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Wolf Creek Ski Area is opening this Saturday and Sunday, October 8th and 9th after receiving thirty-six inches of new snow.  This early opening is a record breaker for Wolf Creek, with the prior earliest opening being October 27, 2006.

Wolf Creek is reporting a midway base of 27” with 30” at the summit.  Early season conditions do exist.

Local appreciation rates of $33.00 will be extended to all adults; seniors, (65 and older) and children (12 and under) are $19.00.

Treasure, Bonanza and Nova Lifts will be operating from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, servicing a variety of beginner, intermediate and expert terrain including Alberta Face and Treasure Falls.

The ski school will be offering both group and private lessons for adults and the Wolf Pup program is open to children ages 5 through 8.  The ski and board rentals will open as well as Treasure Sports.  Wolf Creek Lodge, the main day lodge will be serving lunch and snacks; the Pathfinder Bar will be open for drinks.

Accommodations can be found in the towns of Pagosa Springs and South Fork, Colorado.

FIRST-ANNUAL OUTLAW SNOWDOWN MUSIC FESTIVAL TO BE HELD THIS JAN.

Get ready to get rowdy when Pagosa Springs plays host to the Outlaw Snowdown, an alternative-country music festival, this January 13-15, 2012. The three-day event will be held in the Athletic Field across from Town Park over Martin Luther King Day weekend and will feature three nationally-recognized acts a night – from 5pm to 10pm – in a heated tent.

Doors will open at 4pm each evening, leaving the days wide-open for runs at Wolf Creek followed by a soak at The Springs. “Ski, Soak and Rock” packages are available for those who plan to take advantage of Pagosa’s bounty when they’re not listening to music.

The Outlaw Snowdown is the brainchild of Melissa Buckley, who was born and raised in Pagosa Springs, currently resides in San Clemente, Calif., and still cites snowboarding at Wolf Creek as her favorite thing to do.

“I’m extremely proud of my hometown and wanted to create a weekend to show it off to my friends who aren’t from around here,” says Buckley. “I’m constantly bragging about how good the snow is and how amazing the springs are… the only thing missing was something to do at night, so I invited a few of my favorite bands and they said yes!”

Outlaw Country is the subgenre of country music made famous by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, David Allan Coe, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Hank Williams Jr., and while it’s not likely that the first installment of the event will feature any of the still-living legends, Buckley hopes that succeeding Outlaw Snowdown’s will.

“Having Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard or David Allan Coe on the bill next year is one of my No. 1 priorities,” Buckley says. “It’s hard to fully celebrate the spirit of Outlaw Country without involving the artists who created it.”

Confirmed artists who will attending the first-annual Outlaw Snowdown include Stoney Larue, Supersuckers, Jason Boland & the Stragglers, The Band of Heathens, Elizabeth Cook and Hellbound Glory.

For more on these artists and to hear tracks from them, visit and “like” facebook.com/outlawsnowdown.

Tickets are on sale now at www.outlawsnowdown.com. Three-day, music-only tickets start at $99.

Contact Melissa at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like more information on becoming an event sponsor.