Steamboat Today: Photos for December 31, 2006

This 45-pound boa constrictor is just one of many exotic fish and reptiles Gavin Graham houses at his Tropical Rockies store in Steamboat.

Published on December 31, 2006

This 45-pound boa constrictor is just one of many exotic fish and reptiles Gavin Graham houses at his Tropical Rockies store in Steamboat.

Published on December 31, 2006

Gavin Graham stands in front of his 210-gallon fish tank in the relaxation reef room at Tropical Rockies in Steamboat Springs. The tank is home to a self-sustaining coral reef ecosystem.

Published on December 31, 2006

Winter triathlons consist of run, bike and ski race sections with the bike race taking place on groomed Nordic trails with participants on mountain bikes, often modified with wider tires and increased fork clearance. This picture was taken at the 2006 World Winter Triathlon Championships in Sjusjoen, Norway.

Published on December 31, 2006

Competitors get a running start at the 2006 World Winter Triathlon Championships in Sjusjoen, Norway. The U.S. Winter Triathlon National Championship will be held Feb. 4 near Winter Park to determine the qualifiers for this year's worlds in Italy.

Published on December 31, 2006

Sarah MacCarthy goes for a mid-day skate-ski at the Steamboat Ski Touring Center last week. Steamboat's top multi-sport athletes agree that skate skiing provides the best winter cross-training option for their races.

Published on December 31, 2006

Steamboat Springs basketball players Michael Vandahl, seated, and Tanner Stillwell have overcome knee injuries to restore the winning chemistry the Sailors found during their summer offseason. Now at full stregth, the team is ready to get back on the court against Western Slope League opponents this week.

Published on December 31, 2006

David Manthei

Published on December 31, 2006

Canadian Alpine snowboard team rider Matt Morrison cruises to a third-place parallel slalom finish at the first Race to the Cup event Nov. 20 to 21 at Copper Mountain. Morrison will race among a competitive international field of Olympians and World Cup veterans at the second Race to the Cup event Friday and Saturday at Howelsen Hill.

Published on December 31, 2006

U.S. Snowboard Team member and Steamboat resident Erica Mueller was the top American finisher (sixth overall) at the Race to the Cup parallel slalom event Nov. 21 at Copper Mountain. The second Race to the Cup event, which is a U.S. qualifier for the World Snowboard Championships, will be held at Howelsen Hill on Friday and Saturday.

Published on December 31, 2006

Steamboat's Vic Wild races in the parallel giant slalom event at the first Race to the Cup event Nov. 20 and 21 at Copper Mountain. Wild was disqualified but went on to take ninth in the parallel slalom the next day. He will have his chance to qualify for the World Snowboarding Championships at the second Race to the Cup event Friday and Saturday at Howelsen Hill.

Published on December 31, 2006

Kris Wahlers, senior ranger at Stagecoach State Park, drags a flat rubber mat behind a snowmobile to groom the new cross-country ski trails at Stagecoach Reservoir.

Published on December 31, 2006

24-year-old Kona Ward credits Colorado Mountain College's Alpine Campus hotel and resort management program for his immediate success in the real world. CMC officials are discussing a program partnership with the University of Delaware.

Published on December 31, 2006

Outgoing Routt County Sheriff John Warner, behind desk, visits with sheriff-elect Gary Wall on Friday. Wall takes office Jan. 9 and has yet to name an undersheriff.

Published on December 31, 2006

Developer Jim Cook has a clear vision for the future of downtown Steamboat Springs. He hopes his high-end developments will spark new life in the downtown corridor without erasing the history of the community.

Published on December 31, 2006

This new home in Silver Spur Estates includes 4,500 square feet of living space and is listed for $795,000. The first lot in the subdivision sold for $65,000 in the 1990s. In 2006, a lot sold for $275,000, pushing the price of custom homes above $700,000.

Published on December 31, 2006

Mazzola's owner Rex Brice, left, and Holiday Inn owner Scott Marr partnered to open Rex's American Grill & Bar. The restaurant has already become a locals' favorite, and Marr and Brice say they have been surprised by the response since the restaurant opened Dec. 1.

Published on December 31, 2006

This 3,000-square-foot home in Silver Spur is listed for $779,000 by Joy Rasmussen of Colorado Group Realty.

Published on December 31, 2006

Mazzola's owner Rex Brice, left, and Holiday Inn owner Scott Marr partnered to open Rex's American Grill and Bar. The restaurant has already become a locals' favorite, and Marr and Brice say they have been surprised by the response since the restaurant opened Dec. 1.

Published on December 31, 2006

Developer Jim Cook sits in front of a model of Riverwalk. The downtown project is one of several that will drastically change the look of downtown Steamboat Springs.

Published on December 31, 2006