Colorado's resort ski areas have some great deals in the summer and they're working harder than ever to attract Front Range business. You can make it to Vail in 1.5 hours and find some great deals and activities in the summer. 7NEWS Consumer Champ Bill Clarke went for cowboys and the classics and also found a fishing freebie.

Seven days a week at 10:30 a.m. on the banks of Gore Creek, guides like Banning Collins show rookies the tricks of fly fishing. With all the self assurance of a pro and the humor of a game show host, he talks his guests out of the fly fisherman's version of performance anxiety.

"It's guaranteed that the first time you're casting to one rising trout, everything goes wrong," Collins said.

At another Vail spot, some people are casting their leisure time on another activity -- listening to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the Ford Amphitheater.

Symphony Music Director Andrew Litton talked briefly with 7NEWS about a melody you probably already know, one by composer Aaron Copeland.

"Perhaps it's called roh-day-oh because Aaron Copeland was born in Brooklyn. But then, so was Billy the Kid and he was a real cowboy," Litton said.

Roh-day-oh, or roh-dee-oh, it's what's for entertainment at Avon, where Beaver Creek calls on the cowboys to show their best stuff on Thursday nights. Just make sure to bring your sunscreen.

The rodeo runs every Thursday night through the end of August and Vail's cultural calendar is packed through Labor Day weekend.

Bill's Trip Notes

What is there to say about Vail that hasn't been said in the past 40 years? Not much. So let's cut to the chase. Okay, you've only got a couple more weeks to enjoy the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival -- Aug. 4, to be exact. More info at VailMusicFestival.org. The New York Philharmonic wraps up its series of performances this Friday and Saturday. But there are plenty of other performances in large and small settings.

Fly fishing lessons are free every day, seven days a week in Vail Village, and at two other locations. They're run by the Gore Creek Fly Shop in Vail. You can contact them at GoreCreekFlyFisherman. And trust me on this one, no one need be intimidated if all the instructors are as good as Banning Collins was. Almost made me want to take up fishing!

The Beaver Creek Rodeo runs through Aug. 28. This one has more of a hometown feel than a national event, but it's a great place for locals to mix with the tourist crowd on an equal footing: a dusty outdoor arena with plenty of sun. Most of the food is not what you'd call memorable, but that's to be expected at an outdoor event.

My best pick was the veggie wrap at a booth called Occasions by Keegan. John Keegan used to be the chef at Beano's Cabin up in Beaver Creek. Now he caters for special events and, while I'm not a vegetarian by any means (I do keep an open mind, though), his veggie wrap is the best wrap I can remember tasting. Plenty of flavor, refreshing and cooling on a hot summer's evening, packed with veggies and a great sauce.

You can find good Italian food in Edwards at a place called Tavolaccio's. Service is a little spotty, though, and as I look at my credit card slip, I see that Tavolaccio's prints the whole credit card number. Easy for someone to steal your credit card this way, so don't just casually toss the slip. Look for decent hotel/motel rates along the I-70 corridor this year if you book in advance. Those who book at the last minute get stuck with what's called the rack rate. Think of that as the Sucker's Rate.