Colorado's Front Range skiers, like two-plankers anywhere, are tribal. There are the Colorado Springsians who call Monarch home. The Boulderites who spend entire winters at diminutive Eldora simply to avoid driving I-70. The bump sluts of Mary Jane. And the Vail and Summit county pragmatists who brave traffic weekend after weekend simply because they bought Epic passes early and want to push their per-run cost into sub-ten-cent territory. If you're one of them—or even if you're passing through Denver from out of state—you should know that another truly sublime ski experience exists just 45 minutes from that city's downtown. Just off I-70 at the base of Berthoud Pass, there's a catskiing operation called Powder Addiction. PA's savvy guides—like Eric Tolland, pictured above—led by snow-safety maven and catskiing-ops veteran Jamie Wolter know exactly how to read wind and weather to find you soft, safe slopes. And if you're already in the big city, you won't have to drive five hours to get to them.
Visit Powder Addiction on Facebook or on the company's website.