Steamboat Springs, Colorado, the land of legalized marijuana and winter Olympians. The average yearly snowfall in Steamboat Springs is over 349 inches. Coming from sunny California imaging what over 29 feet of snow looks like, is a daunting task.
I made the journey to Steamboat over Christmas break and did not know what to expect. Of course I had done my research and watched videos of the locals “shredding” the ski area but I was still in a confused state.
Steamboat is home to the most winter Olympians per capita in the North America. Normal people walking main street may have been atop the giant slalom, or ski jump in Sochi, Turin or Calgary.
It is no accident that so many expert winter sportsmen and women hail from the area. Steamboat Mountain Resort, nearly in the center of town, provides nearly three thousand skiable acres.
As a first time visitor to Steamboat many of my expectations were met and exceeded. The ease of travel was the first, I left Fresno Yosemite Airport on a United flight to Denver International, flight time was just over two hours, then on to Hayden Regional Airport from Denver on a brief forty minute flight.
Shuttle and private car service pick up were abundantly available at the airport. Go Alpine private transportation was my choice, in twenty minutes I had arrived at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort: a winter wonderland.
The area in which the Resort is located is called, Ski Time Square, because of the plethora of shopping, eating establishments and Mega Hotels within walking distance.
I was transported to a flow state in which nothing else entered my mind. Skiing highlight reels had become an obsession of mine while still in Fresno, as I wizzed by white Aspen trees I could not help but think I was the star of a film. –Senior Trevor Beal
The Sheraton Resort itself offers many different levels of accommodations, ranging from Morningside Villas to regular hotel rooms. I had the great experience of staying in the Morningside Villas at the Sheraton.
Nearly 1800 square feet the villas rival any hotel room I have ever stayed in, surpassing the Bellagio and Aria in Las Vegas along with the St. Francis in San Francisco, none compare to the Sheraton.
The one area that surpassed even the outstanding accommodations was the quality of snow and abundance of trails. Over 60 percent of the 165 trails were open and covered with a base of 40 inches and topped off with 30 inches of powder in five days that I was there.
The trails are broken into beginner, intermediate, and expert categories, Steamboat is one of the most challenging mountains I have ever been too. More intimidating than any hill in in Park City, Utah, or Tahoe, California.
While standing at an elevation of ten thousand feet atop stormy peak, staring down triangle three trail, the enormity and seriousness of my situation was truly realized. To locals of the area the expert runs sometimes become boring, unbelievably to a newbie like myself. But the back county is the true hidden jewel of Steamboat, Aspen trees populate the area and provide a challenging natural obstacle.
I learned how to ski at the age of five, and my home mountain during my younger days was China Peak. Generally snow in the Sierra Nevada range is very moist and turns to ice very quick, Steamboats “Champagne Powder” was an absolute marvel to me.
Watching my feet disappear in the light snow was at first, very distracting. After a couple hours I had the hang of it, and never wanted to ski anywhere else again. It was like I was an Olympian in Steamboat Springs.
I was transported to a flow state in which nothing else entered my mind. Skiing highlight reels had become an obsession of mine while still in Fresno, as I wizzed by white Aspen trees I could not help but think I was the star of a film.
Then I realized why Steamboat is the Winter Sport Wonderland, nothing has a negative effect on the people there. A more perfect Mountain and ski area could not be dreamed up, even in the imagination of an Olympian!
That is why the Mountain has produced more Olympians than anywhere else in the world. I will be back to Steamboat soon, as soon as possible, maybe I might stay there forever.
This writer can be reached via Twitter: @Beal2015.
For more opinions, read the Jan. 8 column, COLUMN: Sophomore attends Rose Bowl Game, gains new experiences.
