Just a few of our favourite winter Pride festivals kicking off the year…
While many cities around the world choose to celebrate their gay pride weeks during the warmer months of the year, there is a growing number of colder climates celebrating their pride in the winter months. For all our readers who would rather ski or snowboard, instead of hit the beach, as part of their pride festivities, we’ve compiled a list of the best Winter Pride Weeks in North America. So pack your skis (and rainbow long johns) and plan your next winter getaway.
JANUARY 2020
Aspen Ski Week: January 12 – January 19, 2020
Aspen Gay Ski Week (AGSW) is the oldest annual, week-long gay ski event in the US. The week is filled with a variety of events for the ski lover (and après ski lover) including: mountain top parties, exclusive ski events, fashion shows, comedy shows, late night dance parties, lunches, dinners, brunches, drag performances, and all the skiing you can handle. AGSW visitors can enjoy four mountains of varied skiing and snowboarding terrain (the best in the USA, we would argue), as well as cross-country skiing, snowshoe and winter hiking trails in the Elk Mountains of Colorado. It’s a winter paradise.
What we love about this ski week? It’s also the annual fundraising event for AspenOUT, a local non-profit and 501C3 organization focused on anti-bullying and tolerance.
For more information, click here.
Whistler Pride: January 26 – February 2, 2020
Whistler Pride and Ski Festival started out as a small weekend gathering of gay ski-enthusiasts in 1992. It has since become one of the largest queer-focused ski weeks in the world. Revelers enjoy an unparalleled mountain experience and world-class event programming hosted by a team of friendly ski & snowboard guides and festival staff. This is Canadian hospitality at it’s finest.
Off the slopes and after the daily après ski cocktail hours, Whistler Pride and Ski Festival keeps the party going with specially programmed queer-focused night-life that includes comedy nights, drag performances, charitable events, celebrity DJs (including Nina Flowers), and a guest appearance by none other than Lady Bunny.
To plan your trip, visit here.
Elevation Tremblant: January 30 – February 2, 2020
One of the newer Ski Weeks on the pride calendar (started in 2019), Elevation Tremblant has a Quebecois flair all its own. But there is more to this event than poutine and hunky French men. You can enjoy amazing skiing and snowboarding at one of Canada’s premiere ski resorts, as well as dogsledding, zip lining, ice-climbing, ice-fishing, tub and much more. For the non-sporty winter crowd there are plenty of late night parties, great DJs, and a Scandinavian spa to soothe those muscles after a long day skiing.
For more information, visit here.
FEBRUARY 2020
Telluride Gay Ski Week: February 22 – February 29, 2020
Telluride Gay Ski Week was founded in 2002. Since then, it has been a week to look forward to for participants and locals alike. The week boasts an opening-day party, daily après ski, pool parties, spa days, late-night lounge happenings, with events extending well into the morning hours, including the signature White Party and much more. Notable events include a Mardi Gras celebration, Drag Bingo and the Telluride Aids Benefit fashion show gala. And of course all the great powder skiing and snowboarding; 148 runs and 2,000 acres of skiable trails.
To book your Telluride week, find more info here.
Utah Gay Ski Week: February 26 – March 1, 2020
This year marks the 10th annual Gay Ski Week in Park City Utah. The four-day weekend consists of a series of parties and ski meet ups. Of course, there’s also skiing each day at different Park City resort, informal lunch meet-ups, and lots of other great things to see and do in town and the surrounding region.
Not to miss events include thirst trap Thursday cocktail hour, a onesie Après Ski, a neon and leather gear party.
The Deer Valley-Park City area includes three distinct ski resorts Park City, Deer Valley, and The Canyons all together form about 250 km Ski & Snowboard runs up to an altitude of 3.050 meters.
For more info Utah Gay Ski week, click here.
MARCH 2020
Elevation Mammoth: March 18 – March 22, 2020
The Eighteenth Annual Mammoth Gay Ski Week returns to the High Sierras and Mammoth Lakes, California for the 2020 pride season. This is California’s premiere skiing and snowboarding resort; boasting lots of fresh snow, warm weather, and over 150 trails to explore.
We love that their core mission still remains the same after all these years: “2,500 riders. 12 major parties. 0 attitude.” And we would add “lots of altitude” (the mountain peak is 11,053 feet up). This is a pride week that is just as much about great skiing as it is about great parties. Events include a throwback bowling party, a drag comedy night, daily Après Ski cocktail hours and all night dance parties.
For more information on Mammoth, visit here.
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