If you like the outdoors, Colorado is a big adventure playground for adults: it's great for skiing, cycling, climbing, and hiking.

I discovered Boulder not through cycling but skiing. I was recruited by the university for the ski team, and in my opinion, it's the best place for skiing - you have this super-light, fluffy champagne snow.

I'd never really experienced the West before moving to Colorado. The East Coast, where I grew up, has a lot of big cities, like Boston and New York, and is more densely populated, and I instantly fell in love with the big open spaces of the West, where you can see not just for a few miles but for a few hundred miles.

Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.

Hiking for me, is like going to a birthday party, they save the best for last, which is the treats and the cake. Well, the hike is the fun part, but the summit is the treat, the view is the icing on the cake.

Crested Butte is for spectators; Chamonix is for participants.