Just one more week until the opening of the ski season in Steamboat Springs. In the 33 years that I have lived in the Yampa Valley we have seen very few bad snow winters. Two of those were prior to snowmaking capabilities at the mountain. We still average around 350 inches of snowfall per year and have seen a couple of years approach the 500 inch level. This near predictability of solid snow levels sets Steamboat apart from most other Ski areas.
An item that most people either forget or unaware of is our elevation. Steamboat is one of the lowest ski areas in Colorado with the base area at 6,700 feet and the summit around 10,400 feet. This translates to about 3 weeks less winter on either end of the ski season. These three weeks are often put to good use preparing for the winter, getting in that last round of golf or simply enjoying the outdoors.
As the seasonal workers arrive, many are dismayed at the perceived lack of snow. This dismay turns rapidly to joy and exhilaration as the snow begins to accumulate. Then at times there may even be a bit of panic if we have another January like we did in 1996 when we had a record busting 217 inches in one month. That was one winter when everyone was ready for Spring to arrive. Usually by the third week in March we can drag the golf clubs out again and drive less than 40 miles to Craig.
