Top to Bottom
Calm, mellow and peaceful vibes flitted and floated around Steamboat Resort Wednesday morning, and it really was quite nice.
A thinner layer of corduroy blanketed most of the groomed slopes, with the occasional firm patches mixed in. Most of the snow had a nice grip to it with temperatures in the mid to upper 20’s (warmer than we’ve been seeing). As long as you skied with the knowledge that the occasional firm patches did exist, and were prepared to keep your balance and let your skis glide with the slide, then you would have found the slopes smooth and enjoyable.
Despite the clouds on Wednesday morning, the sun was peeking through just enough to give you the depth perception you needed. Low-light goggle lenses were a good choice today, and gave me the added ability to differentiate the changing degrees in slope.
Steamboat Resort currently has 2,800 acres open spread across 163 slopes. Today I chose to take a top to bottom run, hitting portions of 12 of those different slopes along the way. From the top of Storm I skied Storm Peak South to Sunset before utilizing Duster to Park Lane to Why Not to get across the mountain and over to Vagabond.
After a quick stop at the bare-boned, pandemic-friendly teepee to read the new informational moose sign (check it out sometime to learn some very cool moose facts), I skied across to Betwixt, Lower Concentration and Between before dipping into Rough Rider Basin.
Rough Rider Basin always brings a smile to my face with the fun little houses and teepees you can ski through, and even when I don’t have my kids with me, you can still find me dashing through the sheriff’s office, speeding through the jail and taking it easy in the saloon (although I don’t actually recommend skiing too fast through these houses; take it easy and have fun in them).
From Rough Rider Basin, I always love my turns on Swinger where I can practice some technique and form without anyone around. Swinger leads you down to Right-O-Way, which takes you to the base. Even though I touched only portions of some of those 12 slopes, doing a top to bottom run really makes you feel those 2,800 acres underneath your skis or snowboard.
Just as the sign says when you drive up to Steamboat Resort, “think snow” (yes, please do your best snow dance, there is some snow in the forecast) and remember that masks are required, and expected to be worn properly.
Ski and ride with care and have a great day on the mountain!
Happy Wednesday!
Erin Campbell, Alpine Skier & Snowboarder
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