Steamboat Resort is a major ski area in northwestern Colorado, operated by the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation in Steamboat Springs. It is located on Mount Werner, a mountain in the Park Range in the Routt National Forest. The ski area first opened on January 12, 1963.
The ski area has 165 named trails spread over 2,965 acres (12.00 km2). Fourteen percent are classified as beginner level, forty-two percent as intermediate, and forty-four percent as advanced. It also contains the Mavericks Superpipe snowboard/skiing superpipe one of the premier pipes in North America. Limited night skiing began with the 2013–14 season.
Steamboat Resort is owned by Intrawest, a Canadian resort management company. Steamboat is one of the 7 resorts owned by Intrawest. Prior to Intrawest's ownership, Steamboat was owned by the American Skiing Company. Intrawest purchased the resort at the end of the 2006–07 season.
2015 / 2016 Ski Season Dates: November 27, 2015 - April 10, 2016
2014 / 2015 Ski Season Dates: November 26, 2014 – April 12, 2015
2013 / 2014 Ski Season Dates: November 27, 2013 – April 16, 2014
2012 / 2013 Ski Season Dates: November 21, 2012 – April 14, 2013
2011 / 2012 Ski Season Dates: November 23, 2011 – April 15, 2012
2010 / 2011 Ski Season Dates: November 24, 2010 – April 10, 2011
2009 / 2010 Ski Season Dates: November 25, 2009 – April 11, 2010
2008 / 2009 Ski Season Dates: November 26, 2008 – April 12, 2009
2007 / 2008 Ski Season Dates: November 30, 2007 – April 6, 2008
Base: 6,900 feet (2,100 m)
Summit: 10,568 feet (3,221 m)
Vertical Rise: 3,668 feet (1,118 m)
Area: 2,965 acres (12.00 km2; 4.633 sq mi)
Trails: 165 total (14% beginner, 42% intermediate, 44% advanced)
Longest Run: "Why Not" ~ 3 miles (4.8 km)
Terrain Parks: 6 (including Mavericks Superpipe)
Average Annual Snowfall: 400 inches (1,000 cm)
The three lower mountain lifts (the gondola, Thunderhead Express, and Christie Peak Express) service most of the green runs, which include the long Why Not trail from Thunderhead. Blue trails can be found mostly off of these same lifts, plus the two high speed quads on Sunshine Peak, although more funnel to the Sunshine Express lift. A couple of blue runs can also be found from the Four Points, BAR-UE, and Storm Peak Express lifts, as are a few in Morningside Park.
The blue black runs are scattered about the mountain, but most of them are located off the Pony Express lift in Pioneer Ridge. Black runs can be found off of all five high speed quads, but in the highest concentration on north Sunshine Peak, most of Storm Peak, Pioneer Ridge, and Morningside Park. The sole double black runs of the area make up the extreme terrain on Mount Werner.
North: 20%
South: 23%
West: 55%
East: 2%
23 total
1 Gondola (formerly known as the Silver Bullet)
8-Passenger Gondola (2,200 ft. vertical rise, 9:00 ride time, Doppelmayr, installed 1986. First 8 passenger gondola in the world.)
1 high speed six pack
Christie Peak Express (1,103 ft. vertical rise, 4:45 ride time, Leitner-Poma, installed 2007)
6 high speed quads
Storm Peak Express (2,160 ft. vertical rise, 7:00 ride time, Doppelmayr, installed 1992)
Sundown Express (1,936 ft. vertical rise, 5:30 ride time, Doppelmayr, installed 1992)
Thunderhead Express (1,638 ft. vertical rise, 5:30 ride time, Doppelmayr, installed 1997)
Pony Express (1,657 ft. vertical rise, 5:20 ride time, Garaventa CTEC, installed 1998)
Sunshine Express (1,300 ft. vertical rise, 5:30 ride time, Poma, installed 2006, originally Tombstone Express at Canyons Resort installed in 1997.)
Elkhead Express (710 ft. vertical rise, 2:30 ride time, Doppelmayr, installed 2016)
6 triple chairlifts
Christie III (1,030 ft. vertical rise, 7:30 ride time, Lift Engineering (YAN), installed 1979, (used primarily on high demand days as an auxiliary lift to the Christie Peak Express. Chairs were upgraded to Doppelmayr EJs.)
Preview (vertical rise NA, ride time NA, Lift Engineering (YAN), installed 2007, originally Southface(YAN) installed new in 1979)
Four Points (1,366 ft. vertical rise, 7:30 ride time, Lift Engineering (YAN), installed 1983, shortened 1992. In 2013, the lift received new Doppelmayr EJs.)
South Peak (340 ft. vertical rise, 4:00 ride time, Lift Engineering (YAN), installed 1984. Chairs were upgraded to Doppelmayr EJs.)
Morningside (542 ft. vertical rise, 6:00 ride time, Garaventa-CTEC, installed 1996)
Burgess Creek (950 ft. vertical rise, 7:30 ride time, Leitner-Poma, installed 2007)
3 double chairlifts
Priest Creek (1,930 ft. vertical rise, 10:30 ride time, Heron-Poma, installed 1972, used primarily on high demand days as an auxiliary lift to the Sundown Express)
Bashor (315 ft. vertical rise, 3:00 ride time, Lift Engineering (YAN), installed 1974)
Bar-UE (1,380 ft. vertical rise, 9:00 ride time, Lift Engineering (YAN), installed 1977)
6 Surface
Rough Rider (Surface Platter Tow) (140 ft. vertical rise, 3:00 ride time, Doppelmayr, installed 1989)
Wrangler (Magic Carpet)
Desperado (Magic Carpet)
Easy Rider (Magic Carpet)
Sundance (Magic Carpet)
Buckaroo (Magic Carpet)
According to steamboat.com, plans are in the works to place a high speed six-pack along the Thunderhead lift line.
Debbie Armstrong (born 1963), alpine skier and Olympic gold medalist; lives in Steamboat Springs
Nelson Carmichael (born 1965), mogul skier and Olympic bronze medalist; born in Steamboat Springs
Shannon Dunn-Downing (born 1972), freestyle snowboarder, Olympic bronze medalist and 4-time Winter X-Games medalist; raised in Steamboat Springs
Taylor Fletcher (born 1990), Nordic combined skier; competed in his first Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010
Arielle Gold (born 1996), snowboarder; Junior World Champion and World Champion, Olympian
Taylor Gold (born 1993), snowboarder; Olympian
Billy Kidd (born 1943), alpine skier and Olympic silver medalist; moved to Steamboat Springs in 1970 and serves as the Director of Skiing for the Steamboat Ski Resort
Caroline Lalive (born 1979), alpine skier and two-time Olympian; attended the Lowell Whiteman School and lives in Steamboat Springs
Todd Lodwick (born 1976), Nordic combined skier, Olympic silver medalist and a two-time World champion; born in Steamboat Springs
Travis Mayer (born 1982), freestyle skier and Olympic silver medalist; moved to Steamboat Springs to attend the Lowell Whiteman School
Ryan Max Riley (born 1979), freestyle skier and humorist; attended the Lowell Whiteman School in Steamboat
Johnny Spillane (born 1980), Nordic combined skier, three-time Olympic silver medalist and a World champion; born in Steamboat Springs
Alvin P. Wegeman (born 1927), Nordic combined skier; helped to develop the Steamboat Springs area for skiing
Buddy Werner (1936–1964), Olympic alpine skier who had Mount Werner named in his honor in 1965, following his death in an avalanche; born and raised in Steamboat Springs
Gordon Wren (1919–1999), ski jumper; last lived and died in Steamboat Springs
