It’s officially closing weekend in Vail, and I am packing up all the loose files and items that have scattered my desk space for nearly a year. I remember my first week with Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals pretty well – it was the end of summer, gorgeous, and somewhat quiet in the Valley. I was itching for the sensation of feeling small, and my immersion into mountains seemed to be an accurate solution to fill this fix.

On Monday, this small mountain village will again crawl into a time of low-key hibernation, just as our neighboring bears are being drawn to the sweet smell of our trash. It’s a time for towns like Vail to rest, evaluate progress, transition, welcome our shared land to the wildlife, and melt into warm beginnings.

It does feel appropriate that today is my last with Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals. It has been quite the trip throughout this past Fall, Winter, and Spring, in which I have seen a lot of changes in the weather, industry trends, clothing ensembles, outdoor activities, and people.

When you become a local to the Valley, sometimes it seems like faces pass like the clouds that bring snow, rain, and clarity. The mountains certainly do attract individuals with unique stories – whether they are on vacation from another part of the globe,

whether they came with a 2 year plan that turned into 20 (which really never surprises me), or whether Vail had to at least be one place to stop at for a while along the road… All of these scenarios share a common ground – a thirst for adventure.

Throughout my time working with Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, I have made many new friends, been enlightened by every individual’s unique story, gained knowledge of media relations for a private company, and had the pleasure of highlighting our successes. I must say, however, one of my favorite assignments was managing content for the company bios, interviewing new hires, and simply getting to know everyone. Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals is comprised of people that are driven, a little bit quirky, and absolutely sincere. Each story is different.

The seasonal nature of this town is a bittersweet reminder of transition. As I embark on new beginnings with the start of summer trickling into the mountains, I will not lose sight of the many lessons that someone like Tommy Z. Hoffman himself has taught me. Never cut yourself too short when it comes to compromise, and never cut yourself too short in taking a chance.

In the first blog I published in August for the company, I concluded my thoughts with “We are a team of friendly, knowledgeable, locals, and are eager to assist those of you with that itch to venture out here too.” Take a chance in the Colorado Rockies, and please support my good friends when you book with Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals!

A great way to kick off your vail summer vacation! The country’s largest celebration of adventure sports, art and music, the Teva Mountain Games, are returning to Vail June 2- 5, 2011. The Teva Mountain Games attract professional and amateur athletes from all around the world to compete on the mountains and rivers of Vail in eight sports and 24 disciplines for more than $100,000 in prize money! This year’s events include kayaking, rafting mountain biking, road cycling, World Cup Bouldering, amateur climbing, fly fishing, stand up paddling, trail running and a half marathon.

In addition to the exciting sporting events, the Teva Mountain Games also offer many lifestyle components including: the Mountain Click Photo Competition, the Outside Adventure Film School, Outdoor Reels Film Festival, Mountains of Music free concerts and the Teva Mountain Ball. There will also be expos by the Gear Town and Green Light District as well as the interactive family zone, Adventure Village.

The best part of the Teva Games… spectating is totally FREE! There are also free activities such as the Bear Naked Adventure Village, the Eddie Bauer Zip Line, the Thule Stash and Dash competition, the Bud Light Mountains of Music concerts, the Outdoor Reels Film Series and MORE! All of our Friendly. Knowledgeable. Locals. ® here at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals are looking forward to the Teva Mountain Games and would love to help you book your dream vacation rental!

Find More Vail Colorado Events

Vail Colorado Ski Vacation Activities: Adventure Ridge’s closing day was this past Saturday and I made it there just in time to enjoy some tubing and trampoline jumping before the season ended. Both were quite thrilling but I think the coolest part of adventure ridge is ski-biking, which some of us over here at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals were able to try out. As you can see in our video below, we thoroughly enjoyed it! Adventure Ridge is Vail’s Mountaintop Adventure Center that allows your on the slopes fun to continue into the evening! If you didn’t make it to Adventure Ridge this winter don’t you worry, there are lots of great activities to enjoy there during the summer!

Horseback Tours & Pony Rides

Take a scenic horseback tour from Eagle’s Nest through Game Creek Bowl and back, overlooking the Vail Valley. Suitable for adults and children 7 years and up. With or without lunch- $35- $85. Children ages 2–6 years can enjoy pony rides around our mountaintop corral. $6.

Vail Mountain Guided Hikes – NEW!

Guided hikes on Vail Mountain are offered Wednesday to Saturday during summer operations.  Private hikes are available Sunday to Tuesday and are customizable to your hiking preference!  All guided hikes will meet at the Lionshead Ticket Office.

Top of the Mountain Tours – NEW!

Explore Vail Mountain in an adventurous, open air vehicle.  Tours leave from Adventure Ridge at Eagle’s Nest and head to the top of China Bowl and back. With or without lunch- $20- $40

Climbing Wall
Reach new heights with our NEW climbing wall equipped with a safety harness. $10 per session.

Rebound Trampoline
Catch some air at 10,000 ft. on a modified trampoline with a waist harness attached to bungee cords. You may think this is for kids, but once you see the sheer joy it brings a child- you will want to try it! $10 per session.

Disc Golf
Tee up for this spectacular, self-guided 18-hole Disc Golf Course at the top of the mountain. Front nine is beginner/intermediate and the back nine is intermediate/advanced. Allow 1–2 hours per nine holes. $8 disc rental.

Lawn Sports
Bocce Ball, Horseshoes, Dino Dig, and a new Slack Line Park. Enjoy an afternoon of fun in the sand and sun with your friends. All lawn sports are FREE.

Guided Nature Hikes
Explore Vail Mountain on a free one-hour guided hike with the Gore Range Natural Science School and learn about the area’s flora and fauna departing at 11am and 2pm.

Discovery Center
Learn about the environment through fun, interactive displays or join a guided hike. The center is a cooperative arrangement between Vail Resorts, Walking Mountains Science School and the U.S. Forest Service.

After 4pm, use your $10 evening lift ticket voucher toward purchase of any Adventure Ridge activity.

There are plenty of exciting activities to enjoy at Adventure Ridge and Vail this summer! Contact a Friendly. Knowledgeable. Local. at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals to book your summer lodging!

Breckenridge Colorado Live Music

Guess what!? This Sunday Ozomatli will be in Breckenridge playing for FREE! It’s spring time here in the valley and that means a lot of free concerts. We just finished a series of Bud Light concerts in Vail but wait it’s not completely over. Now the Bud Light concert series has moved on to Breck and they have a great line up: Wailers, Devotchka, and Ozomatli to name a few.


Being a huge Ozo fan I’m super excited about them performing here in Colorado and for FREE. This band is high energy all the time, I don’t remember ever going to one of their concerts (yes I’ve been to several) and not danced the whole time they’re on stage. People that get to see them for the first time get hooked and become Ozo fans instantly. At least that’s been my experience with the people I’ve taken to the concert with me.


A little about the band (some info from their website): Ozomatli is an LA-based group with a great live presence, brewing a vital concoction of Latin salsa, urban hip-hop, and jazz-funk. Notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga— has long followed a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around L.A. They were invited by the U.S. State Department to serve as official Cultural Ambassadors on a series of government-sponsored international tours to Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, tours that linked Ozomatli to a tradition of cultural diplomacy that also includes the esteemed likes of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Louis Armstrong.


Ozomatli has spent 15 years working diligently to spread its message of peace, communication and understanding through music, with a long standing tradition of performing for children all over the world, from the schools of North St. Louis to the orphanages of Southeast Asia. 2011 has the band focused on “oZoKidZ”, a special family friendly set geared towards performing for children and adults alike. The band are currently in the studio with acclaimed producer Tony Berg, recording a children’s album for release in 2011, followed by a book, DVD and tour

Concert Info: Sunday, April 10 from 3 – 5pm
Where: Get to the base area at Peak

For more info on the concerts in the area click here: Concerts


There are tons of events and things to do here in the area. For more info on these events and all your lodging needs, contact one of the Friendly, Knowledegable, Locals here at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals

For More Gigs in Breck visit the Breckenridge Colorado Events Calendar