SAM Magazine-Idaho Springs, Colo., Mar. 10, 2011-Echo Mountain is turning five this spring, and celebrating by offering $5 lift tickets on Friday nights, Mar. 18-Apr. 15. The tickets are good for skiing and riding 4-9 p.m. The 700-vertical-foot area is the closest ski and ride area to Denver, about 35 minutes away.

To further mark its fifth anniversary, Echo will donate $5 for every lift ticket sold on Sunday, Mar. 20, to Burton's CHILL Foundation, which provides lift tickets, lessons, transportation, and head-to-toe gear for underserved youth.

Other birthday fun includes free birthday cake on Saturday afternoon, Mar. 19, and the Liptricks Not Lipstick competition in the Junkyard Terrain Park, featuring an all-ability jam format for skiers and riders on Echo's signature features, such as the 25-step Stairset and the Monster Energy Launch Box.