Here Are 12 Things People from Colorado Do That Seem Insane To Everyone Else

Colorado isn’t just mountains, beer, and ski passes—it’s a lifestyle with its own set of quirks. To Coloradans, these habits are part of the high-altitude charm, but to outsiders, they look like straight-up madness. From skiing in shorts to worshipping craft breweries, life in the Centennial State is never boring.

1. Wear Shorts in a Snowstorm

If it’s 35 degrees and sunny, Coloradans swear it’s “warm enough.” Outsiders shiver just looking at them.

2. Brag About Elevation Like It’s a Personality Trait

Every hiker has to remind you they climbed a 14er—as if oxygen deprivation is a badge of honor.

3. Put Green Chile on Everything

Burgers, burritos, fries—if it’s edible, it probably comes “smothered” in green chile.

4. Treat Craft Breweries Like Holy Sites

With more breweries per capita than just about anywhere, Coloradans think sampling IPAs is a weekend sport.

5. Own More Outdoor Gear Than Formal Clothes

Backpacks, skis, and bikes take up entire garages. Suits? Maybe one, for emergencies.

6. Drive Through Blizzards Like It’s Nothing

While tourists panic in a snow flurry, locals are cruising I-70 with one hand on the wheel.

7. Schedule Life Around Ski Season

Vacations, weddings, and even births have to work around powder days.

8. Consider a 5-Mile Hike “Easy”

Coloradans call it a warm-up. Outsiders call it a medical emergency.

9. Brag About 300 Days of Sunshine (Even When It’s Snowing)

Yes, they’ll say it with a straight face as flakes fall all around them.

10. Eat Rocky Mountain Oysters Without Flinching

Hint: they’re not seafood. Outsiders panic once they realize what they’ve actually eaten.

11. Treat Hot Springs Like Spas

Climbing into a steaming pool on the side of a mountain is just another Tuesday.

12. Give Directions by Mountains, Not Streets

“Head toward the Flatirons and hang a left” makes perfect sense to locals—utterly useless to outsiders.

To non-Coloradans, these habits might look eccentric or downright crazy. But in Colorado, they’re just the rhythms of daily life in the Rockies. Stick around long enough and you’ll be hiking 14ers, eating green chile on everything, and insisting that shorts in a snowstorm make perfect sense.