Happy Powder Days - Buffalo Pass above Steamboat Springs 12-8-10

All I can say is wow! It was an ubelieveably gorgeous day up on Buff Pass today.

For more info call Jon at 970-819-6930 or send me an email. I respect your time and will answer your questions without a sales pitch. You can also click back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page or go to my Steamboat, CO Real Estate page if you want to search for property in Steamboat.

Gorgeous Bluebird Powder Day In Steamboat

Credit "Dam Skier TGR Forums - Steamboat 12-31-09"

And today we have one thing in common, we are working! No complaints but it would be fun to sneak up for a couple of hours as the snow has been great on the mountain. See the picture above and here is a page with some great Steamboat Powder shots taken on New Years Eve 2009.

I try to be a cool boss and sent my assistant up to ski and video some with my new helmet cam so the rest of us can see what it was like. I will post the video if it turns out and am working on a fun new site called Steamboat Videos where you will be able to share in some of our Steamboat Adventures. It's just a shell right now but we will "work" diligently to allow you to make a quick visit to Steamboat anytime you have a couple of minutes in front of your computer.

Don't expect anything to professional but they will be fun clips of different Steamboat adventures and hopefully a good excuse for me to sneak out for an hour or so on days like this ...

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

Snow predicted tonight in the Northern Mountains

I can't help but day dream a little myself, how about you? News 4 predicts 6 to 16 inches ... I say not this time but it could happen. This is the week we always get snow so it wouldn't be a surprise but don't worry we usually have at least another month of great weather before winter starts preparing for opening day here in Steamboat.

Update: the storm never materialized but winter will be here in about a month

Good Morning America comes to the Steamboat Winter Carnival

Steamboat's Winter Carnival drew national attention this year with the arrival of Good Morning America to cover the festivities. Their segment (Watch it HERE click on the plus at the bottom right to see it bigger) did a good job covering a few highlights but there is nothing like being here in person to feel the energy of the kids, spectators and the Steamboat down to earth authenticity that comes for the great people here and can't be duplicated anywhere else.

It warms my soul to be a part of it and seems to have the same effect on everyone there. My 5 yr old son did some of the skiing and night events, my 3 yr old Neve let us know she was ready to join in next year. It is worth a special trip to check it out for yourself so mark it on your calendar for February to join in on the fun yourself. Only in Steamboat...


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Steamboat Champagne Powder Day

It was "almost" worth living here for today's skiing. Here is a short clip of my wife Wendy skiing 2 feet of fresh powder in the backcountry today. Its just one of the many reasons that we are fortunate to live here.

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Steamboat's First Snow on Mount Werner for 2008/2009 Season

The Steamboat Ski area received our first official snow of the season last night. We had a record winter of nearly 500 inches last season followed by about 170 inches after closing, a relatively short but amazing summer, a beautiful fall and now our first snow on Mount Werner. Before this we have had 2-3 snows in the area on the Zirkels and Flattops since August. The first snow on Mount Werner is our official wake-up call to get in our last month or so of summer / fall activities, start getting in shape, tuning up the snow blower and start more frequent day dreaming about the powder we will ski this winter.

There are now 51 days until opening day and while I want to enjoy every fall day I can't help but dream myself. I know I am not alone because I get several calls a week from friends and readers asking if it has snowed yet, telling me how psyched they are for ski season and planning everything from trips to new gear to make the most of the season. As you might imagine I don't mind getting those calls one bit and my voice perks up as soon as I know I have received one. Below is a video produced by the Steamboat Ski area summarizing our record breaking 2007/2008 ski season here in Steamboat that I thought might help you get in the mood for this season. Start planning your season now if you haven't already. Airfares on all of the airlines are great this season since Frontier has come to town so take advantage and plan an extra trip or two.

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

Snowmobile Slalom Skiing in Steamboat

We are having a great winter here but that doesn’t stop me from thinking water-skiing or engaging in similar endeavors. Yesterday I took two snowmobiles 5 friends and I bought recently out to another friend’s Ranch in Steamboat yesterday to ride a little. My friend had the bright idea to pull out a vintage snow snake ski to Slalom with( it is basically an old 4 ft long ski crudely designed to be pulled. It was more than a little challenging since it uses a normal ski boot and the forward lean really throws off your position on the ski and the partial rear toe piece puts almost all of effort on your front leg since you can’t get the normal leverage and thus control from using both feet. I suspect it was designed for leather boots that didn’t have the forward lean modern ski boots do given it’s age. “Water-skiing in 3 dimensions” instead of just two added an additional challenge. It was a ton of fun, sparked some great falls and has me thinking about modifying an old water-ski for future excursions on a powder day, the snow in the valley has consolidated quite a bit in the week or so since it has snowed here vs. almost every day before then. A real water-ski handle would hurt either.

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

Video of progress at the Steamboat base area

This article and video is over a week old now but I think you will like it if you are curious how things are progressing at the base. They cover the headwall regrade project and the installation of the Christie Peak Express lift towers. It has snowed 4 times now since this was taken so we seem to be settling in to a good weather pattern for winter. We sure hope that is true. Back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more.

Steamboat to be featured on the Weather Channel

Here is one of my videos from last years Epic Season here in Steamboat Springs to warm you up for the Weather Channels segment on Steamboat.

The Weather Channel is featuring Steamboat Springs in a segment titled "Epic Conditions". It will be shown on March 2nd in gondola square after the North Mississippi All Stars finish playing and air for everyone to see on March 4th at 7pm, check your local listings for the time where you live.

From the Steamboat Pilot: "The first image is of gently falling snow. Then, as the music picks up speed and a narrator introduces the audience to Steamboat Springs, a skier drops off a rock into a pile of powder. It was the sequence The Weather Channel wanted when shooting footage for “Epic Conditions,” a new series to debut on The Weather Channel at 7 p.m. March 4.

The first episode focuses entirely on Steamboat and the weather patterns that produce the trademark champagne powder as well as the dangers that massive amounts of snowfall can create. “Through vivid storytelling, this series effectively demonstrates what happens when the perfect weather conditions meet the perfect sporting activity,” said Kaye Zusman, the series developer and the vice president of programming and development for The Weather Channel. “They picked Steamboat because of the champagne powder,” said Heidi Thomsen, public relations manager for the Steamboat Ski Area.

The show chronicles weather patterns that produce Steamboat’s snow and what makes it different from other places in the state and across the world. The show mixes weather lessons with powder shots, but “Epic Conditions” also highlights the dangers that come with 30-inch powder days." Link to the full article here. Back to the Steamboat Springs blog main page for more.

Wendy's Steamboat Bull Riding

Wendy and I were invited to the finale of the Marabou Ranch Winter Festival tonight. It was a great evening with everything from a nice dinner including elk tenderloin, to a great performance by country music singer Julie Roberts and even a mechanical bull. Wendy was apparently feeling pretty spunky tonight so she took Crusher for a spin. She drew a throng of admirers quickly as the bull got going. Her form is pretty darn impressive. I suspect she will get invited to ride in the Steamboat Springs Rodeo series this summer :)
Click the play button at the bottom left of the picture to see here in action or go to the full size version if you want a bigger picture or to rate her performance. It starts a little slow but I guarantee you will find it entertaining. I hopped on next but didn't look nearly as good so I'll spare you from seeing the video of me.

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9 inches new at the summit last night

It looks like the Winter Carnival pleased the snow gods and we got a nice storm last night. I was a little concerned when stopped down here at the base last night but it looks like it just concentrated on the mountain instead after dropping a couple of inches down low.

Here is a quick powdershot from last weekend to get you through. Pete was the director of ski patrol for over 20 years and at 60 can easily ski or bike me into the ground.


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A little Powda for the Skier's Soul

I thought I'd share a small taste of today’s skiing in 8" of new pow with all of you. This is my brother in-law TJ, it was fun to get out and make some turns with him. The video doesn’t do the snow justice but it's not bad. There were some hard spots in the bumps I wasn't ready for but the right spots in the trees were sweet. I hope that you can all make it out soon and you find plenty of fresh powder under your skis. Thanks to Ron for the idea for this title.

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.