Snowy Scenes from Steamboat

Steamboat Springs has had an incredible past couple weeks.  Over 50 inches of pure fluff fell from the sky, making Steamboat the place to be to ski and ride in Colorado.  Prior to these storms, Steamboat had received almost no snow through all of January.

Terrain in Steamboat’s backcountry.

Here’s a little edit I made with some GoPro footage over the month of January.  I decided to make a quick edit, so there are plenty of interesting GoPro sounds for you to hear.  If you’re familiar with Steamboat, you’ll recognize some classic runs like East Face and the trees off of Vagabond.

January in the ‘Boat from Dustin Eldridge on Vimeo.

Here’s to more snow in February!

Snow in Steamboat!

The snow gods have blessed Steamboat.  Consecutive storms started last week and have dropped decent accumulations every other day.  The last storm settled in all day Monday and put down 8 inches in 24 hours at the ski area.  Only a few hours ago did the clouds finally dissipate.  Another storm is on the horizon for the weekend, another Sunday/Monday, and more possibilities after that!  The rest of December is looking snowy for Colorado.  Steamboat is not quite open top-to-bottom yet, but the last lift, Storm Peak Express, should be opening any day now.  The snow not only means accumulations but chances for the snow-making crews to get a lot done.  Chair and trail openings will be abundant over the next few weeks.

CMC Skiing and Riding

Now the only unfortunate thing is that the snow and finals came in the same week.  I have been enduring long days between the mountain and the classroom.  But this is why I moved to Steamboat, the best place to be ride and go to school.  Pow laps in the morning, classroom discussions in the afternoon.  CMC’s proximity to the resort isn’t the only reason its great.

Next Semester and Graduation

I don’t know about all college students, but I’m so excited for next semester.  I’ll be taking some amazing classes while also graduating with an Associates and Snowboard Guide Certification!  Not only that, but I will be taking some incredible trips that I’ll get to share with all of you.  From Beginning Ice Climbing to River Kayaking, and Environmental Sociology to Leadership Development, my semester will be filled with outdoor adventures and intriguing classes.  Stay tuned for updates about these classes and more!

Think Wolf Creek is the Snowiest Spot in Colorado? Think again…

Now I’m sorry I have no pictures of the snow for you, but instead I’ll give you some weather forecasting models to fool around with.  These things can be addicting once you learn a little about them, and you’ll know all about the upcoming weather.  The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) has some awesome forecast models on their website, and Unofficial Networks has a page full of every sort of weather map you could imagine.  A little curiosity can go a long way, and its possible to learn so many incredible things about mountain weather, and how great Steamboat has it.  To finish, I’ll leave you with this study done by CSU about the snowiest mountain ranges in Colorado.  I was surprised to find that it was not the San Juans, where Wolf Creek is located, but the Park Range, where Steamboat is located.  Check it out in the  links below!

• CAIC Snowfall Model Forecast
• Unofficial Networks Weather
• CSU Snowfall Study

Opening Weekend at Keystone

This past weekend I was able to spend a couple days riding at Keystone Resort, about 1.5 hours south of Steamboat.  Steamboat’s perch atop northern Colorado gives the adventurous skier/rider a good base camp to go explore Colorado’s other mountains.  And with Steamboat’s opening date set to Nov. 21st, there is still plenty of time to get the legs in shape before opening day. 

Some of Keystone’s early season terrain park.

Early season snowfall last week on Cameron Pass.

Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Copper, and Keystone were all open this past weekend.  From now on, the next weeks of the season will see the opening of most of Colorado’s resorts from Aspen to Silverton.  Colorado hasn’t seen much natural snowfall yet, which means that groomers and terrain park are the name of the ski-game for now.  Be careful trying to venture into the trees and near the sides of runs, you might just happen across a season-ending surprise.   

As always, Keystone set up an incredible opening day terrain park, quite possibly the best in the world at the time.  The park had 25 features and some incredibly unique features to boot.  Keystone used the 3-person Ranger chair to cater to the park crowd, while there were three other chairs and four runs for those outside the park.  As expected of opening weekend, conditions were a little icy and crowded, but the pure joy of standing strapped in on some snow overcame any feelings of jealousy or anger. 

It’s early in the season, so get out there, make some turns, and stay healthy for the long winter ahead.  Breckenridge opens next week, and Steamboat shortly after that.  Soon we will be able to venture to the trees, and out of bounds, but be patient, you wouldn’t want to end your season early.

Last Year’s Spring Photoshoot with the CMC Photography Class

Last year, I was invited to help one of the CMC Photography classes with a ski/snowboard photoshoot on the mountain.  Looking back at the photos has got me excited about the upcoming winter season.  Even though last year wasn’t the greatest snow year Steamboat has had, it was still an amazing year full of slush, sun, and good times.  Here’s to the upcoming winter, and lots of snow!

Gettin corked. Photo: Michael Burns

FS 3 on the Mavericks Jump Line. Photo: Michael Burns

Mini-Stale fish. Photo: Kieren Horan

Some may call this the intangible beauties of mountain living. Photo: Kieran Horan

Another view. Photo: Michael Martin

Method in North St. Pat’s. Photo: Michael Martin

Thanks to Michael Burns, Kieren Horan, and Mike Martin for the photos!

Hello All

Welcome to my new blog! My name is Dustin Eldridge and I’m a freshman at Colorado Mountain College’s Steamboat Springs campus.  It’s my second semester here and it’s great to be in the swing of things.  I live in the dorms which are perched atop a hill sitting over the Yampa Valley.  The campus has one of, if not the best, views of the entire valley, including the resort.  I love to snowboard and that is a huge part of the reason I moved to Steamboat.  At Colorado Mountain College, I have an amazing mountain ten minutes from my door, and when I get back, I get to go to classes that deal with the things I love.  I’m working towards an Associates of Arts as well as a Snowboard Guide Certification.  I also enjoy many types of music, politics, psychology, and much more.  I will tell you it’s awesome to get college credit while snowboarding, but CMC also offers a huge array of other classes suited for almost every interest.  If you love anything outdoors, Colorado Mountain College is the place for you. Get ready for some awesome posts over the next week; you’ll learn all about my four day outing into the winter backcountry for my  Snow Orientation course, next week is time for some Avalanche Safety training, and after that were heading to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with the CMC Backcountry Club.  Should be a great couple weeks. I hope you join me for the ride! I’ll leave you with a video of mine from riding Steamboat this past January.  You may need to see the ski movie G.N.A.R. to understand some of the humor.  Although it hasn’t been the best winter in Steamboat, it still has been a fun one!  Unfortunately, I have to buy an upgrade to post videos on here, but I will post the link instead. Cheers!   http://vimeo.com/36461637