Archive for Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Photo by John F. Russell
Steamboat Ski Area employees, from left, Todd Sepella, Andy Wick and Craig Olsheim discuss items Monday that need to be completed before the resort’s opening. Employees of Steamboat Ski Area already have been allowed to start training on the slopes, but the public can ski starting today, which is Scholarship Day for Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
Ski patrollers suit up for Scholarship Day
Group has new recruits, new gear for the season that starts today
Advertisement
Photo Gallery
Steamboat Ski Area opening
Scholarship Day openings
The resort will provide skiing and riding on 12 trails for Scholarship Day: Beeline, Big Foot, Boulevard, Preview, Right-O-Way, Stampede, Yoo Hoo, Jess’ Cut-Off, Sitz, Vogue, See Me and Lil’ Rodeo. Ten to 12 rails and features are expected to be available in Lil’ Rodeo terrain park. The Christie Peak Express and Preview lifts will operate on Scholarship Day.
Lift tickets are $20 and benefit the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. The mountain will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Ski Corp. spokesman Mike Lane said workers also are preparing to open the gondola and Burgess Creek lift Friday, which would make Heavenly Daze, Ego, Rudi’s Run and Lightning trails available.
The lift and run availability will depend on weather conditions.
Source: Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.
Steamboat Springs — Ready for the first day of the season, Steamboat Ski Area ski patrollers will be on the slopes keeping people safe and on the designated runs.
Ski Patrol Director John Kohnke said three new patrollers will join the staff of nearly 100 for this ski season as they start patrolling on Scholarship Day today.
The ski patrollers also will have a new order of gondola bikes. The pedal-less bicycle-like contraptions are connected by a pulley to the gondola ropes and are designed to be used in emergency evacuations of the gondola.
Ski area spokesman Mike Lane said these units are special because they are made in Steamboat Springs by Kent Eriksen Cycles to replace the originals, also made by Eriksen, when the gondola was installed.
Chad Eskins, sales representative and bicycle maker at the company, said the originals were made out of steel and weighed 20 to 25 pounds. The new batch of 16 ordered by Steamboat will be made out of titanium and will weigh about 14 pounds.
During Scholarship Day, 12 trails served by the Preview and Christie Peak lifts will be open. Thanks to nearly a foot of snow in the past three days, the gondola and Burgess Creek lift likely will open Friday, Lane wrote in a news release.
That would open up the Heavenly Daze, Ego, Rudi’s Run and Lightning trails.
Although today’s Scholarship Day is a special event — no season passes are accepted, and proceeds benefit the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club — the ski patrollers will be keeping skiers and riders on the trails and revoking season passes of skiers who duck onto unopened terrain.
“Everyone needs to ski and ride with care, within their ability levels, and remember, unmarked obstacles and other natural terrain features may be encountered at any time,” Kohnke said in a news release. “Skiers and riders should keep in mind that even though (today) is Scholarship Day and their season pass is not valid, if they are caught on a closed trail or skiing/riding in an unsafe manner, we will pull their season pass.”
Scholarship Day passes are $20, and the slopes will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There will be drink specials at the base area and a concert by Worried Men from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Bear River Bar & Grill.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Post a comment (Requires free registration)
Posting comments requires a free account and verification.