This past summer, Colorado hosted the 2011 US Pro Cycling Challenge, a bike race covering over 600 miles through Colorado’s mountainous terrain. The magnificent race not only brought the top 3 finishers from the Tour de France, it also lured in over 1 million spectators, creating an electrifying energy throughout the host cities and the entire state. Due to its great success, the US Pro Cycling Challenge will return again to Colorado in the Summer of 2012!

The race will be held from August 20-26, and again will go throughout the state of Colorado, showcasing the beautiful terrain that the state is known for. However, the race will change slightly this year, as new cities have been chosen to host each stage.

 

Here is a list of dates and cities where the

US Pro Cycling Challenge will take place:

 

Stage 1, August 20: Durango to Telluride

Stage 2, August 21: Montrose to Crested Butte

Stage 3, August 22: Gunnison to Aspen

Stage 4, August 23: Aspen to Beaver Creek

Stage 5, August 24: Breckenridge to Colorado Springs

Stage 6, August 25: Golden to Boulder

Stage 7, August 26: Denver

While some cities from last year are not on the route this year, such as Steamboat Springs and Vail, new cities have been added, like Boulder and Beaver Creek. It will be interesting to see if there is ever a permanent schedule, or if the host cities will continue to change.

Either way, if you plan on coming to any of these destinations to follow the 2012 US Pro Cycling Challenge or just to visit any time of year, find out more about how our team of Friendly. Knowledgeable. Locals.^® can help you plan your customized mountain vacation.

 

Check out highlights from the 2011 US Pro Cycling Challenge:

Today is my last day at Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals and I could not have had a better experience. Living in Vail has truly been amazing. I’ve been hiking, camping, visited Aspen and partied it up in Breckenridge (multiple times). I’ve met some great people and made friends I’ll never forget.

Moving out here from Long Island, I had no idea what to expect, but the results have been all I had hoped for and more. I’ll be moving in Denver after Thanksgiving, so I won’t be too far away. Today is opening day in Vail, so to say I’ll be going out on a perfect day is an understatement. I’ll be heading out at noon today to hopefully get some fresh tracks. So for everyone who follows the RMVR blogs, I hope to see you out on the mountain this season and enjoying all Colorado has to offer!

Last weekend Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals attended the Ski and Snowboard Expo at the convention center in Denver, Co.  The Expo was a good time with great deals, tons of giveaways, and many different types of vendors to help you get ready for the upcoming season.  We gave away a pair of skis everyday to three lucky winners thanks to Venture Sports.  After a busy weekend working at the ski and snowboard expo, I was glad to finally head back to Vail.

Sunday night after the expo it was time to get out of Denver.  As I was carpooling with fellow employees, we decided to grab dinner on the way out, and I knew of a place right off of I-70 that I have visited before that goes by the name of Kermitts Roadhouse.  When you pass the town of Genesis, you will embark on a very steep downhill portion of the road; at the bottom will be exit 244 and you will see the lonely Kermitts Roadhouse.

When you walk into Kermitts, the first thing you will notice is the copious amount of dollar bills covering every wall. They are famous for their green chili, so we all indulged in some!  As a green chili enthusiast, I will definitely give them a passing grade.  After our great meal, we decided to put a dollar bill on the wall and of course we had to represent RMVR.

If you find yourself visiting us in the mountains and need a quick delicious bite to eat, don’t be too shy to stumble into Kermitts Roadhouse.  While you are there, try to find our Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals dollar bill; it’s not to hard to find.

Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals is getting geared up for a fun weekend at the BEWI Ski and Snowboard Expo, being held at the Denver Convention Center this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The event features everything from  Fashion Shows, Freestyle Aerial Demonstrations, Big Air Shows and a Beer Garden.  Not to mention it’s a great place for attendees to catch sweet deals on gear and the possibility to score some giveaways.

We’ve partnered with our good friend, Venture Sports, to offer three pairs of skis to be raffled off during the event!  Your chance to win is as easy as filling out a card telling us where you love to ski!  BEWI projects that over 25,000 people will attend the Denver Expo, which is very exciting for RMVR.  The Colorado travel market is our largest consumer, so the Expo poses a great opportunity to get RMVR’s name out there to these people.  Our goal of exhibiting  is to make people aware of the services and lodging options we provide in all of our ski markets.  If people knew that we are indeed the One Stop Shop for their ski travel needs, they’d never look elsewhere.

If you plan on attending the show, tickets can be purchased at the door for just $10.00.  Come meet our team at booth 52!   Further details on the expo hours and events can be found on the BEWI Website. We’ll see you at the show!

The last week there has been a lot going on in this amazing state of Colorado and much planned for the winter.  In Denver this weekend, there were several great concerts and the Annual Zombie Crawl.  In the High Rockies, two ski resorts opened and snow has finally greeted us!

I attended two concerts this weekend, each of which were incredible; the BassNectar show at First Bank Center and the first Gorillaz World Tour at the Wells Fargo Theatre.  The Gorillaz have only performed in the U.S. a very few times before their world tour, and as a huge fan, I could not miss Damon Albarn (mastermind of the Gorillaz) in Colorado.  My year was made when I was able to tell Damon of my appreciation of his music and my favorite album Mali Music.  BassNectar was incredible, playing a two and a half hour set, blowing the walls of the First Bank Center.

If you found yourself on the 16^th Street Mall on Saturday October 23^rd you might have been petrified by the walking dead.  The Annual Zombie Crawl happens in the Streets of  Denver every year before Halloween to celebrate this great time.  This year, the Denver Zombie Crawl broke a World Record of most registered zombies in the streets at 7,300, shattering the previous record held by Seattle.  Now that’s a lot of Zombies!

Leaving Vail early Saturday morning, I was greeted with dead stopped traffic.  Usually, I would be stressed, but this time, there was a wonderful reason: tons of snowfall.  Thankfully, I have a Jeep and made it safely to Denver.  It continued to snow all weekend to help allow Loveland and Arapahoe Basin ski resorts open.  Opening weekends for other resorts are coming soon; Copper: November 5^th, Keystone: November 5^th, Breckenridge: November 12^th, Vail: November 19^th, Beaver Creek: November 24^th, Ajax: November 25^th, and Telluride: November 25^th.

If you are planning to visit Denver or the High Rockies, plan your trip through Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, your Friendly Knowledgeable Locals.

This past weekend I headed into Denver to meet up with some of my college roommates. One of them lives in Denver so I see him on a pretty regular basis, but the other is currently living in Dallas, Texas and we hadn’t seen each other since early June. Quite a change considering his room has been across the hall from me the past 2 years. He was coming into town because his brother is a freshman at DU and it happened to be parents weekend. We all met up on Saturday afternoon and grabbed lunch at a local college restaurant that his brother often frequents.

That evening we all met up for dinner at a local Italian restaurant that had been recommended to my friend’s dad. To say the food was phenomenal would be an understatement. It was great to catch up with everyone and we spent a few hours reminiscing about old college times and what we are all up to these days. The 3 of us hit a few different bars afterwards and it felt just like old times. I ended up staying in Denver until Monday and while I had a blast, I definitely felt Vail calling me back. I missed the fresh air, beautiful views, and all the friendly locals.

To make your reservations for a trip to Denver or anywhere in the Rocky Mountains call Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals at 1.888.866.2305.

A Florida girl, living in Vail, cheering for…the Jets?  That basically sums up my Sunday yesterday.  One of my high school pals, a diehard Jets fan, recently moved to Colorado, and one of the first promises I made to him was that I would go with him to the Jets vs. Broncos game.  That was about two months ago, and by noon last Friday, we still hadn’t purchased our tickets.  However, procrastination definitely paid off; I logged onto NFL.com, browsed through the ticketholder tickets for sale, and struck gold: Section 113, Row 33, Seats 23 & 24 (aisle seats).  For $100 each.  That type of opportunity doesn’t come up every day.  I quickly snagged the tickets before anybody else could steal my steal of a deal, and tried to sit still in my seat for the rest of the day.  This would be my second trip to Denver and my first time to Invesco Field.

Sunday morning started out a little hectically; I called Tommy at 9:00 am (half an hour after he was supposed to pick me up) and ended up waking him up.  He rushed (he lives 20 minutes away in Edwards) and we were on the road by 10 am, which was fine since it’s only a two hour max drive from Vail to Denver and the game didn’t start till 2:05 pm.  We made it to Denver, found parking, and headed to the 16^th Street Mall for some pregame drinks.  We were completely surprised by the amount of Jets fans in Denver; the amount walking around easily outnumbered those sporting Broncos gear.  We hung out at a downtown bar and then hopped on the trolley to the bus station, where we took a bus straight to the stadium.

The stadium was absolutely packed; we quickly realized that the reason we saw so many more Jets fans than Broncos fans on the streets was because the Broncos fans were all at the stadium; it was a sea of orange!  The game was both exciting to watch and a fun experience.  We were surrounded by a row of Jets fans behind us and some very friendly Broncos fans beside us, making for a near perfect atmosphere. Oh yeah, and the Jets won, 24 – 20.  This was Tommy’s first time to Denver, and we’ll definitely be back soon.  As much as we both love living in Vail, it’s nice to escape to the city sometimes.

But we’ll always keep coming back to the mountains, especially with snow on its way!

This Friday, don’t miss out on what should be a most triumphant occasion of 80’s ski wear, proceeds for charity, beer until the taps run out, and some killer hits from the live band, The Champions!

The party takes place at the Mile Hi Station in Denver this Friday, October 15^th from 8 pm – 2 am. Tickets are $40, and provide you with entry (as long as you are dressed for the occasion) and beer until it’s gone. All proceeds for the party will go to the E.P.I.C. Foundation – The Endeavor for Physical and Intellectual Challenges for those in financial need. The foundation was initiated in memory of Adam M. Baron. The E.P.I.C. Foundation is now working in collaboration with First Descents, committed to empowering individuals that experience the emotional effects of cancer by being active in adventure sports. On top of rockin out in stellar 80’s ski styles, your money will be supporting great things.

The Champions, including former members of Fuckiphino and DJ Kid Delicious play featured hits by Journey, Heart, Boston, Deep Purple, Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar, and Bon Jovi to name a few.

In addition to the beer, the purchase of a ticket puts you in the running for prizes from raffles throughout the night! With the purchase of a $100 VIP ticket, you’ll receive access to a private area, complimentary bottle service, munchies, and Schwag bag with giveaways.

Get excited for the season with a most appropriate celebration of stylish ski wear, charity, and prizes! With all of this activity to get you amped, remember to stay posted with lodging deals and lift ticket options at rockymountainvacationrentals.com!

Tonight at approximately 6:30 I will have officially been in Colorado for two weeks. So far so good, to say the least. I started out staying at my college roommate’s apartment in downtown Denver. He’s new to the area as well, so we explored the city all day Saturday after checking out the Rockies game on Friday night. Sunday morning we headed to Vail.

Monday was my first day of work and everyone couldn’t have been nicer. I’ve met some great and interesting people. We all hung out and played bingo at a bar in Vail Village one night and my favorite coworker scored some big winnings, and then we had a BBQ at a coworkers condo another night. A few of us drove through Independence Pass to Aspen the other day, and then I went camping with a friend the following night. I’ve been enjoying every minute of my time here and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me. There is so much to see and do in Colorado and I’m going to do my best to make sure I make the most of it.

When you decide to come explore Colorado yourself, make sure you call Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals at 1.888.866.2305 to book your reservation.

Episode IX

Welcome to the weekly blog that reports my adventures throughout the general area of the Vail Valley.  I am recently new to Vail and have a passion for exploring the beautiful nature while also informing anyone planning to visit the Valley, or even current locals, of the incredible activities the Valley has to offer.  Every week I plan on going somewhere remote to experience the Rocky Mountains by participating in activities including hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking, rafting, tubing, cliff diving, and whatever else I can think of.  During these activities I will be capturing the nature around me with my camera to produce breathtaking photos and informative videos if possible.

Friday morning: ready for the day to end, wondering what the night will bring?  I was wondering what night the first Annual Snowboard on the Rocks was going to be and to my surprise, it was that night, September 17, 2010.  I was stoked, but apprehensive about driving all the way to Red Rocks by myself.  “I’ll go with you,” says my friendly neighboring co-worker. “Yes!” I responded in excitement.

–To fill everyone in before I continue with my adventure, Snowboard on the Rocks is the first annual event that celebrates the end of summer and the anticipation of the first snowfall with three world premieres of snowboarding videos and four musical acts.  The videos that were scheduled to play were Never Summer’s “Made in America,” Think Thank’s “Right Brain/ Left Brain,” and Standard Film’s “The Storming.”  The four performances scheduled were local hip-hop group London Dungeon, Bukue One, Del The Funky Homosapien, and The Cool Kids.

So now that I don’t have an excuse not to go and I have something to look forward to after work, I can’t wait for this journey to begin!  Red Rocks is about an hour and a half away from Vail, so we had to depart immediately after work to catch all the action.  The ride is faster than one would believe, and the great scenery all around us and the majority of the drive being downhill didn’t hurt either.  We arrived at Red Rocks Amphitheatre around 7 o’clock, just enough time to grab our tickets and head into the action.  Advice I have for anyone attending any event at Red Rocks: buying tickets early to certain events is a great timesaver, especially if you get the tickets via mail or email so you don’t have to wait in long lines.  For those who have tickets at will call, remember there is a separate line from those purchasing tickets, and this line is usually much shorter.

We finally entered the venue after an intense hike up the steep hills and stairs.  We just missed London Dungeon, which I wasn’t too upset about.  After we grabbed a beer and found a good place to sit, we were in time for the first video, Never Summer’s “Made in America.”  This event being the first of its kind, it is expected to have some glitches and there were for the first video.  This queued Del to come on to perform early to avoid a riot by unsettled snowboard enthusiasts.  I didn’t mind this because Del gave a great performance and went on longer than scheduled, which boosted my level of respect.

Once all glitches were fixed, they restarted the Never Summer video from the beginning, and went right into the Think Thank video after some quick product giveaways.  The Cool Kids came on afterwards and also put on a great performance.  The final video of the night was Standard Film’s “The Storming,” which was my favorite of the night because it focused more on backcountry and powder shots than the other two videos.  All the videos were amazing, each featuring some never-before-attempted-on-film shots that created epic shrieks throughout the almost filled Red Rocks.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is one of many reasons to visit Colorado.  Not only are its natural surroundings surreal and beautiful, but it offers the best acoustics any outdoor amphitheatre has to offer, making it one of a kind.  Red Rocks has a copious amount of history, as it began hosting concerts in 1906.  For anyone who is a fan of music and/or nature, a concert at Red Rocks is a must-see experience.  If you are planning on visiting this year, I wouldn’t take my time, as Red Rocks shuts down for the winter season.  But keep Red Rocks in your options for 2011, and if you plan to see a show, make sure you have a great place to stay through Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals by calling 1-888-866-2305.  Until then, rock on!

I’m frequently asked how and why I got into vacation rental sales as a newly graduated English major with a focus in literature. The answer has nothing do with a vying passion for lodging, or a background in real estate or the travel industry, and everything to do with the earnest, ever-devoted backbone of the small company for which I’m lucky enough to work. What is it that I do, per se? The quick and easy answer: I sell short-term rentals for vacationers, as well as for corporate and group retreats in the Vail/Beaver Creek rental markets. The roundabout answer, which is the point of this blog, makes coming to work every morning worthwhile, makes me a friendly, knowledgeable, local, and makes our small, Vail-based company representative of everything we try to “sell”: the Colorado lifestyle, attitude, and “joie de vivre” that we experience, simply by waking up every morning and looking out our windows.

A perfect example of this “Colorado experience” was this weekend’s company outing in Denver which included a visit to Coors Field to watch the Rockies defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks, a stop at the happening Vesta Dipping Grill for tapas and cocktails, and the perk of the weekend, a night’s stay at the Hyatt Regency, the premiere hotel to come and experience Denver nightlife.

At the start of last month, owner and founder of Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, Tommy Z. Hoffman, a close friend, and a coworker more so than an actual boss, sat down with the sales agents and told us about his personal objective for the month: to hit the total sales number of August 2008, the month before the economy crashed in Vail.  It was about $100,000 over our initial August 2010 sales goal.

When we successfully hit Tommy’s “mega push goal,” he had already planned a very generous weekend in honor of the entire staff’s hard work  and commitment to the team before we could mutter the words, How ‘bout them Rockies… I will never forget this past weekend in Denver: our company grew a little bit stronger, became a little bit more like family, and reached a milestone in the growth of RMVR that will only serve as greater incentive to share with the world the RMVR ideology.  When I come to the office each morning and talk to my clients, I’m not simply selling a product; I’m selling a lifestyle. I’m telling a story of what it means to be aware, to be truly conscience of our existence, and our relationship with our natural surroundings. I’m creating a scenario for the prospective visitor that basically sells itself, one which I, too, carry out and live by deliberately. The brand, the product of our company, is not our inventory of properties, but our tight-knit staff–those that recognize the impermanence and subsequent need for the appreciation of life, and those who help others do the same.

Whether your particular focus is in sales, marketing, real estate, social networking, videography, or website development, here at RMVR, we are united by our exuberance and by our eagerness to work, live, and play in the Rocky Mountains. With great friends, infinite possibilities, and the passion of existence that each and every one of our staff members feels on a daily basis, we exemplify exactly what it is we aspire to share with others.

Great news Denverites! Contrary to what you may have heard, Frontier Airlines WILL be continuing its Denver to Aspen services.  Frontier Airlines had previously announced that it would be discontinuing its Denver to Aspen flights after September 30^th.  However, as of August 17^th, the company has decided to retain this service, and will be using three of its Bombardier Q400 aircrafts for Denver to Aspen flights, as well as Durango, Colorado Springs, and other Colorado routes.

Denver to Aspen flights will include one departure per day October 1^st through November 17^th, two departures per day November 18^th through December 15^th, and just in time for ski season, four departures daily  December 16^th through April 2011.

To plan your next Aspen snow-cation, or any other Rocky Mountain vacation, contact Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals at 1-888-866-2305.

The Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals blogsite has been undergoing construction for the past few weeks, but we’re back and plan to be blogging more than ever!  Stay tuned for the latest information on events and happenings in Vail, Beaver Creek, Aspen/Snowmass, Denver, Telluride, Breckenridge, and more!

Written by Brittney Horn

Cycling enthusiasts in Colorado have Gov. Bill Ritter and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong to thank for the return of an international pro-cycling race to the Centennial state. Both enthusiastically announced the big news Wednesday morning and are very excited to begin planning for the event. The cycling race is named, “The Quiznos Pro Challenge,” after its sponsor, the Quiznos restaurant chain. The seven-day race will be held August 22-28 of next year and is expected to bring in cyclists from around the world and help Colorado’s economy.

The last international pro-cycling event that was held in Colorado was the Coors International Bicycle Classic, which ended its nine-year term in 1988. Because of the revival of a pro-cycling event coming back to Colorado, cyclists around the Denver area celebrated with Armstrong and Gov. Ritter by taking a ride from the State Capitol to Washington Park in Denver yesterday afternoon.

The course for the race is still yet to be chosen, but it will definitely highlight Colorado’s mountainous landscape and either will beginor end in Denver. The race will also be stopping in several towns and cities during its week-long tour. This tour will be one of two arranged for the United States next year, which makes the competition even more enticing to cyclists.

Armstrong, who owns a house in the beautiful Colorado city of Aspen, got the idea of restarting an international pro-cycling stage race while he was taking a scenic ride through Colorado’s mountains. “What started out as a ‘daydream’ of mine on a long ride outside of Aspen will now become a reality,” says Lance Armstrong energetically.

So get excited Colorado, for the 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge!