What to do in Vail this weekend: See Barbie, Oppenheimer for free, witness athletic greatness and more
Based on this weekend's variety of activities and event, summer isn't slowing down
XTERRA USA Championship
XTERRA returns to Avon and Beaver Creek this weekend with triathlons, race clinics, kid’s races, concerts and more. The XTERRA USA Championship is a qualifying event for the XTERRA World Championship, which will be held in Trentino, Italy on Sept. 23.
The XTERRA Triathlon will feature a 1,500-meter swim, a 24K bike race and a 9K trail run. Not ready for the full-length triathlon? The Sprint Triathlon may be more your speed with a 750-meter swim, a 14K bike race and a 5K run. You can do these races individually or as part of a team.
On Friday, athlete registration will be happening at Nottingham Park but there’s a lot more going on. Take a free yoga class or enter the kids into a free bike race, swim practice and swim races will be held in the lake and there’s a free XTERRA University Clinic hosted by Eagle County resident and multi-time XTERRA winner Josiah Middaugh. All this will be followed by Avon’s weekly Lakeside Cinema, a free movie at the Avon Performance Pavilion Stage at dusk. This week’s movie is “Brave.” Food trucks will be brought in for the event.
On Saturday, the XTERRA Sprint Triathlon starts at 8 a.m. and the full XTERRA Triathlon starts at 8:40 a.m. Spectators can cheer on family and friends from the shore of Nottingham Lake before they transition to bikes for the trail ride up to Beaver Creek via Arrowhead and Bachelor Gulch. The race will finish at the base of Beaver Creek after a trail run. Then, everyone will come back down to Avon for an awards ceremony to find out who gets to go on to the World Championship, there are only 58 World Championship slots for the race in Italy at this event.
Round out the evening with a party featuring the music of Spazmatics at the Nottingham Park Pavilion. This band out of Los Angeles will host a high energy show with songs from the ’80s and beyond. New wave, punk, glam rock and sing along tunes from that incredible decade in music will be played. The concert is open to the public and will start at 6:30 and go until 8 p.m. For more information and a full schedule, go to XTERRAPlanet.com.
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Riverwalk Art Battle & Block Party
Watch local artists battle it out at the 5th annual Riverwalk Art Battle and Block Party on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. The Alpine Arts Center has once again put together a fun and interactive competition that will involve around 15 artists who will have three hours to start and complete a finished piece of art in whichever medium they choose. The public is invited to observe the artist, ask questions and see art evolve through each artist’s personal creation process. Then, the voting happens, the public will vote for their favorite and prizes will be given to first, second and third place.
Want to get a little creative after seeing the artists do their magic? The Alpine Arts Center will have an interactive booth for spectators to try their hand at the mesmerizing art of water marbling, which can be applied to hats, ties, scarves and more. It’s an interesting process and no pattern is ever the same. This allows you to take home your own art in addition to bidding on the work created at the Art Battle.
This is also a Block Party, so stick around for live music with Laurie D and the Blues Babes followed by The Altitones. Small Champions, a local nonprofit that transforms and empowers the lives of Eagle County youth who are challenged with a variety of cognitive and physical disabilities, will be there providing drinks including wine, beer, canned cocktails and water for a suggested donation.
The Art Battle and Block Party is free and open to the public and will take place rain or shine. For more information about the Art Battle, please call Alpine Arts Center at 970-926-2732 or visit AlpineArtsCenter.org.
KT Tunstall at Vilar Performing Arts Center
As the summer winds down, so does the 25th anniversary season at the Vilar Performing Arts Center. This Friday the theater welcomes KT Tunstall to Beaver Creek. Tunstall was supposed to perform last spring, but the concert was rescheduled for Aug. 25. at 8 p.m.
This Scottish-born, Grammy-nominated musician claims she has two sides to her music, a troubadour, acoustic, guitar-driven, emotional side and more of a rocker side. She broke out on the scene with her multi-platinum album in 2004 called “Eye to the Telescope.” You’ll remember the words to “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See.” Most recently, Tunstall has been doing a series of records focusing on soul, body and mind. The first, 2016’s “KIN,” is the soul record; 2018’s “WAX” is the body record and the new “NUT” is the mind record.
Tickets are still available for $48 and there is a Meet and Greet experience available for $133 where you can get premium seating in the first 10 rows, access to the May Gallery – the venue’s private bar and patrons’ lounge – at 7 p.m. and a photo with Tunstall. For more information, go to VilarPAC.org.
Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
It’s time to induct the movers and shakers of the ski and snowboard industry on Sunday. The Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration shines a light on those who have progressed the sport forward. Since 1977, the museum has inducted 200 athletes, coaches, patrons and supporters of snow sports in Colorado. This year’s class of five represents Telluride, Crested Butte, Aspen, Copper Mountain and Vail.
Cheryl Jensen
Jensen is being recognized for her lifesaving efforts through the Vail Veterans Program, a nonprofit she founded that brings military wounded to Vail for adaptive winter sports and now it is a year-round program.
Hilaree Nelson
Hilaree Nelson was among the most accomplished ski mountaineers and alpinists in the world. She is known for being the first to summit and ski 8,000-meter peaks around the world, notably becoming the first woman to summit two 8000-meter peaks (Everest and Lhotse) in a 24-hour period.
John Norton
Norton is known for his contributions to marketing programs, special events, community alliance-building and the guest experience at Crested Butte and Aspen. His efforts include founding the adaptive program at Crested Butte, “ski-free” programs and lifting the snowboard ban at Aspen.
Sandy Hildner
Hildner is a ski racing pioneer and before she even had a formal women’s team to train with, she would train with the University of Colorado’s men’s team from Boulder and went on to win the Roch Cup at the National Championships in 1967 and race in the Olympics in 1968. She also was innovator in ski equipment and taught many women’s ski clinics over the years.
Seth Masia
For decades, Masia has told the story of the ski and snowboard industry as the editor and writer for “SKI Magazine.” He was also the president of the International Skiing History Association and through that and other writings has kept a record of snow sports history.
Other people and organizations receiving awards include David and Renie Gorsuch, SOS Outreach and Mikaela Shiffrin.
The Induction Ceremony will take place on Aug. 27 at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail with gates opening at 3 p.m. for a long cocktail hour so everyone can mingle and then the ceremony will begin at 4:30 and go until about 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $50 for lawn seating and kids 18 years old and younger get it for free. There are various ticket prices for general pavilion seating and VIP seating that includes drinks and snacks at a hosted bar. Go to SnowsportsMuseum.org to purchase tickets and learn more about this year’s inductees and who has made the cut in past years.
Free movies at Riverwalk Theater
Want to see a free movie? You can do just that this weekend at the Riverwalk Theater in Edwards. It’s called Free TV’s Free Movie Weekends and it is courtesy of Pluto TV. Even though Pluto TV is a free streaming television service, it still likes to support independently owned movie theaters across the nation. What started in the summer of 2021 as a way to give back and help independent theaters reopen after months of closure during COVID-19 has grown as an ongoing yearly initiative. Their employees pick the theaters and Riverwalk was one of the picks this summer.
What’s also awesome is that there are two blockbuster hits that will be shown for free this weekend under the Free TV’s Free Movie Weekends, so, if you haven’t seen “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer” yet, now is your chance at the following times:
“Barbie”
- Saturday: 12:40 p.m., 3:40 p.m., 6:40 p.m.
- Sunday: 12:40 p.m., 3:40 p.m., 6:40 p.m.
“Oppenheimer”
- Saturday: 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
- Sunday: 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
The Riverwalk Theater will also be giving away special Pluto TV beach towels to all customers who come to any movie at the theater this weekend. Please note that the free tickets are first come, first serve and not available online, only at the box office. Follow the Riverwalk Theater’s Instagram or Facebook pages for more details.