MOMIX dance theater, skimo races, comedy shows and avalanche dogs fill this weekend’s calendar in the Vail Valley

MOMIX at the Vilar

Light, shadows, props and the human body. Those are the ingredients MOMIX uses to astonish and inspire audiences during the company’s performances around the world. The Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek hosts these fabulous dancers once again on Sunday at 7 p.m.

MOMIX has been around since 1980. Artistic director Moses Pendleton founded the group about a decade after he founded Pilobolus Dance Theater in 1971. Pendleton has been one of America’s most innovative and widely performed choreographers and directors. Remember the Opening Ceremonies in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia? He choreographed that special event and has been involved in film, television and opera for many years.

You may also have seen MOMIX featured in television ads and a 3-D IMAX film and other recordings that have been shown around the world. Throughout the past 40 years, MOMIX has produced many works that are themed and showcase anything from the physicality of an athlete while pitching a baseball in “Baseball” to the magic of the four seasons in “Botanica” and the mysteries of the landscapes of the Southwest in “Opus Cactus.” On Sunday, come and see Pendleton’s newest work, “ALICE,” inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic “Alice in Wonderland.” MOMIX places a huge emphasis on costumes and those will bring this story to life along with the movements that are borrowed from not only classical ballet but also gymnastics, acrobatics and even yoga.

Pendleton doesn’t plan to retell the entire “Alice in Wonderland” story, but rather use its characters like Caterpillar, White Rabbits and Queen of Hearts to take everyone down a mind bending rabbit hole of movement and illusions.

Even though this is part of the Vilar Performing Arts Center’s Dance series, this performance breaks all boundaries and will entertain the audience with its sheer athleticism and delight all ages. The pure movements will have you asked yourself, “how did they do that?”

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MOMIX: ALICE – right in your backyard. Take advantage of this performance coming to Beaver Creek and get your tickets today as this event is sure to sell out. Reserved seating starts at $55 and there is a special student ticket for $32 for those 22 years of age and younger with a valid ID. There are also special deals associated with this show. It’s part of the Ticket 4-Pack for $170 for four tickets and it is also part of the Pick 3/5/8 where you can buy tickets to three, five or eight shows this winter season and save. For more information, go to VilarPAC.org.      

Comedy shows

Enjoy not one but two Vail Comedy Show pop ups on Friday with comedian Steve Gillespie. The first show will be hosted at Alpine Arts Center in the Riverwalk in Edwards and the second will be at El Sabor restaurant in Lionshead.

Come early and create some art at Alpine Arts Center with happy hour specials and drop-in art from 4 to 6 p.m. with $1 off drinks and $5 off the paint pottery class. Doors officially open at 6 p.m. with the comedy beginning at 6:30 p.m. To learn more and to purchase tickets go to AlpineArtsCenter.org.

The comedy then moves up valley to El Sabor which is in the Lion Square Lodge next to the Eagle Bahn Gondola (No. 19) in Lionshead. Come early and grab tacos or one of the famous burgers they serve and a margarita before the show. Doors open at 9 p.m. for the 9:30 p.m. show.

Steve Gillespie is a Wisconsin native who has been traveling around appearing on shows like “Conan,” Amazon Prime’s “Inside Joke” and Fox’s “Laughs – All Stars.” He has a few comedy albums out which have high rankings on iTunes Comedy Charts and the Billboard charts. He has also appeared at several comedy festivals across the U.S. like Boston Comedy Festival, 10K Laughs and the High Plains Comedy Festival.

Can’t make it to the comedy shows on Friday? Check out the schedule on VailComedyShow.com and find other comedians coming to various venues such as The Gambit at The Sebastian Hotel in Vail, Moe’s Original BBQ in Eagle and other pop ups as announced.

Uphill and Skimo Races

The second of two Uphill and Skimo races will be held this month. On Saturday, the action moves to Arrowhead where the race will begin at 7 a.m. in order to get participants off the mountain for public skiing later that morning. Skimo, which is an abbreviated form of ski mountaineering, is the latest sports craze to hit the mountains. Competitors can choose the uphill or skimo (ascent and descent) option and can use any means to get up the mountain (snowshoes, skis, split boards or winter running devices). Skis or a snowboard with metal edges and a helmet are required to compete in the Skimo competition.

The Uphill route will take participants from the base of Arrowhead and up the Cresta trail to the top of the Arrow Bahn Express (No. 17). The downhill route will take participants down either Golden Bear or Little Brave depending on the conditions. Racers will ascend approximately 1,700 vertical feet in under two miles. The event will conclude with breakfast and awards at the Broken Arrow Café at the base of Arrowhead. Prizes will be given out to the top three finishers by category, age and gender.

Register in advance and save. Online registration closes at 3 p.m. on Friday. Pre-race registration and bib pick up will be at Alpine Quest Sports from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday. Day of registration begins at 6 a.m. on Saturday. For more information and pricing, go to VailRec.com.

Dine with the Dogs

This Sunday, take a break for lunch a little early and head to the top of the Mountaintop Express (No. 4) and Buffalo’s restaurant and check out Dine with the Dogs at Henry’s Hut.

Henry’s Hut is named after Henry, who became the first K9 member of the Vail Ski Patrol in 2008. With Henry, Vail Ski Patrol started the Vail Avalanche Rescue Dog program and these dogs of course have a job to do and are trained to find people in avalanches, but they are also great ambassadors for Vail Ski Patrol and Vail Mountain.

Henry passed away in 2022 but his legacy lives on at Henry’s Hut and he paved the way for many more pooches to follow in his paw prints. Vail Mountain celebrates these dogs and hosts Dine with the Dogs on Sundays throughout the season. This Sunday marks a special event where more dogs will be out doing drills and will be ready for photo ops. Helly Hansen will also provide awesome giveaways like clothing and backpacks. There will be complimentary hot dogs and cookies also.

Dine with the Dogs happens on Sundays from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m. and ski patrollers will be available to chat with you about the dogs or they can answer other questions, so take some time to learn about these fascinating dogs and get to know the ski patrollers and the interesting tasks they perform to keep the mountain safe for all. For more information go to the Events Calendar on Vail.com.

Free Beer or Dry January Events

The Vail Brewing Company is once again hosting Grass Sticks for a Brew & Build where you get a free beer, 10% off a pair of Grass Sticks bamboo ski poles and you get to customize and assemble them yourself. On Saturday between 2 and 7 p.m. stop by Vail Brewing Company’s EagleVail location for your free beer with the purchase of a pair of Grass Sticks bamboo poles and Grass Sticks will also be offering 10% off all of its products.

Grass Sticks is a ski pole company based out of Steamboat. The company uses bamboo because it’s rigid enough to withstand the forces of contact while skiing but also flexible enough so it won’t snap like aluminum. During the event, you’ll pick your basket size and color, grip color, strap, length and make your poles or they will make them for you. To learn more about the event, go to Grass Stick’s Facebook Page. To learn more about Grass Sticks, go to GrassSticks.com.

If you don’t want a free beer and are doing Dry January or don’t drink alcohol, check out the mocktails in Lionshead for après ski. On Sunday, meet up and ski with folks from Free Spirit and Reconnect, a nonprofit recovery community organization dedicated to providing peer support services, social events, education and ending the stigma surrounding addiction.

Free Spirit and Reconnected will host a Substance Free Après Ski. Grab your skis and boards and meet the group at the bottom of the Eagle Bahn gondola (No. 19) in Lionshead at 2 p.m. and make some turns.

“The group won’t be hard to find as they will be sporting balloons before heading to Bart and Yetis from 4 until 6 p.m. for après ski where they will have nonalcoholic Free Spirit beverage options for folks,” said Kate Manley of Free Spirit.  “People can just come to the ski, or the après ski portion. Both events are just an opportunity to connect with like-minded people in the valley.”

For more about Reconnected, go to Reconnected.org.