We’ve all done it — watched a film like The Way and thought about packing up for Spain, or seen 180º South and considered a life of climbing mountains and surfing new waves. But how often do we turn that inspiration into the impetus to pack up a motorcycle and set off to write our own diaries?]]> In the launch of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Colorado will challenge France for the title of toughest race in the world, putting 128 cyclists to a grueling test against fierce climbs that crisscross Colorado mountain passes, long distances and an uphill time trial. The race, which starts on Aug. 22 in Colorado Springs, will draw top cyclists from around the world, including Boulder resident Tom Danielson.]]> The creek has been a time-honored escape from the heat of summer for decades. And with this year%uFFFDs heat lingering and looking like blasting us in an inferno through September, the creek is the obvious place to go to cool off..]]> The bar wasn’t much. It was cramped and crowded and stunk of stale beer. Outside, the rain spit and swirled in the wind, a summer storm that had left three days of puddles on the sidewalks and wasn’t about to relent. But inside we were warm, fattening up on wings washed down with cold beverages.]]> Sometimes, the anticipation surrounding a ski trip creates a type of pressure that detonates the first night of vacation. Here’s what happens: arrival in a ski town, off the plane and direct to the slope side hotel. This is immediately followed by an indecent amount of cocktailing and pizza eating with old pals in effort to blow off steam accumulated by wrapping up work projects needed to get away.]]> Maybe you know AscenDance from the television show America’s Got Talent. Or maybe from their 2009 appearance at Boulder’s Aerial Dance Festival. Or maybe you’re getting to know them as a new neighbor on Arapahoe Avenue. The AscenDance Project moves an art form into a sports arena by blending dance and climbing — the dancers cling to holds on a climbing wall while executing their choreography. And its founder and artistic director, Isabel Von Rittberg, has officially moved to Boulder, bringing the AscenDance company to a new studio here.]]> Small Wyoming ski resorts have been folding in the past decade, but there may be hope for their futures. White Pine Ski Area has now gone up for sale, while Antelope Butte may see a resurrection.]]> National Geographic has announced that Boulder-based mountaineer Cory Richards, whose expedition to Mount Everest was interrupted by a medical emergency that ended in him being airlifted to Kathmandu April 28, will not be returning to Everest Base Camp.]]> Cold, Grand Prize winner at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, which arrives in Boulder next week, documents an expedition on Gasherbrum II in the Pakistani Himalayas, the first successful winter ascent of an 8,000-meter (26,246-foot) mountain by an American. It succeeds as an adventure flick, and more so as a powerfully moving self-portrait of the young Boulder-based climber and photographer Cory Richards, who shot the film, which was brilliantly directed and edited by Anson Fogel, who lives in Carbondale.]]> IF you ever have the chance to spend even a shard of time with brothers Tim and Tracey Canaday, owners of Colorado company Never Summer Snowboards, you'll learn rather quickly that their hard-work ethic and dedication to detail has paid off in more ways than one.]]> Couloirs offer an exciting option for ascending many mountains that come with a certain level of risk. It is vital to have the ability to read snowpack and determine the avasee.]]> While less than 1.5 hours from Boulder, the area feels remote, far from the hoards that ply Interstate 70 en route to lift-served skiing and the crowded party ski scene of resorts like Copper Mountain and Vail. But the sense of solitude is deceiving.]]> The Girls’ Wilderness Program believes in using time in the woods to help girls develop confidence and build interpersonal and personal skills.]]> Film photography seems so quaint in this age of rapidly evolving technology, though the nostalgic charm is somewhat diminished as I flip through photo after photo. There we are, my friends and I, with eyes closed on the summits of mountains or with big fat thumbs obscuring an otherwise stunning sunset.]]> It's a cold, misty morning in western Colorado. The hypnotic silence, embellished by waves of rolling icefog, is broken by the grinding growl of the customized dog transport vehicle emerging through the haze.]]> Boxing may seem like a strange stop on the path to inner peace. From outside the ring, the sport resonates violence, fury and chaos. The most direct path to victory is to knock your rival into a stupor.]]> A South African expeditionist was shot multiple times Aug. 26 in the arm and neck while trying to navigate from the source of the Amazon to the Atlantic Ocean.]]> More than 60,000 people are expected to participate in the Bolder Boulder this year — what “may be the world’s best mass participation race in the United States,” according to Runner’s World magazine.]]>