Colorado Outdoor Bill of Rights for Kids!

Colorado Lt. Governor Barbara O’Brien recently announced the Colorado Outdoor Bill of Rights for kids. Help your children achieve their rights on an Avid4 Adventure Family Camping Trip. Her goal through this initiative is that ALL Colorado kids should have the opportunity to:

1. Camp out under the stars.
2. Follow a trail, ride it or walk it, and be respectful of everyone’s right to use the trail.
3. Play in a creek or river: fish, wade, paddle, or skip a stone.
4. Experience the wonders of Colorado’s four seasons: wildflowers, abundant sunshine, the changing aspen leaves, and fresh powder snow.
5. Visit a working farm or ranch.
6. Enjoy the view from the top of a mountain.
7. Identify Colorado’s official state wildlife and plants in their natural habitat.
8. Explore one of the dozens of local, state, and national parks in Colorado.
9. Play in the dirt and learn about the world from the ground up.
10. Plant a seed for other Colorado kids to enjoy in the future.

Avid4 Adventure is proud to support the Lt. Governor in her mission and encourage all parents, schools, organizations, and communities to help all children achieve their Colorado outdoor rights.

Sunny Winter Afternoons

Winter is a great opportunity to get the family together for an afternoon adventure in the sun and snow. Kids are home from school; nothing beats rounding them up, getting the snow gear on, grabbing the dog and taking an expedition to the local green space, park, or path. With Colorado’s sunny winter days, one does not need to bundle up like Randy from The Christmas Story to venture outside. A couple layers… snow pants, boots, jacket, gloves, and a hat are all that is needed for a great afternoon. Snowshoes, sleds, Yak-Tracks, and cross-country skis are entirely optional. Being outside and moving around is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the season. One of my favorite spots to take the family is the local Gunbarrel green space path, which eventually spills out into an even bigger open space, Gunbarrel Hill. There are countless tracks, birds, and other wild life to spot. To learn more about animal tracking, plant identification, and shelter-building, check out the Avid4 Primitive Skills camp at the end of the summer. A couple of hours in the fresh air and sun is all that is needed to recharge your battery and help you and your family make the most of your time together during the season.

See you on the trail…

Matt Mowen is a teacher, studying to be a Counselor, and is expecting his first child in Spring 2010. Look for him back with Avid4 Adventure for another season this summer.

Mountain Biking with your Family

Looking for an activity that your whole family can do together? Mountain biking is a great option. Together, you can ride miles of trails and experience nature in a way you never have before. Many mountain bike trails in and around Boulder County offer amazing scenic viewpoints along the way where you and your family can stop, take in the breathtaking views, and enjoy a well-earned snack. Trails are ever-changing, which will keep the excitement factor high for both you and your kids. If your child cannot get enough with you, check out an Avid4 mountain biking intensive. Or, if your child wants to develop advanced skills in a one-day program, sign up for our brand new Extreme Adventures.

Mountain biking is also a fun, intense, full-body workout. While pedaling works out your heart and lungs, climbing, descending, and riding through rough terrain works out muscles in the legs, core, arms, and chest. For growing children especially, mountain biking is a great way to start an active, exciting, healthy lifestyle that can last a lifetime.

Gear and skills you will need: First, make sure everyone in your family has a mountain bike (with knobby tires) and a helmet. It’s especially important that your bikes are durable enough to handle trails. Any local bike shop should be able to help you ensure this. Other items that are important to have on a ride are enough water (one water pack per person is a good idea), food for when you get hungry, gloves, eye protection, and trail maps. When you get more involved and go on longer bike trails, it is important that you have the proper skills and tools to fix a breakdown. Bike shops around town offer maintenance classes to teach you bike repair fundamentals. Make sure to carry a multi-tool, air pump, spare tube, and patch kit in case of a flat tire or other glitch.

Getting ready and getting on the trail: If you or your children have never ridden off-road before, make sure you’re all comfortable with more bumpy terrain. You can start to do this by riding on grass. Once you’re comfortable with the feeling, try riding on gravel paths (like those at the end of the Boulder Creek Path). When you’re ready, you can then move up doubletrack dirt trails, like those at Marshall Mesa’s Community Ditch Trail. Then, slowly work your way up to easier singletrack dirt trails. Once your whole family is ready and feeling a little adventurous, there is a wide selection of more technical trails throughout Boulder County. Be aware that these trails may include obstacles such as rocks, roots, and tight switchback turns, so make sure everyone’s really ready before you go.

Wherever you go, make sure that mountain bikes are allowed on the trails that you choose. Also, on multi-use trails, make sure everyone in your family stays to the right of the trail, and yields to horses and hikers. Additionally, if you are going downhill, uphill mountain bikers have the right-of-way. For an idea of what trails are in the area, see below. You can also go to www.mtbr.com for listings and reviews of trails throughout the country with their skill levels. Local bike shops also have lots of information about trails and group rides.

Keeping your kids excited: When mountain biking with children, it’s important to start out small and not to push them to hard. Make sure, above all, that they’re having fun. If they are, they’re much more likely to purse the activity and keep going at it. Also, if you know the trail well and you know your kid can handle it, let him/her lead the way for a little bit!

Some local trails:
- Boulder Creek Path/Canyon Trail (paved/gravel)
- Bobolink Trail (mostly gravel)
- Marshall Mesa trail system (doubletrack/singletrack)
- Flatirons Vista (smooth singletrack)
- Betasso Preserve (technical singletrack)
- Heil Ranch (technical singletrack)
- Hall Ranch (technical singletrack)

World-class destinations within striking distance of Boulder include Moab, Fruita, Steamboat Springs, and Crested Butte. Check out an Avid4 Family Trip to any of these premier destinations.

Tsvi Bieler is a great new addition to the team at Avid4 Adventure. He is an avid mountain biker, snowboarder, and all-around outdoor enthusiast.

Skiing with your Kids

Winter is a great time to get outside and spend some time with your kids – not only does the snow give everything a surreal look, it makes for a lot of fun with snowball fights, building snow forts and (my favorite) skiing. Skiing is a great way to spend time with your kids exploring outside, getting exercise and, most importantly, having fun. Unfortunately, while skiing often becomes a child’s favorite winter pastime, just one or two bad experiences can ruin skiing for kids. Luckily, ski hills and resorts have become very child-friendly, making your job even easier. But, in case you’re not sure how to ski to success, here are a few tips.
1. Dress right. Nothing will ruin skiing faster than being wet and cold. Check out Kyle Barker’s tips on dressing for cold weather before you head out.
2. Ski with your kids. Ski schools are great, and a little non-parental instruction can go a long way. But after that hour-long lesson your children are going to want to show you what they learned and where they skied. This is your chance to turn skiing into a super-exciting thing to do with mom and dad instead of just a fun time with other kids.
3. Make a favorite run. Explore the mountain together, come up with a favorite run and name it. For example, I know that at my home hill, ski school kids (and some instructors) love to ski “The Ultimate”, a run that links together the Eyeball Forest, Wacky Weasel Way, Bird Brains and Rainbow Road (believe it or not, this entire run takes place in the ~600 feet of the beginner hill). If your hill doesn’t already have fun run names, make some up.
4. Don’t expect to spend the whole day on the slopes. Be ready to take lots of breaks, and don’t always expect your children to know when they need to stop. Bring a thermos of hot chocolate and lots of snacks, and take full advantage of the warm lodge. And remember, it’s always better to leave early with some extra energy and excitement for the next day on at the hill.
5. Try something new. There’s a good chance you’ll be spending a lot of time on the bunny hill, so mix it up and give yourself a challenge. If you’ve been skiing for your whole life, strap on a snowboard or some telemark gear. If you never managed to lock the heel, maybe it’s time you learned to ski for real. In addition to giving you something to work on and play with, your children are going to get a kick out of watching you take a few spills, and it’ll make learning and falling easier for them, too.
6. Ski by yourself. Everybody needs to have fun skiing, and just because your children can’t ride the big lift doesn’t mean you can’t. Take advantage of ski school or swap parent-duty so that you can take a couple fun runs for yourself.

Aaron Inoue has been working with children in nature for several years. In the summers he leads trips for Avid4 Adventure and in the winter he serves as ski patrol in Idaho.