Colorado Ski Resort Hoedown Hill Halts Winter Sports to Become a Dedicated Music Festival Venue

Less than three years after debuting as Colorado’s newest winter sports destination, Hoedown Hill in Windsor has officially announced a major operational pivot. The 12-acre venue, located just southeast of Fort Collins along the Northern Front Range, will suspend all skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing operations for the upcoming winter season to focus exclusively on live music festivals and outdoor entertainment.

Picture: m.yelp.com

The announcement, made in November 2026 by operator TWVC Hospitality, marks a dramatic shift for a property that initially aimed to democratize winter sports for Northern Colorado families. Instead of firing up snow guns and surface lifts for the 2026–27 winter, leadership is shifting resources to expand its summer concert infrastructure and prepare for a high-profile 2027 festival calendar.

Why Hoedown Hill Is Shifting From Ski Slopes to Concert Stages

When Hoedown Hill celebrated its grand opening in January 2024, it entered the market with a clear mission: offering accessible, beginner-friendly slopes and terrain park features without requiring Front Range residents to endure hours of Interstate 70 mountain traffic. However, as the business evolved over three operating cycles, live entertainment consistently outperformed winter recreation in both attendance and regional momentum.

The Rapid Rise of Summer Music Festivals in Windsor

Hoedown Hill hosted its inaugural multi-day music festival in the summer of 2024, transforming its 12-acre hillside into an open-air amphitheater. Over three consecutive summers—2024, 2025, and 2026—the venue drew thousands of concertgoers per night, establishing itself as one of Northern Colorado’s premier outdoor music destinations.

Notable Headliners and Genre Diversity

Rather than catering to a single niche, Hoedown Hill’s programming strategy blended classic rock, alternative, and mainstream country across multi-weekend schedules. Past lineups have featured nationally recognized touring acts, including:

• Rock and Alternative: Third Eye Blind, Cold War Kids, Plain White T’s, Asia featuring John Payne, and former Journey lead vocalist Steve Augeri.
• Country and Americana: The Band Perry, Randy Houser, Chris Lane, Avery Anna, Dasha, and Tyler Rich.

Alongside ticketed multi-day festivals, the property also cultivated local engagement through a free summer concert series, turning the Windsor hillside into a warm-weather gathering hub for Larimer and Weld County residents.

Leadership’s Vision for Live Entertainment

According to TWVC Hospitality CEO Tyler Lind, live music quickly proved to be the true core identity of the property. In announcing the transition, company leadership emphasized that dedicating full-time operational bandwidth to concerts allows the team to elevate stage production, sound quality, VIP hospitality, and artist curation.

Operating a low-elevation Front Range ski hill presents inherent meteorological and logistical hurdles, particularly regarding warm autumn temperatures and sustained snowmaking windows. By stepping away from winter operations, Hoedown Hill avoids the high energy and maintenance costs associated with maintaining snowpack at roughly 4,800 feet of elevation, reallocating that capital toward year-round event planning.

A Look Back at Hoedown Hill’s Brief Ski History

Before pivoting to entertainment, Hoedown Hill carved out a unique niche in Colorado’s competitive ski industry. Situated within the RainDance National community in Windsor, the hill served as a convenient training ground for first-time skiers, snowboarders, and freestyle riders.

Accessible Pricing and Front Range Convenience

Unlike destination resorts in Summit or Eagle counties where single-day lift tickets routinely exceed $200, Hoedown Hill kept winter sports affordable. Lift tickets generally hovered between $30 and $45, making it an attractive after-school and weekend option for Fort Collins, Loveland, and Greeley families. The area also partnered with the Indy Pass network, giving multi-resort passholders an easy Front Range warm-up stop.

What the Closure Means for Northern Colorado Skiers

With Hoedown Hill sitting out the 2026–27 winter season, Northern Colorado residents looking for lift-served skiing and snowboarding will need to travel further into the mountains. The closest major alternatives for Fort Collins-area skiers include:

• Eldora Mountain Resort: Located near Nederland, roughly 90 minutes to two hours away depending on canyon traffic.
• Loveland Ski Area: Situated just east of the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70, offering early-season snowmaking and dedicated beginner terrain.
• Winter Park Resort and Keystone Resort: Larger destination mountains requiring a longer drive across the Continental Divide.

Skiers who purchased multi-resort passes such as the Indy Pass with plans to visit Windsor are advised to review passholder terms or contact their pass provider directly regarding regional alternatives.

What to Expect for the 2027 Festival Season and Beyond

Although the ski lifts will remain idle this winter, Hoedown Hill’s team is already deep into booking and production planning for summer 2027. Official lineup announcements, weekend dates, and ticket presales are expected to roll out over the coming months.

Upgraded Concert Experiences on the Horizon

By focusing exclusively on live events, Hoedown Hill plans to build upon the production upgrades introduced during its 2025 and 2026 seasons, which included expanded stage footprints, upgraded lighting rigs, and tiered viewing zones ranging from general admission lawn seating to Preferred and Super VIP areas. For travelers planning to attend 2027 festivals from outside Northern Colorado, local hotels in Windsor, Loveland, and Fort Collins typically fill quickly during festival weekends, making early lodging reservations essential once dates go live.

Could Skiing Ever Return to Hoedown Hill?

While the current operational shift is total, TWVC Hospitality has stopped short of permanently closing the book on winter sports. In its official statement, the organization noted that it will not offer skiing, snowboarding, or tubing this winter as the team focuses on its entertainment calendar, adding that any future winter programming will be announced as plans develop.

That phrasing leaves the door open for potential winter activations down the road—whether through specialized terrain park events, snow tubing weekends, or a revamped winter entertainment format—if market conditions and infrastructure align. For now, however, Hoedown Hill’s identity is firmly anchored in summer nights, touring headliners, and live music under the Northern Colorado sky.

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