The Sounds of Steamboat | Calgary Herald

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It didn’t take lengthy. Simply 10 turns into my Steamboat ski fest – as I schussed by means of knee-deep snow in a beautiful glade that didn’t relent – spontaneous hooting, hollering, and different unscripted utterances echoed within the aspens. A Canadian was on the unfastened in Colorado. And he was having an excellent time. 

Sure, three nights in a row of 15-cm dumps – in April, no much less! – tends to facilitate some enjoyable and frivolity. Particularly if you’re in a spot like “The Boat.” 

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Positioned roughly 265 kilometres northwest of Denver within the powder-pounded Park Vary of the Rocky Mountains, Steamboat Springs is a traditional Colorado ski city that belongs within the higher tier. Identified for its superior aspen glades, its historic downtown simply minutes from the slopes, its genuine western tradition, its pure sizzling springs – and, sure, its legendary Champagne powder dumps! – Steamboat Springs positively checks all of the bins for a memorable ski vacation. 

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For Canadians (particularly Calgarians), getting there additionally isn’t half unhealthy. A shortish two-hour flight from Calgary into Denver adopted by a phenomenal three-hour drive (or a super-quick 45-minute flight into the tiny Hayden Regional Airport) is what’s required. (I did the latter.) 

True, we do have nice snowboarding in our Rockies proper right here in southern Alberta. Nevertheless, the general high quality of the expertise, the vibe, the city, the over-the-top quantity of snow (at the very least final yr), make for a wholly completely different form of ski vacation. And it’s one which any alpine snowboarding aficionado ought to have on their bucket record. 

Owned by the Alterra Mountain Firm, a North American powerhouse on the subject of the ski business, Steamboat is a large ski resort. And it’s solely getting larger. (Alterra owns over a dozen ski resorts, together with Mammoth Mountain in California, Deer Valley in Utah, Tremblant in Quebec, and lots of extra. Additionally they personal the wildly widespread IKON Cross, a season move program that opens the door to ski at 58 ski locations world wide, together with a handful in Western Canada, at big financial savings. www.ikonpass.com.)  

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Because of an extra 625 acres of latest knowledgeable terrain opening on Mahogany Ridge in 2024, Steamboat is now the second-largest ski resort in Colorado. (Solely Vail is greater.) Not surprisingly, the numbers are spectacular: 3,741 skiable acres, 23 lifts, 182 trails, and 1,118 metres (3,668 ft) of elevation. Additionally, a formidable 98 winter Olympians have come out of Steamboat Springs, a determine that definitely justifies their trademarked moniker, “Ski City U.S.A.” 

And, sure, then there’s the snow. With a base elevation of two,903 meters (6,900 ft) and a peak elevation of three,224 metres (10,568 ft), properly, you may perceive the copious quantities of light-and-dry snow. 

Final yr at Steamboat, it obtained the second-highest snow whole that’s ever been recorded there in a single season; over 12 metres (about 40 ft) fell earlier than closing day, which was April sixteenth.   

So, understandably, contemplating the meagre snowpack ranges within the Canadian Rockies final yr, I used to be very happy to attempt my luck south of the border. It was the suitable name. After all, given the time of yr, I used to be absolutely anticipating morning ice and afternoon slush. I used to be flawed.  

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Face pictures and recent turns have been, for 3 days straight, the first order of enterprise. Because of the ski information program, I bought to know the mountain, together with tips for getting round, the very best areas for my intermediate talents, and a few secret powder stashes. In a spot as massive as Steamboat, it was invaluable and I’d extremely advocate this. (If nothing else, your information may be your mannequin for some superior motion pictures within the aspens. Thanks, Dave!)  

Definitely, the atmospheric facet of snowboarding within the aspens was a spotlight. We merely don’t have the sort of snowboarding in Western Canada. The absence of tree wells, the spacing, the visibility (only a few branches!), the ambient gentle that filters by means of; the summation is a phenomenal model of snowboarding that individuals of all talents will take pleasure in.  

However Steamboat’s distinctive “model” goes far past the ski resort. The genuine Western tradition is clear all through the city and surrounding countryside. For me, a horseback using journey at Del’s Triangle 3 Ranch yielded one more winter journey that was magical in its personal approach. (Sure, the path our group rode traversed by means of an exquisite mountainside coated with, you guessed it, aspens!) Though the snow was deep – and extra gathered throughout our journey! – even the horses uttered some unusual sounds of pleasure. (However, no, I don’t wholly perceive “horse.” I do know “Naaay!” That’s about it.)

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Some downtown purchasing – I loved wandering by means of FM Mild & Sons, a 100-year-old mercantile promoting high quality cowboy gear – and a memorable noon soak within the wonderful and somewhat-developed Strawberry Park Sizzling Springs have been different actions I fortunately pursued.  

Positioned just a few miles down a tough logging highway (a four-wheel drive automobile is extremely beneficial), Strawberry Park is a one-off oasis with some unusual little quirks. It’s money solely ($20 per individual, should reserve on-line), clothes elective after darkish, and operates off-the-grid with no energy. Nevertheless, if in case you have some adventurous bones in your physique, you’ll completely love the place. The swimming pools – and the attractive pure environment – are merely gorgeous.   

Fittingly, whereas I used to be having fun with my grand finale soak within the swimming pools, a younger couple entered the soothing waters and collectively emitted a string of joyful articulations one thing to the impact of “Ohhh! Ahhh! Yeah! Whoah!” Submerged within the steam, I believed: sure, in Steamboat, regardless for those who’re soaking or snowboarding, that is native lingo that everybody appears to know.       

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