9 minute read
Sports
Summer construction of the new Steamboat Ski Area gondola.
Irons in the Fire
This year’s improvements at the Steamboat Ski Area are just the beginning.
The multi-year improvement project at the Steamboat Ski Area is aptly named “Full Steam Ahead.” The group of improvements is the largest in the resort’s 58year history, powered by a $135 million investment by Alterra, Steamboat’s parent company.
“Alterra wants to support resorts who support their communities,” says Loryn Duke, director of communications for the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. “This opens up a lot of opportunities for us. Alterra has a lot of irons in the fire.”
The beginning of these improvements is evident as soon as you walk into Gondola Square. The older gondola has been moved to a different part of the base area and is fully operational for the 2021-22 ski season. New this winter are a Kids Vacation Center location on the mountain, and the Underplaza Promenade Building. Technology improvements from last season – including ticket kiosks and a mobile ordering system – remain in place.
For the 2022-23 ski season, look for the 10-passenger Wild Blue Gondola, which will be the longest of its capacity in North America. The first 4,561-foot leg of the gondola has been approved and is scheduled for construction in summer 2022, improving the out-of-base capacity at the ski area from 6,000 to 10,000 people per hour.
“The new gondola will relieve a lot of congestion at the base area,” Duke says. “These changes have been on our wish list for a long time.”
Other base area improvements to expect in 2022 and 2023 include an outdoor ice rink and additional lodging, restaurants and bars. Future on-mountain updates include lifts and an additional 295 acres in the Fish Creek Canyon area. When added to the previously announced 355-acre Pioneer Ridge expansion, this will add an additional 650 acres of terrain, making Steamboat the second largest ski resort in the state. New snowmaking on Sunshine Peak will guarantee excellent snow conditions even in the early parts of winter, and a dedicated learning area for beginners called Greenhorn Ranch will make the Steamboat Ski Area less intimidating for beginner skiers.
Improvements to the the base area entrance include installation of escalators in place of the non-ski-boot-compliant stairs. “Steamboat hasn’t had a real entrance up to this point,” Duke explains. “This might not be complete this winter, but it’s another main focus of ours.”
While many changes are taking place, Steamboat won’t be straying from its roots. New buildings will maintain the same Western aesthetic skiers are familiar with, and visitors will still be greeted with the same small-town friendliness and hospitality.
“One of the cool things about Steamboat is the balance between history and improving,” Duke adds. “We want to stay true to that. We want to stay true to our Western roots.”
Details about the entire Full Steam Ahead redevelopment, including project timelines, can be found at www.steamboat.com/FullSteamAhead
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Terry Brown with his daughter, Eliana.
How To Raise Kids Who Love To Ski
Want your tykes to love skiing as much as you do? Follow this advice.
The Brosterhous family uses a lift ride for a photo op at the Steamboat Ski Area.
COURTESY BROSTERHOUS FAMILY
| BY KELLY BASTONE
My 10-year-old daughter recently told me that she wants to be a ski bum when she grows up. I was overjoyed because, earnings potential aside, her announcement told me that she has embraced skiing with the kind of love and commitment that brought her dad and me to Steamboat Springs 20 years ago. Here are the strategies that we and other local parents have used to foster that passion.
Terry Brown and his daughter, Eliana, now work together as coaches at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
START IN THE YARD
When our daughter was about a year old, we let her play with a pair of plastic skis (similar to the Lucky Bums Beginner Skis) that strapped to her snow boots. We didn’t try to teach her anything, only let her flounder around in the yard. Her growing brain had to figure out how to use “feet” that were now two feet long. And she loved the sense of belonging she felt when she strapped on skis like her parents and neighbors did every day.
WAIT FOR MILD WEATHER
“When the weather is nasty, just don’t go,” cautions Terry Brown, a longtime SSWSC coach whose daughter, Eliana, will also teach skiing this winter after several seasons as a junior coach. Eager parents may balk at postponing a ski-date with their kid, but heading out into forbiddingly cold or windy weather teaches developing brains to link skiing with physical discomfort, Brown says.
LISTEN, DON’T PRAISE
As a coach and parent of two young skiers, Luke Brosterhous isn’t a big fan of using candy or other extrinsic rewards to get kids to love sport. Instead, “We try and really ask them how they interpret and digest the feelings that sport gives them and focus on those qualities, over saying things like, ‘you looked great’ or ‘nice work,’” he explains. “It’s not work, it’s play, and there is a big difference!”
ACCEPT SHORT SESSIONS
Parents love skiing, but kids love romping around just as much. So when Brown taught Eliana to ski, he broke up each run with one or more breaks for rest or play. “She wasn’t focused on skiing as a chore, but as a way to get from fun adventure to adventure,” he explains. He also kept outings super-short: The effort to get kids dressed and ready for skiing may actually take longer than the ski sessions themselves – and that’s OK.
EXPLOIT THE GREENS
Many parents push their kids onto tough terrain too soon. Social media may be a factor: I’ve seen plenty of proud parents posting videos of their tiny tykes careening through the bumps or trees. Trouble is, those kids are almost always using desperation moves (like sitting “in the backseat” on the tails of their skis) that reinforce bad habits rather than strong ski skills. Brown and Brosterhous agree: Don’t over-terrain your kids. Brosterhous adds, “The gnar will always be there, so there’s no need to force that too early.”
STICK TO YOUR PLANS
If your kids say they don’t want to go skiing? “We don’t push, but we don’t change our plans either, and we don’t give them the option to renegotiate our values,” Brosterhous says. “They can take a day off here or there, but ultimately we feel that if we commit to providing a safe, terrain-appropriate environment in which they can explore the power of being outside in the mountains and skiing, the sport will hook them for life.”
