Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Photo’s are here or you can just click on the photograph above.

It was a memorable first day of skiing in our favorite ski resort for the first time in 4 years. We hadn’t skied since just before the ski resorts closed due to COVID back in March 2020 and then, for the last few years, we were feeling lazy and distracted by various Caribbean islands for our winter vacation. But it was time, once again, to swap sand for snow before we forgot the mechanics of how to barrel down the side of a slippery mountain slope on skinny planks of wood without killing ourselves.

In eager anticipation of our forthcoming trip we dug out our kit from storage last week only to discover that my beloved googles had literally rotted. My helmet was also broken (goodness knows how) and Geoff had expanded out of his snowboard pants. So we made an unscheduled visit to our local ski shop for last minute emergency replacements (even Florida has winter sports stores!) and headed off to the snowy slopes of “Ski Town USA”.

Bright and early on our first morning we boarded the Steamboat Gondola but by the time we got to the top had discovered that my (even more beloved) custom Nordica ski boots (of some 14 years of age) were falling apart in the gondola … This was not good news since we had paid $500 for the privilege of spending the day on Steamboat’s slopes (yup, it actually now costs $500 per day for two people to ski at Steamboat) …

So 15 minutes later we were heading back down in the same Gondola carriage to the Surefoot ski boot guys at the base of the mountain who gave me the tragic news that my boots were dead but that they’d happily sell me another pair at great cost … Two long hours later I’d been prodded, measured and made to stand for 10 minutes in my new pair of boots whilst they poured rapidly expanding foam around my feet until my circulation cut off. Whilst they made the molds, the liners and the orthotics, I had to borrow some boots to ski for the day whilst they built out my new custom boots for me.

So far our first morning (not spent on the slopes) had cost $2,000 … still … skiing was never a cheap sport … so no point complaining! By midday we’re back at the top of the Gondola station and I’m all kitted out in my loaner boots, skis and new purchases from the previous week. I waited patiently for Geoff to strap his snowboard onto his boots. It was taking longer than expected … eventually I received a thumbs down from a very unhappy husband. One of his bindings had snapped whilst he was ratcheting them up … unwelcome news almost on a par with the unexpected and sudden demise of my boots.

Rather than take the Gondola back down the mountain again Geoff insisted that we make a quick ski run back to the base via Heavenly Daze so he could have new bindings fitted at the snowboard boots store. I hate this particular run – it’s steep, crowded and often icy. It was absolutely the last run I wanted to do as my first run in 4 years. Thankfully, purchasing and fitting the replacement bindings was a considerably quicker and substantially cheaper job.

By 1pm we were back at the top of the Gondola heading towards Sunshine Peak and to our favorite runs – Tomahawk, Quickdraw and Baby Powder! The snow was soft, pristine and glinted brightly in the afternoon sunshine. We managed three runs until, out of nowhere, a skier barreled down the slope and smashed straight into Geoff at full speed knocking him flying. Geoff had been completely stationary at the time and we were the only two people on the slope at that moment. Having discovered that neither Geoff nor the incompetent skier were dead I returned the skis and poles to Geoff’s assailant which I gathered from their various resting places scattered around the mountainside. With as much charm as I could muster I asked him what the $%** he had been thinking and, more importantly, how had he failed to miss a stationary snowboarder dressed in bright yellow?

Turns out it was all my fault! Apparently he was dazzled by my silver jacket … unbelievable!

Thankfully, Geoff is reasonably bouncy (due to his love of cocktails and fine wines) and fairly resilient. Although winded, he was back up riding his board after checking that nothing major had been broken.

Time to call it a day. We returned to our suite at the Sheraton at the base of the Gondola only to discover that my gloves were now disintegrating off my hands and Geoff’s jacket was also on its way out … on a positive note, Geoff’s beloved 42 year old Bolle Goggles are still going strong … 😉

There was a moment there when I wondered if someone up above was trying to tell us we should get the first plane back to Florida …

On the upside, Steamboat’s famous dry “champagne powder” snow was absolutely amazing thanks to a snow storm a few days earlier so we were optimistically hoping for a better day the following day now that we were proud owners of a considerable collection of new (and hugely overpriced) gear 😉

Things improved considerably! The following day was also bright, beautiful and the sun was shining in a clear blue sky. No broken bones, no-one tried to kill us and none of our kit actually broke on the slopes!

Of course, no trip to “the Boat” would be complete without luxuriating in the rustic and boiling hot natural springs at Strawberry Park in the boonies outside of town. It’s a 25 minute drive from town, much of it along an unfinished dirt track which resembles more bone-shaking washboard than navigable road but it’s worth the crushed vertebrae to be able to soak in the hot pools surrounded by nature and snow-covered pine trees. Since we last visited they have instituted a complicated and irritating new online booking system which requires you to know 3 (or more) weeks ahead of time exactly what time you’ll be off the slopes so that you can book a two hour slot. The cash only entrance fee has also doubled to $20 per person but that is still a very reasonable charge to soak away the aches and pains of mangled toes and exhausted thighs.

We took a day off the following day to do something less energetic than skiing and boarding (because we’re old and knackered). We drove out to Fish Creek Falls which is an amazing place to hike in winter. You can walk to a viewpoint looking out over the huge 280 foot frozen waterfalls and then, if you’re feeling brave, you can take a steep path upwards for a more expansive view. Having done this steep hike before we knew to take ski poles and gaiters and had clamped on spiky crampons over our hiking boots. We met a gaggle of students at the first overlook which gave me pause to wonder the miracle of human evolution and my unbridled fears for its future. Here Geoff and I were dressed accordingly for 2 feet deep snow pathways, brisk winds and possible ice underfoot and there they were in bare feet, flip-flops and pajama bottoms …

We hiked down to the river, crossed the short wooden bridge and clambered our way up to the base of the frozen waterfall which didn’t turn out to be any less energetic than skiing. The river rocks must be 10 feet deep covered with snow drifts so you can scramble over and around them with care whilst listening to the freezing river rushing deep beneath your feet. It’s not somewhere to miss your footing and disappear down a hole into the river because I suspect it might be the last hike you would take.

Whilst conditions on the slopes were awesome during our first two days of skiing, the clouds were gathering after our waterfall hike and by our fourth night in Steamboat we were under a winter weather warning with a gigantic snow dump forecast. This can be a very good thing … or it can be a very bad thing … either conditions under ski and board will be just perfect or there will be a white-out blizzard on the slopes where the wind will howl, your breath will freeze and you’ll not be able to see past the end of your nose … We just had to wait it out until the morning to see what the storm would bring!

Our final day had arrived and I guess I had spoken too soon the day before … another trip to the eye-wateringly expensive on-site ski stores at the base of the Gondola was required before tackling the temperatures at the top of the mountain which had plummeted to single digits. We both had to buy new gloves (for fear they would not last out the day) and Geoff’s yellow jacket finally went to heaven with my boots. Upon my request he bought an even brighter one so for the future I will always be able to see the giant fluorescent lime on the slopes ¾ of a mile away. I’ll defy anyone to ski or ride into him ever again whether they are, or are not, distracted by the shiny brilliance of my jacket.

The storm dumped 8″ of fresh powder overnight which was brilliant fun for our last day on the slopes. It was exhausting but absolutely perfect. Strangely it’s much more tiring to ski in powder – albeit much softer if you land on your butt. It continued to snow most of the day and much more snow was forecast overnight again which might prove not to be such brilliant fun on the roads heading back to Denver airport. As predicted, the storm that kept on giving covered the roads in thick snow and slippery ice between Steamboat, Kremmling (where we stopped for an emergency coffee at Big Shooter Coffee and a change of underwear 😊 after a couple of hairy moments on the road) and Silverthorne.

At least I think there was supposed to be a road somewhere under all that snow …

It took twice as long to traverse the country route back to the I70 – with near misses from a huge snow plough careering towards us downhill and a controlled but albeit unnerving skid from the gutter across the center of the road and back again.

It was a long haul back to Denver airport …

Anyway, we survived our first ski trip in 4 years without any serious injury to person (which is more than can be said for the bank balance)! We ate at our favorite restaurant, Laundry Kitchen and Cocktails, several times; we revisited Aurum restaurant overlooking the Yampa River and Howelson Hill for dinner; we had lunch at Seedz and a surprisingly excellent curry at Saffron on Lincoln Avenue. A quick trip for an almond croissant to Smell That Bread Bakery on 11th and we’re pretty much bursting out of our ski and board pants … still we have two years to lose the extra pounds because this time next year we’ll be somewhere much warmer 😊