Get ready for three days of  film that will excite and inspire you.  The 4th Annual Boulder Adventure Film Festival kicks of on Thursday, November 6th and will feature films spanning from surfing to skiing and exploration to environmentalism. This year's event benefits Leave No Trace . 

Films will be shown at various venues across town, so check out the program.   Looks like the Boulder Theater is one, so when in doubt, head downtown.  

Details: 

Boulder Adventure Film Festival  - November 6-8

Full Festival Pass - $50
Thursday Pass - $20
Friday  Pass - $20
Saturday Pass - $25

It's back.  A-Basin and Loveland are open for business and so is the Cairn Ski Report.   Get all the latest conditions on over 20 of Colorado's ski and snowboarding destinations.  Weather? Check.  Snow conditions? Check. Snowfall over the past 48 hrs? Check.  When the other 18+ locations will actually be open for business?  Check.  The Cairn Ski Report has your back. 

 Bookmark it.  Send the link to a friend.  Visit and refresh the page often.  You don't want it to be lonely now don't you?

We try to be Apolitcal at Cairn, but I do think it is important to vote - for whichever candidates and propositions you agree with.

Early voting is permitted at the local election office and at other designated locations.  No excuse is needed.  Contact your county office, here.  Early voting is October 20-October 31st, in person, and by mail/absentee deadline is November 3rd.

Additional information, here.

Hold on to your hats (but not your shoes)!

Adventure Records  and Radio 1190 have announced the release of Adventure Records Volume 5, a local music compilation on Friday, August 15th at the Hi-Dive , 7 S. Broadway, Denver, CO at 8:30 pm.  The 18+ show will feature The Swayback, John Common, Kissing Party, Three Cheers Faraday and Goodbye Champion. Tickets  are $10 in advance/$12 at the door, and the CD is included with your ticket purchase.

This disc feature 16 homegrown talents: John Common, Blue Million Miles, The Swayback, teamAwesome, Three Cheers Faraday, Dan Craig, Good Housekeeping, deadbubbles, Widowers, LINT!, Kissing Party, All Capitals, Goodbye Champion, Sherrie Scott and Lew Collins, Carbon Choir, and Everything Absent and Distorted (a love story). To learn more about these artists, be sure to check out Cairn's profiles.

 In addition to celebrating the release of their new compilation, Adventure Records will also be hosting  a new and gently-used shoe drive for Soles4Soul.  Adventure Records is dedicating this CD to the memory of David Parrish who was slain in Mexico last year while trying to prevent his mother from being robbed.   Soles4Souls approached the Parrish family about producing a David Parrish Honorary Flip Flop to honor David's life using a design on the shoe created by David and his sister, Lesley. Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Please visit www.soles4souls.org/ways_to_help/david_parrish.html for more details on the life and legacy of David Parrish and for information on ordering the David Parrish Honorary Flip Flop. Those providing new, gently-used shoes or a receipt for the purchase of the David Parrish Honorary Flip Flop at the CD release party will be given a CD of Adventure Records, Volume 4.

We'll be there, hope to see you all out there too!

And since you are interested, view the band profiles of the bands that will compile Volume 5.

Part 1 (added 8-07-08)

Part 2 (added 8-14-08)

Part 3 (added 8-15-08)

Have a little fun chasing skirts!

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Local Boulder company, SkirtSports redefines the 5k on September 6, encouraging men everywhere to follow in women’s skirt-clad footsteps

SkirtSports, creator of the original fitness skirt, announces registration for their fourth SkirtChaser 5K race of 2008 in Denver, CO, to be held on September 6, 2008.  The innovative race begins with an all-women’s start, followed by a men’s “skirt chaser” start three minutes later and will conclude with a post-race block party at Fillmore Plaza (Fillmore Plaza & E. 2nd Ave., Denver).

“The SkirtChaser Race Series is unlike any race you’ve ever participated in and we’re thrilled to be bringing it back to our local community,” said Maria Hennessey, Director of Sales and Marketing for SkirtSports.  “Our goal is to bring both women and men together to celebrate fitness and socialize in an atmosphere that is friendly, encouraging, and most importantly fun.”

True to the unique style and flavor of SkirtSports fashion, post-race events will include a block party with free beer from local brewer, Oskar Blues, Red Bull mixes, great food, a fashion show and a live band.  SkirtSports products, sold through Outdoor Divas (2717 East 3rd Ave, Denver), will be for sale at the party as well as a variety of products from other community sponsors involved in the race.

Female participants will receive apparel from the new SkirtSports Race Collection which includes a Catch Me Race Skirt, while the male “SkirtChasers” receive a men’s technical tee, featuring Coolmax technologies. Admission to the post-race block party is included with each entry. Prize purses will be awarded to the top three participants; first place $500, second place $200, and third place $100.

Registration for the SkirtChaser 5K can be found at www.skirtchaser5k.com, along with details of pre-race and race day events. Entries are limited, so early registration is encouraged.

2008 SkirtChaser National Race Series sponsors include: COOLMAX, Oskar Blues, Red Bull, PowerBar, Faytex (Dri-Lex), Headsweats and MapMyRun.

For my third year in a row, I have not been disappointed! Riding in the annual Kaiser Permanente Moonlight Classic is a blast! With well over 4,000 riders, 44 costume entries, and 160 gallons of Caribou Coffee, we are ready. It has become a tradition for me now, to spend the weekend in Denver to ride in the Moonlight Classic. I even got my own bell for my bike and next year I plan on wearing a costume (the winner of the costume contest wins a new bike).

This year we stayed at The Brown Palace, and our corner room had a perfect view of the Capitol. At about 9:30 PM, I check out the window and start to see bikers streaming towards it. My excitement is building! I gather up my helmet and backpack and make my way to get my bike. With front and back lights on, we make our way to the crowd.

It’s just great to see so many people, young and old, crazy and sane, riding to benefit Seniors Inc. One of the announcers warned, “Those of you who are pirating the event: Shame on you! You’re ripping off your grandparents!” I just had to laugh. Not only at the comment, but at the costumes and the bikes and the onlookers. There are people everywhere! My personal favorite was the woman dressed as Elliot from E.T., complete with E.T. in her bike basket! And I loved riding next to bikers that had their iPods plugged into speakers so we could all ride to the beat.

After finishing either a 7-mile or 15-mile ride, we’re welcomed back with a warm breakfast from the volunteers. Don’t let the distance intimidate you – it’s a ride, not a race. There are rest stops every few miles with a band playing and plenty of drinks and snacks to nosh on. The course is mainly flat, and there are so many people, you couldn’t go too fast if you wanted to. And the streets are blocked off from traffic with plenty of police keeping an eye on things.

By about 3:00 AM, my husband and I are ready to head back to our hotel, conveniently located only a few blocks away in Downtown Denver. We sleep in as long as possible, then head over to The Corner Office for brunch. They have the most fabulous Strawberry Cheesecake Waffles! So there go all those calories I just worked off. Take advantage of their Bloody Mary Bar and Bottomless Memo-sas, perfect for the day after. The rest of the day is all about sleeping in the air-conditioned hotel. For dinner, don’t miss out on absolute gourmet at Rioja in LODO. Rioja was a treat; I had the Seared Sea Scallops, which were perfect. The server brings over a tray of fresh baked breads for you to choose from: Rosemary Sourdough, Goat Cheese, Olive, you name it. We’ll definitely be making our way back.

So start planning for next year to attend the Moonlight Classic. Make a full weekend out of it and explore Downtown Denver’s shops and restaurants. The previous years’ dates had been in August, but they had changed it this year due to the Democratic Convention. I was told that they were considering leaving the race in July because of the positive feedback they’ve received. Count me in for the 17th annual ride! Hope to see you there!

Check it out at www.moonlight-classic.com.

Photo Courtesy of Moonlight Classic / Scot Henderson

Let’s be honest. Greeley doesn’t exactly top the list of places to see in the state of Colorado. But the Greeley Stampede is worth visiting. Here’s five reasons why:

1. There’s a huge midway with lots of carnival food. You want a corn dog? Go to Greeley. How about a fried candy bar? It’s there. Pork chop on a stick? Go Greeley, Young Man.
2. The rodeo is great. It’s the world’s largest Fourth of July rodeo. So, go…and marvel and the brave men who ride bulls or jump off horses to tackle a steer running balls-out.
3. If you come from a small town, you’ll appreciate the rides. They’ll remind you of the county fair. If you blew chunks on the Tilt-A-Whirl or the Gavitron, you’ll love the Stampede’s cavalcade of carnival rides.
4. The Western art exhibit has some really great stuff. The Stampede does a good job of pulling in artists from around the west and plenty from right here in Colorado. Plus, it’s in an air-conditioned room, which you’ll probably need if you’re there in the afternoon.
5. You’ll feel a lot less like the condescending, pretentious urban schmuck that you really are. Especially if you manage to keep your complaints about the loud country music, the big carbon-emitting trucks and the public smoking to yourself.

The Greeley Stampede
What: Kind of like a really big county fair with a huge rodeo, too.
When: Through July 6th.
Where: Greeley, Colo. (About 45 miles north of Denver)
Who: The Gambler, Kenny Rogers, performs Independence Day Night.
Cost: Good tickets to the rodeo are $22. Carnival rides will cost you extra.
Info: http://www.greeleystampede.org/