Skinny skis and ruins
Mesa Verde will be firing up the groomers this winter, snow permitting.

The National Park Service will be offering off-season recreation opportunities to visitors, opening 28.4 miles of trails to skiing and snowshoeing, with a little more than 20 miles of that in the form of corduroy.

The four trail systems open will include the Cliff Palace Loop, Wetherill Road Trail, Prater Canyon and Morefield Campground trails. The ungroomed skiing will be on Wetherill Road, which is closed to vehicular traffic. Sorry, though, Fido and Spot will have to stay home - no dogs allowed.

Maps and information can be found on the park’s website, http://www.nps. gov/meve/index.htm. For skiing conditions, call park dispatch at 529-4622 or Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum at 529-4631.

Free Purg
If gravity-fed skiing is more your thing, Durango Mountain Resort has teamed up with Music in the Mountains to offer one lucky winner 25 years of free skiing.

In recognition or MITM’s 25th anniversary, a raffle will be held for free skiing/snowboarding privileges at DMR until 2037. Raffle tickets are $25, but hurry, only 2,500 are available. The drawing will be held at DMR’s Bear Bar at high noon on Jan. 21. No worries if it’s a powder day and you’re on the backside – winners need not be present to win.

The 25 Year Pass is valued at more than $20,000. The winner will be allowed to transfer the pass into someone else’s name before the pass is issued. All proceeds benefit Music in the Mountains.

Betties take Butterball
The Durango Betties are the reining queens of Chapman Hill after taking home the coveted Golden Butterball in last weekend’s second annual Wild Turkey Festival (WTF) womens hockey tournament.

The three-day tourney drew in teams from such exotic locales as Salt Lake City and Pueblo.

When the ice spray settled Sunday afternoon, the Betties emerged undefeated, winning a hard fought 1-0 game against in-town rivals, The High Country Hell Cats. Betties goalie Chelsea Stephens delivered an impressive performance, despite what was rumored to be a helatious hangover, allowing only two goals in five games.

The Betties are now focusing on the battle for the Southwest Cup, in Gunnison in March. In the meantime, check out the Betties 2012 calendar (a great stocking stuffer), available soon in fine establishments or from your local Betties representative.