Blame it on Boulder. At least that’s where author, adventurer and Boulder native Eugene Buchanan lays responsibility for an interesting, eclectic life that has taken him around the globe in search of steep rapids on remote rivers and some not so steep and rapid.

Apryle Craig is reminiscing about her do-it-yourself kayak trip through the Pacific Northwest’s Inside Passage. The 111-day journey started in Washington’s Gig Harbor before traveling more than 1,200 miles to Alaska.

Roy Leckonby is happy. He’s lounging in the corner of a Boulder restaurant, sipping a beer and eating Mexican food. He’s smiling and laughing and soaking up the moment. “I’m blessed,” he says. And he means it. Leckonby arrived in Boulder to attend the University of Colorado in 1996. A hotshot ski racer, he’d grown up speeding down the icy slopes of New Hampshire and other Eastern states.

The technique is solid: weight firmly on the downhill ski, eyes ahead, shoulders square. There’s fire in the eyes, determination there. There’s also beauty and grace and something timeless.

There’s a habit among Colorado skiers to think that their mountain is the center of the universe. And while Vail may be the “best place on the planet” and Arapahoe Basin is where “the true hardcores hang out,” there’s another option to consider. And that’s the fact that as rad as these places are, they really don’t stack up to a place called Europe.

Let's face it, we’re spoiled. Colorado has some of the best skiing and riding in the world. Witness the fact that while we get to live here, people from all over the world descend upon our winter paradise each season, hoping to get a weeklong taste of what we get to enjoy all winter. They’re here for powder, parties, impeccably groomed runs and nightlife that ranges from the mild to the wild. Come to think of it, that’s why we live here, too.

Christmas is coming, but the ski and snowboard season has already started. Regardless of whether you’re celebrating the start of winter, adding a few “special” items to that gift list, stoking out a friend with an early December birthday or rewarding yourself, here’s where to start your shopping list.

In 1976, Colorado voters were asked a simple question: “Should the state host the Winter Olympics?” The future governor Dick Lamm, answer was “no.” The no vote was a shocker. Orchestrated by who was a state representative at the time, and fellow rep Bob Jackson, the anti-Olympic movement of the ’70s found sympathetic ears in voters concerned about uncontrolled growth along the Front Range and out of control costs.

Professional skier Jamie Pierre died Sunday afternoon in an early season avalanche while skiing yet-to-be-opened Snowbird. The Utah resort hadn’t commenced avalanche control work, and the upper parts of the ski area’s steep, avalanche-prone mountain had been getting pounded by snow and wind, filling in lines and enticing local skiers.

For Gratz, every day is perfect. At least from a weather standpoint. Gratz, along with fellow meteorologist and skier Andy Murray, is a founder of Open Snow, a website that’s currently geared toward snow reports but expects to expand to include other activities.