"Do you hear that sound?" asked my host Ray Heid, sun-wrinkled and dressed in his signature cowboy hat and homemade moosehide duster, as he turned and looked up at a plane flying through the brilliant blue haze above. "That's the sound of money coming into Steamboat."
We were on horseback and I followed gingerly in Ray's hoof prints as we strolled through the snowy wilderness 20 miles from the town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Ray was born here in 1937 and has been riding horses and skiing since he was four. Now 86, he has seen firsthand how Steamboat has changed from a small frontier town to a big-dollar ski area that - thanks to a recent $200 million investment by owner Alterra Mountain Company - is now the second largest in the state, after Vaal.
I had arrived in Steamboat a few days earlier, but this was not my first visit. I skied here in the early 1980s when my parents, who were stationed in Texas for work, took the family skiing to Colorado. After checking off some of the state's larger resorts, they fell for Steamboat's small-town charm, family-friendly skiing and affordability. When I returned some forty years later, I was curious to see if the multi-million dollar investments had dampened the city's gritty Western atmosphere.
Steamboat is located deep in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Colorado, about 70 miles north of the I-70 highway that connects Denver to the state's busiest slopes. It wasn't always a ski resort. It was settled by farmers in the late 19th century and was named Steamboat, after the "chug chug" sounds of the nearby hot springs.
From the beginning, locals navigated the snow-covered plains on homemade wooden skis, but it was the arrival of Norwegian Carl Howelsen in 1913 who showed them how much fun snow could be. Howelsen built a ski jump, launched a winter carnival and founded what is today known as the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (SSWSC), a training facility that has coached 100 Olympians, more than any other city in North America.
The story continues
One of the first was Ray, who grew up on Howelsen Hill with his cousin, three-time United States Olympic team member Buddy Werner. Steamboat's Mount Werner was named in the skier's honor after he tragically died in an avalanche in 1964. Today, Howelsen Hill is reserved for the SSWSC, and young Olympic hopefuls click on their skis as soon as school lets out.
Those past their Olympic prime, me included, take their skis to the newly redesigned Steamboat Square, part of the recent capital project that has transformed the base area into a wide-open space with new restaurants, shops and après options.
Crucially, this season also features the 10-person Wild Blue gondola, which takes skiers to Sunshine Peak at 3,221 meters (Steamboat itself is at 2,103 metres). It pauses halfway through to dump beginners at the swanky new Greenhorn Ranch Learning Center. The summit is the starting point for adventures among the resort's six peaks and 100 miles of trails, including the newly opened Mahogany Ridge and Fish Creek Canyon. Until this season, this area of expertly smooth terrain was only available to backcountry skiers willing to hike.
But before tackling the new slopes, my guide, Kari Rillos, wanted to show me what locals call the sunny side of the mountain. We started along Tomahawk, a gentle, wide winding run with perfectly groomed snow and cinematic views of the snow-covered plains of the Yampa Valley. In the distance stood Elk Mountain, known locally as the Sleeping Giant. We then tackled Quickdraw and High Noon, whose names reflected the town's ranch roots, before diving into the trees.
Runs that might be labeled off-piste in Europe are proudly highlighted on the ski map in Steamboat: skiable glades everywhere are dotted with perfectly positioned aspen and pine trees. We started with the family-friendly Sunshine Olympian Trail, where panels are scattered among the trees for the city's athletes. Shadows was more challenging, but Twilight was my favorite. The sun streamed through the tree branches and the snow was soft and light beneath as we made our way over bumps and among the frost-covered aspens. It was the perfect run - and considerably more successful than the last time I tried to ski among the resort's famous trees at the age of nine.
"That's what Steamboat is known for, our smooth skiing," Kari said. "That and our snow."
Steamboat's trademark Champagne Powder is legendary, so light, fluffy and dry you'd float through it. My trip coincided with a series of bluebird days, so I didn't experience any sugary powder, but regardless, the snow was divine: fresh dust between the trees, corduroy tracks on groomed slopes, and a ton of soft stuff on the more challenging descents .
On my second day we headed to Mahogany Ridge and tackled Edge of the World, the only run on the newly opened property that is groomed. It's a beautiful, long, expansive run where you can dip in and out of the trees along the way.
"Steamboat has always been known as a soft mountain," says Olympic grand skier Nelson Carmichael, who moved to Steamboat at age 12. "This new expansion gives skiers the opportunity to try something more challenging."
However, access to Steamboat's wonderfully diverse terrain comes at a price, especially if you don't purchase the season-long, multi-resort Ikon Pass. While it is a given that lift prices are more expensive now than they were forty years ago, it is not unusual for daily rates to be well over $200; one woman I spoke to on a chairlift admitted she paid $280 for the day.
I spent my last afternoon walking along Lincoln Avenue, Steamboat's main thoroughfare lined with historic low-rise buildings. Instead of the high-end designer stores that populate so many ski towns, I found local artisans, artists, and family-owned stores; FM Light and Sons has been producing Stetson hats and cowboy boots since 1905.
"That's the fun of Steamboat," said Caroline Lalive, another Steamboat Olympian. "It has the best sense of community, it's not just a ski town."
So far, at least, it appears that Colorado's now second-largest ski area hasn't lost sight of its pioneering roots. Let's hope that doesn't change.
Essentials
United Airlines flies from London to Denver from £536 return. Flights from Denver to Yampa Valley Regional Airport from £114 return. Winter rates at The Steamboat Grand start from $439 (£346) (001 877 306 2628; steamboatgrand.com). Steamboat Springs is a member of the Ikon Pass.
Katja Gaskell was a guest at Colorado Skiland USA, United Airlines And Steamboat Springs Resort.
