Steamboat 2009
By George F. Karioris
Photography by Eric Cummings
“The mountains
are calling and I must go.”
John Muir
Traveling
to the mountains is always a blessing for me.
I live in the beautiful rolling hills of Wisconsin, but both winter and summer my
heart tugs me toward the soaring peaks of the Colorado Rockies. I’ve been able to visit and ski at may
resorts throughout the American west but I had never before been to Steamboat. I planned my trip with high hopes and
anticipation for Champaign power and lots of trees.
I
arrived in Steamboat a.k.a. “Ski Town,
USA” late on a
Friday afternoon. My flight into Denver had been uneventful
and the 175 mile drive to Steamboat was beautiful under a sunny sky on dry
roads. On the gently snaking Hwy-40 to
Steamboat we drove through the picturesque Yampa Valley
and over the Rabbit-Ears pass. We found our way to a comfortable ski-in
condo just under
the gondola and made arrangements for Saturday’s skiing.
Friday’s
blue skies had been overlaid with thick, heavy clouds on Saturday morning. Undaunted we set out to ski Steamboat’s
varied terrain even if we couldn’t appreciate its views. The clouds hung like an Irish lace veil
on the mountain in the early hours of the morning. There was virtually no wait at the gondola at 9am
when we boarded and headed up the gossamer cable for our day. At the top of the gondola we headed toward
the 10,372 ft summit called Storm
Peak. On most days Storm Peak
provides heart stopping views and adrenaline edged skiing. We found ourselves on this day in a miasma of
white
vapor that seemed to have a life of its own. We soon wandered into the trees and moguls
that were runs Closet and Shadows. The
amazing thing about that hazy Saturday is that the skiing was great. Although there was absolutely no sunshine,
the temperature was moderate and the snow held and was forgiving. The day took us to places that I really don’t
remember. We were skiing blind sometimes
and we just let the mountain take us wherever it wanted. It’s curious to say that a place, a piece of
earth, a mountain, can have any kind of will or spirit; but that’s sure what
Steamboat felt like to me under that mystical haze. Once during the day four men stopped us on
skis and asked directions to the Rendezvous
Saddle restaurant building. We
looked, and looked at a trail map and concluded that it must be nearby, but
because of the thick clouds we had no real idea where it might be. Just then a bit of breeze blew through and we
all saw the Rendezvous Saddle about 50 feet away from where we were all standing! At
about 2:30 the warm temperature
of the day stared to yield to the approaching evening. As the cold descended on us the clouds gave
up their moisture, and did the most wonderful thing clouds can do in the
mountains; make snow. Our first day’s adventure ended seeing
Steamboat’s mountain under a snowy mantle preparing fresh power for the next
day.
I
like people, and generally buck at flash and pretence. I was so pleased to find a family friendly
and down to Earth attitude at Steamboat.
I like to talk to people everywhere I go. Sometimes my traveling companions roll their
eyes and pull at my sleeve when I get yakking with the folks I meet. I met Kathy J. who does double duty at the
ticket counter when she’s not running the ski school or the mountain activity
desk. Not only did Kathy help to advise
us on what routes to take on the mountain, but helped us find a place to eat
dinner at a great Italian restaurant in town too. She could not have been more helpful and
friendly. Virtually ever other person I
met there, both Steamboat employees and skiers alike were cast in the same mold
as Kathy. Besides the great skiing, it makes it easy to see why skiers flock to
this cowboy-attitude resort. I got a
chance to sit down for a chat with Mike
Lane, Steamboat’s Public Relations director. I half expected a hard-sell boasting the
mountain’s great attributes: the lifts, the restaurants, the grooming,
whatever. Mike had two questions for me:
“Did I have fun?” and “What could Steamboat do better?” If not for my three-day exposure to Steamboat
before my meeting, I would have been surprised.
It’s an everyday attitude and it clearly works. The people are approachable, unpretentious,
and genuine. I felt that I could relax
and be myself.
By
Sunday morning the last vestiges of Saturday’s cloud cover had vanished. The sky
was one unbroken London
blue Topaz from horizon to horizon, the locals call this a “bluebird day”. After a hearty breakfast of potatoes and
eggs, we started our day early and arrived at the gondola boarding area before
any crowds. The weather stayed perfect,
warm, and sunny throughout the entire day.
We skied the mountain from Tomahawk to Cowboy Coffee, with plenty of
stops in-between on runs like Rolex, Oops,
Sunset, and Three O’clock to name a few.
The views that had been hidden from us on Saturday were in full splendor
now, undulating vistas with snowy mountains in all directions. Thunderhead,
the building at the top of the gondola, welcomed skiers to a wonderful world of
opportunities. Steamboat likes to refer
to the powder snow here as “Champaign Powder”.
OK, I’ll go with that. Sunday
morning started out with about 9-inches of fresh powder that was wonderfully
light, had just a bit of body, and was really fun. Like a good French Champaign? Sure. The terrain had transformed itself into a
playground of sorts. We pushed down runs
under the lifts
and virtually everywhere on the mountain.
I
had heard that Steamboat was famous for tree skiing. Growing up in the Midwest
means skiing on ice and crud, so tree skiing is not bred into my nature. But my photographer, Eric, had originally
learned to ski at Steamboat and was determined to make me a tree
skiing convert. So… into the trees
we went. At first I was a bit
intimidated by the closeness and isolation of the treed environment. But soon I got the feel and the rhythm of the
blind turns, making some corners short and snappy, while other times letting my
skis run
fast. I appreciated the 174-Cm Rossignol Bandit skis that I was on; they were short enough
and shaped enough to make an easy day of thousands of turns. My old 193-cm Dynastars
lean unused in my closet at home, too long and straight relics of the past. While starting down a black-diamond called
Twister one skier wiped out at the cat path at the crest.
His binding released one ski which then arced gracefully through the air
down Twister where it came to rest some 300 yards down hill. The fresh powder made it possible for him to
get down this gnarly moguled run by sliding on his butt, leaving a most
interesting track.
At
the bottom of the mountain Steamboat organized an outdoor après ski concert. They had booked a group called “Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band”, which in deference to
its name was really excellent.
Inexpensive beers were readily available thanks to sponsorship by
Budweiser, and an instant party
popped up. The group played a variety
of songs with lots of instrumental backup; there were even some groupies that
came just for the band. They used the
band’s identifiable round stickers
and wore them in a unique way for the event. I believe that Steamboat makes a tangible
effort to appeal to everyone.
The
town of Steamboat
Springs is a throwback to cowboy days in its feel. But there are the required T-shirt shops,
bars, and lots of good restaurants there too.
From town, which is a couple miles away from the base of the gondola, you
can easily see the ski mountain rising
up as a reminder why you came. There’s
plenty of lodging both expensive and reasonably-priced to be had at Steamboat,
so don’t be afraid to it’s out of reach for the budget-minded.
By
Monday the powder had been packed and groomed in most places to a comfortable cruising
texture. The day, again, was glorious
with sun and blue skies. Today was going
to be a treat for me; I was going to ski with Olympic champion skier Billy
Kidd. Billy is a stalwart
institution at Steamboat and carries enviable title “Director of Skiing.” Several days per week regular skiers at
Steamboat can meet and ski with Billy Kidd.
There is a meeting place near the top of the gondola cleverly labeled
“meet Billy here” with an electronic sign indicating whether or not Billy is
skiing that day. While I’m not normally
a celebrity chaser, I really wanted to meet and ski with Billy. There were about eighteen of us that day to
for the event. Billy Kidd must do this
hundreds of times a year, but he’s so affable and personable that you’d think
this was the only time he’d ever offered the opportunity to the public. Billy gave a wonderful talk
about skiing, competition, and life in general.
Then we followed him down a run called Heavenly Daze, where he stopped
several times and gave skiing tips.
Here’s a brief summary of Billy’s skiing advice:
- Keep your skies comfortably apart
- Keep your hands and arms out for balance (not
at your side)
- Face yourself downhill
- When you ski in the trees, look at the spaces
in-between (not the
trees!)
- Wear a helmet
- Have fun
Billy
is a wonderful representative for Steamboat!
He personifies the attitude of the whole resort. There were some younger skiers in the group
that Billy took special effort to encourage.
It was fantastic to see him interact with everybody.
Steamboat
boasts the reputation and honor of being a very family friendly resort. I can attest to the fact that there were tons
of families on the mountain. Lessons
were being taken, kids were skiing with parents, and skiers of all ages from
the very young to the never-getting-older were all having a great time. Take your friends, take your families, or go
with a group; you’ll be very comfortable and have a great time at
Steamboat.
FACTS
& FIGURES
LOCATION:
Steamboat,
located in northwest Colorado, 160
miles/267kms northwest of Denver, is an easy
three-hour drive from Denver.
Take I-70 west through the Eisenhower Tunnel to the Silverthorne exit (#205),
then go north on Colorado Highway 9 to the town of Kremmling,
then west on US 40 over Rabbit Ears Pass. Steamboat is accessible by nonstop
air service from nine major U.S.
airports on American, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Northwest and United
Airlines in addition to connecting service from more than 200 other domestic and
international cities.
ABOUT
THE MOUNTAIN:
Located
within the Park Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Steamboat is comprised
of six peaks: Mt. Werner, Sunshine
Peak, Storm
Peak, Thunderhead
Peak, Christie Peak
and Pioneer Ridge®. 2,965 acres/1,200 hectares of terrain offer a diversity of
trails for all ability levels. Gladed areas of Pioneer Ridge, Sunshine and Storm Peak
are Steamboat’s particular claim to fame, with Champagne Powder™ snow in the
trees for the most avid powder hounds. Remember, the term Champagne Powder was
coined in Steamboat and this is the only place you’ll find it!
Resort
Official Opening: January 1963
Elevations:
Downtown
Steamboat...................................6,695 feet
Ski Area
Base................................................6,900 feet
Christie Peak
Summit...................................8,015 feet
Thunderhead/Mid-Mountain.........................9,080
feet
Summit/Mt. Werner....................................10,568
feet
Vertical
Drop................................................3,668 feet
Terrain: 2,965
acres/1,200 hectares (55.1 miles)
Trail System: 165
trails, including gladed tree areas
Tree Terrain: 1,790
acres or 61%
Trail
Classification:
14% Easier
42% More Difficult
44% Most Difficult
Longest Run: Why
Not, over 3 miles
Snowmaking: 375
acres
Average Snowfall:
343”
Lift System:
Gondola
(8-passenger)...................................................1
High-Speed
Six..............................................................1
High-Speed
Quads..........................................................5
Conventional Quad
Chairlift..........................................1
Triple
Chairlift................................................................6
Double
Chairlift..............................................................2
Surface
Lifts...................................................................2
Total.........................................................................18
Uphill Capacity:......................................41,465 per hour
VTF................................................................42,592,795
Season ………. …..
Visitors
07/08
Season......1,021,950
06/07
Season......1,071,755
05/06
Season......1,046,650
04/05
Season.........971,770
03/04
Season......1,001,625
02/03
Season......1,000,723
01/02
Season......1,001,003
00/01
Season......1,003,317
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