On November 7, 2013, Denverite Chris O’Donnell and his 10- and 11-year-old sons, Finn and Tanner, skied both Loveland and Arapahoe Basin. The twofer marked the beginning of the O’Donnells’ mission to ski all 24 of the resorts available through the Colorado Ski Country Pass and the Epic Pass’ School of Shred in a single season. “This was about the only time in our lives we’d be able to achieve it within our finances,” Chris says.

If the O’Donnells had hit the ticket window at each resort, the cost of passes alone would’ve topped $5,000. But thanks to the Colorado Ski Country Pass, which is free for fifth graders and $99 for sixth graders—and the generosity of friends and family who let the trio couch-surf in pursuit of their goal—the family spent $5,521 on everything: Dad’s passes, gas, lodging, food, ski tunes, and souvenir patches and stickers from each stop. More than 4,600 miles and 86 hours of driving later, the O’Donnells completed the list. “The best part of this adventure wasn’t even the skiing,” Chris says. “It was the one-on-one time with my boys on long car rides and slow chair lifts.”

5280 December 2014
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