Summer in Steamboat is fleeting, but after the first snowfall of the season, everyone starts counting down to opening day. We got our first snowfall on the last day of September when the mountain was bright with the orange and gold colors of fall. It was one of the prettiest falls I can remember in my nearly 10 years in Steamboat, with stunning colors, the excitement of the season’s first snowflakes and warm, sunny days deep into October.

When you live in a ski town, you have to love snow. There were only two months this past year when fresh flakes didn’t fall: July and August. Those who have lived in Steamboat long enough have seen it snow during those summer months, too. (It’s hard to imagine snow on the Fourth of July until you’ve watched fireworks while enjoying a refreshing summer cocktail with mittens on.) After we’d soaked up all the summer sunshine we could find, we fired up the snow guns during the last week of October.

Now, we’re only 21 days from our annual Scholarship Day fundraiser Nov. 26. All lift ticket proceeds that day are donated to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, a program that shares in Steamboat’s strong Olympic heritage. Eighty-eight Olympic athletes have called Steamboat home or trained with the Winter Sports Club, the most of any North American town.

I hope to see you on the slopes this winter. Keep an eye on the Straight Talk blog this season for daily updates on snow conditions and upcoming events. To see more photos of Steamboat, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or go to Steamboat.com for more information.

Nicole Miller, Steamboat Resort social media specialist