Fitness
Winter Park Remains One of the Coolest Ski Hills in the Rockies
The sun barely cracks the horizon as we approach Colorado’s Continental Divide via the most timeless and dramatic mode of transport—rail. The train we’re on has plenty of room to stretch out and any of us could’ve easily fallen into a comfortable slumber during an early morning roll through the Rockies, but no one wants to miss anything. Outside our dining car—where windows wrap halfway around the roof—we’ve been watching the front range suburbs give way to vast rock formations, wild moose, ghost depots, and eventually those majestic snow-capped peaks. Welcome aboard the Winter Park Express.
A dedicated weekend Amtrak train geared specifically for skiers and snowboarders, the Winter Park Express snakes some 4,000 vertical feet and 56 miles from Denver to the base of its namesake resort—Winter Park—with zero chance of Sunday traffic.
“We just pulled I-70 on our map app,” the conductor announced, “We’ve never seen this before. Instead of a red line, the traffic is just showing up as black.”
He gets a hearty chuckle from the passengers who are thankful not to be sitting in stop-and-go. The trip speaks to the romance of train travel in the mountainous West—chugging through the history, curves, peaks, and passes from the warm comfort of a rail car with a hot chocolate or cold Bloody Mary. The conductor and staff double as tour guides, adding color to the two-hour trip.
“Our train will go through 28 tunnels,” our conductor tells us, semi-warning that the last one is about six miles long. “It’s pretty dark in there, if you want to find your way back to your seat.”
We collect ourselves in the darkness, and as we enter the light again, there it is—the base of Winter Park, the longest continually operating ski resort in Colorado. We debark the train, gather our boards, and head out for our first gondola ride of the day—just a few hundred yards from the depot.
The first track to this region was built in the 1920s for the purpose of agriculture and logging. The Colorado Rocky Mountains became a hotbed of winter recreation, but it was a long drive from the towns. Boulder and Denver are just 35 and 50 miles away as the crow flies, but the snaking highway route is over 100 miles; thus the demand for the old Ski Train when the Denver Parks and Rec department developed the resort that they called “Denver’s winter park.”
The city opened the mountain in 1940 with the train bringing happy skiers right to the base. Today, it’s still technically owned by the city while operated by Alterra Mountain Co.—the Denver-based company that runs 14 other ski resorts in North America. Winter Park is the only one with direct rail service to the lift, with one-way train fares running between $29-$39. The train only runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, however, so if you return on a weekday you can hop a shuttle back to Denver.
Within a few minutes, we’re dressed and whisking up the gondola on a bluebird morning. Though there hasn’t been snow all week, the conditions are good and you can still find powder turns in the woods. We ride above the tree line, then cruise groomers and weave between evergreens. And while there are some Sunday lift lines, they aren’t proportionate to the number of people on the hill. Crowds are well dispersed across the 23 lifts, 166 trails on the two distinct mountains of Mary Jane and Winter Park—featuring “Seven Territories” across 3,060 feet of vertical rise. The 3,082 acres of terrain here makes Winter Park the fourth largest ski resort in Colorado. For those who want a backcountry challenge within the patrolled area, it also includes the Cirque Territory’s 400 acres of extreme ungroomed steeps, perched at over 12,000 feet.
Winter Park had 369 inches of snow in 2021. That’s more white than any other major Colorado resort, besting the cumulative average of 327. Storms tend to sit in the Frazier Valley and just dump. Snowmaking ensures that the mountain is open each year before Thanksgiving, and since rain in the spring is rare, spring skiing and riding are good through mid-May when the hills close. After that, Winter Park turns itself right over to mountain biking.
We ride in abundant sunshine and considerable warmth again before a winter storm approaches the Rockies, starting with a light snowfall. By afternoon, you can barely find a soul on the mountain. With most terrain open, all the lifts running until four o’clock, and the snow continuing to fall, Winter Park becomes an empty wonderland. By mid-afternoon, we’re totally gassed.
Winter Park’s ski village is sleepy at night and we opted for early dinners. The town of Winter Park itself, a short shuttle ride away, has plenty of restaurants, breweries, galleries, and shops that stay open later.
While lift tickets are comparable to most of Colorado’s big resorts at $150-$200 a day (booking early saves a few bucks), everything else at Winter Park is moderately priced. You can easily find a hearty dinner for $20 and lodging rates are reasonable. Overall, there’s less glitz and pretense than some of the Summit County spots, with the primary focus here being the hill itself. There are dedicated pass holders who park at the Mary Jane base and don’t step foot in the Village at Winter Park all season.
The snow continues to fall as we dine at Dunbar, an excellent Nepalese and Indian restaurant at Cooper Creek Square in Winter Park proper. The following morning, the valley has a few inches of powder and the sun again lights a perfectly clear sky. Soon enough, we’re back on the hill with a fresh supply of untracked runs all to ourselves—exploring Parsenn’s Bowl in the early morning and laughing like kids on a snow day. Deep in Colorado’s alpine adventureland, Winter Park clearly hasn’t lost its enduring edge.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
The key to 360-degree muscle: 90-degree eccentric isometrics. It might seem like we’re throwing a lot of geometry at you, but the concept behind time under tension (TUT) is simple, says Joel Seedman, PhD, owner of Advanced Human Performance: “Perform the lowering phase of a movement in a slow, controlled fashion, usually 3 to 5 seconds; pause in the stretched position, typically around 90 degrees; then perform the lifting phase in a powerful yet controlled fashion.” Believe us, a time-under-tension workout can humble even seasoned lifters…Eccentric isometrics are like the pressure cooker of training.
“Rather than mindlessly performing slow-tempo reps, you’re using the increased time under tension as a means to fine-tune your body mechanics and alignment, which requires more mental engagement and focus,” Seedman adds.
If you want to forge functional muscle mass and strength while simultaneously bulletproofing the joints and connective tissue, give this 10-move, full-body eccentric isometrics workout a go.
Directions
Perform the following moves as 90-degree eccentric isometrics following the above protocol. Use heavy weight, but not at the detriment of proper form. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets and 2 minutes between circuits. Perform once every 2 to 4 days for optimal results.
Best Time-Under-Tension Workout for Total-Body Strength
Circuit 1
A. Barbell Back Squat
Set a squat rack up with heavy weight, then grasp bar and step under it. Squeeze shoulder blades together, then stand to unrack bar and step back with feet shoulder-width apart. Inhale, hinge at hips and slowly bend knees to 90 degrees. Pause, keeping natural arch in low back, then extend through hips to powerfully stand. 3 x 4-6 reps
B. Renegade Row
Start in the top position of a pushup with hands shoulder-width apart on moderate-to-heavy dumbbells (shown). Explosively drive right elbow back to row dumbbell toward ribs while balancing on opposite hand and feet. Pause, then slowly lower weight, stopping a few inches above floor. Switch sides after all reps are done. 3 x 5 reps each side
Circuit 2
A. Dumbbell Bentover Row
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding two moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in front of thighs, palms facing you. Push hips back and hinge torso forward so it’s nearly parallel to floor, soft bend in knees. Dumbbells should be near shins. Drive elbows back to row weights toward ribs. Pause, then slowly lower down for 3 to 5 seconds. 3 x 4-5 reps
B. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press with Legs Raised
Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back with dumbbells in either hand. Engage core and lift legs off floor, flexing feet. Press weights overhead, palms in. Slowly lower to 90 degrees, staying tight and compact. Pause, then drive weights up directly over chest. 3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 3
A. Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat
Stand lunge-length in front of a flat bench, holding heavy dumbbells in each hand by your sides, palms facing in. Rest the ball on top (shoe’s laces) of your right foot behind you on the bench. Slowly lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause, then drive through your heel to stand. Switch sides after all reps are complete. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
B. Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand with feet hip-width apart holding dumbbells or kettlebells. Drive right leg up, foot flexed, knee aligned with hip, making a 90-degree angle. Hinge at hips as you slowly lever your torso toward floor, lowering weights and driving right leg back for counterbalance. Hold, then squeeze glutes to reverse. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
Circuit 4
A. Pullup
Hang from a pullup bar using an overhand grip with legs extended and feet flexed. Engage lats and draw shoulders down your back, then pull yourself up until chin is higher than hands. Pause at the top, then slowly lower. Pause at bottom, then reset before your next rep. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
B. Kneeling Overhead Barbell Press
Hold a bar with moderate-to-heavy load at shoulder level with forearms perpendicular to floor. Kneel at end of bench with feet flexed to grip edge for support. Inhale, engage your core and glutes, then press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward so it passes your face, exhaling at the top.
Slowly lower until elbows are at 90 degrees, then hold to maintain tension. Begin your next rep from here. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 5
A. Dumbbell Pushup
Place hands on dumbbells (this provides greater range of motion) at shoulder width and feet wider than shoulder width with just toes touching the ground. Keep head neutral and hips high to increase tension on core, chest and tris and reduce stress on spine. Slowly lower to the floor. Stop
once elbows hit 90 degrees, pause, then push up to start. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
B. Biceps Curl
Stand with feet hip-width apart with moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in each hand hanging by sides. Engage biceps to curl the weights up, keeping upper arms still. Pause at the top, then lower slowly. Don’t let arms drop all the way down to keep greater time under tension on biceps. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
