Turning Toward Colorado
A quarter century of Mountain Games, give or take a handful.
Without fail, my attention turns toward Colorado in the spring.
For years, we loaded up the vehicle and made the trek from Iowa to Vail to attend the GoPro Mountain Games. The chance to trade the Midwestern prairie for mountain vistas was the initial draw. What kept us coming back, year after year, was the community of athletes and people we found there.
The Mountain Games will turn 25 next year, and I’m proud to say I’ve attended all but a handful. Our two kids grew up looking forward to their time in the Rocky Mountains. Eventually, they started competing in some of the events themselves.
This year, we made the pilgrimage again. It was a great mix of attending the games and touring the mountains. Locals told us to take detours to small town celebrations, and we did. We soaked up the scenery near Mount Elbert. And of course, we watched the games.
It’s hard to believe how much the event has grown. It started with a handful of athletes marching from the Red Lion through Vail Town Center to open the games. Now thousands of athletes compete, and over 100,000 people visit the games every year.
