Simply Incredible Season

With 8 inches new yesterday, 10 inches today by 5am, still snowing and forecast for more all week we are not getting in much "spring" skiing this year but we keep adding to our record breaking season.

For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page.

2-3 ft on Buffalo Pass above Steamboat Springs

Today we found 8 inches of beautiful whipped cream hero snow in the trees and had fun skiing a lot of aspects and lines we hadn't skied in a while. Then I got a call that there was 2-3 ft on Buffalo Pass which is to the left of Mt. Werner as you look at the ski area from town. Buffalo Pass is known for receiving quite a bit more snow that the Steamboat Ski area and some people say it receives as much snow as anywhere in the state making it a playground for locals with snowmobiles and clients of our local cat skiing operation which maintains the roads so it is possible to get up there. There were quite a few times this year that there was 8ft of Champagne powder up there making it nearly impossible to ride even the longest track most powerful mountain snowmobile off trail.

Today wasn't that deep but there was 2-3ft of relatively light powder on many aspects making for an incredible day to ski and snowmobile up on Buff Pass as most locals refer to it. It is surreal in some ways to ski that much powder just a few days before ski season ends when people are thinking spring, the bike shops are full and many are already venturing out to Fruita, Moab and Vernal to get the mountain biking season going. Another solid storm has been hitting for the past several hours tonight so lets see what tomorrow brings... See you at the Gondy in the morning.

For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page.

Steamboat Spring Festivities

Steamboat will celebrate the end of the season with the Inaugural Springalicious Festival on April 5th & 6th in addition to the 28th Annual Cardboard Classic, a new SPLASHDOWN pond skimming competition and three free concerts by American Relay, The Radiators and Susan Tedeschi.

For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page.

Steamboat is still breaking snowfall records

459 inches so far and 10 days to go. It's pretty incredible to have a record breaking year when we open 10 days late and close about 10 days earlier than normal due to the early Easter holiday. But that's what we love about the mountains. We never quite know what is coming and that makes the anticipation even sweeter.

Over 37 feet of Champagne Powder snow has fallen this year in Steamboat. The past record, set in the season of 1996/1997 of 447.75 inches has been topped. Every inch received until closing day will set a new record. In addition to setting a new all time snowfall record and registering a "four-wire winter", the resort hit three other milestones: passing the 300 inch mark on 2/1/08; passing the 350 inch mark on 2/7/08; and on March 2nd passing the 400 inch mark. Steamboat-Ski Town U.S.A. received more than 100 inches of snow for three months (December, January and February) for the first time in recent history.

For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page.

Steamboat's Record Season!

4 inches of snow last night was all it took to put the 2007/2008 Season into the record books!! That makes for 450 inches so far vs. the record of 447.5 inches. It has been an incredible year and it makes me feel even luckier to live here. I hope that all of you got to be here for some good storms and share in the experience. From late November until about Mid February it snowed 8 out of 10 days with 4 inches or more 7 out of 10 days. When snow comes that consistently even 2-4 inches can make for a great powder day since it fills in the previous day not to mention Steamboat is notorious for under reporting snow fall. A report of 4 inches can easily be 8, 8 can easily be knee deep and a foot is at least thigh deep.

It was incredible year and while many are looking forward to summer I can't wait for the mystery and realization of what next season will bring. That said in the meantime I am happy to do some spring skiing followed by the mtn town ritual of desert mtn biking and water-skiing soon after the ice melts.

For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page.

Daddy, did you know that snow is Magic?

You have to love little kids and the things they come up with. My 4 yr old son Alden couldn't have had me figured out any better when he asked that question. I said I do know a "little" about that but please tell me more. He replied with "Daddy, snow can make your dreams come true!". I broke out in an even bigger smile and said something like "Alden you are a very smart little boy to know that. Snow has been making my dreams come true ever since I grew up in western Michigan near the lake where we were lucky to get big storms from the lake effect and especially since I moved to Colorado in 1986 and first skied Steamboat. I learned here just how magical it could be. The magic of snow and what it does to people is why we live in Steamboat." I had never said it nearly as well so credit goes to Alden for that.

The best part is that ever time I think about snow, every time the right wind blows and every time it does snow the magic is as least as strong as ever. I notice something different every time, I am invariably filled with wonder and can't help but remember all of the magic that snow has brought me and those closest to me before. It's working it's magic on me right now, how about you?

Three Champagne Powder cheers to the MAGIC of Snow and to being successful passing it on to those that mean the most to us.

For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page.

New Wild Horse Gondola

Word is that we may hear something soon on a deal for increased capacity of the public gondola from Wild Horse Meadows and the Ski area parking lot to up next to the main Steamboat gondola at the base. The Wild Horse Developers have been playing hardball according to several sources but the Steamboat Ski area and others are working hard to negotiate for a higher capacity version. That is the best solution for everyone in my opinion. Either way the Wild Horse people have said that they plan to put up the towers this summer and that will be exciting to see. On a side note Trailhead Lodge, the first condo building in Wild Horse Meadows has the majority of their concrete work done and began the wood framing this week. The last update I got said they expect to finish the building in June 2009.

For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page.

The Sheraton Steamboat Golf course is renamed

It looks like they really stretched their imagination to come up with this name which is very similar to Catamount Ranch and Club. I can't figure out how they get a ranch out of it since the course is no where near a ranch and doesn't look anything like one. Is this a clue to what they have planned? I hope not.

From Troon Golf's Website: "Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club (formerly The Sheraton Steamboat Golf Club) is home to one of the best Colorado golf courses in the Rocky Mountains. Although known primarily as a premiere ski resort, Fairways Magazine has voted the award winning 18-hole Rollingstone Ranch golf course (formerly Sheraton Steamboat golf course) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, as one of the 100 Best Golf Resorts.

Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club, a Rocky Mountain resort with a championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones II, offers incredible views of the Yampa Valley including Fish Creek that winds through seven holes of the course. Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club has forged a reputation for providing luxury conference facilities with 11 meeting rooms including a 6,300 square foot conference room that can seat 700."

For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page.

FHA Increases conforming Loan Limit to $675K in Steamboat Springs

Recent congressional legislation paved the way for increasing the limits for conforming loans (loans available at standard residential rates which are lower than jumbo loans). This will allow existing property owners that purchased property with a higher cost second mortgage to refinance into a single standard loan program and new buyers to save money when they purchase a property above the previous limit of $417K which is pretty small in Steamboat where the current average single family home is worth close to $1 million dollars. This change is expected to just increase the ceiling for normal loan programs but we haven't seen pricing from lenders to confirm that given the revised limits just came out. If it works are expected this will help make loans up to $675K for single unit homes more affordable and that will help a lot of people who already own or are buying homes in the Steamboat Springs, CO area. Jumbo loans currently cost about 0.75 to 1 points more (the spread) than conforming loans since lenders classify larger loans like a risky loan even though most are less risky than the average conforming loan given the creditworthiness and increased resources most jumbo buyers have going for them . The new limit for 2 unit homes is now $864.1K which will help owners of duplexes.

Many holders of properties with loans over $417K were not able to take advantage of lower rates available recently because of this spread kept jumbo rates above what they had before. The spread is larger than before so there was little if any savings available. compared to conventional loans that could often be refinanced for a savings of 0.5-1%. For more click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page or give me a call at 970-819-6930.