Men's Journal

Your Rocky Mountain digs this weekend, just steps from 30 hot spring jacuzzis to choose from. Photo credit: Princeton Holdings, LLC

A casual tour of Austin on a cruiser bike or a snow triathlon above 10,000 feet in the shadow of Colorado’s 14ers? Whether you want to spend your evenings experiencing roller-derby from the stands, chomping on barbecue, or recovering in a natural hot spring jacuzzi, we’ve got your perfect weekend dialed.

By Chase Scheinbaum

Snow triathlon, Leadville, Colorado, February 20-21

Leadville and Nathrop, Colorado

Bookend your stay in this 14er-laden part of the Rockies with a soak in a bubbling hot spring just steps from your cabin’s backdoor. You’ll need the relaxation — and the warmth — if you complete the Street Swell Winter Triathlon on Saturday. It’s eight kilometers of skate-skiing, 10 kilometers of biking, and five kilometers of snowshoeing in the lower-48’s highest region. The grueling course runs through Colorado Mountain College’s Timberline campus above Leadville. What it lacks in air molecules it more than makes up for in scenery.

At 10,000 feet, you’ll be thankful for the hot springs just a short trot from your rustic luxury cabin (starting at $275) at Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort down the road in Nathrop. Cabins that sleep six to eight are available; as are cabins that sleep eight to 10 people. Check out their web site for more info.

There are 30 pools made with stones arranged along the banks of Chalk Creek, where 130-degree spring water blends with cooler water from the creek to allow temperature customization. For supreme decadence, massage therapists are available at the resort’s lodge. So are lamb chops and steak.

Get a race registration form and other details here. Race day registration is $40.

Post race, replenish your blood sugar level at the Manhattan Bar in Leadville.

Lodging and Accommodation

Nathrop is a little under an hour from Leadville, where the race is held. Fly into Aspen, Colorado Springs, or Denver airports, and rent a car.

2010 Governnor’s Cup Double Elimination Tournament, Austin, Texas

February 20-21

This weekend, get to Austin before the crowds of South by Southwest to experience some homegrown entertainment that most South by Southwest visitors won’t: the Texas Roller Girls roller derby league.

At first, watching roller derby feels like a novelty. But the open-rink checking and real athleticism remind you that you’re also watching serious athletes compete — not just scantily-clad women on roller skates.

The tournament is $20 per day; or $35 for both days, with up to seven games over the weekend. For more info, and to watch a clip of two teams from the Austin-based league duke it out, click the link above. Get tickets here.

The action at the rink starts Saturday morning, but breaks between games leave enough time to squeeze in your swim workout at Barton Springs Pool. A naturally spring-fed body, the three-acre pool stays a comfortable 68-degrees year-round — about the same as the air temperature in the balmy winter playground that is Austin, Texas.

After the action on the flat track, don’t miss the down-home Texas barbecue at Iron Works BBQ in Austin, located in what was an iron workshop for most of last century.

Lodging and Accommodations

Hotel San Jose, a dog-friendly, urban-bungalow affair in a stylish neighborhood, rents bikes to tour the city with. Rooms start at $95. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is Austin’s go-to hub for air travel.

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