The Outsider with Jason Blevins

Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins has covered the evolution of lift ticket pricing for decades and today he breaks down three antitrust lawsuits filed in Denver against the ski industry’s four largest players, arguing the operators conspired to inflate lift ticket prices.

https://coloradosun.com/2026/08/27/antitrust-lawsuit-targeting-resort-operators/

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Every year, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins tracks winter and summer taxable sales in 18 large and small mountain towns near ski areas. Today, Jason looks at the recently calculated numbers for the November-through-April stretch of the 2025-26 winter and what he found out.

Misery tickets:  bit.ly/4plYyZ2

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Today, outdoors reporter Jason Blevins breaks down the 2025 Colorado tourism report and how despite record numbers of visitors and spending, there are concerns about a slowdown and what a rough 2026 could mean.

https://coloradosun.com/2026/07/30/colorado-sees-record-year-for-tourism/

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins has updates on plans to turn Sweetwater Lake in remote Garfield County into a recreation area in a partnership with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service.

https://coloradosun.com/2026/07/24/sweetwater-lake-forest-service-study/

Misery Tickets: bit.ly/4plYyZ2

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins looks into the growing concerns around hikers relieving themselves in the Colorado mountains and how federal cuts to the Forest Service could mean “wag bags” will have an even greater role in keeping the lands clean.

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins talks about how those who enjoy the outdoors are flexing their collective muscle to have a say in politics related to the trillion-dollar industry, from the local level to D.C.

https://coloradosun.com/2026/07/08/boulder-open-space-limit-mountain-bikes/

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins breaks down the recent one-day spike in the stock price for Vail Resorts shares and how the company's leader is responding.

https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/26/takeover-reports-vail-resorts-stock/ 

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins looks at the “Rural Is Rad” collective of Colorado outdoor companies working together to promote their rural Colorado roots around the world while staying grounded in their smaller communities.

https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/19/rural-is-rad-collective/ 

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins discusses an idea in Boulder County that would limit mountain bike access on some trails around Lyons on certain days and the pushback the idea is bringing.

Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/12/lyons-mountain-bikers-boulder-county-proposal/

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins has a look at the final and shocking Colorado skier visits data from the rough season and also why Utah’s richest resident is poking Vail Resorts to sell him Park City resort.

https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/04/colorado-skier-visits-collapse-2025-26/ 

https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/05/matthew-prince-park-city-vail-resorts/

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins looks at how a state decision to change the Colorado search and rescue response structure has ruffled feathers in the Colorado Search and Rescue Association.

Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2026/04/10/cpw-search-and-rescue/ 

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Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2026/05/22/arkansas-river-rafting-low-flows/

Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins looks at the outlook for Colorado’s rafting season and how outfitters, especially along the Arkansas River, are adjusting as we come off the worst winter for snow in history.

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins breaks down a big land acquisition for a Colorado mountain town that millions of people zoom past each year. With barely 200 residents, Silver Plume officials are buying up old mining claims, expanding the town’s mountain park to more than 750 acres.

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins breaks down a few skier data sets from this season, including how the historically dry winter played out in on-mountain visits, and also the number of people who died on the hill.

Read more: https://coloradosun.com/2026/05/05/us-skier-visits-drop-2025-26/

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Today, Sun outdoors reporter Jason Blevins looks at the growing mental health concerns in Colorado’s mountain towns as communities come off the worst snow season in state history and the stresses that come with it.

Drew Petersen 2024 SunFest conversation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF-_J3rPWtc

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