Skiing is the popular image of winter in Colorado. And for good reason: These Rocky Mountains serve as a historic, premier destination for the sport. In terms of skiing acreage and elevation, no other state compares.

Skiing’s impact on Colorado in economic terms? A whopping $4.8 billion annually, according to a study from 2015, the last time trade group Colorado Ski Country USA and Vail Resorts partnered on such a report. Colorado Ski Country represents the iconic likes of Aspen, Telluride, Winter Park and Steamboat Springs, while Vail Resorts represents several global destinations, including Breckenridge and the company’s flagship resort right here in Colorado.

Right here in Colorado, all of that skiing glory.

And yet that same study in 2015 found a fact that seemed out of place: fewer than 1 in 10 Coloradans actually skied.

Yes, the state industry has reported record visitation in recent years. It appears that could be attributed to rising numbers of avid season passholders making regular visits, along with vacationers. All the while, the industry has tracked a troubling trend: Studies have suggested first-time skiers and participation in the sport are dipping.

So yes, however iconic, however central to Colorado’s winter economy and culture, it could be said that skiing is somewhat niche.

And yes, oh yes, Coloradans are out enjoying winter in many different ways.

That’s the theme of this year’s winter guide: the many ways we celebrate the season. The many destinations, experiences and memories waiting to be discovered away from the slopes.

We might submit Snow Mountain Ranch as a microcosm.

“Now entering the 5,000-acre memory maker,” reads the sign along the road heading into the Grand County dreamscape.

Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing? You can find that here. Fat biking? Yes, that too. Tubing, ice skating, sleds pulled by Alaskan huskies and sleighs pulled by horses? Check, check, check and check. And there’s much more across these snowy meadows and forests spotted by cabins reserved in advance for family reunions.

The not-so-tough sell from Mary Ann Degginger, Snow Mountain Ranch’s programs director: “Where else can you bring the grandparents, the parents and the grandkids and put them all together, and there’s something for everybody?”

It’s a similar sell — albeit a more pricey one — at Devil’s Thumb Ranch elsewhere in Grand County. We spotlight that ranch blending rustic and luxury spoils among other all-inclusive dude and guest ranches that delight in winter fun across Colorado.

These are ranches where the cowboy once toiled in the harsh elements of the season. Now generations of families have embraced winter, taking their guests out for days on horseback that end with s’mores around the campfire — under the stars that shine brightest on winter’s clear, crisp nights.

Not far from Snow Mountain Ranch and Devil’s Thumb Ranch is Winter Park Resort. No, we’re not ignoring the slopes in this magazine. You’ll find a full spread spotlighting more than two dozen ski areas in the state.

We catch you up on the latest at those destinations, including new lifts, terrain and other upgrades. We also fill you in on what else to see and do when you’re not skiing.

How about fondue and wine at Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro at Aspen Highlands? Or, in Breckenridge, perhaps you’d enjoy a stroll through a snowy forest to meet a giant wooden troll?

If you’re in Steamboat Springs, you’ve got to check out F.M. Light & Sons, the western store under the same family for more than 100 years. And if you’re in Glenwood Springs, you’ve got to check out Iron Mountain Hot Springs’ new pools on a scenic terrace overlooking the Colorado River.

Indeed, winter is the time for all of that discovery. And indeed, it’s the time for soaking in Colorado’s many hot springs.

In Pagosa Springs, The Springs Resort is home to the renowned Mother Spring, regarded as the world’s deepest geothermal aquifer. The resort is home as well to the “O” Suite that once hosted Oprah Winfrey.

Consider The Springs Resort as your unforgettably posh hot springs getaway. For unforgettably unique, book a stay at Steamboat’s Strawberry Park Hot Springs (accommodations being a covered wagon and train caboose) or southern Colorado’s Desert Reef Hot Springs (Airstreams, tiny homes).

Or how about a yurt? Go ahead, join the “glamping” craze that Colorado Parks and Wildlife has caught on to; look to reserve a yurt for you and yours at several state parks perfect for winter.

One of those is State Forest State Park, near Walden in northern Colorado. This tiny town is worthy of winter destination status in our book. Flip ahead to the feature praising Walden’s silence far away from any resort bustle. We note prime ice fishing in the area, along with snowmobiling around Rabbit Ears Pass and north to Wyoming.

Back to yurts: “glamping” doesn’t get much more glamorous than Tennessee Pass Cookhouse. Perched around 10,500 feet outside Leadville, guests strap on their cross-country skis or snowshoes and venture to a hut for a hearty, four-course meal before continuing through the woods to their yurt.

We once met Ty and Roxanne Hall, the couple who took decades to develop the concept and see it take off.

“There were many, many times where we were like, ‘We may not make it this month,’” Roxanne recalled. “We just kept hoping people would come.”

However glamorous the state’s winter tourism might seem on the snowy surface, beneath it is often a gritty tale of persistence — like that wintertime cowboy before today’s luxurious guest ranch. Like the man behind Ice Castles.

Before there was the Ice Castles company, there was a father working in his yard to entertain his kids. He fashioned a fort of pipe and lumber, sprayed water on it and watched it transform into an icy complex. “It became a neighborhood attraction,” Brent Christensen told us.

The attraction has gone national: Christensen’s company has built multicolor, interactive Ice Castles from coast to coast. Cripple Creek became the newest location a year ago.

It’s a remote, seemingly unlikely choice in the hills west of Colorado Springs, where the Pikes Peak gold rush began. However unlikely, residents saw wintertime crowds like never before last winter.

“Unless you go back to the early 1900s, when Cripple Creek was booming,” said Jeff Mosher, the city’s special projects director who courted the attraction.

More than 100,000 visitors were said to have flocked to Cripple Creek’s Ice Castles. Which goes to show just how much we as Coloradans love winter and all of the magic it entails — man-made and natural.

Mother Nature was in full force during our visit to Tennessee Pass Cookhouse. Snow was piling up as we hurried into the forest, at the behest of our host.

Hurry, Ty Hall insisted. “It’s a winter wonderland out there!”

A winter wonderland out there and everywhere, all around Colorado.

The spine, ribs and pelvis of a moose lie in the snow after being eaten clean by other animals near Ranger Lakes Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in State Forest State Park, about 20 miles east of Walden, Colo. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock) (State Forest State Park. Christian Murdock

State Forest State Park. Christian Murdock)

Kaleah Driscoll, left, and Gabe Mekker walk back to their car after a day of backcountry snowboarding at Rabbit Ears Pass near Steamboat Springs this week. Christmas Eve snow is expected in the high country and will continue falling through Christmas Day. According to OpenSnow meteorologist Joel Gratz, accumulations from 5 to 10 inches in the southern mountains is expected and 1 to 6 inches in the central and northern mountains.White Christmas at Rabbit Ears Pass (Chancey Bush, The Gazette )