How sweet it is: Monique Merrill chilling in front of Amazing Grace before she gets her cardio on.
ADVENTURE RACING
Danelle Ballengee
Milt’s Stop & Eat, Moab
Danelle Ballengee was already well known as a two-time adventure racing World Champion when she made headlines again in 2006 for surviving a 60-foot fall. She spent two sub-freezing nights with a shattered pelvis in a canyon near Moab with her dog Taz, who eventually led rescuers to find her. Ballengee and her husband, chef B.C. Laprade, bought Milt’s in 2007. Part sit-down diner, part take-out burger-and-shake stand, Milt’s has been an institution since it opened in 1954.
play ”There’s a great new trail near town called Pipe Dream,” says Ballengee. It takes just a couple minutes to get to from Milt’s.”
eat “After a ride or run you have to get a Double Bacon Cheeseburger. Our beef is hormone-free, fresh from the grass-fed cows at the local Ruby Ranch.”
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Jen Zeuner
Hot Tomato Pizza, Fruita
Jen Zeuner raced downhill mountain biking from 1992 to 2000 and has been eating pizza her whole life. She opened Hot Tomato with Anne Keller in Fruita in 2005, leveraging her experience working at mom-and-pop pizza shops on the East Coast where she grew up. Hot Tomato’s dough is made daily from scratch (a rarity even in non-chain pizza shops), and the pair sources herbs and vegetables from four local growers who all live within a 10-mile radius. Eight New Belgium Beers are available on draft. hottomatocafe.com
play “You can’t come to Fruita and not ride Joe’s Ridge.”
eat“Everyone loves our Granny’s Pesto. And don’t forget the beer. we’re part of New Belgium’s Lips of Faith program—every quarter they send us two small-batch beers you can’t get anywhere else.”
BACKCOUNTRY SKIING
Mark Fischer
Six89, Carbondale
Mark Fischer has been backcountry skiing since he moved to Colorado 20 years ago. The Carbondale resident opened Six89 there in 1998, followed by Phat Thai in 2003 and the Pullman in Glenwood Springs and Phat Thai Denver last year. The busy owner-chef still races the Grand Traverse, covering 40-miles of backcountry between Crested Butte and Aspen. In the kitchen at Six89, he works to prefect artisanal comfort food—a gourmet approach to unpretentious foods. six89.com
play “You can do a tour out of the town of Marble and be back in three hours. We’ll usually rally at the restaurant, and carpool for the 30-minute drive there.”
eat “The gnocchi salad. We sauté the gnocchi with some mushrooms and roasted squash until crisp and dress the whole thing with a champagne vinaigrette made with a shit ton of oregano, extra virgin olive oil, a little bit of truffle oil and some parm reggiano.”
SKI MOUNTAINEERING
Monique Merrill
Amazing Grace Natural Eatery, Breckenridge
A world champion adventure racer, Mona Merrill is renowned for consistently placing in the Top 10 at the Ski Mountaineering World Championships over the past few years. She bought Amazing Grace Natural Eatery in a quirky historic building two blocks from her home in Breckenridge in 2002. The Grace offers affordable, organic made-from-scratch burritos, sandwiches, salads and baked goods. amazinggracebreck.com
play ”I skin up Baldy about three times a week. There’s a trailhead right at the top of Baldy Road where you can park your car.”
eat ”We open at 7:00 a.m., so before you head out to ski come by The Grace and get the Breakfast Burrito.”
PADDLING
Mic Heynekamp
Eddyline Restaurant and Brewery, Buena Vista
Mic Heynekamp has been kayaking since college, so it’s no surprise that he located his brewpub on the Arkansas River. Eddyline literally sits less than 100 yards from the Buena Vista Whitewater Park. Eddyline started with pizza and calzones and has since grown to include everything from made-from-scratch pasta to local grass-fed beef from a ranch eight miles downriver. eddylinepub.com
play “There’s a half-mile section of the whitewater park right in front of the restaurant. ”
eat “You still can’t beat our original calzones. The Mt. Princeton is spicy and filling. Wash it down with our brand new brew, Boater Beer, a joint project with CKS for Paddlefest.”
ROAD BIKE RACING
Will Frischkorn
Cured, Boulder
Professional road bike racer, Will Frischkorn spent seven years living part-time in Spain, which inspired him to open Cured in Boulder after retiring from Garmin-Cervélo in 2010. Cured also makes sandwiches and offers evening culinary tastings and classes. curedboulder.com
play “I love getting up on the Peak-to-Peak Highway—Boulder to Lyons, up South St. Vrain and back down through Ward—it’s gorgeous. .”
eat “The Spicy Frenchman. It’s brie, butter, French Ham, and peach-jalapeño jam from the Western Slope on a baguette..”
TRIATHLON
Matty Reed
Boom Yogurt Bar, Boulder
In 2011, Olympian Matty Reed won four triathlons and opened Boom Yogurt Bar. Boom provides all-natural breakfast options and healthy pre- and post- workout snacks to endurance freaks as well as mere mortals. boomyogurtbar.com
play “I like running in the Boulder foothills—places like Sanitas, Red Rocks and Linden Drive.”
eat “If you come in during the morning, try my favorite breakfast—hot oatmeal with Noosa yogurt and fruit purée.” •
