Crested Butte's Super Bowl Spirit

Game? What game? I'm thinking more about the two feet of snow that dropped in the Rockies not who's going to win Super Bowl XLVIII (that reminds me, I still have to enter my friend's pool). I'm guessing I'm not the only skier mulling these thoughts, especially the Colorado ones who could have used what's being called the storm of the season to call in sick with the powder flu.

Think about it:  The Super Bowl couldn't be more perfectly timed with a ski day. Most resorts stop their lifts at 4 p.m. and the kickoff is at 4:30 p.m., mountain time. Plenty of time to ski a final run before dashing into a slope side bar to watch the Denver Broncos face off against the Seattle Seahawks. And extra calories in the bank for more beer and wings that you know you'd eat regardless of whether you skied, ran or did nothing all day. Besides, with all the snow falling, how could you want to leave the mountain early?

If you want to maximize your Super Bowl weekend, one of your best bets is to head to Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) where they're making the most of the Broncos quest for the Lombardi trophy. Over the weekend, you'll find everything from discounted lift tickets for supporting the Broncos to a tailgate party complete with a wing-eating contest and giveaways.

Super Bowl Skiing: Liftopia's Big Game Day Sale

It doesn't take much to convince me to go skiing. When it's cold, snowy and the middle of winter, there's really nothing I'd rather do. Even on Super Bowl Sunday. Actually, skiing before watching the Super Bowl practically became a tradition in my house. My mom, my sister and I would ski at the local hill, but unlike every other Sunday, we'd get better parking, a seat in the lodge for a quick warm-up and nearly no lift lines. Better than watching the Bills lose to the Cowboys...again. 

Apparently we were onto something 20 years ago. "Super Bowl Sunday is one of the best days of the year to get out on the hill," said Evan Reece, co-founder and CEO of Liftopia, the largest online and mobile marketplace for lift tickets and other mountain activities. "You'll find wide-open trails, no lift lines, and great bars and restaurants to view the game when it starts at 6:30 p.m. EST. You might as well burn some calories on the hill before you dive into those wings." 

Pizza may have been my food of choice as a kid, but the pre-game workout hasn't changed much. And Liftopia is making it even more tempting to ski before the big game. On Tuesday morning, the site launched a lift ticket sale that'll make Super Bowl Sunday one of the more affordable days of the season to hit the mountain. With snow in the forecast, it's a hard offer to resist. 

The Game Day Sale, as it's been called, has become somewhat of an annual tradition for Liftopia, and skiers and boarders can reap the benefits at more than 250 resorts across North America. Liftopia's biggest sale of the year on lift tickets has prices starting as low as $19.99, as much as 55 percent off walk-up window rates. Now there's a huge thank you to my wallet!

Fit-Pic: Super Bowl Snowshoe

Apparently we weren't the only ones looking to shed some calories before the big game. Forget the Super Bowl, our pregame consisted of some snowshoe and cross-country ski action across a snow-covered golf course along Lake Michigan. Chicago's third largest dump brought plenty of snow seekers outside with skis, sleds, boots and their dogs to romp through the snow, more than I've seen on any given Sunday. Even our beloved Lakefront Path had a steady flow of runners racking up their mileage.

Guess that means we could enjoy a few extra snacks during those commercial breaks?

Super Bowl, Super Fit

Should you be so lucky to be packing to hop on a plane bound for Tampa to watch the Super Bowl live, don't despair that your workouts are going to disappear faster than the beer, nachos and pizza you might be taking in on Sunday. You're traveling to the land of nearly year-round summer--with a few random days of rain or icy chills--and it's simple to stay on top of the fitness, even if the snacking goes through the roof. Take your pick of running groups, cycling routes, swimming beaches and pools, you'll be hard-pressed not to find something to keep you moving beyond laps in the stadium.

Active Tampa has a website devoted to active pursuits in the bay area, and stocked with training plans, advice and nutrition tips, it's helpful even if you have no plans on going to Tampa in the near future. Not only does Get Active tell you about running, cycling and triathlon clubs and events in the area, it has even picked out a few routes to get you out of the hotel room.

Need someone to hold you accountable for a run Saturday or Sunday morning? Join the Tampa Bay Runners, the Brandon Running Association, the Forerunners Track Club, the West Florida Y Runners, or the Tampa YMCA and Fort YMCA Blue Shark group for distances ranging from 4 to 20 miles. Or if you're in town Saturday morning and want to race a 5K, the new Run for Pride kicks off in Tampa at 8:30.

While you could say it requires more planning--finding a bike, or bringing one from home and piecing it together--Tampa also boasts several cycling clubs and group rides that hit the roads on the weekend. And if you're like me--living through bone-chilling hell right now--the chance to take a bike for a spin off the trainer is a godsend (my bike hasn't seen daylight since September, sadly).

Get the triathlon season started early by making a trip to Sarasota Sunday morning for the Super Bowl Y-Tri at the ESJ YMCA at Potter Park. It's the perfect way to jump-start a day, and rev that metabolism for all of the imbibing later. Plus you're not dealing with the usual competition at the hometown races.

But we're not all lucky enough to be making the trip to Florida this weekend, instead either watching the game from a bar or house party. If you're not fortunate enough to swap those tempting Super Bowl snacks that Liz mentioned for options that won't pack on the pounds or put you in calorie end zone before game time, then maybe it's off to the gym or outside for a run to aid the overeating and lessen its impact (for me, anyway).

My Sunday spin instructor and gym like to get into the spirit and hold a Super Bowl spin where we spin longer than the scheduled hour and 15 minutes and ride anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. Or growing up I remember my mom taking us skiing at the local ski hill Super Bowl Sunday because the place was deserted and we could ski all day with minimal lines (and at a place where the lift line was longer than the actual run, that was a good thing). Some training groups around Chicago are kicking off programming for spring races this weekend: Team in Training has a kick-off party on Saturday and Chicago Endurance Sports' spring marathon training program starts on Sunday. What are you doing to stay active this weekend? Even shoveling snow counts. Photo grabbed from Pete Prodoehl at flickr. Posted by Kate