Frozen Dead Guy Days

Unlike some towns up the canyons from Boulder which can be less than inviting, Nederland is always a great place to go, and this festival is maybe the most prominent example. I particularly enjoy the hearse parade & coffin races.
This year’s move of the major activities to the edge of the reservoir was a good one, to provide more area to spread out … the only negative of this festival is that word keeps getting out and it gets more crowded every year!

Better than Mardi Gras.

«It’s a dead man’s party… who could ask for more?!»
All the cool dead guys are having one! And this guy is really cold. Bredo Morstoel, «Grandpa» has been on ice up in the mountains of Ned for 25 years strong.
I’ve been to many a mountain town, not only of my own volition but also because of a certain «mountain woman» who is my lifelong friend. So, I’m seldom surprised by the anyway usually unique goings-on…until the «Grandpa’s in the Tuff Shed» documentary goes in the VCR one night while we’re eating dinner in front of the fireplace. I’m truly astonished. Then, we’re singing along, (yeah, it’s a song, too) «Grand-pa’s in the Tuff Shed…»
And he’s still there! 1,600 pounds of dry ice every month. A caretaker. A team of volunteers. A Grandpa. A Tuff Shed. A «grandfather clause» to the law to the effect «you may not keep dead people, animal or body parts.» A grandson and daughter’s fascination with cryogenics. A grandson and daughter’s deportation back to Norway. A town’s fun-​loving Chamber of Commerce. And that’s what this festival is all about.
Anytime you can say, «Hurry up man, we’ll be late for the coffin races,» you know a good time’s coming. There’s also: Frozen turkey bowling, costumed polar plunge, Grandpa’s pub crawl, brain freeze contest, frozen t-​shirt contest, frozen salmon toss, snowy beach volleyball and «The Blue Ball» that kicks off the weekend. Music and beer tent has some local vendors and is open during all the festivities. They were playing the documentary up in the German restaurant and it was a nice place to go to thaw out for awhile, drink, eat and relax. (The grandson is one interesting guy, so I highly recommend watching the video over just reading about this story, if you are interested in more dead guy details.) I loved learning that there was actually a second dead guy up there for awhile! (Weird connection is that he happened to be a Chicagoan. Small world! Even in dead guy world. The Chicago Trib (among others) also named this as «Top 100 Festivals Not to be Missed.»)
It’s the first weekend in March, so get your frozen-​dead-​gear together and make your plans. (I have a couple other pics that aren’t linking)
I don’t have an official « Unilocal bucket list» but every year, there’s one or two reviews that come to mind & this is one review that had to be written in 2014! Reality: I only docked a star: it is really, really cold — this past year, muddy. Events are scattered and overlap so you can’t do things you may want to & there’s no shuttle, so you have to hoof it or drive which is very slow/​congested. The town, people and event, though are one of a kind. Happy New Year, Grandpa!

Super fun festival.
What isn’t to love — there is a beer tent. There is a frozen T-​Shirt Contest (look for the videos on YouTube). There is a coffin race! A hearse parade! How can you you not love this festival!
My only complaint is some events overlap or are too close in time to each other and too far away walking wise from each other to get to everything.
It’s a super fun silly festival.

Nederland is a fun and interesting place to visit during the summer. There’s an eclectic mix of extreme hikers, weary travellers, and upbeat shoppers that make it a great place. There are plenty of places to shop, explore, eat and take in.
However, during the winter, Nederland is a bit more dead. One thing that definitely livens things up is the annual Frozen Dead Guy Days. People from around the nation (I personally flew in from California) descend on the town to see the festival celebrating its famous (and temporarily dead) resident.
The celebration includes beer tents, live music, frozen lake plunge, coffin races, a parade of hearses, grandpa look-​alike contests, ice sculptures, and probably more I’m forgetting. Seeing all these things is as exciting as it is hilarious, and people never take themselves too seriously throughout the event. This is a good thing, because celebrating something as ridiculous wouldn’t work otherwise.
The weather this year was spotty, with high winds closing some things off the first day, but don’t let that scare you off. Coming back and seeing everything the next day was fantastic. If you haven’t made it out yet, I highly recommend it. I’ll definitely be coming back!

I give it high ratings because regardless of weather we always have a great time.
We have a group of friends that come from all around to ascend on Ned for this weekend, we hibernate in a mountain cabin, eat, hit the bars, watch dumbass people do the polar bear plunge among other things… burrrrrr!
It’s a riot, can be unpredictable in terms of weather and lights up a real small and sleepy community for one weekend each year. It’s great if you need a quirky get-​away in March without the kiddies.
Peace out!

The weather saturday kept alot of people away. Had a blast watching the parade in the wind!

Frozen Dead Guy Days is a celebration centering around a deceased gentleman just out of town who is kept frozen. He was brought to Nederland by his family. While he was living he lived in Norway but after he died he was dipped in freezing liquids in California and then brought here to Nederland. Some of his family members had to go back to Norway because their visas expired but always was the body kept frozen. All of this went down in the early 1990’s. I remember that it was a brief craze for people wanting to be frozen after they died, hoping one day that they could be brought back to life. My father was one of those that wanted to be frozen. Everyone else in the family either rolled their eyes at what he said or simply ignored him with a nervous giggle and then go out the front door to tend to the livestock. Such fear of mortality! I mean if you could be successfully brought back to life after you are frozen all of your family would be dead… you would know no one. Stranger in a strange land indeed!
Despite the name and some of the events Frozen Dead Guy Days is a celebration of life even if the theme focuses on the dead. Not exactly a Day Of The Dead celebration exactly… there are not really any deep meanings behind the festival. Just about old grandpa frozen outside of town. There are many events that take place during Frozen Dead Guy Days that come off eccentric and wildly fun to those participating and to those that are just content being spectators. There is a parade of hearses, coffin racing teams, people jumping into a hole in a frozen lake, frozen turkey bowling, frozen fish tossing and more. Most of these events are completely free! There are other events where you pay like this year there was a 70’s dead themed dance and you can take a tour and see the dead body of grandpa himself on ice for $ 30. I decided to pass up on that one. As much as I like Halloween in March seeing a real dead person always creeped me out… it is too real! lol! I guess it is that whole fear of mortality thing again. I was able to take in the parade, score a T-​shirt and see people jumping into the lake but had to leave because the chains of commitment starting pulling on me. I had to go to work. That didn’t bother me that much. It was very cold and windy out. Apparently the wind is a norm in Nederland according to what I overheard by a passersby.
When I got to work a supervisor asked if I had a good day and I told her it was great! I went to Frozen Dead Guy Days. She rolled her eyes and said ‘OOOOK!’ and quickly moved on. This is the same person who told me months ago that she has to remind herself not to take things so seriously in life but I guess thinking and doing it are two different things. Frozen Dead Guy Days is just that whether you watch or are participating at the events it is a great escape where you can laugh and see people make fools of themselves and not take things seriously. After all general public opinion is that you really do only live once or until it is scientifically proven otherwise.

Festival gets crazier every year. Great for local economy. Rude and drunk people make the event less fun. Had fun riding the mechanical bull and watching the Coffin races. Too windy and cold.

When my Dad told me about «Grandpa’s in the Tuff Shed», a movie about a Norwegian guy who had his frozen Grandfather in a shack, I swore he was putting me on. It is not only true, but a celebrated event.
5 Stars for the bizarre quotient alone. I didn’t actually go, but do think Nederland is a cool mountain town.
Cheers~

This was the first year I attended FDGD, and it was a ton of fun. We drove to Nederland on a sunny Saturday, and took in the offerings of the day. Even though it was sunny, glad I took a hooded coat, gloves and wore my snow boots because watching the polar plunge and the coffin races took place on a hill with a couple of feet of ice-​packed snow that slowly turned to a muddy mess throughout the day. The hearse parade was great to watch as well. A fun free public event that is worth attending for anyone living within a couple hours of Nederland.

Cant beat a festival of:
— Coffin races
— Funeral coaches
— Ice water diving
— a cryogenically preserved dead guy
I mean, what else is there?
Well…lines. I will defer to Mo C’s description for details (nice summary Mo).
I think that if Nederland sets their planning higher and bigger for next year, this event will be a blast over 2010. I wish I had been at previous year’s FDGDs as they looked like a riot and much more easy-​access to park, order/​buy, pee, etc.
Bring a flask & mixers or beer — that will help reduce some of the waiting until the town can devise solutions. Grocery is easily accessible for snacks — faster than missing all the fun b/​c your standing in lines at restaurants, bars or liquor stores. I don’t have answers for the peeing — Nederland will just have to provide more ports-​in-​storm.
I want to give this 5 stars SOOO badly but the missing one star is just for the fact that my entire first visit to this consisted of spending 65% of my time in long lines — lines to get in, lines to see, lines to buy, lines to wait, lines to pee. I don’t think the town accounted for the good weather and PR this year — maybe next year it will be expanded.
Thanks Nederland! You are hospitable and have a great idea — here’s hoping you build something bigger because I think the days of a cozy festival nestled in the mtns may be gone.

This event is fantastic! Everyone should check it out. But, here are a few tips:
*RTD is your friend! This little town just does not have enough parking for this event. Take the bus for just a couple bucks from Boulder!
*Wear your comfy shoes and be ready to wait in line for everything! Even in the bars!
*Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty! You will be hiking across town through snow, mud, etc.
*Dress warm! This is a cold town in March! Gloves are a must!
This event was much better organized this year. They are getting used to the volume of attendees. Last year there just weren’t enough beer tents, no parking, and just had an overall disorganized feel. This year some fantastic improvements were made (parking attendants, an additional beer tent by the parade, etc.).

I am still overwhelmed by the wonderful experience I had at this year’s festival, 2010. There’s so much I could say but I will strive for simplicity.
A MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE
A definite mind opener, it may not be for everyone… after all you’re talking about mountain people 8200′ up near the equinox, closing out the winter in honor of Grandpa Bredo’s 20^th year on ice; nestled in fierce country where on the same day the wind chill can be zero and the sun shoots out bursts of radiated warmth that fries the same brain cells your third cup of Avery beer is… where the cops make you dump your beer because they can’t be drinking, and there’s only about 3 or 4 of them all over.
The event is widespread just enough that you could go there two, three, four years in a row and not be at every event, or at every vantage point.
This year’s casket race was off the hook.
As for the people, you’re not sure if it’s alcohol, acid, or altitude that their heads are swimming in, but they’re all having a great time :)

This is one of those times when you don’t want to share how absolutely cool and pure fun something is by giving it 5 stars, in order to keep the crowds away. But I will say that FDGD is *not* for everyone. It is not for folks who don’t tolerate standing out in the cold for hours on end well. It is not for folks who do not find humor in a group of 6 men well into their 40’s wearing girl scout uniforms with fake giant butts hanging out — or 6 people in gorilla costumes — (see photo) running around carrying a coffin through a crazy obstacle course. It is not for people who do not enjoy being around a large group of very drunk happy mountain folk. It is not for people who do not enjoy the creativity of the costumed and decorated hearses in the parade…
I love this event that could really only take place in a hippy dippy mountain town like Nederland, Colorado. The coffin races, the polar plunge, and just the crazy costumes of participants and visitors alike; Its all awesome chilly fun.
The beer tent is usually packed, as is every bar in town. So a touch of patience, good humor and a hip flask is helpful in navigating the crowds. Also, if its really really cold, you may be the buzzkill in the group if you cannot layer appropriately and brave the elements to watch the coffin races and especially the polar plunge.
Maybe next year, I’ll actually go see Grandpa in the Tuff Shed!

The frozen dead guy days is probably one of the most unusual festivals to which I’ve been. It was a wonderful eclectic mix of nederland locals and curious tourists all celebrating the unusual life after death of one Grandpa Bredo. We enjoyed the great bluegrass, had some beer, and just enjoyed the all around good vibe. I wish I had time to catch the coffin races and the polar plunge (jumping into practically frozen water!) If you happen to be around Boulder/​Denver during the first weekend of March, do not miss this unique local event.
Background on who the frozen dead guy was can be found here: