Guest blogger: Court Allen, Steamboat visitor, avid skier & family man

Family time, mountain time, and ski time… as the years have gone by, Thanksgiving week has ushered in the holiday season for our family. Having traveled the country and world as a military family, the mountains and skiing on Thanksgiving have not always been an option, but have certainly been the objective.

Having passed through Steamboat Springs in fall ’76 on a quest to the West and subsequently a number of times in the summer, amazingly this week is my first time skiing Steamboat . After canvassing the mountain for Ski Time Square we soon realized it had succumbed to the base area renovations. So much for dinner at the old Mexican restaurant but cheers to looking forward to the future.

Withstanding the 35 years of skiing, stepping into my skis for the first run of the season, has always been met with some anxiety…why didn’t I train more, should I have tuned my skis, is my trick knee going to last another year, can I still “turn and burn” like days gone by? I was excited to board the “six pack’ and take in the mountain air. After hitting the mountain “top”, of course we are talking the top of Christie, taking in the view, and buckling in, I felt the familiar sensation as I made those first turns down Sitz and See Me.

Fittingly as my son and I clicked out of our skis there was the iconic Billy Kidd posing for a picture as he helps a young potential Olympian with his first steps on his skis. It was a great start to another ski season…can’t wait for many more days of the famous Steamboat powder.

Guest blogger: Paulette Thomas
New Steamboat Springs Resident Chamber Staff Member

Hooray, the mountain is open! I’m ready to hit the slopes. Well, almost ready. I’ve got the perfect snowboarding outfit that I found on sale, I have beanies, gloves and goggles. Now all I need to figure out is what boots, board and bindings I think I’ll need for the seasons to come.  My first inclination was to buy my own equipment. After some comparison shopping it looks like it would be a $600 investment leaving me feeling a bit tentative. What if I make the wrong choice or discover I want something different later on? With all these questions floating around in my head, I’ve decided to rent for the season instead.

It turns out that renting equipment is the perfect solution for the wary winter sports enthusiast. I can try something out and if I don’t like it I can switch it for something better. With so many new options to choose from how can anyone just starting out make an informed decision without truly trying out a few first. Even better, I found a season rental package for only $149! No commitment, no regrets.

Visit our business directory to find many great places in town to rent your equipment!

If you would like to become as guest blogger and share your own unique experiences about visiting or living in Steamboat Springs, contact Courtney Allen, courtney@steamboatchamber.com.

It’s finally here! Just one more day until Steamboat Mountain is finally open for the season! 

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO, November 24, 2009-The Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation kicks off the 2009/2010 season tomorrow, Wednesday, November 25, 2009 with Scholarship Day, offering specially priced $20 lift tickets. Scholarship Day is the traditional opening day benefit for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s (SSWSC) Scholarship Fund.

“The start of the season is always a special time in a resort community such as Steamboat and a great reason to celebrate the opportunities and possibilities of the coming winter,” said Chris Diamond, president and chief operating officer of the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation.  “With multi-million dollar improvements to the snowmaking system over the past three years, we’re seeing the results firsthand and the benefit this new technology provides the resort in terms of getting of to a great start to the season.”

Specially-priced $20 lift tickets will be offered ONLY on Wednesday, November 25, 2009. No season passes or value passes will be valid that day. Scholarship Day tickets may be purchased at the Main Ticket Office, open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are available in advance. See you out there!

http://www.steamboat.com/

Although Thanksgiving is still ahead of us, the holiday season is just around the corner. For many of us it is a good time to start thinking about gifts. This year why not shake things up a bit and make gifts of your own? The Potter’s Wheel of Steamboat Springs is a great place to do just that. You can choose from a large variety of ceramic pieces to paint: plates, bowls and vases, to picture frames, figurines, and decorative abstracts. Next tap into your creative spirit by selecting a trace design or free handing one of your own. As for color you can choose from nearly every color in a crayon box. The possibilities are seemingly endless! 

A couple of weeks ago the Chamber took a staff field trip to the shop. Each of us made something different the reflected our individuality. Some chose to make travel coffee mugs, other made serving platters, spoon rests and decorative coasters. It was so much fun! I think the best part was going back later in the week to pick up our finished items as each item must first be fired in the kiln. Firing brings all the color to the surface of the piece and seals it so it is ready for use. It was like Christmas as each of us carefully unwrapped our items, secretly hoping we chose the right colors and that they didn’t smear or look different than we had imagined. Much to our glee, all of our pieces were a roaring success and yielded huge smiles all around. I had such a good time that day that I am taking my mom this week to create custom “wedding plates” for two of my cousins upcoming nuptials. A perfect keepsake for years to come!

Guest Blogger: Paulette Thomas, Steamboat Resident & Chamber Staff Member

Ever since I moved to Steamboat last month I feel empowered to do it all. No longer am I restricted by traffic jams and crowded mall parking-lots. In Steamboat I can leave work, go to the gym, order and pickup take-out, grab a bottle of wine, fill up the tank (twice a month) and make it home in the same amount of time that it took me to drive straight home from work in Denver. What a dream come true. On that note I’m off to the gym.

Some of my favorite go-to spots are:

Fusion Fit
Drunken Onion
Soda Creek Pizza
Central Park Liquors

Visit our Chamber Member Business Directory for more convenient locations about town.

If you would like to become as guest blogger and share your own unique experiences about visiting or living in Steamboat Springs, contact Courtney Allen, courtney@steamboatchamber.com.

Have you ever wanted to learn how to dance? Or did you dance in your past and want to start up again remembering how fun it was?  Well you are in luck, because Steamboat’s Northwest Ballet Studio offers a variety of classes for adults from hip hop, modern, ballroom, belly dancing, Zumba, and hoop dancing. They also offer series workshops for beginning salsa, hip hop, country swing and the lindy hop.

One of our staff members loves going to Zumba, a dance-based exercise class with a Latin flair. In addition to weekly classes at the studio, belly dancing was also a popular workshop offered in this past summers All Arts Festival. If you are visiting for the weekend drop in to one of the Friday evening classes with a friend or try out Hip Hop/Yoga on Saturday mornings at 9 A.M. It’s never too late to stretch your limbs and express yourself.

Check out more fun activities to do in Steamboat at steamboatchamber.com.

Check out the Alpenglow on Mt. Werner! It’s time to get ready for ski season.

Saturday night was full of great ways to have fun and make a difference. HBA Steamboat joined together with Toys for Tots for Beer, BBQ and Bowling at Snowbowl bowling lanes. The $25 entry fee and generous donations of toys by attendees help to fill boxes of toys for kids in need throughout Routt and Grand counties. The night also included a chance to win one of the numerous raffle prizes. An autographed baseball signed by Colorado Rockies player, Troy Tulowitski, and a two night, three day stay in Las Vegas topped the list! My roommates, who made up one of the teams for the event, had a fantastic time and thought it was a great way to support an important cause for the holiday season.

On the other side of town Token Threads, Waterside Day Spa & Salon and bistro c.v. teamed up for the second annual Fashion for a Cause. Drinks were flowing and good conversation was abundant among guests, many of whom took the opportunity to “dress to the nines” for this hip evening. I definitely had fun stepping out in a dress and high heels, something ladies don’t often get the opportunity to do here in Steamboat. Locals modeled clothes from Token Threads and BAP. All proceeds from the $10 door cost and donation jars around the restaurant went to the Boys & Girls Club of Steamboat Springs.

To check out more events around town visit our calendar.

If you would like to become as guest blogger and share your own unique experiences about visiting or living in Steamboat Springs, contact Courtney Allen, courtney@steamboatchamber.com.