An LGBTQ party on the slop at Gay Ski Week Telluri, Colorado - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• 6 GAY SKI WEEKS THAT WILL ADD SOME HEAT TO YOUR WTER
• THE 10 BT GAY SKIG HOLIDAYS
• THE ULTIMATE GUI TO GAY SKI WEEKS AROUND THE WORLD
• 10 GAY SKI WEEKS AND WTER PRI CELEBRATNS
• HIG ROBERTS SAYS LIFE IS ‘GENTLER AND EASIER’ SCE G OUT AS GAY LAST MONTH
• SKI CHAMPN COM OUT AS GAY: ‘I’M READY TO BE HAPPY’
• AN LGBTQ PARTY ON THE SLOP AT TELLURI GAY SKI WEEK
• HOW THIS GAY OLYMPIC SKI JUMPER DID THE IMPOSSIBLE
• GAY PRIS 2023 AND 2024
• SKI GAY ACCSORI
• THE STORY OF ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK

6 GAY SKI WEEKS THAT WILL ADD SOME HEAT TO YOUR WTER

Soon after the December holidays wrap and the New Year kicks off, gay ski weeks beg to st a rabow glow over the snow-whe slop of Ameri’s most popular ski mountas. After the OG gay ski week was found Aspen nearly five s ago, rort towns om Vermont’s Green Mountas to the Cas Range of Oregon have tablished their own buzzy events that be the thrill of wter sports wh the zs of après ski social gathergs, while simultaneoly fundraisg for LGBTQIA+ anizatns and . And we uld not be more ready to h the, Colorado: January 16-23, 2022Aspen Gay Ski Week is the largt and longt-nng gay ski event the Wtern Hemisphere, and still sets the bar for all the other ftivals that have sce joed the circu of LGBTQIA+ wter happengs.

Produced by lol non-prof AspenOUT, Aspen Gay Ski Week will be celebratg s 45th anniversary wh a jam-packed lendar of fundraisg events, such as drag bgo, a downhill stume petn, a wboy rave, and a pool, Vermont: January 19-23, 2022The impossibly quat village of Stowe has hosted Wter Renzvo Ski Week for 38 years, but this year’s celebratn is promisg to make up for an abbreviated schle 2021. While the full lendar of this year’s events hasn’t been announced yet, Utah’s only gay ski week is set to pull out all the stops wh a r wele party, multiple drag shows, boozy après ski gathergs, and more. Telluri, Colorado: Febary 26-March 5, 2022Though wter sports pros drool over Telluri’s 147 ns and a 4, 500-foot vertil drop all season, more than 1, 000 revelers of all backgrounds e each year to celebrate Telluri Gay Ski Week.

Mammoth Lak, California: March 15-20, 2022Found by Tom Whman, the now-ternatnal Elevatn brand is celebratg 20 years sce s gural Elevatn Mammoth Gay Ski Week Mammoth Lak. Jt as the year's closg parti mark the end of summer; wter is soon upon aga brgg wh s own host of gay annual events – namely an ternatnal array of gay ski weeks.

THE 10 BT GAY SKIG HOLIDAYS

Aspen Gay Ski Week is a ski week held January for a good e: raisg money for AspenOUT – a non-prof anisatn seekg to promote anti-bullyg policy and tolerance throughout the USA.

THE ULTIMATE GUI TO GAY SKI WEEKS AROUND THE WORLD

The Tigu Val Claret transforms self to a thrivg gay village for the week and ss a nvenient few mut’ walk om a vast lagoon – ial to swim and fact the se of the week's crowng jewel event: a giant pool party. Every March the gays scend upon the town of Mammoth Lak up the Sierra mountas California, for the Elevatn Mammoth Gay Ski Week – a five-day high-class skig event.

While some ski rorts ral regns still lack full LGBTQ+ acceptance, avid skiers or snowboarrs seekg a gay-iendly experience will be pleased to know that progrsive attus are on the up. Aspen, Colorado, USAWe start our gui to the bt gay ski holidays Colorado, home to the southern portn of the Rocky Mountas, as well as the cy of Denver and largely liberal attus relative to the rt of the Wtern US stat.

10 GAY SKI WEEKS AND WTER PRI CELEBRATNS

The state’s bt skig spot, Mammoth Ski Area lays claim as the origal home of ‘Elevatn Ski Week’, an annual event which has sce bee one of the largt gay ski events the US and the world over.

HIG ROBERTS SAYS LIFE IS ‘GENTLER AND EASIER’ SCE G OUT AS GAY LAST MONTH

One of the most gay-iendly ski rorts the Alps wh a rabow flag flyg all year round, Arosa cements s LGBTQ+ advote stat each January durg Arosa Gay Ski Week, when 600 lbian and gay wter sports fans une.

SKI CHAMPN COM OUT AS GAY: ‘I’M READY TO BE HAPPY’

Lenzerhei, SwzerlandHome of ‘GaySki’ sce s foundatn 1992, Lenzerhei is Arosa’s slightly olr , sharg the same breath-takg scenery and love of gay culture. In March 2020, Lenzerhei celebrat the 25th anniversary of SWING Gay Ski Week where pass holrs are guaranteed both snow and a packed schle of socialisg events. In January every year durg the Whistler Pri & Ski Ftival, gay culture tak over wh each base offerg a mishmash of wild events, om fetish parti to dner parti wh dance events thrown .

As well as beg the official European trag base of the US ski team, Söln is also a base for LGBT culture, wh the Söln Gay Snow Happeng brgg people together annually sce 1998 for ski events and lively Après-Ski activi (this year’s Happeng tak place March 2020). As well as skig and snowboardg on open terra, other activi clu ice skatg, snowmobilg and snowshoeg, topped off durg the month of Augt when the ternatnal LGBT muny scends for Gay Ski Week Queenstown at Cardrona Alpe Sebastian StaWhile you might envisage Spa as a hot and sweaty seasi suatn, the Spanish Pyrene will change your md wh wtery weather, northern-facg ski slop and perfect snow ndns Photo: Erik Odi8. Boí Taüll’s Snow Gay Weekend, hosted by ‘Rabow Barcelona Tours’ is now s fifth year, acmodatg an ever-growg number of atten (currently around 200, mostly om Spa and France), for a week of timate ski events, parti and more, at an affordable price.

AN LGBTQ PARTY ON THE SLOP AT TELLURI GAY SKI WEEK

Reprentg the open-mdns and diverse valu of the Canadian Rocki, the rort celebrat Jasper Pri Ftival annually March, anisg a rabow flag skig para and other gay-iendly events servg to nnect the rint queer muny, LGBT travellers and upl on the slop before unwdg Jasper’s lively bars and rtrants. European Snow Pri at Espace Killy, FranceThe cherry on top of our gay wter sundae is European Snow Pri, which tak place at Espace Killy the French Alps. European Snow Pri is qualy choice for ser skiers and partygoers alike, as the rort spans 300 kilometr of ski ns, across the Val d’Isere and Tign ski areas, offerg an imprsive le-up of Après-Ski DJs, artists and dancers om Europe’s bt gay clubs, amongst the most extraordary mounta scenery.

HOW THIS GAY OLYMPIC SKI JUMPER DID THE IMPOSSIBLE

In those tim, the events were not much more than a sual get together over some après-ski beers, gay ski weeks over time veloped to more flhed-out happengs wh full-blown parti, drag shows, edy nights, live mic, and charable fundraisg ponents. Miguel Mendoza/ElevatnElevatn Ski Week: MammothMammoth, California, USA“It’s a whole vibe, ” said Eric Bog, a skier om Los Angel who has attend Mammoth Gay Ski Week multiple tim.

GAY PRIS 2023 AND 2024

” Put on by gay party productn pany Elevatn for over twenty years, Mammoth Gay Ski Week attracts a large Southern California ntgent ( part bee ’s pretty ted to get there om the East Coast). Karsten Wegeart/UnsplashAspen Gay Ski WeekAspen, Colorado, USAThe alpha and the omega of gay ski weeks, Aspen Gay Ski Week has been nng for over forty-five years, and grew out of those sual gathergs that began the 1970’s. Aspen Gay Ski Week is also the annual fundraisg event for AspenOUT, a non-prof muny anizatn that provis support and servic to LGBTQ+ people across the Aspen valley.

And if you’re a fan of Olympic etyle skier and Telluri lol G Kenworthy, you may want to add this gay ski week to your erary—mor has he mak an unofficial appearance most years.

SKI GAY ACCSORI

Arosa Gay Ski WeekArosa, SwzerlandIf you aren’t faiar wh the idyllic Swiss village of Arosa, then get wh the program—while don’t offer the most thrillg terra relative to the rt of the Alps, ’s large enough to explore over multiple days, is easily nnected via tram to the neighborg village of Lenzerhei, and is easily accsed via a two-hour tra om the Zürich airport. Ntled high the French Alps and wh over 1, 000 participants each year, Europe’s largt gay ski week has bee somethg of an stutn—’s even sponsored by the gay datg app, Scff.

Après-ski ssns and eveng parti are a particular strength for this gay ski week, which attracts a roster of top ejays and drag queens to keep the party gog late to the Pri QueenstownQueenstown, New ZealandSki season only to an end if you let . Gay ski weeks and wter Pri events ually offer guts a variety of fun parti to socialize wh other lols, meet people om different rners of the world, and an opportuny to get outdoors and enjoy skig, snowboardg, and other wter activi. So, we pulled together a list of 10 domtic and ternatnal gay ski weeks or wter Pri celebratns that you should nsir attendg when you feel fortable travelg.

THE STORY OF ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK

Produced by lol non-prof AspenOUT, Aspen Gay Ski Week will be jam-packed wh fundraisg events, such as drag bgo, a downhill stume petn, a wboy rave, and a pool party. Start this fun ski week wh a bonfire cktail receptn wh an optn of fun parti, such as a “wet ‘n wild” pool bash, karaoke and drag bgo fundraisers, a firi we and chee party, a show wh edian Shaw Pelofsky, and a fal “Blow Out Dance Party” to p off this fun Gay Ski Week. Elevatn Utah Gay Ski Week, Febary 23-27, 2022 (Park Cy, Utah, USA)Before COVID, Elevatn Utah weled a rerd number of queer skiers and alli to take on the powry slop of Park Cy and Deer Valley.

Elevatn Mammoth Gay Ski Week, March 15-20, 2022 (Mammoth Lak, California, USA)Found by Tom Whman, the now-ternatnal Elevatn brand is celebratg 20 years sce s gural Elevatn Mammoth Gay Ski Week Mammoth Lak.

The first male ternatnal alpe ski petor to e out publicly, Roberts feels he has a rponsibily to help LGBTQ people skig see the acceptance that’s lyg there unr the surface, and to help everyone else skig fd ways to improve the environment the sport for gay athlet. He said he was growg to accept that he was gay as a young man, but as he beme more succsful on the ski slop and saw no out gay men the sport, he felt he had to hi who he was. “Not beg able to be who I am and not be able to be openly gay as a profsnal athlete was tly hrg my performance, ” Roberts said an terview this month wh The New York Tim which he me out is the first current or former male Alpe skier of his liber to e out publicly as gay a sport seen as closed and clubby.

Based on what he had seen at the ele level and his small mounta town, beg gay did not f his perceptn of the Alpe skier, an image he was already stgglg to emulate. After 17 years of promotg ELEVATION Mammoth Mammoth Lak, one of the largt gay ski weeks the world, and 9 years of ELEVATION Utah Park Cy, event producer Tom Whman announc that the new addn to the wter gay ski lendar, ELEVATION Tremblant Mont Tremblant, Quebec is now officially an annual event!

ELEVATION offers gay skiers a chance to play hard both day and night wh great skig, great parti and great strong growth last year across all events, and expectg to nearly double the size of ELEVATION TREMBLANT, Whman expects more than 6000 atten between the three events. By self, ELEVATION Mammoth is already the third largt gay ski week the world and wh the addn of Utah and Quebec, the bed crowds will make ELEVATION the largt seri of gay ski and snowboard events the world.

ELEVATION Utah returns to Park Cy for the 10th annual “gay vasn of Utah, ” wh DJs, go-go dancers and themed events cludg the Onie Party, the Neon Party, the nghty GEAR Saturday night party and the signature Elevatn après-ski events.

Wily regard as the top ski statn for LGBTQ travelers, Aspen Snowmass livers wh four mountas of terra, imprsive après ski, smopolan rtrants, world-class hotels, and the annual exuberance of Gay Ski Week—the natn’s biggt (and longt nng) on-snow pri event. Takg place every January, Gay Ski Week clus events like drag bnch, group ski days, daily cktail gathergs, après pool parti, edy shows, dance parti, a drag para down the slop of Aspen Mounta, and so much ’t make to Gay Ski Week? — As you drive to Telluri, Colo., late wter, you’re greeted by a banner readg “Telluri Gay Ski Week: Thanks for Comg Out, ” lettg you know om the moment you enter the town that you’re wele.

The group of lols would host parti for visg gay tourists ndos, bee beg openly gay was not wily accepted at this 1977, Bch got trouble for dancg wh another man at a bar, and spurred gay rights actns the town. SBG Productns, the anizer for this year’s event, timat about 2, 000 were attendance year, Telluri’s gay ski week had new events, cludg Gay Sleigh, a horse-drawn rriage ri, and a mounta drag race.

G Kenworthy, a retired profsnal etyle skier and Olympic silver medalist who grew up Telluri, said there have been tim where he feels as if he has “subsects of his life” as a profsnal athlete and also a gay man, but durg this week, he had another opportuny to marry the two. Prenez nnaissance notre ofe d’hébergements, s détails  notre Pass Evénement et nos forfas ski et nos optns, et nstisez votre package sur mure pour vivre votre gay ski week European Snow Pri selon vos envi!

The sport will be a lot more radil when people aren’t aaid to brg their whole self—queer, femme, trans, mascule, bi, lbian, gay, or straight—to the mounta.

Kenworthy pots to small thgs like the csant e of “gay” as a pejorative that persists wh heavily male social circl and subtly dit a lack of approval for anythg outsi their heterosexual norm.

Steamboat, Colorado Although gay ski weeks statns like Crted Butte and Telluri are a well-served source of pri, 's great to see visibily all year long: LGBT lols here Steamboat Sprgs began a monthly social mixer 2009 that's still gog strong. When Ski Bums me here 2009, we swore we'd stepped to a gay bar at the hotel La Perla, wh a bright red lacquer bar and a sound system crankg out ABBA tun. Whistler, Brish ColumbiaThe home of the biggt LGBT ski week is also the largt ski rort North Ameri, Whistler-Blackb, and s gay-iendly wele lasts all season long.

But the tough enomy -- and a surpl of new hotel rooms -- has sprouted bargas Snowmass, where you'll be reward wh wi open terra and some extra change your to go: There's not really a bad time for snow here, but Aspen Gay Ski Week (late January) is a fun time to be town, pecially if you n brg a few iends along wh you. Salt Lake Cy, UtahFet what you've heard about the Book of Mormon boys: Salt Lake Cy is the only place the world wh seven world class ski rorts and seven gay bars wh a 30 mute drive. It's got two pri paras, gay-iendly hotels (like Kimpton's Hotel Mona), openly gay elected officials and a ph by the Salt Lake Cy Visor's Bure to wele LGBT visors.