I blame coyotes for the disappearance a few years ago of a beloved pet. But I blame someone else, too: me. I'm the one, after all, who let down my guard and let our two cats out on that March morning that seemed so warm and sunny and carefree.

I just can't take my eyes off a good porn flick. Wander into a ski shop or bar and there it is on the screen: skiers flying down impossibly steep slopes and hucking huge air. Or in the kayak shop: paddlers dancing through one big gnarly drop after another or screaming down a waterfall.

While Lindsey Vonn was making her mark at the World Alpine Ski Championships in France, Colorado ski races were attracting hundreds of amateur competitors over the weekend to at least three venues.

When it comes to finding ways to ski or snowboard free, the most unusual has to be the one coming up on Valentine's Day at Loveland. And this year it falls conveniently on a Saturday.

I wasn't invited to the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2009 trade show that concluded a four-day run in Salt Lake City over the weekend. Too bad; I love looking at new gear. But I did manage to get a taste of some of the new outdoor products in the pipeline through the show's daily digest.

I had a fun race, but I'm paying a price by being slammed again by a bug that had seemed to be slowly dissipating. So if you've ever asked yourself, should I run, ski, exercise when I have a cold? The answer this time at least should have been an emphatic NO!

Maybe it was the annual January arrival of the mail-in application form, but something put my mind on the Leadville Trail 100 as I went for a jog Tuesday. Mostly I was thinking about how differently I feel about cold-weather running now than I did four years ago as I began training for the race.

The Rocky landing on your doorstep this morning is full of suggestions for New Year's Eve. Most involve bars and entertainers. Backcountry skier Pete Swenson has a different idea; Put on skis and a headlamp and climb 1,200 feet through the snow.

While the TV cameras were focused on the pros in the Winter Dew Tour's debut at Breckenridge on Saturday, just over the mountain at Keystone a bunch of citizen racers braved a cold day to kick off the Teamski season.

I launched my personal opening day of the ski season Friday with a trip to Copper Mountain and a lesson from my favorite racing coach, Ron Emery.