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The Price Is Right | July 4-8
Besides its rowdy bashes (sample: the Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy après-ski party), Aspen Gay Ski Week is known mostly for its amazing deals on lodging and ski passes. The nonprofit behind the event, AspenOut, is now offering the same savings for the summer season—and eliminating the raucous parties to cultivate a more family-friendly environment. During the inaugural AdventureOut Snowmass, guests of all orientations and ages can take Jeep tours, battle in paintball wars, and cruise down the Colorado River (pictured above) on a rafting trip for an average eight percent discount; rates differ for adults and kids. The Timberline Condominiums will drop their group prices as well when you book through the AdventureOut website. Bonus: LGBTQ advocacy organizations—including One Colorado, which lobbies for laws that protect or advance equality in the state—will reap 90 percent of the proceeds.
Tykes On Bikes | July 20-21
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Colorado is full of entertaining athletic contests, but the Strider Cup World Championship in Boulder’s Central Park & Civic Area is by far the most adorable. Kids six years and under will race through obstacle courses on pedal-less Strider bikes. (Riders use their feet to move the two-wheelers forward, like Fred Flintstone in his Stone Age–era car.) The $27 entry fee nets each tot a goodie bag and a medal, and the top 10 finishers in each of the four divisions get trophies that are nearly as big as they are.
Satellite Campus | July 21
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The Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum already has impressive digs. But staffers thought they could better inspire the next generation of aviators if they secured space at a real airport. That idea took off; now Wings is launching Exploration of Flight, a new 15-acre campus on the edge of Centennial Airport. The first building to open will be Boeing Blue Sky Aviation Gallery, a 19,000-square-foot museum featuring interactive displays and exhibits about flight-focused topics, including the effects of atmospheric pressure on planes. On the second level, a designated listening area will let visitors in on radio communications between pilots and air traffic controllers, while a viewing space will allow guests to see the planes taking off and landing—and, the staff hopes, become motivated to take to the skies themselves.
Girlbosses | July 22
Talk about being ahead of the feminist curve: Boulder nonprofit Camber Outdoors has been promoting gender equality in the outdoor industry for the past two decades. One of its flagship events is Pitchfest, during which six to eight small, women-led companies present their business plans to industry VIPs—and it’s coming to Denver for the first time through the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. No one is declared the winner, but all the finalists get prizes before they even arrive: 10 weeks of working with outdoors veterans to put their best pitches forward.