Really?
[00:33:12] But it was like every...
[00:33:14] I think it was Monday night, because I always had to miss Monday night football.
[00:33:17] But it was every Monday night, we like went out to this field and just sat out there in
[00:33:21] the freezing cold.
[00:33:22] Like, yeah.
[00:33:23] Like, it was...
[00:33:23] I think it was...
[00:33:25] I mean, either way, it was like there were months of time where it was like every night
[00:33:28] freezing, freezing cold for hours, and you like drew what you saw.
[00:33:31] I wish...
[00:33:32] I honestly wish I would have taken more advantage of that now that I'm more interested in that.
[00:33:37] But it was like a random general elective course type of thing.
[00:33:41] Yeah.
[00:33:41] That sounds like a good way to go.
[00:33:42] Yeah.
[00:33:43] No, I mean, it was fun, fun class, but very cold.
[00:33:45] Very, very cool.
[00:33:46] On Monday nights.
[00:33:47] Yeah, that'd be hard.
[00:33:48] Especially with my Chicago Bears playing tonight, Monday night.
[00:33:50] Hey, the Broncos had a good win.
[00:33:52] I'm cheering for the Broncos.
[00:33:53] Right.
[00:33:53] Are you a Broncos guy?
[00:33:54] I mean, I don't really...
[00:33:56] I don't really have a team.
[00:33:58] I'm more like, I'll cheer for the hometown favorite, especially if it's the Broncos.
[00:34:02] Yeah.
[00:34:02] Got cheer for my Colts from Indiana.
[00:34:03] Been out here, you know, almost 11 years now.
[00:34:05] But still, if they're doing well, I'll cheer for them.
[00:34:08] But the Broncos, Bo Nix, look good.
[00:34:10] I know.
[00:34:10] The Bo Show.
[00:34:10] Probably rookie of the year, right?
[00:34:12] You know?
[00:34:12] Yeah.
[00:34:13] Even last night, like it was, I think he had three interceptions or something.
[00:34:17] And he bounced on back.
[00:34:17] Yeah.
[00:34:18] One of his worst games and still got the job done.
[00:34:21] Over the Indianapolis Colts.
[00:34:23] Yes.
[00:34:23] Over the Indianapolis Colts.
[00:34:24] And I was honestly...
[00:34:25] I mean, don't tell my family in Indiana, right?
[00:34:28] But I was happy to see the Broncos win.
[00:34:29] Uh-huh.
[00:34:30] I'll be cheering for them in the playoffs.
[00:34:31] And you'll be cheering for the Bears tonight.
[00:34:33] Yes.
[00:34:33] My lowly Bears.
[00:34:34] I don't know.
[00:34:35] Yeah.
[00:34:35] I feel kind of bad for the Bears, to be honest.
[00:34:37] So maybe I'll be cheering for them.
[00:34:38] We'll take all the sympathy we can get.
[00:34:40] But unfortunately, I don't think it's going to make us any better.
[00:34:42] Yeah.
[00:34:43] I don't think you're out of the playoffs this year.
[00:34:46] But Broncos could be in.
[00:34:47] Next year.
[00:34:48] Next year.
[00:34:48] I've been saying next year like all my life.
[00:34:50] Welcome to the life of a Bears fan, right?
[00:34:52] Yeah.
[00:34:53] Well, so, you know.
[00:34:54] Well, all right.
[00:34:55] Let me just throw a quick little joke out there.
[00:34:57] You know what the difference between Marty McFly and Bears fans is?
[00:35:01] Mm-mm.
[00:35:01] Marty McFly got out of 1985.
[00:35:04] Us Bears fans still live there.
[00:35:05] Yeah.
[00:35:06] That's all we have.
[00:35:07] The few people that – maybe some of the few people that care about football.
[00:35:11] Dude, I wasn't even born.
[00:35:13] It was.
[00:35:13] I wasn't even born by 1985, and I live in 1985.
[00:35:15] I walk around in a Walter Payton jersey.
[00:35:17] I never even got to watch the guy.
[00:35:19] You know?
[00:35:19] It's, like, sad.
[00:35:20] All right.
[00:35:21] Well, for your sake, Seth, I will cheer for –
[00:35:22] Cool.
[00:35:23] Cheer for the Bears.
[00:35:24] Just a hair, we'll say.
[00:35:26] Yep.
[00:35:27] But, yeah.
[00:35:28] Here's a good one, too.
[00:35:29] So, totally switching gears here.
[00:35:33] Hottest real estate market in the country for next year, according to Realtor.com.
[00:35:39] Said to be Colorado Springs, Colorado.
[00:35:41] Colorado.
[00:35:42] Yeah, pretty much.
[00:35:43] They basically said, like, we expect the Sun Belt to be one of the hottest regions,
[00:35:48] which is, like – they pinned it as, like, Texas, Florida, Virginia, kind of these, like,
[00:35:53] southern states, in a sense.
[00:35:54] But, yeah, Colorado Springs, number one.
[00:35:57] They were saying it was going to be driven by all the military households that are in the area,
[00:36:02] all the younger families with children that are kind of looking to buy in the area.
[00:36:07] Kind of an easing of some of these interest rates that have kind of forced people to –
[00:36:12] they called it a lock-in effect where they weren't selling their homes.
[00:36:15] So, in this game, right, I mean, if you've been listening to this podcast for a bit,
[00:36:18] you remember a couple weeks ago we were chatting about how Colorado Springs expected to have
[00:36:22] million-dollar homes by 2033 up from their average of, like, $450,000 homes right now.
[00:36:29] So, just kind of more news about Colorado Springs blasting off in terms of growth.
[00:36:34] Yeah.
[00:36:34] It should be said there was a Gazette report involving – oh, where they talked to a few realtors
[00:36:43] who were very suspicious of –
[00:36:45] Yeah.
[00:36:46] You know, those numbers.
[00:36:48] Like, what was it?
[00:36:49] I think, yeah, Realtor.com was forecasting 27.1% spike in home sales.
[00:36:56] Yeah.
[00:36:56] And Realtors were, like, very doubtful about that.
[00:36:59] Yeah, between 2024 and 2025.
[00:37:01] Right.
[00:37:02] And expecting home prices to increase 12.7%.
[00:37:06] So, that's kind of interesting, too.
[00:37:07] I mean, what would that be?
[00:37:09] Like, I think it said the average home prices in 2024 were, like, $484,000.
[00:37:15] Sounds right.
[00:37:15] You know, so that's adding, you know, a pretty good chunk there.
[00:37:19] You know, $40-something thousand dollars, right?
[00:37:22] Or more than that, I guess, $50,000 to that median home sale price.
[00:37:25] So, yeah.
[00:37:26] Meanwhile, Denver, Aurora Lakewood Metro, ranked 20th nationwide.
[00:37:31] Those were the only two Colorado metros that they included in that short list of places
[00:37:37] expected to have some rapid growth.
[00:37:39] But, yeah, I mean, we've both been in the springs for a long time.
[00:37:42] We've seen the growth.
[00:37:43] Yeah.
[00:37:43] It just keeps growing.
[00:37:45] They just keep pushing further east and keep pushing further north.
[00:37:48] Soon it's just going to be a whole metro from Denver to Colorado Springs at some point.
[00:37:54] Man, you know, on this podcast, you get outdoors.
[00:37:57] You get sports now.
[00:37:59] Yeah, sports.
[00:37:59] You get realty.
[00:38:03] Sometimes we talk about movies.
[00:38:05] Yeah.
[00:38:05] Sometimes.
[00:38:06] You know, I'm just doing a little shout-out, you know, for the show.
[00:38:09] I mean, people can get everything.
[00:38:10] Everything they want.
[00:38:11] Talk about beer sometimes.
[00:38:12] It's like a buffet.
[00:38:13] It's like a podcast buffet.
[00:38:14] It is.
[00:38:15] Had a great pickle beer.
[00:38:16] Oh, yeah.
[00:38:16] Did we talk about that?
[00:38:17] Yeah.
[00:38:18] Have we talked about it on the podcast?
[00:38:19] I don't think so.
[00:38:20] I don't think we have.
[00:38:21] Yeah.
[00:38:22] Urban Animal.
[00:38:23] New location.
[00:38:24] New location.
[00:38:25] Yeah.
[00:38:25] Downtown Colorado Springs.
[00:38:27] They're kind of on that south.
[00:38:28] Their original location is kind of on that south side by close to like Fort Carson area kind of.
[00:38:33] But yeah, I opened up a new location in Colorado Springs at the original FH Beer Works location on Tejon down there, which FH Beer Works just announced that they're closing.
[00:38:42] I know.
[00:38:43] I know.
[00:38:43] Which is crazy to me.
[00:38:44] Like that took me by surprise.
[00:38:45] I love FH.
[00:38:46] Good beer.
[00:38:46] Yeah.
[00:38:47] Yeah.
[00:38:47] Their Honey Paws.
[00:38:48] Yeah.
[00:38:48] Their Honey Paws.
[00:38:50] Like honey wheat.
[00:38:52] Great beer.
[00:38:52] And you can find that in liquor stores and like on tap.
[00:38:55] And yeah, so I was shocked to hear that news.
[00:38:57] The FH Beer Works is closing down.
[00:38:59] They moved out east a few years ago.
[00:39:01] Added on a whiskey house as well.
[00:39:05] Neat.
[00:39:05] Neat.
[00:39:05] Is the name of it.
[00:39:06] Yeah.
[00:39:07] But either way, Urban Animal opened up in their old location that they had moved out of.
[00:39:11] There was Red Swing Brew.
[00:39:12] It was there in between for a couple of years there during the pandemic.
[00:39:16] And then now Urban Animal.
[00:39:17] And it's, I mean, it's cool vibes in there if you haven't checked it out.
[00:39:20] It is.
[00:39:20] They got like records on the wall and stuff.
[00:39:23] And just like a huge mural.
[00:39:25] That's like awesome.
[00:39:26] Like handcrafted by one of their designers who does a lot of the artwork for like Green
[00:39:32] Day, Blink-182, I think.
[00:39:34] Yeah.
[00:39:34] You can see all those posters in there when you go in.
[00:39:38] Bunch of huge bands.
[00:39:39] And maybe not those two bands.
[00:39:41] I think Blink-182 at least.
[00:39:43] If not Green Day 2.
[00:39:45] But you can see all the posters from the artwork he's done from those bands.
[00:39:47] And he's also their artist.
[00:39:49] So does all the artwork for the, or a lot of the artwork for the cans and stuff.
[00:39:52] And that massive mural.
[00:39:54] That thing stretches like 60 feet.
[00:39:55] Yeah.
[00:39:56] But either way, they got a pickle beer on tap.
[00:39:58] And it, I mean, you raise it up to your nose.
[00:40:01] Have you tried it?
[00:40:02] I haven't.
[00:40:02] So you raise it up to your nose.
[00:40:04] It smells like a jar of pickles.
[00:40:05] Wow.
[00:40:05] Like literally smells like a jar of pickles.
[00:40:07] Dells right in the nose.
[00:40:08] Yeah.
[00:40:09] That first sip, you know, you're like pickles.
[00:40:11] And it's one of those, it's a, it's a cream ale, which is not creamy.
[00:40:15] It's a cream ale.
[00:40:15] People always think it's creamy, right?
[00:40:17] Cream males are a pale lager.
[00:40:19] You know, it's not people.
[00:40:21] Yeah.
[00:40:21] The term is wrong.
[00:40:22] Essentially.
[00:40:23] Like that they use for these.
[00:40:24] It doesn't apply to the texture.
[00:40:25] Yeah.
[00:40:25] In the, in the beer industry, they call it cream.
[00:40:28] It's a little bit misleading, but either way, it's like a pale lager kind of easy sip in.
[00:40:32] And I think it's 5% ABV.
[00:40:34] But yeah, it's just like every, every sip, it gets a little bit better.
[00:40:37] You know, it's one of those.
[00:40:38] And I mean, I, I liked it off the bat, but I feel like pickles, it's worth checking out.
[00:40:42] Check it out.
[00:40:43] Pickles, one of those viral foods of the year in 2024.
[00:40:47] Good for the gut health, I think.
[00:40:48] Right?
[00:40:48] Yeah, probably.
[00:40:49] I don't know.
[00:40:51] How's your gut feeling?
[00:40:52] Yeah.
[00:40:52] It's great.
[00:40:53] Yeah.
[00:40:53] All my problems are solved.
[00:40:55] Yeah.
[00:40:55] All right.
[00:40:56] Noted.
[00:40:57] Oh, so, okay.
[00:40:58] Kind of moving on from the real estate and beer.
[00:41:00] Um, well, also, I guess before we move on from beer, it's interesting because the FH
[00:41:04] Beer Works closure is like one of several closures that are, have happened recently.
[00:41:09] I think, uh, Fiction Beer up in Denver area just closed one of their tap rooms, one, one
[00:41:14] staying open.
[00:41:15] Um, but yeah, it's one of those things where you're seeing some of this turnover and maybe
[00:41:20] the effects of the pandemic or something like that.
[00:41:22] I heard hops were getting really expensive lately.
[00:41:25] Yeah.
[00:41:25] That's, I was talking about someone, someone about that over the weekend.
[00:41:28] So different economy.
[00:41:29] Different economy.
[00:41:30] Yeah.
[00:41:30] But, um, yeah, interesting stuff.
[00:41:32] Uh, it'll be, it'll be interesting to see what that craft beer industry looks like in Colorado
[00:41:37] because Colorado is, I mean, known for its craft beer.
[00:41:40] Saturated.
[00:41:41] And now you kind of see that trend maybe shifting away from that a little bit.
[00:41:46] Um, probably a little bit harder to open a, open a brewery nowadays.
[00:41:49] Yeah.
[00:41:50] Um, but yeah, either way, a few of the good ones definitely sticking around.
[00:41:53] Urban Animal, definitely one of the good ones.
[00:41:55] Noted on the pickle beer.
[00:41:56] Yeah.
[00:41:57] Pickle beer.
[00:41:57] Delicious.
[00:41:58] Uh, really good IPA.
[00:41:59] They also have like this ultra suede, um, which is, it kind of reminds me of like a ultra
[00:42:04] suede.
[00:42:04] Like one of those lactose beers with like, almost like that milkshake.
[00:42:07] Yeah.
[00:42:07] Uh, I don't think, I think it's lactose free, but it kind of reminds me of that.
[00:42:10] And they have like a different fruit.
[00:42:12] Like it's sweet.
[00:42:13] Yeah.
[00:42:13] Yeah.
[00:42:14] Yeah.
[00:42:14] Yeah.
[00:42:14] Sweet.
[00:42:15] Kind of, kind of creamy actually.
[00:42:16] Yeah.
[00:42:16] Uh, opposed to the cream meals, which are not by design.
[00:42:19] They're not creamy.
[00:42:20] Okay.
[00:42:20] Spencer.
[00:42:21] You, I know I got to drive it home.
[00:42:23] Every time I mentioned it, people were like creamy pickles.
[00:42:25] I'm like, no, no.
[00:42:28] Don't confuse Spencer's beer.
[00:42:29] Sure.
[00:42:30] All right.
[00:42:30] Moving on though.
[00:42:31] Moving on.
[00:42:32] Uh, I want to talk about this underground media lab that you wrote about in Boulder.
[00:42:36] And, uh, for reference, I read your piece, found it very interesting.
[00:42:40] I find technology in general, very interesting and just the impacts of technology.
[00:42:45] Yeah.
[00:42:45] Um, so yeah, tell us all about that stuff.
[00:42:48] So the media archeology lab is in like this unassuming brick cottage on the university of
[00:42:55] Colorado's campus.
[00:42:56] And in the basement is this lab, which is like home to a bunch of, uh, over how many years
[00:43:03] it's been open now?
[00:43:05] Years.
[00:43:06] They've amassed all this like retro technology, you know, like, like Walkman and these old,
[00:43:13] like, like the whole lineage of Apple computers, uh, like the early laptops of the day, these
[00:43:19] huge clunky computers, like a radio that pops up a TV screen, you know, Panasonic, like
[00:43:25] Radio Shack survives, you know, at this place.
[00:43:28] Radio Shack lives on at the media archeology lab.
[00:43:31] Weird stuff you don't see anymore.
[00:43:32] I'm reading here.
[00:43:32] Video games.
[00:43:34] 1913 phonograph.
[00:43:35] Yeah.
[00:43:35] Yeah.
[00:43:36] That's pretty cool.
[00:43:36] You can go in and just, you know, play Mario.
[00:43:38] They've got like all the gaming systems you can imagine from your childhood.
[00:43:42] Very much like seventies, eighties, nineties.
[00:43:44] It kind of felt like is what it was very much living.
[00:43:47] Sixties too.
[00:43:48] Tron feel.
[00:43:49] Yeah.
[00:43:49] Yeah.
[00:43:49] Tron was there.
[00:43:50] Old school Tron.
[00:43:50] Yeah.
[00:43:51] Uh, the, uh, the Oregon trail game was there.
[00:43:55] Good one.
[00:43:55] Yeah.
[00:43:56] Good one.
[00:43:56] Shout out to, uh, 1883.
[00:44:00] The Yellowstone spinoff.
[00:44:01] If you, uh, Oh, Oh yeah.
[00:44:02] That's Oregon trail.
[00:44:04] Ask if you haven't seen that, there's your TV show recommendation for the, uh, for the
[00:44:07] show.
[00:44:08] But, uh, yeah.
[00:44:08] So, uh, tell us about the brick size cell phones, you know, like those IBM, you know,
[00:44:12] like in a bag.
[00:44:12] Oh yeah.
[00:44:13] I got a bunch of those.
[00:44:15] Yeah.
[00:44:15] Yeah.
[00:44:16] So what's the, what's the purpose of this?
[00:44:17] Yeah.
[00:44:17] So it has like a very, it, it, you know, it has a very university aspect to it.
[00:44:22] Right.
[00:44:23] So like, um, a lot of research goes on there.
[00:44:26] Uh, a lot of manipulating, if you will, goes on there.
[00:44:30] Like people will do new things with the old technology, like new software with the old
[00:44:35] technology, really funky stuff, but it's all, you know, my impression was like, you
[00:44:41] know, for just like the everyday visitor, like you and me, um, it's kind of like to give you
[00:44:47] a perspective of technology over time and like how things have evolved over time and how colorful
[00:44:54] things were like throughout, throughout the rise of some of this technology.
[00:44:59] Right.
[00:45:00] Um, and to like, maybe even convey this idea of like, you know, like we are in control of
[00:45:07] the future of technology.
[00:45:09] Right.
[00:45:09] Like corporations are in control, but corporations depend on us as consumers, you know, to dictate
[00:45:14] what we want and what we need.
[00:45:16] So it kind of, there's a lot of like practical aspects to the lab.
[00:45:20] And then there's a lot of like kind of existential.
[00:45:23] Yeah.
[00:45:24] At least that was like my impression.
[00:45:25] That was the vibe I got from reading this article.
[00:45:27] You can find this article online and read it.
[00:45:29] I got a little carried away, didn't I?
[00:45:31] In Boulder's underground, uh, media archeology lab search for tech reckoning.
[00:45:36] Yeah.
[00:45:36] Yeah.
[00:45:36] Yeah.
[00:45:37] So yeah, no, I got a little first person in there.
[00:45:39] Yeah.
[00:45:39] That's the vibe I got.
[00:45:40] I love, I love the first person said.
[00:45:42] Yeah.
[00:45:42] Thanks man.
[00:45:43] Yeah.
[00:45:43] We're good.
[00:45:43] You, you, you, you might be able to sense that, you know, I get, I'm a little nervous
[00:45:47] about, I'm a tech, maybe I'm a techno pessimist is what I learned.
[00:45:50] I don't, I wouldn't like to think that, you know, like I, you know, we live with technology,
[00:45:54] technology lives with us, but that's like, that's what I want.
[00:45:58] That's what I hope people recognize is like, it lives with us, right?
[00:46:02] Like there is a, there is a relationship here and we can be aware of that relationship without
[00:46:08] being unaware and manipulated by the technology.
[00:46:13] Right.
[00:46:13] Does that make sense?
[00:46:14] Yeah.
[00:46:14] Well, and it does.
[00:46:15] And you have this quote from a Neil Postman book who was published in 1985 that really spoke
[00:46:20] to me and, uh, that, that quote is, uh, people will come to adore the technologies that undo
[00:46:26] their capacities to think.
[00:46:27] Yeah.
[00:46:28] Yeah.
[00:46:28] Heavy stuff.
[00:46:29] That book has stuck with me for years and it was very much on my mind when I walked in
[00:46:32] there, you know, just, yeah, just where we've come and where are we going?
[00:46:37] I don't know.
[00:46:38] I don't know.
[00:46:38] Well, and with the, uh, just with the, you know, the now more publicized, uh, operations
[00:46:44] of AI and the presence of AI.
[00:46:46] But I was very much like, even with the lab manager, I was like, oh, AI, AI.
[00:46:49] And she's like, dude, you know, they were talking about AI 40 years ago.
[00:46:53] Here's this book.
[00:46:54] Here's that book, you know, settle down.
[00:46:56] Things aren't that different.
[00:46:57] It's kind of like the VR headset where it's like, they've been doing VR headsets for decades
[00:47:01] and decades.
[00:47:02] I'm kind of on the opposite end of that spectrum in terms of pessimism where I'm like, yeah,
[00:47:06] maybe I don't know what the term would be, but I'm just kind of like, yeah, we can't
[00:47:08] really do much.
[00:47:09] Sure.
[00:47:10] Technology's here.
[00:47:11] Yeah.
[00:47:12] Might as well find a way to use it for the positive in a way.
[00:47:15] I very much admire that.
[00:47:16] Yeah.
[00:47:16] Kind of giving up on that, you know, in a sense.
[00:47:18] Yeah.
[00:47:18] I very much admire that.
[00:47:19] But yeah, Postman wrote that book in 1985 and just every page in there, it just strikes
[00:47:25] me as, oh man, he called it all.
[00:47:27] You know, he called everything.
[00:47:28] Yeah.
[00:47:29] That's some sci-fi stuff for sure.
[00:47:31] That's awesome though.
[00:47:32] So.
[00:47:32] Yeah.
[00:47:33] Cool place.
[00:47:33] Not really an outdoor recreation piece, but hey, Boulder's outdoor recreation.
[00:47:37] Can people just go and check this out when they're Boulder?
[00:47:39] Yeah.
[00:47:39] So there are, oh shoot.
[00:47:42] I knew you were going to ask that.
[00:47:43] They post like their open house hours.
[00:47:46] Okay.
[00:47:46] Cool.
[00:47:46] People can find their open house hours.
[00:47:48] Yeah.
[00:47:48] So something maybe wintry and Boulder, you're looking for something to do.
[00:47:52] Very much.
[00:47:52] Very nostalgia.
[00:47:53] You know, like trip down memory lane for sure.
[00:47:55] Bunch of different typewriters and you never know what someone might be doing in there.
[00:47:58] Like experimental wise.
[00:47:59] Yeah.
[00:48:00] Super cool.
[00:48:00] And yeah, you never know what we're going to talk about.
[00:48:04] Even a song.
[00:48:05] Merry Christmas.
[00:48:05] Even a song.
[00:48:06] Yeah.
[00:48:06] So I guess that's about all we got today.
[00:48:08] Yeah.
[00:48:09] But we will be checking in sometime next week too.
[00:48:13] Yeah.
[00:48:14] One last time.
[00:48:15] I'm Spencer McKee.
[00:48:16] I'm Seth.
[00:48:16] And I want to, I want to sign off line.
[00:48:18] See you out there.
[00:48:20] There we go.
[00:48:20] Yeah.