Nicholas Hunt

Denver

Writer at Freelance

Writer, biker, skier, editor, content director @advcyclingassoc. Formerly @5280magazine, @REI and @OutsideMagazine.

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Articles

How To Get Involved in Local Politics During This Election—and All Year Round

Nov 1, 2024 | 5280.com | Nicholas Hunt |Spencer Campbell |Alyssa Chutka

We, the people of the United States, are dissatisfied. Whether you are red, blue, or purple, chances are you don’t like something the government has done, is doing, or plans to do. The good news is that, at least in Colorado, there are plenty of ways you can effect change. Voting may be the simplest way to participate in Colorado politics, but it’s not the only method.
Spearheaded by Young Adults in Colorado, This New Program Addresses the Youth Mental Health Crisis

Sep 3, 2024 | 5280.com | Alyssa Chutka |Nicholas Hunt

Marissa Garcia describes her family as supportive, but mental health wasn’t something they discussed around the dinner table. So when she struggled with her emotional well-being in high school, she felt alone.
How Tin Can Camp Is Giving Back to the San Luis Valley

Sep 3, 2024 | 5280.com | Alyssa Chutka |Nicholas Hunt

Tin Can Camp may be Instagram-worthy, but the collection of five new rental micro-cabins in the San Luis Valley is far from an amenity-laden glamping experience. That’s by design. “We wanted to make sure that we would be able to restore the landscape to its original integrity [when we eventually remove the structures],” says Maddy Ahlborn, development and communications coordinator for the nonprofit San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLV GO), which opened the camp ($80 per night) to visitors in May.
5 Ways to Celebrate Arvada’s 120th Anniversary This Month

Jul 31, 2024 | 5280.com | Alyssa Chutka |Nicholas Hunt

As the site of the Rocky Mountains’ first documented gold strike, Arvada has yielded treasures for more than a century. To celebrate the city’s 120th birthday this month, we mined these five events, shops, and bars to offer you a mix of old and new gems. The Arvada Tavern’s Clover Club cocktail. Photo courtesy of Connor Stehr Photography1. The Arvada TavernOn April 7, 1933, just months after the repeal of Prohibition in the state, the Arvada Tavern received the city’s first-ever alcohol license.
One Year After Its Reopening, Boulder Valley Velodrome Pedals Forward

Jul 31, 2024 | 5280.com | Alyssa Chutka |Nicholas Hunt

As one of the country’s only Olympic-size, banked-oval cycling racetracks, the Boulder Valley Velodrome (BVV) should have cemented the Front Range’s status as a cycling destination in 2013, when it was slated to host its first riders. Instead, the south Erie venue suffered a string of setbacks, including a windstorm and flood that all but destroyed the place before construction was finished. Then, just three years after the track finally opened in 2015, the owners put the venue up for sale.
14 Perfect Spots That Make Colorado an Outdoorsy Person’s Dream Come True

Jul 31, 2024 | 5280.com | Nicholas Hunt |Alyssa Chutka

We challenged our writers and a handful of local experts to name the Centennial State’s finest locales—down to a few square feet. What we got wasn’t just a travel guide. It was a love letter to Colorado. Below, 14 slices of perfection. Jump Ahead:1. Best CampsiteBeta: Campsite 12, Crater Lake, Indian Peaks WildernessExpert: Maren Horjus, 5280 digital directorI’m suddenly nervous. All that separates my hiking partner and me from the view I’ve raved about for months is a thin swath of nylon.
Inside the University of Denver’s 130-Year-Old Chamberlin Observatory

Jul 1, 2024 | 5280.com | Alyssa Chutka |Nicholas Hunt

The Romanesque sandstone building’s giant refracting telescope saw the stars for the first time 130 years ago this month, and Chamberlin hasn’t changed much since. Nearly everything in the structure is original, including the hand cranks that deftly maneuver the 26-foot-long telescope, which has charted stars, discovered comets, and almost confirmed Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity during June 1918’s total solar eclipse.
The Oversimplified Guide to Pooping Outdoors

May 31, 2024 | 5280.com | Alyssa Chutka |Nicholas Hunt

“Think of pooping outdoors as something to be proud of,” says JD Tanner, director of education and training at the Boulder-based environmental nonprofit Leave No Trace. “It’s not this uncomfortable, shameful thing. It’s natural.” Once you accept that, here’s what to do next. 1. Survey your surroundings. You should move at least 200 feet—about 70 big steps for adults or 90 for kids—away from the trail and any water to prevent contamination.
A Denverite’s 3D Art Will Jump Off the Pavement at This Month’s Denver Chalk Art Festival

May 31, 2024 | 5280.com | Alyssa Chutka |Nicholas Hunt

As a kid, Chris Carlson didn’t want to join the circus. He wanted to be a stockbroker. By the time the Denverite graduated with a business degree in 2008, however, he was no longer so bullish on the markets. In search of direction, Carlson came across a photo of three-dimensional chalk art, a technique that uses precise geometry to allow flat images to leap off the pavement when viewed from a specific position.
Can a New Indoor Ski Slope Help You Keep Your Ski Legs In the Offseason?

May 8, 2024 | 5280.com | Nicholas Hunt

As the conveyor belt underneath my ski boots begins to move, I let go of the bar and let the magic carpet carry me upslope. Following my instructor’s advice, I forgo the aggressive carves and hockey stops I’ve spent years perfecting to manage my speed on snow and instead alternate between pizza and french fries. Within minutes, however, I’m making wedge-style turns, and by the end of my 15-minute demo, I’m working in parallel turns.