BRECKENRIDE, CO — Skiing and beer (après, that is) go together like peanut butter and jelly. That’s why when it comes to planning a winter vacation, you can’t go wrong by heading to Colorado, home of 25 ski resorts and more than 350 breweries.

TABERNASH, CO. - There seemed no end to it. A forest dense and vast, as old as time itself, stretching to the feet of the imposing Rocky Mountains before these daunting volcanic creations declared this domain to be theirs and forged an impassable border.

SNOWMASS, CO - The menu reads like one of Manhattan’s five-star finest: elk stroganoff, butternut squash soup, and wild salmon salad. Here’s the catch, though ...

TABERNASH, CO - The sign I see as I’m about to glide out on a cross-country trail puts me a little on edge: “Bears, moose and mountain lion in this area.”