Famous Flamethrower's High Altitude Chili Cook-Off

 

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Tina F.

Denver, CO

9/6/2006

I went to the Chili cook-off on August 26th, 2006 with my family. We took the ski train from Union Station and an hour and a half later, we're in Winter Park and at the Chili Cook-Off.
Almost immediately it started raining like I've never seen it rain in Colorado. It poured down! It was my first time to the cook-off, but my mother said that it happened last year as well. So if you go next year, take an umbrella and a jacket!!
Fortunately, the rain didn't last long, and we were quickly tasting all the red and green chilis that they had to offer ($1 for two tasting tickets). I quickly realized that I really disliked almost every green chile entry that I tasted, while most of the red chilis were very good.
Although the cook-off was OK, I don't think I will go back. It's a ploy, much like the alpine slide, to get summer tourists, but there isn't much to it and definitely not worth a trip from Denver.
It would be much more interesting if they added a Farmer's Market to the mix, where you could buy local products, produce (especially chile related), etc.
As it was, we were done with the tasting within an hour, the alpine slide took next to no time, and the lunch was barely passable. We bought lunch at a resort restaurant, where you pay $9 for a cheeseburger, and for that price, I watched in horror as one of the grill masters berate a customer who told him that his order was wrong, and then tell the customer that if he didn't like it to talk to his manager. So that wasn't the most pleasant of dining experiences.
After seeing the competition for green chile, I'm sorely tempted to enter mine, but if I decide not to, I won't be back.

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