STEAMBOAT DOUBLES TERRAIN TO NEARLY 2,000 ACRES
Friday, December 12, 2008
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO-December 12, 2008-Steamboat will double the amount of terrain to nearly 2,000 acres, almost 65% of the mountain providing access to 3,668 vertical feet of skiing and riding, tomorrow, Saturday, December 13th as the resort opens the popular Sunshine and Priest Creek areas.
“Mountain crews have been taking full advantage of the cold nighttime temperatures and this week had an extra boost with around-the-clock temperature cycles as well as a little bit of natural snowfall,” says Doug Allen, vice president-mountain operations of the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation. “The mountain is in fantastic early season shape and we will continue to work to open more terrain and provide the best skiing and riding experience to snow enthusiasts as the resort heads for the holidays.”
Tomorrow, the resort expects 104 trails offering 1,896 acres of terrain with 9 of 18 lifts spinning for skiers and boarders. The majority of new terrain opening is in the Sunshine and Priest Creek areas including Tomahawk, Flintlock, Quickdraw, Rendezvous Way, Sunshine Liftline, Rolex, Westside, Broadway, Daybreak and more. In addition, East Face, North St. Pats and Last Chance will open on the north side of the Ski Area on Saturday. However, Moonlight, Lights Out, lower Shadows and lower Priest Creek, Sundown Express liftlines as well as Christmas Tree Bowl and the Chutes will remain closed. The hugely popular mini-terrain park on Lil’ Rodeo will continue to feature rails for those looking for a park play.
In addition to the 5 chairlifts already operating, South Peak, Sundown Express, Elkhead and Sunshine Express will begin spinning on Saturday. Rendezvous Food Court will also open this weekend, serving up hot meals to skiers and riders in the Rendezvous Saddle area. Thunderhead Food Court, Stoker, Four Points Hut, Bear River Bar & Grill and Gondola Joe’s are currently open and providing all the nourishment powderhounds crave.
Snowmaking crews have fired up the machine-made flakes on lower Vagabond, Mavericks Superpipe, Drop Out and continue to work other key areas across the resort. Currently, Steamboat is reporting a 26-inch mid-mountain base and 36-inch summit base on packed powder conditions. With over 3 feet of snow since the resort opened Nov. 26th, there are still plenty of powder stashes and prime early season conditions to be found on the hill. Forecasts are calling for a strong system to track through the area this weekend and into early next week, bringing with it the potential for significant snowfalls and continued prime snowmaking temperatures.
“As cold temperatures play in our favor along with more snow from Mother Nature, we are working towards a December 20th opening for Morningside chairlift and a December 27th opening for Pony Express,” says Allen. “As soon as we’re able to make snow on the crux area of the lower portion of the Pony Express lift, we’ll open Pioneer Ridge as hike-to terrain.”
At this time the only backcountry access currently available from the ski area is from the access point near the microwave towers atop Mt. Werner. State law prohibits an individual to cross any rope on the Steamboat Ski Area, a $1,000 fine. Hiking up the mountain outside of open areas is prohibited. The US Forest Service and Routt County Sheriff’s office support the ski area’s enforcement of trail closures as provided under the Skier Safety Act.
“It’s important for guests to remember that even with the superb early season conditions Steamboat has, it’s still early in the season, hazards exist and portions of the ski area are still closed,” says John Kohnke, patrol director. “Unfortunately, the resort has already suspended 126 days of skiing and riding for closure violations. It’s your responsibility to understand which trails are closed and remember, a closure could be as simple as one closed sign at the top of that trail.”
