Need Something to Look Forward To? Where We’ll Be in 2021!

Mark your calendars and reserve the week of January 24-31, 2021.

The 46th annual Ski for Light International week is scheduled to take place once again in the breathtakingly gorgeous Colorado Rockies!

We will be skiing on the familiar trails and staying at the friendly confines of Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado.

As part of the YMCA of the Rockies, the venue boasts 90 kilometres of trails, providing ample skiing for all abilities from beginner to advanced.

A bonus feature of staying at SMR is that those fabulous trails are just a short shuttle ride or ski away from lodging.

General information about the week and about this much-loved location is available now at www.sfl.org/events/next.

Bonnie O’Day has just been named Chair of the 2021 planning committee, and she and her team will be working hard to lay the foundation for what will no doubt be a fun-filled week of skiing, camaraderie, and other, memorable experiences.

Stay tuned for updates about the 2021 event and be on the lookout for applications to golive in early August!

Photos below  of some of our members at last years Ski for light

The Dates

The 2021 Ski for Light, Inc. International Week will be held from Sunday evening, January 24 through Sunday morning, January 31, 2021. First and second year guides will need to arrive one day early, by Saturday afternoon, January 23rd, for guide orientation and training.

The Location

The 2021 Ski for Light, Inc. International Week will be held at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado, near Winter Park. The skiing portion of the Ski for Light week has been held at Snow Mountain Ranch eleven previous times, from 1992 to most recently 2019. This year, as in 2019, we will not only be skiing at Snow Mountain Ranch, we will be staying in three of the hotel and ski lodge buildings on the property. This will allow attendees to ski onto the trails just a short distance from their lodging.

Snow Mountain Ranch is a 5,100 acre complex at an elevation of 8,750 feet. The site was originally the location of two high-country homesteads, the Just Ranch established in 1895 and the Rowley Homestead established in 1919. Many of the buildings are still standing, near the Nordic Center and on the trails, as a reminder of what life was like in this rugged country a century ago. The YMCA of the Rockies acquired the property in 1966 and created the recreational mecca that it is today.

On the grounds of Snow Mountain Ranch are a 90 kilometer cross country trail system that is consistently rated as one of the best Nordic venues in the country. There is even a lighted 2 kilometer loop near the Nordic Center for those who do not get enough skiing during the day. Trails are wide and wonderfully well groomed. Also on the property are a lighted tubing hill, a covered outdoor ice skating rink, fat bike, snow shoe and hiking trails, an indoor pool and sauna, a roller skating rink, an indoor climbing wall, a craft center, a horse stable, and much more. Visit the Snow Mountain Ranch website for a complete listing of all of the activities available on the property for guests. While cross country skiing will as always be the only official Ski for Light activity, attendees will have many options available to them for their leisure hours.

Getting to and From Snow Mountain Ranch

Unless you are driving to Snow Mountain Ranch you will want to fly into and out of the Denver International Airport for your trip to Ski for Light. The Denver Airport is about 115 miles from Snow Mountain Ranch, a trip that usually takes from 2.5 to 3 hours depending on traffic and the weather.

The trip from the airport will take you westward on I 70 to and through the city of Denver, and then onward and upward into the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. In Clear Creek Canyon you will exit onto U.S. Highway 40, and then climb steadily upward on switchbacks until you reach the summit of Berthoud Pass at an elevation of 11,307 feet. This route to the Fraser Valley was discovered by Edward Berthoud and Jim Bridger in 1861 when they were searching for a route through the mountains for the railroad. After passing the summit you will drop down into the valley and pass the Winter Park Ski Resort before reaching your destination for the week, near Granby.

Ski for Light will provide free charter bus service between the Denver airport and Snow Mountain Ranch. If you wish to take advantage of this service please be sure to schedule your arrival in Denver for no later than 1:30 pm on your arrival day, and your departure for no earlier than 10:00 am on departure day, Sunday January 31st.

Lodging For The Week

We will be using three separate buildings on the grounds of Snow Mountain Ranch for lodging. Each building contains only rooms of a specific type.
The rooms in all three buildings have a private bathroom, in room telephone and wireless internet access, but none contain a television. Linens and towels are provided and there is daily maid service. Each building has a central lounge area for games and relaxation, with free tea and coffee service.

• Indian Peaks Lodge is a traditional hotel type building: each of the 79 rooms in Indian Peaks contains two queen beds, a sofa sleeper, a mini fridge, a microwave oven and a balcony or patio; Indian Peaks will be used for single and double occupancy rooms.
• Aspenbrook Lodge is a ski lodge type building. Each of the 47 rooms in Aspenbrook contains two queen beds and one set of bunk beds; Aspenbrook will be used for single , double and triple occupancy rooms.
• Silver Sage Lodge is also a ski lodge type building. Each of the 47 rooms in Silver sage contains one queen bed and
  two sets of bunk beds; Silver Sage will be used for overflow housing as necessary.