Nine must-do highlights of Steamboat Springs, Colorado
By Jim Darby
The first stop
Looking over Steamboat Springs towards Mount Werner and its ski runs.
Colorado’s destination ski resorts are built to spoil – the runs well groomed, the lifts efficient, the staff genuinely concerned that you have a good time. But they’re high – Denver itself is a mile (1609 metres) high and Aspen village sits at 2419 metres with its summit 3417; Telluride mountain village is at 2909 metres and the lifts go to 4008 metres. Sea-level Australians need to acclimatise – start your Colorado ski safari at Steamboat, a three-hour drive or short flight from Denver and ease in at its milder 2100-metre village and summit at 3221 metres. See steamboat.com
The beginner area
On the learning terrain at Steamboat’s Greenhorn Ranch area.
Better equipment and slope preparation has made skiing and snowboarding much easier to learn, but Steamboat’s Greenhorn Ranch takes it to yet another level. This dedicated, 5.6 hectare beginner area uses “Terrain-Based Learning” with banked corners, slopes of very mild gradient and easy-to-ride carpet lifts to access them. Snow Sports School instructors hail it as a breakthrough for people seeking to grasp the fundamentals.
The snow
Groomed snow.
Steamboat claims the term “Champagne Powder” and has every right to – the snow quality here can be sublime. They also spruik “Champagne Corduroy” for the perfect, even grooves their grooming machines leave when they smooth the snow all over the mountain. Steamboat has the complete mix – lots of long and cruisy runs for families, but some steep and challenging diversions through the trees for experts and four terrain parks for the young and restless.
The market
Supermarkets in foreign lands are a cultural revelation. You might be blinkered enough to expect a US supermarket to overflow with doughnuts and hot dogs and while they’re well-represented at City Market, there’s fresh food in abundance, and still plenty of the curiosities of US cuisine – seasoned ribs, wild Alaskan salmon, weird-looking crabs. It’s on Central Park Drive and the free town shuttle service will happily drop you there and take you home again. See citymarket.com
The lunch
Yampa Valley Kitchen is tucked away on 9th Street in a bright building that was once a farmhouse. This is one for the down-days, when the mountain weather isn’t shining, or you need a day’s recovery. Here they open for breakfast, brunch and lunch – if you like beef, and Colorado grows fine beef, try the wagyu steak and eggs which comes with that as well as wild mushrooms, local greens and sourdough toast. See yampavalleykitchen.com
The trail ride
Trail riding through the snow with Del’s Triangle 3 Ranch.
All leather-faced from a life outdoors, Ray Heid “rides horses six days a week for a living and on Sundays for fun.” Colorado is cowboy country and for a little taste of it, Heid leads horse trail riders into the wilds from Del’s Triangle 3 Ranch, whatever the season. The horses don’t seem to mind being waist deep in snow as they clip-clop along through the ranches and ranges. See steamboathorses.com
The western outfitter
Boots for the wild west from FM Light & Sons on Lincoln Avenue.
The timber floorboards creak to life as you enter the Aladdin’s Cave of the Wild West that is FM Light & Sons on Lincoln Avenue. Want to go home looking like the real thing? Then the boots and belts are right here for you, as are the jeans and jackets, the checked shirts, and most important of all, the Stetson hats. The family is in its fifth generation running this store since Frank M Light opened the doors in 1905. See fmlight.com
The nightlife
If you still have some life in your legs, then try the night skiing from 5:30pm to 8:30pm Thursday to Sunday. It’s on terrain close to the base, served by a chairlift and the Steamboat Gondola and is quite a different experience to skiing or boarding in daylight hours. There’s also a skating rink at Steamboat and for some relaxation and live music after all this activity, make your way to The Press in town. See thepresssteamboat.com
The hot springs
The name “Steamboat Springs” didn’t come out of the blue – the area is blessed with natural, hot and restorative springs. For the luxury treatment, take a shuttle from town up to Strawberry Park (strawberryhotsprings.com). For something in easy reach and an excellent family destination, head for the Old Town Hot Springs. It has eight spring-fed pools as well as a gym, climbing wall and even child care. Adult admission is $US29 ($43). See oldtownhotsprings.org
One more thing
As any committed Australian skier or boarder will tell you, like Sydney v Melbourne or AFL v NRL, when in comes down to riding the ski lifts at your local major resort in Australia, they’re connected to either the Epic Pass (Perisher, Hotham, Falls Creek) or the Ikon Pass (Buller, Thredbo). Steamboat is an Ikon area, so factor that in to your travels. See ikonpass.com
Jim Darby was a guest of Steamboat, Travelplan Australia and Colorado Ski Country (coloradoski.com). Snow specialist Travelplan has a variety of Colorado ski packages, including Steamboat, with discounted accommodation, lift tickets and airfares. Phone 1300 754 754. See Travelplan.com.au
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