Steamboat Powder Skiing - Sundown Rope drop

There's nothing like the first rope drop of the season in the Sundown area. They always do it after a good storm and the skiing is always somewhere between great and epic. I rely on local knowledge & a variety of inside sources to always be there for this one. It wasn't as good as the last couple of years but it was still knee deep powder. I only wish the video could do it justice but I think that you will get the idea. It's just never as good when you stop to film because the skier isn't carrying the same amount of speed to throw snow all around and pop face shots of powder up on nearly every turn. I hope that all of you can get out soon to see it for yourselves. Thanks to Jeff Lampas, a 100 plus day a year local skier for coming out to throw some pow for me. Ski back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more.

Steamboat Locals Powder day

I thought it would be merely good with a 7 inch at 5am report and the snow report didn't show any new runs opening but I know they can't resist on a day like this and it was still snowing so it was a safe bet more had fallen. 15 inches total made for some great skiing in the trees and out in the open too. They opened most of the front side of Storm Peak for the frist time this season and it was great. This is one of those time we locals get the mountain almost to ourselves. It's great to be here when the storms come through. It is still snowing nice and steady. Tomorrow should be great and if we are lucky they will open the Upper Closets, Shadows etc tomorrow.

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Anticipating a Winter Storm in Steamboat

The winter storm front they have been predicting since last week has arrived with a bang after almost a week of anticipation. Forecasts are all over the place since 2-3 systems are converging. Current forecasts range from 8-24 inches for the storm with some saying will go north and now one saying it will go south. All say the storm is carrying a lot of moisture they will deliver over the next 2 days.

Mountain weather can be beautiful, mysterious and unpredictable all at the same time so it never gets old just like a great woman. I think that is why I love living in the mountains and my wife so much, that makes me a lucky guy. Both sets of my grandparents were farmers that lived in anticipation of what the weather might bring. Times like this make me think of them. Even though the reasons I anticipate the weather are much more detached from my physical existence than my grandparents it is amazing how closely I can relate to how they must have felt. That said it is easy for me to say oh well and start anticipating the next storm if one doesn't quite come through :) Back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more.

Storm coming our way

Lets hope it pans out as predicted by the National Weather Service:
WINTER STORM WATCH - A STRONG WINTER STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE TOWARD EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO MONDAY AFTERNOON ACCOMPANIED BY A STRONG JET STREAM AND DEEP PACIFIC MOISTURE. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO NORTHWESTERN COLORADO LATE MONDAY NIGHT...THEN THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA TUESDAY PRODUCING HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW

Current NW Colorado predictions are for a foot or more or snow. I wouldn't mind if it decided to stay around a little longer and really sock it to us. One good storm like this could get us some nice coverage on the upper mountain since quite a bit more is likley to collect in the trees. Check my favorite site for Steamboat Snow Forecasts Sunday or Monday afternoon for an update on the storm and estimated snowfall or surf back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more.

Thanksgiving Weekend in Steamboat

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Family and Friends wherever you found yourself this year. I have had a great time skiing with my wife Wendy, my son Alden and a few friends but most importantly getting to spend a luxurious amount of time with Alden, Neve and Wendy. I am a very lucky guy with much to be thankful for so this has been a special weekend for me.

Unfortunately it was a little warm here last week and we ended up one storm short of a solid opening this year. Scholarship day on Wednesday was a good chance to see friends on the mountain along with several nice sections with some soft creamy snow hidden among firmer snow and a little ice. Thanksgiving day was about the same. Friday brought the opening of the upper mountain and the chance to ski 3-4 inches of aged powder in the trees off of Buddy's Run and the traverse to 4 Points hut plus some bumps off the BC lift and very nice snow on lower Rainbow. Saturday brought a decent squall of snow during the day followed by some nice sunshine that made the snow much softer. I may not make it out on Sunday, I will be working in the morning and have hockey after that.

Overall the weekend was a good time to get out with several full and part time local friends, a chance to re-learn how to carve after last years epic snow fall where you could ski with round edges, see just how out of ski shape I am and make some turns to get back in shape. This may not have been an epic year like so many we have seen but I have had so many great years in Steamboat at Thanksgiving that I'm always here ready to go. Thanksgiving is on the early side this year and that makes a big difference when the storms most often hit Thanksgiving week here in Steamboat.

Up top there is a decent base so a big storm could get things looking nice in the trees. I'll be ready, how about you? They just happen to be forecasting just such a storm. Head back to the Steamboat Springs, CO blog main page for more.

Steamboat Opening day

It is opening day today and I will be heading out to sample the product for all of you. I don't think there is any reason to be overly jealous this year so far but it is always nice to get out and feel your skis on the snow and blow the rust off with a few runs. It still gets my heart pumping. I'm going out with 3 friends so that will be fun . I haven't skied with 2 of them before and I think they are really solid skiers so I am looking forward to the chance to bring up my game a bit in the new season.

UPDATE: I got out this morning for a few runs. There wasn’t too much open but the snow was soft even early and no sign of rocks. It wasn’t the epic opening that mother nature seemed to be setting us up for this fall but it was nice to carve some turns of all sizes. The upper mountain groomers look good and they plan to open up to the top on Friday. There is a light system coming in Thursday night but nothing significant is expected until early next week. Hopefully the Thursday storm will surprise us like they sometimes do this time of year.

I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday with your families and you are planning some long trips out to ski this winter. Go back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more.

Family Pictures today

Here is our first try at Christmas photos this year. The kids both have some "character" were a little fiesty but I did manage to a get a few decent shots. They are both much more comfortable outside in the snow. Neve (snow in Italian) just turned 1 and Alden is 3. I am a very lucky guy.



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Steamboat Discount Lift Tickets

Discounts on Steamboat Lift tickets are not quite as easy to come by as they used to be outside of package lodging deals but the meticket program is pretty darn good. Quite a few people ask me about lift ticket deals so I thought I would post a few details and a link to the website so you can find out more. I've been lucky to have a season pass for years so I don't have first hand knowledge of this program but people I know have used it. Basically you can get $13 to almost $30 off the daily ticket rates of $64-$81 by buying six lift tickets in advance @ $53 or 10 at $49. It makes a lot of sense for frequent visitors or vacation home owners who are not quite ready to get a super value pass, I hope that you will be ready for a pass soon :) More details below or go to: www.meticket.com

* mEticket is easy to use. Your card is valid every single day of the 2006-2007 ski and snowboard season, including weekends and holidays. Simply present your mEticket card and a valid photo ID at the ticket window. Your card may be used only once per day. You may use your mEticket to obtain single- or multi-day lift tickets
* Beginning March 15, 2007, you can use any or all remaining days on your card at once… and treat your friends or family! For example, if you have five days beginning March 15, 2007, you can bring one friend one day and two the next. You must present your mEticket at the ticket window in order to give days of skiing to others.
* All mEticket cards and all days purchased expire at the end of the 2006-2007 ski season. If you're having so much fun that you run out of days, you can purchase another mEticket.

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NASTAR National Championships in Steamboat

Our friends John, Kim and their son Andrew came up from Boulder for the NASTAR National Championships last spring. Andrew is a 4 year old NASTAR racer who is seeing early success and qualified for nationals so they made the trip for him to compete. He raced hard and placed 3rd in his age group. Someone liked what they saw and he was featured 3 times in the slide show before this year's Warren Miller movie and on the Nastar website front and center with Gold Medalist Phil Mahre and on the NASTAR National Championships page. The banner on both is titled "The Next Generation of Ski and Snowboard Racing". Descente also choose to feature Andrew in their Warren Miller and NASTAR Advertising. His parents are understandably very proud but will need to work a bit to keep him (or is that themselves) humble this season so his fame doesn't interfere with his skiing.

It is great that Andrew is off to such an auspicious start and we are looking forward to seeing him back here for the 2006 / 2007 National Championships in Steamboat Springs March 25-27th 2007 for the second year in a row. My 3 yr old son Alden is looking forward to his 4th season of skiing this year even more than I am. He got out with a training pole when he was 9 months old and has loved every minute of it (except brief incidents when he was tired and I had to pull out the chocolate to get him back on track) since then. I'm curious to see if he chooses to ski the trees with his daddy or follow his friend Andrew into the gates. Most importantly I hope that he continues to experience the sheer bliss of skiing that has captivated us all. Back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more.

Winter in Steamboat is here

Several people are have asked me how it looks in Steamboat after our most recent storm so I took a quick picture to share with you today. This is from downtown outside my office. I find myself walking out front a couple of times a day just to look up at the mountain and see how the light or the weather is hitting it. I am a pretty lucky guy to live here. We can still use some more snow for a great opening but it has been plenty cold to make snow. They are even making snow during the day downtown at Howelsen Hill. From town you can see where the snowcats have been working on the main trails to pack the new snow into a solid base. My favorite source for the Steamboat Snow Forecast shows the next possibility for significant snow coming through on Saturday. Hopefully it will develop into a good storm and be followed by another one for opening day on Wednesday. Head back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more Steamboat Springs Info.

Steamboat Snow Forecast

Here is a great snow focused forecast source from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. It is a true gem compared to other sources so I hope that you like it as much as I do. I say snow focused because the normal weather sites have a different focus so they don't give serious skiers what we need to understand what is coming and its potential. Even when they are looking at snow the forecast is more valley than peak oriented since that is where people live. These guys only care about place that we ski.

I have used this site for many years since it came out and have found CAIC to be by far the most accurate and insightful. Mountain weather is pretty unpredictable but these guys do much better since snow is their whole focus and they are much more into being useful vs. pretty. They generally call out the Steamboat snow forecast separately since it is often more than the rest of the northern mountains and do the best job catching surprise storms. It is updated daily between about 2-4pm. The CAIC Northern Mountains Forecast is worth bookmarking and watching so you know when you next case of powder fever is coming on. Here is a sample from earlier week without their commentary, it was very close to the actual snowfall we recieved:

Northern Mountains
Tonight: Lows 15-25, Winds W/40-50 G60+, Skies Obscured with 2-4", 3-6" Steamboat Tomorrow: Highs 18-28, winds W>NW/40-50 G60, skies Obscured with 6-8",6-10" Steamboat
Tomorrow Night: Lows 2-12, winds NW/20-30, skies Obscured with 1-3"

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Quick Steamboat Ski area sale update

It looks like Geogre Gillette is pulling out if the bidding for the Steamboat Ski Area at least for now but I'm not sure if that means that Andy Daly and the rest of the crew is out yet. Final bids are now due Friday Dec 1st. The process is taking a bit longer than the optimistic initial goals but I don't have a reason to see that as a bad sign yet. Some of the bidders for the ski area not shy about mentioning they are going for the Sheraton, Ski Square & Thunderhead too so this should work to their advantage.

If it hasn't hit you yet this is a really big deal to have a ski area along with 1/3 of the base availible for purchase. The right buyer can really do something nice and make some positive changes in our ski & apres ski experiences. Go Back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more.

Winter Storm Warning in Steamboat for the next 2 days

It looks like it could be a good one :) They are now predicting 10-20 inches up from 7-15 inches this morning. All of that wind should perfectly place large amounts of powder in the trees for an epic opening day so let's hope it goes according to plan. Hopefully we will have plenty of snow to give thanks for at Thanksgiving in addition to family, friends and living or visiting Steamboat Springs.

UPDATE: We got about 6 inches from the first wave that came through Monday. This next section is from the avalanche forecast with what we can expect tonight and Tuesday followed by the original forecast. Looks like a nice storm (I love how Steamboat shows more snow than the other areas and how often this is true)
Tuesday update: we got nine inches on the mountain as of this morning and the next wave is working on adding to that. It was heavy snow last night that packed everything down so this is effectively more than it sounds like and will lay down a dense base to build on from here.

Northern Mountains
Tonight: Lows 15-25, Winds W/40-50 G60+, Skies Obscured with 2-4", 3-6" Steamboat
Tomorrow: Highs 18-28, winds W>NW/40-50 G60, skies Obscured with 6-8",6-10" Steamboat
Tomorrow Night: Lows 2-12, winds NW/20-30, skies Obscured with 1-3"

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 11 PM MST TUESDAY.

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Steamboat featured in the Wall Street Journal for reasonably priced vacation homes

No surprise here, while Steamboat is no means cheap it does represent an excellent value in comparison to other top ski resorts and upcoming improvements are likely to make today's prices even more of a value.

From the Wall Street Journal:
Vacation Home Locales with Reasonable Prices
The Wall Street Journal's real estate Web site, RealEstateJournal.com, points to a dozen "tempting" locations in the United States where the price of vacation homes haven’t risen into the stratosphere. If you or a client is in the market for a second home, these are some spots to consider:

* Driggs, Idaho. A home just outside of town with a view of the Teton Mountain range and very close to Jackson Hole for $699,000.
* Blairsville, Ga. A mountainview residence, surrounded by forest, for $298,700.

* Steamboat Springs, Colo. A home near the ski-base area for $799,000. Once primarily a ranching town, Steamboat Springs goes by the nickname "Ski Town U.S.A."

* Clarksville, Va. A log home just off Buggs Island/Kerr Lake for $529,000.
* Dadeville, Ala. A home on Lake Martin less than two hours from Atlanta for $790,000.
* Cloudcroft, N.M. A Cloudcroft mountain retreat, surrounded by Lincoln National Forest, for $350,000.
* Eureka Springs, Ark. A Beaver Lake waterfront home in the Ozark Mountains for $599,900.

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Are we closer to a sale?

They raised prices on the Alpine Land high-end LPS lots in the $1.5 - $2.2m range today after a few recent price reductions. Alpine Land is being developed by Andy Daly and Bill Butler, indications are that Andy is involved in a bid for the Steamboat Ski area so does he know their bid was or wasn't successful and wanted to change prices before an announcement??? It seems to me that they are either stumbling around blindly in their pricing strategy or there is a different reason. They are pretty smart guys but I guess we will see soon enough.

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Neve's First Birthday

My daughter Neve turned one today and I feel like I'm the one that got the best present. Wendy and I are very lucky th have two wonderful kids that are both totally different and we can't imagine loving any more, until the next time they do something cute or want a hug that is. Neve means powder snow in Italian. It's hard to imagine if you know me but I think I love her even more than the fluffy Champagne Powder we live for here in Steamboat. The only thing better will be trying to keep up with her and Alden on a big powder day in the trees. I'm sure that days will be here before I know it. Last year it started snowing hard for the season a couple of days after she was born. Trillions of her friends came to meet her last season bringing near record snowfall here to Steamboat, hopefully they will be back again this year.

Ski area development in works

50 years ago James Temple was laying the groundwork for the Storm Mountain Ski area which is now what we know as Steamboat. I recently heard the story from Jim himself as he described how he purchased some out of the way ranch land and started my favorite ski area. Jim spoke at a dinner later that night to honor his contributions in advance of his induction into the Colorado Ski Hall of fame earlier this fall. His son Jeff put together a great video documenting how the area was built. One segment showed Jim and several other influential Steamboat skiers getting towed in from Rabbit Ears pass and then skiing down Storm Peak in a wonderful powder day. It sent chills down my spine to see these guys tearing up what would become the Steamboat Ski area on vintage equipment. I hope to get a copy soon so let me know if you would ever like to see it.

Selected quotes from the Nov. 1, 1956, issue of the Steamboat Pilot & Today - Ski plans move forward
Contour maps of Storm Mountain now are being made to push through development of a $1 million ski area on the 10,600-foot peak just east of Steamboat Springs. Necessary financial backing is available, Jim Temple said, and he plans to have an exact scale model of the mountain made this winter. Temple informed reporters making the initial trip on the Burlington railroads new vista dome train to Denver last weekend that “if all details concerning this vast area are worked out this winter as planned, construction should begin next summer with the first guests skiing here by 1957.

It is planned to construct a $600,000 tram lift that would be the first of its type in the United States, carrying passengers in steel and plexi-glass enclosed cars. It was said the lifts would vary in length, from 2,000 to 7,000 feet, with a total of about 25,000 feet. These lifts servicing he area will provide skiing for 3,000 people without overcrowding, Temple said. Storm Mountain long has been considered an ideal site for intensive ski development and the mountain itself would provide more skiing than any present area in the state, its proponents say. Snow remains on the mountain into May and June while there are more than 20 miles of potential trails. Although much trail clearing would be needed, about a square mile at the top of the twin-domed peak would no require any clearing, it was said. “Runs will be from three to six miles long for everyone, from beginner to international downhill competitor, Temple said.

Read the full article in the Steamboat Pilot or go back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more.

Steamboat Ski Area Sale announcement soon ???

UPDATED: Things have gotten very quiet in regards to the sale of the Steamboat Ski Area recently except for the helicopters flying slowly over the mountain slowly inspecting the current terrain and the possible expansion in the Pioneer Ridge area. There have also been frequent tours of Ski Co and properties that are part of the Sheraton Resort Sale with Thunderhead Lodge and Ski Time Square getting a lot of attention. Most people that normally know something say they haven't heard anything in the last week or so. I have been asked for price and market opinions on various properties by people tied into various bids for Sheraton properties.

The Sheraton schedule is just getting started while we are well into, if not past, the second round of bids for the Steamboat Ski Area. It will be interesting to see if they both go to the same buyer. A second buyer may be able to pay more for the Sheraton and still benefit from that change without having to swallow the ski area too so that adds a bit of extra fun for the ski area buyers that would like to get both. A few very well connected people say that it is under contract for a close by the end of 2006 and an announcement will come soon.

Here's a stab at the big players still in the game:
- a partnership of 4 significant players, if you know the secret handshake, some say it is Vail (I think that translates to George Gillette, Andy Daly, Bill Butler, and their money guy in Denver who sold Founders Funds). They have been in town a lot lately so they are still in the game.
- Vail, still a possibility even with what I said above but insiders say that their next purchase will be outside of Colorado.
- it could be the Mueller's with either Disney or some of their local partners who made their money at Dell (Jim Larsen et all) from their bid for Steamboat in 2001. Disney could either be the company or family members since at least one has a home in the valley.
- Starwood Capital may be out more due to internal issues than anything but they are still actively poking around and gathering data.
- Fortress Group still seems to be in the hunt based on reports from properties they have visited. They are in the process of buying Intrawest for $1.8B which includes Copper Mtn and the management contract for Winter Park
- Maybe a group of 4 from the southeast and Steamboat, I'll refrain from giving more details right now as this is more of an idea.
- it could still be the unknown bidder that has been careful to keep their name out of view, I know there is at least one and it may be the group behind the Bretton Woods ski area in New Hampshire where Bode Miller hangs his hat. One interesting twist is that the Celebration Group which owns Bretton Woods is comprised of former Disney real estate executives. They may be looking at The Mueller's who own Okemo and now Crested Butte as a model for westward expansion or even be working with them.
- I think I am forgetting one but can't think of it at the moment and I need to run.

Whatever happens I'm sure there are a few surprises and possibly a different combination of the above players. It will undoubtedly be interesting to see how it unfolds. You can scan through the rest of my blog below for more history. Let's hope it is someone with a heart that understands the soul of Steamboat, what makes it special here and will preserve that as they make needed improvements.

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CBS Ski Blog picks up Alden's early season skiing

CBS News 4 in Denver has a nice ski blog that covers skiing related stories in Colorado. They were nice enough to pick up on Alden's enthusiasm for early season skiing here in Steamboat and put up a quick post covering it on their main page. You can scroll down to see the video or go directly to the post here - early season skiing. Thanks CBS News 4!

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