So much to appreciate about Tegan and Sara … As evidenced by people awkwardly throwing money at them in Denver

The first emotion upon seeing Tegan and Sara take the stage for maybe the seventh or eight time throughout their lengthy career – clad in white skinny jeans, baggy t-shirts and Geisha-like hairstyles – was a flash of disappointment noticing that there were no guitars in sight. There were instead Macbook Pros and synthesizers firing from every corner and a band unrecognizable from the backing musicians that had accompanied the sisters over the previous decade. Kicking off with “Back in Your Head,” from 2007’s earth-shattering The Con, the already keyboard-heavy verses were amplified by smooth, commercial-style electronics. But the choice of opening number was promising for those of us hoping, in spite of the more recent sound and style overhaul, for classic T & S.

The announcement that they would play “a lot of older songs” offered further assurance, although they then launched into a tour through their newer pop sound, highlighting the two most recent releases (I Love You to Death and Heartthrob) with a couple of reminders – “Alligator” and a delightfully lightening-paced version of “North Shore”  -- of Sainthood, the 2009 record that marked the duo’s not-so-gradual circumnavigation into the world of synthpop. Then came an EDMed-up version of “Walking with a Ghost” and the unequivocal highlight of the evening … an acoustic, almost tribute-style side set from The Con during which the rest of the band exited the stage and the twins belted out single acoustic guitar renditions of the “The Con,” “Call it Off” and “Nineteen" before the band re-entered for an amped up delivery of “I was Married.”

Tegan, who has historically been the more extroverted member of the duo, made constant eye contact with the audience and generally MCed the whole performance, stepping onto the front ledge of the stage to touch hands with the reaching and trembling front three rows.

At one point, after an obtuse reference to stripping, the crowd began throwing cash. Although the twins played along gracefully, promising to match the earnings with a donation to a local LGBT organization, it felt more than a little awkward as the two collected crumpled bills from around the stage. Happily, the banter between them, as always, was amusing and fresh and although Tegan carried most of the commentary while Sara bashfully turned her head into the mic and avoided any semblance of a full face down with the crowd even while taking front stage during her songs, made her input count as the set neared its close. She expressed gratitude to the Denver audience – to those who threw cash as well as those who shared “joy” (and also cash for buying a ticket), but also acknowledged, in an ever-so-amiable manner, that “it’s possible that a lot of you are gigantic dicks.” Honestly, how can you not love them?

Any long-time fan has got to admit that although Tegan and Sara have undergone what they themselves refer to as a “wardrobe change,” they are still amazingly talented. This was proven in the vulnerably acoustic rendering of “Now I’m All Messed Up” and in their inaugural performance of “I’m Dying to Know.” It’s easy to speculate that an artist, not just Tegan and Sara, produces their best work while in the throes of emotional turmoil. T & S introduced The Con, which certainly fits into this category, by explaining that the songs never get tiresome to play even while dredging up painful memories. They then dedicated these tunes to everyone in the audience who “has had your heart trampled on.”

One gets the impression with the pop makeover that perhaps the twins are aiming for a stadium level of stardom. As much as they deserve every ounce of popularity and success that comes their way, we selfish long-time fans can only hope that they remain who they are, that they continue to close their live sets with classic (albeit in this case completely digitized) tunes like “Living Room.” We’ll cross our fingers that we can always get close enough to the stage to maybe not throw dollar bills, but at least make out the pair’s sincere expressions of gratitude and banter. They may be more content than they have been in the past, make more polished pop that doesn’t abound from stinging breakups or loss. They may have ended up with someone who is everything they wanted. But they still know how to make us all happy, old and new fans alike.

The most awesome way to wrap up the ski season ...

We got the huge April storm ... now put your legs to the real test

This is it, the ski season is rolling to a close and you’re suddenly, frantically wondering how you’re going to wrap it up with a bang. Just as important, how the hell are you going to whip your chairlift-shaped arse into summer cardio shape?

First of all, try working your way UP the slopes in order to earn your turns down. 

Try doing it after chugging up to the base of the mountain on your bike. It’s one of the hardest – and most awesome – things you’ll ever do.

The first time I signed up for the Imperial Challenge, I came into it pretty much straight off the couch. To be clear, I was not a full-fledged couch potato. I was a new Breckenridge local, having just moved into town from Denver. By the time April rolled around, I had done my share of snowboarding, but besides a couple of easy snowshoe hikes, Nordic jaunts on the bike path and adrenaline-charging drops off of cornices, I hadn’t done much to get my heart rate up. I was lamenting the rapidly approaching end of the season and panicking that I’d soon be slogging up single track in pursuit of my perennially bionic, Breck-based mountain biking friends.

That’s when I heard about the Imperial Challenge, the one-of-a-kind, Breckenridge-specific race that, if completed – or even attempted – would pretty much seal my status as a bona fide local.

Here’s how it works: 

You drop your winter gear – boots, skis, skins, snowshoes or boards –  at the base of Peak 8 on the morning of the race (April 23). The Heavy Metal Rec Open categories (me) start at 9:15 a.m. while the hardcore competitors start at 10 a.m. The race begins in town outside of the Breck Rec Center. You can either run or bike the 6.2 miles up to the base of Peak 8. The route is mostly dirt, so a mountain or cross bike work best, but if you feel confident that the road will be dry (watch the forecast!), a road bike works, too. If you want to channel the Imperial Challengers from the days of yore, you can enter the Retro Category and pedal with all of your gear in tow. Yep. People do this.

When you reach the base area, you ditch your bike (free security provided) and begin the trek up the slopes. Your destination? The tippy top of Peak 8 – about 3,000 vertical feet up, up, up. The options are hiking with AT, telemark skis or split boards or snowshoeing with a board on your back. The first time I did the Challenge, I did the latter (probably the slowest and heaviest, but I was out to finish … not to win). From the top of Peak 8, the last leg of the Challenge is a glorious downhill ski or ride to the finish line, back to the Peak 8 base – guaranteed to be the most satisfying turns of your life no matter the snow conditions.

The slog to the top took me about three hours. The badass men who win normally finish the whole thing in less than an hour and 20 minutes and the badass women in less than 1:40:00. Sick … I know. 

That first Imperial Challenge damn near killed me. I’m sorry that I don’t have the actual photo from the race (I buried it along with my naked baby pictures), but it shows me bent in a 90-degree angle over the single ski pole that a good Samaritan handed off about halfway up. The connection and sense of camaraderie with fellow racers is one of the best parts of the experience. Besides the hardcore that blow passed you, there are plenty of weekend warriors, fit teenagers, other recovering couch potatoes and even a few rugged 70-year-olds to bond with on the way up. Oh yeah. And there's a blowout party afterward. 

I can’t wait to close out the season with another heart stopper. The 2016 Imperial Challenge happens April 23 in Breckenridge. Do yourself a favor and sign up.

*Photo by climbbetty.com

How Snowboarding Made Me A Real Skier

Although I grew up racing at Vail and Beaver Creek every weekend with the Buddy Werner Ski League, I never considered myself a real skier until I became a snowboarder.

These days you’ll usually find me on telemark skis, but emotionally, as far as connecting with the slopes and becoming a true mountain girl, it was one memorable day at Vail when it all came together.

I was a tentative ski racer who’d hit the brakes rather than accelerate around the gates. They looked so icy compared to the rest of the mountain (I know … I’m a spoiled Colorado kid who doesn’t know what real ice looks like). I didn’t feel confident about laying down a high-speed carve. Let’s face it. My “carve” still looked like a pizza slice. A soggy pizza slice.

Needless to say I never won any trophies. When I initially tried snowboarding at around age 11, in spite of my skateboarding background, I didn’t exactly tear it up. First of all, snowboards were more like ceiling beams back then. I was renting something that by today’s size guidelines would be suited to a six-and-a-half-foot-tall man. It was like having a bus strapped to my feet.

I was in slow motion. I inched along silky terrain under the Sourdough lift trying to keep my board flat, clenching every muscle in my feet in anticipation of shifting to my heel-side edge and inevitably, instantaneously, onto my butt. It was a project to steer down smooth, low-angle groomers. Tackling steeps was out of the question.

But the next season, I remember gingerly making my way down Northwoods, falling leaf-style (gliding back and forth on the same edge of the snowboard, only on this particular board I was more like a swinging lodge pole). I reached the bottom without mishap, exuberantly thinking, “I’m getting it!”

But then came the big day; the linking turns day.

I was at a point where I could cruise along at a decent speed on either the heel or toe edge. But there was a lot of stopping and restarting involved.

On the day it came together, I was coming down Avanti. I knew the pitch where the run turns from blue to black. I would, as was my habit, cue up the falling leaf technique. Instead, as I meandered along the less steep part of the run on my toe edge, I dared point the board directly downhill. Shaking a little bit, I faced the open air and slid my back foot into position for a heel-side turn. It was happening.

I was making turns.

The falling leaf probably came into play a few more times, but it was different after that. The puzzle was settled. I could link turns. After a few more days on my board, I could link turns on even the steepest groomers.

Then, what seemed like hours later, I could manage the bumps on Look Ma, the run I’d always regarded as the most difficult slope at Vail. I got down it on my board – hop-turning like a boss over the moguls the whole way down – without a single fall. I was a real skier. I was not only someone who skied every weekend because I was in the Buddy Werner League and it was what my family did. All of a sudden, I was someone who wanted to be on the slopes. I craved it. I wanted to miss class for it. I wanted it every day of the winter. I needed the feeling of pointing my board downhill. I became a person who required vertical. All of a sudden, it was in my blood.

The Ultimate Guide to One Night in Denver

From best hotel to coffice, here’s where to go during your 24 hours in the Mile High City

As a native of course I’m biased, but from a purely objective standpoint, it’s true that Denver has (unlike me) really grown up in the last few years. With the Light Rail, breweries springing up everywhere and too many amazing breakfast spots to mention, spring is the perfect time to live it up for 24 hours in Denver. Here are the hot spots:

Hotel:

Hotel Magnolia 

Operated by Denver-based Stout Street Hospitality Group, this small boutique brand can also be found in Winter Park, Dallas, Houston, Omaha and St. Louis, but its 17^th Street location underwent a multi million dollar renovation last year. The building first opened in 1911 as First National Bank, considered (at 13 stories) Denver’s first skyscraper and essentially spearheading what we know today as Denver’s financial district. A half-block from 16^th Street Mall and within a 10-minute walk of Larimer Square, it’s truly situated smack in the heart of downtown (but unlike NYC, you can pedal a bike amid rush hour here without your eardrums blown out by honking horns or feeling like you’re gambling with your life). Rooms are crisp and classy, adorned with black and white prints of the bank building in the early 1900s and equipped with spacious countertops, gas fireplaces and a separate bedroom that easily harkens the imagination back to what must have once been executive financial suites. There is a beautiful fountain on the lower level surrounded by cozy nooks for private meetings or romantic drinks. Possibly the most popping hotel pub in the area, Harry’s Bar is throbbing between 5 and 10 p.m., offering a full range of Colorado-only craft beers on tap.

Beer bar:

Tivoli Brewing Co. 

Meet warehouse chic with a college zest (minus the D-bag frat vibe) inside of what is arguably Denver’s most iconic landmark. Although the Tivoli Building now houses the Auraria Campus student center, it dates back to 1864 when Moritz Sigi began brewing a Helles lager/ale in the popular vein of his native Germany. The Good family took over the brewery and it became one of the largest in the country before prohibition. Then it closed in 1969 and reopened for a short stint as a shopping center. The brewery was resurrected in 2012 and in addition to Sigi’s classic brew, boasts handles of delicious hoppy ales, lagers, stouts and porters and serves tasty burgers, sandwiches and what might be the best brussel sprouts in Colorado.

Dinner and a drag show:

M Uptown 

Very little has changed since this East 17^th Ave. haunt changed its name from Hamburger Mary’s, besides maybe the awkward presence of several straight, older suburbanites attending the Friday night drag show. Still gay and slinging a tasty martini not to mention a large menu of affordable and tasty pub fare, M Uptown is a place of good energy all week with karaoke, Dolls with Balls Bingo and a huge patio for warm evening cocktails. It’s crown jewel is definitely the Friday night Cabaret show, when Joe Schmo, a heavy, balding, middle-aged dude stomps into the back room and emerges as a red-headed babe in stilettos, hosting a lineup of Dreamgirls trying their lip-synching skills to Taylor Swift and Beyoncé while giving the front row guests from Littleton a lot of special attention.

Breakfast:

Snooze 

Not everybody is aware of the fact that Denver has pretty much every city beat when it comes to bomber breakfast joints. Although it now has locations all over the Front Range (including Fort Collins and Boulder), four in Arizona, two in San Diego and four to hit Texas, it’s flagship Denver Ballpark neighborhood spot is the one you want to hit for your 24 hours in Denver. Although the colony of squatters outside of the neighboring church is disturbing, there is free, high octane coffee to sip while wandering around waiting for a table. It is the home of the creative pancake flight, definitely the way to go since it’s impossible to narrow down to one choice (although the sweet potato cakes are still the best). The homemade jalapeno-infused vodka in the Spicy Bloody is the perfect eye opener and the omelets are like colorful mini architecture models. Even the toast and jam are delicious.

Coffice:

The Molecule Effect 

Do you have some work to bust out and sore need for a caffeine buzz? A Brooklyn blogger coined this term for cafes frequented by MacBook-toting Wi-Fi/coffee seekers. Situated in the vibrant Sante Fe Arts District, The Molecule Effect features a nice assortment of two tops, armchairs and even a couch. There is a rotating display of artwork on the walls and of course a strapping cup of steaming joe made from locally roasted beans, in addition to wine, beer, tall glasses of Kombucha and snacks.