Helping horses, a western dance night and TEDx Vail round out the activities this weekend in the Vail Valley

Where to ski and ride this weekend

It’s a little quiet around town with Eagle County public schools on spring break and Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains closed for the season. If you are not ready to hang up the skis and snowboards yet, there are some ski areas a short drive to the east of Eagle County that are still spinning lifts and hosting some fun parties this time of year.

Copper Mountain

Just over Vail Pass you’ll find Copper Mountain, which is staying open until May 11. If Copper Mountain is not on your season pass, the resort is offering $99 lift tickets for the remainder of the season.

This weekend you’ll find the Sunsation party and concerts at Copper’s Center Village at Eagle’s Landing with free live music, plenty of giveaways and people decked out in beach-themed costumes. On Saturday, the festivities begin at 9 a.m. with free burritos, a DJ spinning tunes, and the High Noon Lounge will be open. Subaru will be on hand to give away some swag, so bring your Subaru car keys to win some cool prizes. At 2-3:30 p.m. The Hip Snacks play and then Andy Frasco & The U.N. will continue the fun from 4-5:30 p.m. On Sunday, look for pastry giveaways starting at 9 a.m. and more giveaways. At 2-3:30 the Taylor Scott Band will play followed by Hippo Campus from 4-5:30 p.m.

Also this weekend, Copper Mountain hosts the Peace Out in Central Park presented by Mountain Dew. Snowboard star Danny Davis will be hosting this event on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There’s a $3,000 cash purse, a community barbecue, music, giveaways and autographs with the Burton athlete. Plan on heading to Woodward Copper’s Central Park to catch the action. For more information on Sunsation and the snowboard event, go to CopperColorado.com.

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Arapahoe Basin

With a summit elevation of 13,050, the snow is still sticking around at Arapahoe Basin, which boasts the longest ski and ride season in Colorado. Ski during the day and party at “The Beach,” where you can grill out and park your vehicle near the Black Mountain Express or Pallavicini lift. If you like alpine touring, you can earn your turns and burn some calories skinning around during the Skinners Progressive Dinner on Saturday night, which takes you to different dining locations on the mountain and at the base for bites and drinks. Skin up to 12,456 feet to the Il Rifugio for the first stop, the second stop is the Steilhang before heading to the Black Mountain Lodge and 6th Alley. Check out the food and drink menu and end the season with your fellow skinners. For more information, go to ArapahoeBasin.com.

Breckenridge

If you miss the pond skimming that used to be held at the base of Golden Peak on Vail Mountain, get your fix over at Breckenridge Mountain this weekend during Peaks & Beats at the base of Peak 8. The pond skimming will span both Saturday and Sunday with athlete registration happening at 8:30-9:30 a.m. with a mandatory athlete meeting at 9:30 a.m. Pond skimming will go from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Following the pond skimming there will be free musical offerings. On Saturday, Alana English will spin tunes starting at 1 p.m. with Dombresky taking the stage at 3 p.m. On Sunday, The Black Wands will kick off the afternoon of music at 1 p.m. before Cassian closes down the weekend party. Visit the partner village at the base of Peak 8 for activations with Mountain Dew, LALO Tequila, Toyota and Kona Big Wave beer for giveaways and contests. To learn more about late season skiing and other happenings, visit Breckenridge.com.

Country Dance Night at 4 Eagle Ranch

The Walker Williams Band will be playing live music you can dance to at 4 Eagle Ranch’s Country Dance Night. The event goes from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday. Come early if you want line dancing instruction, which is from 6 to 7 p.m. and then the band plays from 7 to 10 p.m. Beef chili and more will be available for purchase and a full cash bar is offered in case you need some liquid courage to loosen up. 

The tickets are $20 at the door for adults and $10 for kids 17 and younger. Reservations are not required. For more information, go to 4EagleRanch.com or call 970-926-3372. 4 Eagle Ranch is located west of Vail on Interstate 70 and north a few miles on Highway 131.

Spring Fling Volunteer Day at Mountain Valley Horse Rescue

Mountain Valley Horse Rescue is hosting its Spring Fling Volunteer Day, which is part of Help a Horse Day this Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers will be treated to a pancake breakfast and then everyone will be assigned various chores to get the ranch ready for a busy summer. No RSVP is necessary, just come anytime throughout the Volunteer Day. Cake will be served up as a thank you at 1 p.m. Mountain Valley Horse Rescue is a local nonprofit organization committed to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming abused, neglected, abandoned and unwanted equines. National Help a Horse Day is held on April 26 each year encourages horse lovers and advocates to join forces and protect abused and neglected horses. Learn more at MountainValleyHorseRescue.com.

TEDxVail

TED Talks have been spreading ideas and creating conversations and change for over 40 years and this year TEDxVail is celebrating it 16th year of delivering these interesting and educational talks to the Vail Valley. This Sunday, check out TEDxVail Live, which gives you exclusive access to TED2025 – Humanity Reimagined, covering the topic of Artificial Intelligence and much more. The speakers have been carefully curated, and it will be an enlightening, thought provoking and entertaining afternoon. Tickets are $50 and the event will be held at Battle Mountain High School from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday and you can purchase tickets and get more details at TEDxVail’s event page on Facebook.