Steamboat, March 1-2, 2025

[tseeb]

You covered a lot of ground in your one day in LCC @tseeb
The firm-ish snow is made up for by the plentiful parking right now

Since I don't have the luxury of spending months within 10 minutes of skiing and never get enough, I make the most of my days.

I know this is a UT thread, but don't have time for full report from Sat. at Steamboat where it may be extra crowded due to Winter Wondergrass festival (that also happens at Palisades). I was 4th in singles gondola line and connected with guy from N. Carolina who is spending 5 weeks there. He skied fast; I made more turns in soft snow on groomers. SkiTracks said we had over 15K by 10:45, 22.5K when he quit at noon and I had 32.5K when I quit about 2. I mostly rode slow chairs, that still gave a lot of vertical, to avoid lines after noon.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Since I don't have the luxury of spending months within 10 minutes of skiing

Tseeb's cabin is about that close to Heavenly!

Your Copper report makes reference to surfaces being better there, which is not surprising considering Copper's altitude/exposure stats are elite while Steamboat is low in Colorado context with plurality SW exposure.

We are going to I-70 Colorado after Iron Blosam but likely a day or two at Steamboat first.

 

[Sbooker]

Love Tony’s thread Nazi stance.

 

[tseeb]

Tseeb's cabin is about that close to Heavenly!

According to Google maps, my family's cabin is 3 min drive to Heavenly's Stateline gondola parking garage (where you always have to pay or a 16 minute walk). Due to dispute over whether Heavenly should be annexed so City of South Lake Tahoe collects some of the sales and other taxes paid by Heavenly, City has been blocking our usual and much shorter and less traffic route from cabin to Heavenly's tram where parking only requires payment and reservations on weekends and holiday. The longer, busier route is 1.6 miles/5-10 min even with some traffic.

Love Tony’s thread Nazi stance.

Is that about moving my short Steamboat report out of UT thread to this thread?

Steamboat, CO 3/1/2025 (Saturday) I finally have time to add some photos and more text to my Steamboat report. I parked on Mt Werner Circle on side of the road ahead of where an employee had parked (and said it was OK), across from a service entrance to Winter Wondergrass which had probably driven up lodging prices months before this weekend. It was about a 10 minute walk to gondola. Photo of main venue taken after skiing when I got to hear some music while getting out of ski gear.

I'd thought Steamboat was far enough from Denver, like Aspen, for weekends to not be busy, but found out otherwise. SkiTalk local who was supposed to show me around was out due to getting knee replaced soon, but guy I connected with in gondola and I had to go fast to keep up with did a good job getting me on fast groomers on busy day. This was 2 hrs 14 min after Steamboat gondola opened.

After riding Sunshine Express twice, at least once as singles, line there drove us to other chairs. We skied Rolex 4x, enjoying steep smooth face and got back to top of it using less busy (than Sundown at left in photo or Sunshine) Elkhead and Storm Peak Express lifts. Rolex

Robert left about noon and on my own, I mostly rode and skied slow, but uncrowded Four Points and Burgess Creek lifts. A lot of people were sitting in snow outside Four Points Lodge, enjoying the sunshine. I quit about 2 after skiing down Upper then Lower Valley View, where they had signs warning 'Expert Ony' due to firm moguls, to pickup my wife and friend at HDN. Ski Tracks counted 32.5K.

A couple of photos on Valley View. Guys I was in gondola line with said Steamboat gondola is better than Wild Blue, maybe because it opens earlier. Note formerly abandoned ski area that I think may be Stagecoach at left. 2nd photo is a panoramic looking more to the West.

SkiTracks map of where I skied not counting gondola up and Valley View down.

 

[tseeb]

Steamboat, CO March 2, 2025 (Sunday)
We had late-ish start due to friend forgetting his jacket at vrbo in Hayden causing ~20 minute delay and then we had to park at Meadows lot and shuttle. Then we had to go into ticket office as friend who I’d sent Friends and Family link for 35% off if bought before Valentine’s Day had now. He also could not buy ticket online when we tried less than 24 hrs. in advance, so it was ~10 before we loaded gondola. (Steamboat only charged him $200 which is 35% off walkup was $309).

Since it was my wife’s first run of the year, we skied green S-facing Spur Run, then after riding Elkhead, skied blue Moonlight and went up Elkhead again and skied down Ego to go up Storm Peak Express. We took Highline to High Noon where we had about a 12 minute line for Sunshine Express just before 11.

Then we had a problem. At the top of Sunshine Peak, my wife wanted ibuprofen so we went to patrol shack where she got some. But she didn’t wanted to take groomed black Storm Peak runs. I thought we could traverse back to blue Highline but we were too low and had to traverse across big frozen bumps on Closets and Shadows. Lucia went down a few times before getting to Three O’Clock which she could ski, but she needed a break after her ordeal so after moderate line on Elkhead, her and friend went to Thunderhead Lodge where a Bluegrass band was playing outside.

I skied to and rode Storm Peak, skiing some of what would have been better than the icy mogul traverse we did on previous run. In retrospect, we should have stayed high enough to take Highline and skied Two or One O’Clock into Elkhorn. I rode slow Burgess Creek to return to lodge where Lucia was not yet ready to come out again. I skied down to Pony Express that I would ride 3x, skiing Royal Flush, then Longhorn before exiting on Half Hitch that I skied to and rode slow Bar UE. I went to Morningside and skied three laps there, entering on Cowboy Coffee, skiing Alarm CLock to Snooze Bar, then Heuvos before exiting on one of the Chutes. I rode Storm Peak again then Burgess Creek and skied down Vagabound to return to Steamboat base where my wife was on her 2nd beer and had some nachos to share with me. I quit before 3:30 with 23K and we stopped at WalMart where my friend was disappointed in their souvenir selection, then City Market so my wife could get some fruit. We drove to Kremmling which is about halfway between Steamboat and Copper and had more reasonably priced newish motel with decent hot tub.

 

[Sbooker]

Is that about moving my short Steamboat report out of

Yes.
You scored nice conditions for your wife’s first day in snow for the year. Great visibility and nice views from a good mountain.