At Home Winter 2009-2010 by Steamboat Pilot & Today

Comfort cooking

Winter 2009-10

Residents share their favorite winter recipes

examples of a new luxury standard

Road trip: Vancouver Page 44

INSIDE: Wedding Guide

Who will be Steamboat’s next Olympians? Profiles of 23 athletes with local ties your guide to wedding planning in Steamboat ❙ PAGE 23

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Winter 2009-10 | At Home

4 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

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Winter 2009-10 | At Home

Contents

Inside: A special supplement to At Home

12 Cooking up comfort

Routt County residents share their recipes for warming up the kitchen when the weather gets cold

19 Staying Fit

Continue biking all winter long with spinning classes at Old Town Hot Springs

20 Q & A

Andy Wirth is back, and we couldn’t be happier

44 Road trip to Vancouver

The site of the 2010 Olympics offers plenty of things to do and sites to see

46 Olympic hopefuls

Snaphots of 23 athletes who hope to continue Steamboat’s Olympic tradition

54 On the hunt

Wedding guide Planning a wedding in Steamboat Springs? Find your service providers inside

Nordic champions share their love of the outdoors

59 A new standard of luxury

Steamboat reclaiming its place among contemporary ski villages

62 Great four-way skier

Columnist Tom Ross remembers Gordy Wren, who made the U.S. Olympic team in slalom and ski jumping

Photo by Jackie Owen/Jackie Owen Photography Winter 2009-10 | AT HOME | 23

Wedding Guide, page 23

On the cover: Olympic hopeful Erica Mueller shows her support for the United States. Read her story in “Olympic hopefuls” on page 46. The photo of Mueller above was shot at Howelsen Hill in fall 2009.

8 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

From the Editor Suzanne Schlicht Publisher

Time for the Olympics

imagine that working at a news organization during the Olympics is pretty exciting no matter where you are. But short of being in Vancouver this February, I doubt it could get more exciting than working at a newspaper and magazine in Ski Town USA. Since 1932, Steamboat has produced dozens of Olympic athletes. Not only do we regularly write about those athletes in the pages of the Steamboat Pilot & Today newspaper, but we’ve been fortunate enough to send a writer and photographer to cover the last two games — in Salt Lake City and Turino, Italy. Most news organizations the size of At Home in Steamboat Springs magazine and Steamboat Today wouldn’t be able to send someone to cover the

Olympics. But when you come from the land of Champagne Powder, things are a little different. At Home writer and photographer John F. Russell has been to two Winter Olympics and will head to Vancouver in February to cover his third. More important, John’s daily coverage will provide a window into the experiences and successes of Routt County-based athletes competing on the biggest stage in the world. John has some great stories about his Olympic experiences, a couple of which he shares in his column on page 52 of this issue. We may not be the biggest or most well-known ski town, but the world hears about Steamboat Springs every four years at the Winter Olympics. Steamboat’s exposure will be even brighter this year. The U.S. Olympic Team is holding its aerials and Nordic combined team trials in Steamboat on Dec. 23 and 24. The U.S. Freestyle trials are at Steamboat Ski Area, and the U.S. Nordic combined trials are at Howelsen Hill. The Olympic fates of several athletes will be decided right here on the slopes we ski year after year. Some of the athletes whose Olympic fortunes may be determined in late December are featured in a special section of this issue that starts on page 46. Included in the profiles are Olympic veterans and homegrown talents like Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane. We also include a number of athletes whose chances of a trip to Vancouver are far from certain but who nonetheless are spending countless hours training for the opportunity. One thing’s for sure — Steamboat will be well represented in Vancouver this winter. And during those three weeks, John Russell will be there to capture the moments and send them back to share with the hometown crowd.

Mail your comments, criticisms or ideas to: At Home in Steamboat Springs, Attn: Allison Miriani, P.O. Box 774827, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477. You can also e-mail amiriani@steamboatpilot.com.

Scott Stanford Director of Sales and Marketing Brent Boyer Editor Allison Miriani Editor and Designer Meg Boyer Creative Services Manager Steve Balgenorth Circulation Manager John F. Russell Photographer Writers Zach Fridell, Brandon Gee, Margaret Hair, Tom Ross, Blythe Terrell Advertising Design and Production Suzanne Becker, Kailey Fowler, Meghan Hine, Justin Hirsch, Julie Molema, Fran Reinier, Gayle Yovis Advertising Sales Kerry Crimmins, Karen Gilchrist, Mary Beth Magalis, Deb Proper, Blake Stansbery, Copy editing Laura Mazade, Nicole Miller, Leslie Small, Christopher Woytko At Home in Steamboat Springs is published three times a year, in November,March and July by the Steamboat Pilot & Today. At Home magazines are free. For advertising information, call Scott Stanford at 970-871-4202. To get a copy mailed to your home, call Steve Balgenorth at 970-871-4232. E-mail letters to the editor to bboyer@steamboatpilot.com or amiriani@steamboatpilot.com or call Brent Boyer at 970-871-4221 or Allison Miriani at 970-871-4207.

10 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

| 11

Cooking up

comfort

Routt County residents share their recipes for warming up the kitchen when the weather gets cold

Stories by Brandon Gee ❘ Photos by John F. Russell

Decadent Chocolate Bread Pudding By Bill and Judith Emerson

“There’s something about a richness in food that makes it a comfort food,” Judith Emerson said. If that’s true, Bill and Judith Emerson’s chocolate bread pudding might just rock you to sleep. The warm and gooey pudding is delicious and expertly punctuated with cherries that provide a fruity complement to the rich chocolate. The retired couple made the dish together, working as a team in their customdesigned kitchen just as they do for the

12 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

large private fundraisers they host and the meals they eat together daily. “When we got married, Judith hadn’t cooked much,” Bill Emerson joked. “That just wasn’t acceptable.” Decades later, cooking is a comforting cornerstone of the Emersons’ relationship. “We’re both retired,” Judith Emerson said. “We both have our interests, and they’re not necessarily the same during the day. But we get together for dinner. That’s our time together.” See recipe on page 17.

Bill and Judith Emerson have turned their kitchen into the perfect playground. The retired couple enjoys cooking and hosting dinner parties in their Steamboat Springs home. Now they are sharing the recipe for their delicious chocolate bread pudding. Winter 2009-10 | At Home

| 13

Cooking up

comfort

White Chicken Chili By Meredith Herndon

s a cook at Yampa Valley Medical Center, comfort food is Meredith Herndon’s business. When doctors and nurses come into the eatery in the middle of a rough, stressful day at the hospital, Herndon always tries to send them away happy. The hospital serves 20,000 meals a month, but Herndon doesn’t tire of cooking at home and being creative. “Cooking is my first love,” Herndon said. “When someone gives me a recipe, there’s no way I can cook it as written.” As such, Herndon’s white chicken chili recipe evolves each time she cooks it, and she encourages others to put their own spin on it. “It’s just a different take on chili,” Herndon said. “It warms you up. It’s really satisfying because it’s really rich … and it tastes even better the next day.” See recipe on page 17.

Winter is a season for introspection, creativity, nourishment, and rest… so that we can rebirth ourselves in the Spring. For many of us, it is also a season where we push our bodies and play the hardest.

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Cooking up

comfort

Spinach Quesadilla Wedges By Elaine Dermody

“I

have been eating her cooking for 52 years,” Win Dermody said about his wife, Elaine. “She’s fantastic.” For Elaine Dermody, simplicity equals comfort. Her spinach quesadilla wedges — consisting of crunchy shells, sweet onions, hot pepper jack cheese and flavorful spinach — can be quickly prepared to warm up a cold winter day. “It is a real good comfort food,” Elaine Dermody said. “It has cheese and spinach and things that people like. I haven’t found

anyone who hasn’t liked it.” The spinach quesadilla wedges also can be used for more than just a snack. “This is a really good winter hors d’oeuvre,” Elaine Dermody said. “It’s a hearty appetizer. This is the salad and the bread all in one that you can follow with a really light dinner after that. As long as you have a good dessert, people are happy.” See recipe on page 17.

“It’s a hearty appetizer. This is the salad and the bread all in one that you can follow with a really light dinner.”

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

| 15

Cooking up

comfort

Old-fashioned Pot Roast By Jayne Hill

he most comforting thing about Jayne Hill’s pot roast isn’t the tender beef or the chunky vegetables. “It’s the old pan I cook it in,” Hill said about the kitchenware that has been in her family for at least four generations. “As far as family heirlooms, there’s no arguing over what little jewelry, silver and china we

16 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

have. They argue over who gets the pot roast pan.” Hill said the pan adds to the taste of the dish and recommends that others cook her pot roast recipe in cast iron. Another secret is to cut the potatoes into large pieces. “The reason I cut them big is they cook

the same time as the roast, and if you cut them small, they disintegrate,” Hill said. Hill’s pot roast is the comfort food that just keeps giving. “You can actually turn (leftovers) into a stew or slice it for sandwiches,” Hill said. “It has lots of uses.” See recipe on page 17.

Cooking up

comfort Routt County residents share their recipes White Chicken Chili By Meredith Herndon

3 cups chopped chicken (cooked, light and dark meat) 3 cups Great Northern beans 1 1/2 cups chopped white onions 1 1/2 cups green chilies 1/2 stick butter 1/2 tablespoon black pepper 2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons cumin 6 tablespoons dark red chili pepper 1 cup chicken broth 16 oz. sour cream 1. Saute chicken, onions, pepper, salt, cumin and chili pepper in butter for 15 to 20 minutes. Add chilies near end. 2. Add the beans, then chicken broth and then water (or more chicken broth, if you prefer) until the mixture reaches a simmer-able consistency. 3. Let simmer for one hour. 4. Mix in the sour cream. 5. Serve garnished with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions and more sour cream, to taste.

Pot Roast By Jayne Hill

3 pound eye of round beef roast 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 package of dry onion soup mix 1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine (optional) 3 well-scrubbed whole carrots 2 large russet potatoes 1 celery stalk 1/2 cup sliced onion 1 3/4 cup water 1. Brown the roast on all sides in a cast iron pan using olive oil. 2. Mix together the onion soup, red wine and water. 3. Surround the roast with the carrots and potatoes cut in large chunks. Add the celery and onion slices. 4. Pour the liquid mixture over the roast and vegetables. Lightly salt and pepper. 5. Place the covered pan in a 350-degree oven. Roast for about three hours. Halfway through the cooking time, turn the vegetables so they will cook evenly. Be cautious of the steam coming from the pan. 6. Slice the roast and serve with au jus.

Spinach Quesadilla Wedges By Elaine Dermody

8 fajita-size flour tortillas 3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese 1 cup chopped red onion 2 cups shredded spinach leaves 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees 2. Place four tortillas on a baking sheet. Layer half the cheese, all the onion, all the spinach, the remaining four tortillas and the remaining cheese over the tortillas on the baking sheet. 3. Bake for eight to 10 minutes. 4. Let cool for five minutes before cutting each tortilla into eight wedges. 5. Can be refrigerated and then reheated at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Serving suggestion: Guacamole and sour cream are good accompaniments. Some variations are cheddar cheese and one can (4 ounces) diced green chilies or chopped cooked shrimp, plain Monterey jack cheese, and one can (4 ounces) diced green chilies.

Decadent Chocolate Bread Pudding

By Bill and Judith Emerson 2/3 cup dried cherries, rehydrated in 1/4 cup brandy and 1/4 cup water 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups milk 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 loaf French bread 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped, plus 1/2 ounce shavings for garnish 8 large egg yolks 3/4 cup sugar 1. Heat oven to 325 degrees 2. Cut the bread into 3/4-inch slices and let dry on counter or in the oven on low. Then cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Fill a 9-inch-by-12-inch gratin pan with the cubes. Set aside the rounded end pieces. 3. Place cream, milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and

cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15 minutes to infuse flavor. 4. Return the milk mixture to a boil, remove from heat, add chocolate and whisk until smooth. 5. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour chocolate mixture very slowly into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until fully combined. Slowly stir in the cherries. 6. Slowly pour half the chocolate custard over the bread, making sure all the cubes are soaked. Arrange the reserved bread on top and press firmly so the bottom layer of the bread absorbs the chocolate mixture. Spoon the remaining custard over the bread until it’s completely covered and all cracks are filled. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dish; press down to soak the bread thoroughly. Remove plastic, wipe edges of dish with a damp towel, and allow it to

sit for 30 minutes. 7. Place gratin dish in a larger pan; fill outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the gratin dish. Bake until set, about 35 minutes. Cool on rack for 15 minutes. Optional vanilla sauce recipe (The bread pudding can also be topped with crème fraiche or whipped cream) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, brown sugar, whipping cream and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil, five to eight minutes. Stir in vanilla. 2. Serve sauce over warm pudding.

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Staying Fit

Fitness Director Simonne Oliver motivates her students to dig deeper during a spinning class at Old Town Hot Springs.

Cycling T

while the snow falls

here is little doubt that Steamboat Springs is a cycling town, with cruisers regularly patrolling the Yampa River Core Trail and mountain bikes dominating the summertime slopes. But when the weather gets nasty, true cyclists don’t give up. They go inside. At Old Town Hot Springs, spinning classes are offered every day and are meant for all ability levels. The catch is that if you want to keep up with the ride, you’re going to know you’re working out. Offered from November to April, the season when even hard-core cyclists take a second thought before biking through foot-deep snow, the spinning class rocks

out with a regimen of fast music and faster pedaling. Hot Springs Fitness Director Simonne Oliver explained that each class is designed to mimic challenging outdoor courses. The eight instructors take riders on flat portions, and up and down hills as they urge riders to change the resistance from the spinning bikes and their posture to mimic the changing conditions. “You have complete control of how you feel on that bike,” Oliver said. Some people come into the classes and pedal along without changing the resistance or following

Continued on page 21

Elise Hinton pumps her way through one of the harddriving spinning classes offered by Simonne Oliver, fitness director at Old Town Hot Springs. Winter 2009-10 | At Home

| 19

Question & Answer

Ski Corp.’s vice president of sales and marketing is back in town

Andy Wirth Andy Wirth has a lot to be happy about. The vice president of sales and marketing for Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. is back in Steamboat Springs, the place he’s always considered home, after a stint at Intrawest in Vancouver, B.C. He’s leading marketing at a resort he can ski regularly with his children, Jace, Cody and Natalie. And he’s engaged to be married to Karen deRidder in May. She’s a great skier, Wirth said, who showed him hidden spots at Whistler Blackcomb. Wirth sat down with At Home’s Blythe Terrell in September to talk about the upcoming season and his favorite pastimes. At Home: What’s your ideal day on the mountain? Andy Wirth: Anything in the Priest Creek trees, right, is kind of the ultimate answer. A lot of times I’ve had some really great runs on lower mountain, Ted’s Ridge, Daze to Ted’s. If it’s knee-deep up in the trees, it’ll be boot-deep on Ted’s. ... For me it’s more stories about who I’m skiing with than it is about the run. I’ve had these times when I’ve got to ski with John Fetcher, plenty of great times skiing with Billy Kidd; I’ve gotten to spend the day skiing with Bill Esrey and Bill Marolt, the CEO of Sprint and the CEO of U.S. Ski Team.

20 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

AH: Where did you grow up and how long have you been skiing? AW: I grew up in the Air Force. I was born in West Germany when there was a West and an East. My father flew F-4s for the Air Force. I moved to Colorado in 1980 and lived in Fort Collins till ’86, and I came up here three days after graduating (from Colorado State University). The story was I was on my way to grad school in California to do my MBA, and I ended up doing an internship to finish up my undergrad degree with Colorado State, and I started working with Kent Meyers, who was the VP of marketing back then on the air program, and that was what, 23 years ago. … The first time I skied was in southern New Mexico. We lived on an Air Force base called Holloman Air Force Base. We lived in a ski area that used to be called Sierra Blanca (now Ski Apache). That was when I was a young teenager. I learned to ski down there, and the interesting thing is talking to Ray Heid, who lives up in Clark, he was one of the two ski instructors at Sierra Blanca, so there’s a 50-50 chance that Ray Heid taught me how to ski. AH: Why have you stayed in the ski industry so long? AW: I would say it’s more that I’ve stayed in Steamboat because I genuinely love this place. I lived in 13 different places growing up until I moved to

Colorado, and living in Fort Collins, that felt a little bit like home. Summer of ’86 when I lived here, it felt like home. It’s more about Steamboat Springs and Northwest Colorado and Clark. ... I love North Routt County. It’s very easy to have a passion for what we do. ... I still do, even 23 years later. AH: Why is that? Why is it so easy? AW: Our business development includes bringing vacations to people, mountain vacations to people who live in Atlanta and London. It’s easy to have passion about that, not only the place but also the actual experience. AH: How do you spend your time in Steamboat in the offseason? AW: Working 70 hours a week instead of 60 hours. You mean for fun? I am a victim of the, “I actually didn’t move here for the winter, but I’m employed here because of the winter, but I love it because of the summer.” … I do a lot of trail running; I love trail running in this valley. Ironically, I’ve been riding road bikes for over 30 years now but I’m just now getting into mountain biking. Above all, just spending time with my kids. One of my favorite things to do is riding bikes with my little girl, Natalie; she’s 10 1/2. That’s above all, just riding bikes with Natalie down to Sweet Pea. I get as much enjoyment out of that as anything.

Continued on page 21

Spinning classes Continued from page 19 all of the guidelines, she said, allowing them to get a workout that’s right for their ability level. The bikes even mimic their outdoor brethren with Schwinn and LeMond frames and Shimano pedals — and 16 new bikes for the 2009-10 winter bring the total to 21 bikes available. Other than the high-end components, the bikes are appropriately low-tech. The resistance of the flywheel is altered by a dial on the top, and there are no monitors, gauges or LED readouts to distract you from the burn as the instructor shouts that you’re heading into a long uphill. Instead, you are able to concentrate on form, speed and that river of sweat that

Q & A with Andy Wirth Continued from page 20

— Story by Zach Fridell Photos by John F. Russell

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ter Sports Club? AW: It’s less about results and more about what Rick DeVos and Sarah Floyd and the staff do for young women and young men that come through the organization. I ultimately think Andy Wirth and believe that the young people come out better than they were when they came in. They learn discipline, they learn teamwork, they learn all of these great qualities; it’s not just about the competitive results. From a business perspective, I would suggest that we’ve taken the Winter Sports Club from an organization that was five, six, seven years ago, make it to the next bake sale and has now got very solid financial footing, has got solid business discipline. It’s a solid organization, and it’s been around 90 years, and it’s been a really solid obligation that I’ve felt and that I think we’ve seen to that it makes it another 90 years. — Blythe Terrell

STEAMBOAT’S

ptio

AH: What are you most proud of in your work with the Steamboat Springs Win-

drips off the end of your nose, falling onto the spinning flywheel and exploding in every direction. Then you know you’ve got a workout. For more information visit www.steamboathotsprings.org.

exce

AH: What do you hope to be able to say at the end of the ski season in terms of how things went? AW: I’d say there’s three things, the first of which are the business objectives of our company. I believe we have very reasonable, very rational goals for the business this year, and certainly to exceed those objectives, I would hope we can walk over that line this year. I think based on what we’re seeing in the marketplace and the economy, that’s within reach, but there’s an awful lot of work to be done between now and March. Secondly, we have a cadre of Olympians going to Whistler Blackcomb, and I’m intending on playing a role in leading the community, putting together the community celebration, sending those athletes off to Vancouver and Whistler Blackcomb. Thirdly, I hope at the end of the season I can say I skied a bunch with my two sons and my little girl, and I hope that my scan count on my season pass exceeds 50.

Old Town Hot Springs spinning class schedule Monday to Friday: 6:15 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday: 12:15 p.m. Monday to Thursday: 5:30 p.m. Saturday: 8 a.m. For members, classes are $4 each or 10 for $30. For nonmembers, classes are $15 each. To reserve a bike, call 970-879-1828, ext. 0.

875.1183

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

| 21

w before

Wedding guide Planning a wedding in Steamboat Springs? Find your service providers inside

Photo by Jackie Owen/Jackie Owen Photography Winter 2009-10 | At Home | 23

Owen

Jackie

24 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

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Wedding service providers Caterers

■ La Montana Michael Fragola 2500 Village Drive, Steamboat 970-879-5800 On- and some off-site services

■ A Catered Affair Marcee Marie Event planning and consulting P.O. Box 774000-373, Steamboat Springs 970-736-2454 cedarcreek@steamboatwireless.com

■ L’Apogee/Harwigs Jamie Jenny or Mike Lang 911 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-1919 On-site and off-site services

■ Azteca Taqueria Jonas Gabriel 116 Ninth St., Steamboat Springs 970-870-9980 Off-site services ■ Butler Did it Catering 970-879-5154 www.butlerdidit.net ■ C’s Catering Charlie Epp 125 N. Fifth St., Hayden 970-276-3374 or 970-276-3363 Off-site services ■ Cottonwood Grill Michael Fragola P.O. Box 771257, Steamboat Springs 970-879-2229 On- and some off-site services

26 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Caterers can offer many ideas and options to suit your taste and budget. Also ask your caterer about his or her preferred serving style. You could serve guests food buffet-style, family style or as plated meals. Or, some weddings feature passed appetizers or food stations and no sit-down dinner at all. Get creative to plan a wedding your guests won’t soon forget. ■ Drunken Onion Get & Go Kitchen Ben Stroock 685 Marketplace Plaza, Steamboat Springs www.drunkenonion.com 970-879-8423 ■ Fireside Catering Gregory S. Smith

2750 Downhill Plaza No. 202, Steamboat Springs 970-879-9922 Off-site services ■ Karrie’s Karrie Littman kjlittman@hotmail.com 970-846-4001

■ Marno’s Custom Catering Nanny Marno P.O. Box 772324, Steamboat Springs 970-879-4214 www.marnoscustomcatering.com Off-site services ■ Moving Mountains Catering Co. Heather Craigen or Olivia Murray 2750 Burgess Creek Road, Steamboat Springs 970-870-9359 or 877-624-2538 mmcateringco.com Off-site services ■ Rex’s Catering Nick Sharp 3190 S. Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-871-1107 www.rexscatering.com

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Wedding service providers ■ Steamboat Meat & Seafood Co. / Guido’s Pasta Factory Bill Hamil 1030 Yampa St., Steamboat Springs 970-879-3504 Off-site services ■ Steamboat Smokehouse Fritz Aurin 912 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-7427 On- and off-site services ■ Three Peaks Grill Jim Kiefer or Michael Fragola P.O. Box 774466, Steamboat Springs 970-879-3399 On- and some off-site services ■ Winona’s Restaurant & Bakery Jamie McQuade 617 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-2483 On- and off-site services

Florists A venue can look completely different based on the type of chairs, color of tablecloths, flower arrangements and decor. Touring a few sites can help a newly engaged couple determine what type of feel they would like to give guests at their wedding. Steamboat Springs and the surrounding areas offer a variety of venues, including rustic and Western.

28 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

■ Alpine Floral & Atrium Pine Grove Center, Steamboat Springs 970-879-2682 Delivery available

Steamboat’s Premier Event Rental Company Tables | Tents | Chairs | Linens | Tableware (970) 871-6786 • ColoradoEventRentals.com

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Wedding service providers ■ City Market 1825 Central Park Plaza, Steamboat Springs 970-879-7678 Delivery available ■ Kimberly Brooks Designs P.O. Box 881871, Steamboat Springs 970-736-8350 kbrooks70@gmail.com ■ One Fine Day Productions 1104 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-871-7431 Delivery available ■ Pick Me! www.pickmewp.com 970-531-2479 ■ Room 635 635 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-6348 ■ Safeway Food & Drug 37500 E. U.S. Hwy. 40, Steamboat Springs 970-879-3766 Delivery available

■ Steamboat Floral & Gifts 435 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-1424 Delivery available ■ Tall Tulips Flower Shop 685 Marketplace, Steamboat Springs 970-879-0555 Delivery available ■ The Flower Mine & Gift Shop 410 W. Victory Way, Craig 970-824-7441

Invitations

■ One Fine Day Productions 970-871-7431 1104 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs ■ SendOutCards www.sendoutcards.com/rebecca 970-846-5559 ■ The Print Shop 970-824-7484 466 Yampa Ave., Craig Do it yourself invitations ■ Pilot Office Outfitters 970-879-6450 1025 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat

Flower arrangements can dress up simple white chairs. ■ PostNet 970-871-9000 1625 Mid Valley Drive, No. 1 ■ Lincoln Avenue Printers 970-879-6350 1880 Loggers Lane, Unit C, Steamboat Springs ■ Staples 970-879-5428 1600 Mid Valley Drive ■ Wal-Mart 970-879-8115

1805 Central Park Drive

Photographers ■ Angeli’s Photography 970-583-6209

■ Corey Kopischke Photography www.coreykopischke.com cklab1@mac.com 970-846-2141 ■ Copa Photo www.copaphoto.com ac@cmn.net 970-870-9224

the perfect place for your special day. ✦ Wedding receptions ✦ rehearsal dinners ✦ professional custom catering

✦ Indoors

on-site or off-premesis ✦ pool parties ✦ private Bar ✦ custom menu and special event planning (There’s nothing we can’t arrange)

✦ Guest accommodations

✦ outdoors ✦ Full-servIce Next to the holiday iNN • 870-0438 30 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

at the holiday inn

(Large heated outdoor pool, hot tub with mountain view, fitness room)

it ’s always

•On e

Fi n e D ay •

for a wedding

Wedding Specialists

FLORAL DESIGN COMPLETE EVENT PLANNING WEDDING DAY MANAGEMENT BRIDAL ACCESSORIES WEDDING DESIGN & CONSULTATION

970.871.7431

Everything you need for Weddings, Parties & Picnics • Tents, Chairs, Tables and Linens • China, Glassware, Flatware

WWW.WEDDINGSINSTEAMBOAT.COM

Jessica Maynard

ONEFINEDAYPRODUCTIONS@COMCAST.NET

Photography

• Dance Floors, Staging and Lighting

970-879-8679

Your Rehearsal Dinner Ingredients for a Perfect Start _ exceptional Italian fare _ great wines _ private relaxed setting _ creative menus _ flexible pricing _ locals favorite Creating memorable rehearsal dinners for over 20 years

Women owned & operated since inception.

Come visit our new showroom!

ro al p t n e tr n e Ev

fessionals

TEL 970-879-8679

970-879-9010 1106 Lincoln Avenue, Downtown www.riggiosristorante@yahoo.com

FAX 970-870-3122 1821 Kamar Plaza #1 • Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 www.PartySmartSteamboat.com EMAIL PartySmartSteamboat@gmail.com

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Wedding service providers ■ Creative Mountain Images (Video) www.creativemountainimages.com info@creativemountainimages.com 970-479-0994

■ M Lazy P Film Production www.mlazyp.com mlp3@aol.com 970-879-0033 303-638-3688

■ Jackie Owen Photography www.jackieowenphotography.com photo@springsips.com 970-846-1901

■ Nan Porter Photography www.nanporterphotography.com nporter4@hotmail.com 970-879-3491

■ Jessica Maynard Photography www.jessica-maynard.com jm@jessica-maynard.com 970-846-6127

■ Natural Light Images www.naturalightimages.net paula@naturalightimages.net 970-846-5940

■ Ken Wright Photos www.kenwrightphotos.com ken@kenwrightphotos.com 970-846-6076

■ One Shot Photo 970-846-7802 ■ Proper Exposure Photography www.kenproperphotography.com kenproper@gmail.com 970-879-1961 or 970-846-1961

■ LaPine Photography www.lapinephotography.com leelapine@yahoo.com 303-808-4435

■ Rife Photography www.rifephotography.com rifephotography@aol.com 970-879-7838

■ Lee Alering Video Productions (video) www.leealeringvideoproductions. blogspot.com 970-819-1298

■ Robin Proctor Photography robinproctorphotography.com robin@robinproctorphotography.com

A photographer should be able to provide you with ideas for creative photos you might not have thought of. It also is a good idea to give your photographer a list of your must-have shots, to make sure you get all the memories captured from your special day. 970-723-8423 ■ Shauna Lamansky www.shaunastudio.com www.steeleimagesstudio.com 970-879-6213

■ Stewart Photo Service www.stewartphoto.biz wstewart@springsips.com 970-871-4277

The Perfect Wedding Choice…

The Haven Community Center

Elegant and Affordable Conveniently Located

Friendly, Helpful Staff Beautiful Outdoor Patio

This brand new facility is located in Hayden. Let us help you plan your wedding and reception today!

For information and availability, call 970.875.1887

32 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Wedding service providers Wedding planners

■ Caroline’s High Country Occasions Caroline Fisher P.O. Box 880013, Steamboat Springs 970-846-4240 www.carolineshco.com ■ Kimberly Brooks Designs P.O. Box 881871 Steamboat Springs 970-736-8350 kbrooks70@gmail.com www.steamboatweddingflowers.com ■ Last Call Effortless Vacations & Events Lora Reichley 970-819-3668 www.lastcalleventplanning.com ■ M Lazy P Film Production www.mlazypevents.com mlp3@aol.com 970-879-0033 303-638-3688 ■ The Main Event Jill Waldman Consulting, planning and coordinating P.O. Box 771869, Steamboat Springs

Steamboat: 970-879-9020 Denver: 303-570-6570 www.steamboatevents.com ■ One Fine Day Productions Lindsey Grannis Consultant and full-service florist 1104 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs P.O. Box 775790 970-871-7431 www.weddingsinsteamboat.com ■ Pick Me! Rami Carter 970-531-2479 www.pickmewp.com ■ Room 635 Susann Singleton 635 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-6348 www.roomsixthirtyfive.com

Rentals

■ Colorado Event Rentals Willis Wodnik www.coloradoeventrentals.com 970-871-6786 970-819-2257

Does spending a fortune on the wedding make your groom want to scream?

A wedding cake can be as simple or ornate as you want it to be. Although white cake may be thought of as traditional, there is a wide variety of flavors to choose from, from chocolate to passion fruit.

your event • your style • your day

Then book the historic Old Town Pub for a fabulous fete that fits both your budget and your imagination!

OTP DOES IT ALL! • Cheap & Chic DIY weddings • To the 9’s extravaganzas • Rehearsal Dinners • Welcome Cocktail Parties • Late night meet & greet

• Bachelor/Bachelorette Bash • Bye Bye Brunches • Bridal Lunches • LIVE MUSIC

We are the party people! Go to our wedding website for VIP discounts for your guests www.otpweddings.com • 970-879-2101

Kimberly Brooks Designs, LLC Floral Designs for Weddings and Events

970.736.8350

www.steamboatweddingflowers.com Winter 2009-10 | At Home

| 33

Wedding service providers ■ Party Smart Steamboat Fran DiBartolo Provides some consultation services 1821 Kamar Plaza, No. 1 Steamboat Springs 970-879-8679 www.partysmartsteamboat.com

Wedding sites

■ Bella Vista Estate www.steamboat1.com 31095 U.S. Highway 40, Steamboat Springs info@steamboat1.com 879-4449

■ Catamount Ranch & Club www.catamountranchclub.com 33400-B Catamount Drive, Steamboat Springs rmckirahan@catamountranchclub. com 970-871-9300 ■ Cottonwood Grill www.cottonwoodgrill.com 701 Yampa St., Steamboat Springs info@cottonwoodgrill.com 970-879-2229

■ Cugino’s Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant www.cuginosrestaurant.com 41 Eighth St., Steamboat Springs 970-879-5805 ■ Depot Art Center www.steamboatspringsarts.com 1001 13th St., Steamboat Springs 970-879-9008 ■ Dutch Creek Guest Ranch www.dutchcreek.net 61565 RCR 62, Clark info@dutchcreek.net 970-879-851 ■ Elk River Guest Ranch www.elkriverguestranch.com 29840 RCR 64, Clark info@elkriverguestranch.com 970-879-6220 ■ Flying Horse Ranch 22100 Routt County Road 16, Stagecoach kidscav@juno.com 970-736-2652

Storm Mountain Express

Steamboat’s

PREMIER Wedding Transportation Service

970.879.1963 | www.stormmountainexpress.com | storm@cmn.net 34 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Florists should be able to show you pictures of their past work. A good florist also can tell you what flowers will be in season and hold up well in bouquets at the time of your wedding.

Fresh

Creative

Wholesome

EXPERIENCE COUNTS Providing tuxedos for Steamboat weddings for over 30 years

We create spectacular memories Receptions, Rehearsals, Brunches, & more Located in Wildhorse Marketplace Open 11-7 Monday - Saturday, 1-6 Sunday

www.drunkenonion.com | 970.879.8423

If you are from out of town, let us help you make your tuxedo rental easy. Groom’s Tux is free with rental of 6 tuxedos

Our supplier is the largest in the US.

"Wedding Specialist" Exceptional Design Personal Service ed

Locally Owned & Op Years 30 era ver t O

www.JimsFormalWear.com

LLEN'S

879-2682 Call for an appointment Pinegrove Center, Steamboat www.alpinefloral.info

TUXEDO RENTAL 828

Lincoln

Ave

•

970.879.0351

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Wedding service providers ■ Glen Eden Resort www.glenedenresort.com 54737 RCR 129, Clark eden@amigo.net 970-879-3907 ■ High Meadows Ranch, LLC 20505 RCR 16, Oak Creek highmeadows@sprynet.com 970-736-8416 ■ La Montana 2500 Village Drive, Steamboat Springs 970-879-5800 ■ Northstar Management/ Chateau Chamonix www.chateauchamonix.com 2340 Aprés Ski Way, Steamboat lodging@chateau-chamonix.com 970-879-7511 ■ Old Town Pub www.theoldtownpub.com 600 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-2101 ■ Old West Steak House 1104 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-1441

Bridal shoes, the wedding gown, jewelry, rings, bouquets and boutonnieres can make nice close-up photos and help you to remember all the details of your wedding day. ■ Ore House at the Pine Grove Pine Grove Road and U.S. Highway 40, Steamboat Springs 970-879-1190 ■ Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp www.perry-mansfield.org 40755 RCR 36, Steamboat Springs 970-879-7125

Timeless

Cupcakes can be a fun alternative — or addition to — a traditional wedding cake. Choose all one color or a variety of colors and flavors.

in ﬂight

Timeless musician

DEB LENHART

Hair | Skin | Nails

970.879.1222

w w w. s t e a m b o at s a l o n . c o m 6 9 0 M a r k e t P l a c e # , S t e a m b o at S p r i n g s , C O

36 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Live music and i-pod programming of your favorite dance music from ceremony to reception! 970.638.4514 deb@inflightmusic.net

The perfect spot for

We’re the Icing on the Cake!

Rehearsal Dinners or an Intimate Wedding Party Private Banquet Room complete with bar

• Party Attire • Wedding & Shower Gifts • Sophisticated Accessories

Creative Catering to suit any budget Big Screen/PA System/Sound System

Or Perfect

Off Site Catering at your location

Barbeque Catering from Prime Rib to Chicken

Call for a Free Consultation 970-879-7427 912 Lincoln Ave. www.steamboatsmokehouse.com

WWW.MOOSEMTNTRADINGCO.COM 822 Lincoln Ave. • Downtown • 879-1400

26 Years of Experience We specialize in extraordinary food and service We now have a new venue to share Strings Music Festival Garden 1030 Yampa Ave Downtown • 879-3504 Open 9-7 · Mon-Sat, 11-6 Sun

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Wedding service providers ■ The Ranch at Steamboat www.ranch-steamboat.com 1800 Ranch Road, Steamboat Springs 970-879-3000 ■ ResortQuest Steamboat www.resortqueststeamboat.com 1855 Ski Time Square Drive, Steamboat Springs steamboatinfo@resortquest.com 866-836-9090 ■ Rex’s American Grill & Bar www.rexsgrill.com 3190 S. Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs events@rexsgrill.com 970-871-1107 ■ Riggio’s Ristorante riggiosfineitalian.com 1106 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-9010 ■ Saddleback Ranch www.saddlebackranch.net 37350 RCR 179, Steamboat Springs info@saddlebackranch.net 970-879-3711

■ Slopeside Grill www.slopesidegrill.com 1855 Ski Time Square Drive, Steamboat Springs slopesidegrill@yahoo.com 970-879-2916 ■ Sheraton Steamboat Resort www.sheraton.com/steamboat 2200 Village Inn Court, Steamboat Springs lisa.warner@sheraton.com 970-879-2220 ■ Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel www.steamboatgrand.com 2300 Mount Werner Circle, Steamboat Springs sford@steamboat.com 970-871-5500 ■ Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. www.steamboat.com 2305 Mount Werner Circle, Steamboat Springs lbremner@steamboat.com 970-871-5162 ■ Three Peaks Grill www.threepeaksgrill.com 2165 Pine Grove Road, Steamboat info@threepeaksgrill.com

970-879-3399 ■ Vista Verde Guest Ranch www.vistaverde.com 31100 RCR 64, Clark reservations@vistaverde.com 970-879-3858 ■ Yampa River Botanic Park Steamboat Springs 970-879-4300

Transportation ■ Go Alpine www.alpinetaxi.com 970-879-2800

■ Storm Mountain Express www.stormmountainexpress.com 970-879-1963

Tuxedo rentals ■ Allen’s 828 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-0351 ■ Bushwackers 810 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-2970

Miscellaneous

Look for the following business’s advertisements in this Wedding Guide section Fashion and accessories ■ Moose Mountain 822 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs 970-879-1400 Musical services ■ Deb Lenhart In flight music 970-638-4514 deb@inflightmusic.net Spas and salons ■ Serenity Spa Seventh and Oak streets, Steamboat Springs 970-879-3381 ■ Tribeca Hair Studio Inc. 1915 Alpine Plaza, Steamboat Springs 970-870-8282 ■ Wildhorse Salon Wildhorse Marketplace, Steamboat Springs 970-879-1822

970.870.8282 Proudly serving the community of Steamboat Springs and the surrounding area with reliable, safe transportation since 1984.

Wedding Transportation Shuttle service for Wedding Guests to the Wedding, Reception and back to their lodging at the end of the night. Luxury Limousine Service Two White Stretch Limos • One Black Stretch Limo • One Limo Coach Airport Transportation Yampa Valley Regional Airport • Denver International Airport Call for information and reservations:

(970) 879-2800 | www.goalpine.com

38 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Relax! Let the Tribeca professionals provide the perfect look for you and your wedding party 1915 Alpine Plaza (Central Park Dr.) Steamboat Springs, Colorado 80487

A Great Wedding is All in the Details

THE MAINEvent

Event Planning, Coordination and Design Specializing in Destination Weddings As Seen in “The Knot” Magazine www.steamboatevents.com

Edie Hardage

970.879.9020 | 303.570.6570

STEAMBOAT

FLORAL AND GIFTS

Destination Weddings, Engagement Parties, Bridal Showers, Rehearsal Dinners.

970.879.1424

4 3 5 L i n c o l n Av e n u e D o w n t o w n S t e a m b o a t S p r i n g s C a t h y Vo g e l a a r, O w n e r

WWW.JESSICA-MAYNARD.COM 970-846-6127

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Rebecca Musso/Courtesy

Lynne Masters performs the wedding ceremony for Marlene Horace Fisher and John K. Fisher at Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat Springs on July 11, 2009. Masters specializes in unusual weddings. She has done weddings in hot air balloons and even performed a surprise wedding after a baseball game.

Celebrating the unexpected Minister performs weddings in blizzards, at ball fields, in balloons

ynne Masters has performed wedding ceremonies for a decade, but her most unusual came last summer. “I did a surprise wedding,” she said. Masters performed a wedding ceremony for a couple visiting Steamboat Springs for a Triple Crown Sports event. The surprised party? The groom. “The bride kind of put it together without the groom knowing,” Masters said. “Obviously, they were engaged, and they were planning on getting married in the near future, but he certainly didn’t know it was happening that day.” After the game ended, the coach called everyone to the field. Masters popped out from

her hiding spot, called the bride and groom to home plate and performed the ceremony. “It was really cute,” she said. Masters specializes in the unusual and has done weddings at Fish Creek Falls, on Mount Werner and in hot air balloons. She performs spiritual, nondenominational services for people who are interested in “as long as we both shall live” but not necessarily the “dearly beloved” or “Our Father.” “I did another ceremony this year where they decided to take the plunge, and they got married at the top of the Alpine Slide,” Masters said. The newly minted man and wife slid down after their nuptials. Story by Blythe Terrell

40 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Masters, a Texas native, moved to Steamboat 30 years ago to be a ski bum. She got injured, which kept her here for a summer — and she stayed. She estimates she’s done 200 to 250 weddings since being ordained 10 years ago. Masters started in the field through the Steamboat Springs Church of Spiritual Growth. “They kind of asked if people wanted to do it, and they got to me and said, ‘Can you stand in front of people, can you speak well, and will you do it?’ and I said ‘yes.’” Masters doesn’t regret it. “I’m so glad I did,” she said. “It’s my favorite, favorite job.”

The perfect setting for the dream wedding...

Jessica Maynard Photography

PLAN YOURS TODAY AT...

Joel Reichenberger/At Home

Stewart and Tammy Schmitt listen as Lynne Masters reads during their wedding ceremony at the Howelsen Hill baseball field complex in downtown Steamboat Springs. The couple traveled to Steamboat Springs from Tulsa, Okla., to watch Tammy Schmitt’s son play in a Triple Crown baseball tournament. Things didn’t go well for the Tulsa Lookouts in their game, but spirits were high after the game as the ceremony broke out at home plate.

Love in summer

Engaged couples often find Masters through the Routt County Clerk and Recorder’s Web site. She communicates with the couple over e-mail, sending sample ceremonies for them to peruse. The couple picks and chooses to create a customized service. Most of Masters’ clients are from out of town, but her clientele isn’t restricted to vacationing lovebirds. On July 11, Masters performed the wedding of Marlene Horace Fisher and John Fisher at Fish Creek Falls. The two have been together since 2001, and Fisher is half of the Yampa Valley Boys band. They chose the falls because they’re special to Marlene and John, and they happen to be Masters’ favorite place to perform ceremonies. “It’s got a great aura around it,” Marlene Horace Fisher said. “I love waterfalls anyway because I do love the permanence of water.” She chose Masters as celebrant because the two were acquainted socially. They worked together on a ceremony, and Marlene and John’s families were on hand to share the moment. Everything worked out just right, Horace Fisher said. “The weather was perfect,” she said. “That’s why I picked July because I figured it was the only time it might not snow at my wedding.” Steve Jones, the other half of the

42 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Yampa Valley Boys, performed “For You” by John Denver. Masters wedded the two in front of the falls, wearing a turquoise garment to match the bridesmaids. Horace Fisher said she was thrilled that Masters could share the day so intimately. “That was wonderful, to have a really close girlfriend that also officiates your wedding just makes it so much more special,” Horace Fisher said. “It was wonderful because she had these beautifully choreographed words that were so lovely.”

Love in winter

Of course, when you’re getting married in Steamboat, the weather can easily throw a curve ball. Masters performed the ceremony for John and Sandra Whited on Nov. 26, 2005. The Whiteds, avid skiers who met at the base of Mount Werner, opted to marry on the Heavenly Daze run near the top of the Thunderhead Gondola. The day fell short of heavenly. “It was scheduled to be a really sunny weekend, but actually it turned out to be a blizzard,” Sandra Whited said. “It was definitely memorable.” Masters performed the ceremony in the midst of a dumping snowstorm, and the pair got married in their telemark skiing gear. Sandra’s veil was whipping around, and the snow was coming in horizontally, she said. She repositioned her husband-to-be

Mike Quirk leans down to kiss his bride, Alissa, after being married while in a hot air balloon basket at the 28th annual Hot Air Balloon Rodeo in Steamboat Springs. The couple, who hail from Denver, read their vows over the public address system, shared a kiss and were launched into the air. Alissa tossed her bouquet over the side of the basket just before their balloon drifted over Bald Eagle Lake. Lynne Masters did not perform this ceremony, but she has performed weddings in hot air balloons. so he was blocking the wind, and they carried on. “It was supposed to be sunny and gorgeous, and we were supposed to be enjoying the views, but it was snowing sideways,” Sandra Whited said. “But it was a powder day, so we kind of thought, ‘How apropos.’” The wedding went through without further ado, and the party trooped inside Stoker for cocoa, Champagne, wine and beer. After refreshments, those who wanted to skied to Slopeside Grill for more celebrating, Sandra Whited said. “It’s definitely an experience that we shared, and we all look back on and smile on because there’s not many weddings like that,” she said. Masters has performed other Mother Nature-battered ceremonies, including one where a couple got married in a field during a September snowstorm. She remembered looking at the bridesmaids’ open-toed shoes and considering cutting things off to move inside. But a bride gets what a bride wants, Masters said, and she finished the wedding outdoors. Overall, she couldn’t think of a wedding that didn’t end happily. Some have been spur of the moment, and others have hit minor hitches like the Whiteds’ — but she’s enjoyed each one. “Lots of joy,” Masters said. “No disasters.” E-mail Masters at lmasters@zirkel.us.

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Freestyle, snowboard fans luck out with Olympic venue

Vancouver

ans of Steamboat’s world champion Nordic combined skiers who are hoping to watch history-making performances in British Columbia during the 2010 Winter Olympics are apt to see very little of the cosmopolitan city of Vancouver. However, winter sports fans leaning more toward the X Games get the best of both worlds. The freestyle skiing and snowboarding venues are just across the Second Narrows Bridge and up into the foothills from the West Vancouver District at Cypress Mountain — under normal circumstances, it is a 30-minute drive from the heart of the city. The Nordic events take place two hours from the city at Whistler, typically a two-hour drive up the Sea to Sky Corridor when the Olympics aren’t in play. What does it mean for Steamboat travelers determined to take in the Winter Olympics? Snowboarding followers could have a chance to watch former Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club athletes competing in the Olympics while taking full advantage of the diverse dining and cultural opportunities in Vancouver. It’s arguably among the most beautiful cities in North America, even in February, when one can expect, on average, 15 days with rainfall. Cypress Mountain is an Alpine ski area for

weekenders who don’t have the time to drive to Whistler, and Vancouver resident Christopher Vollan says it’s especially appealing under bluebird skies. “Skiing at Cypress on a clear day feels like you are dropping into the city,” Vollan said. Once you’ve made sufficient laps on Cypress and watched the snowboarders launch from the half-pipe, it’s time to head back to the city and explore Granville Island. Vancouverite Sarah Evans said the best way to visit Granville Island is to take the aquabus from Yaletown. You can walk off the island and turn right to follow the seawall in front of the marina. Watch for a sign on the dock that reads “Go Fish.” This is the spot for Asianstyle fish tacos served in a bamboo basket. “It’s a very Vancouver experience, but there can be a long line, so go mid-week if possible. There’s no seating inside, so it’s best on a nice day.” If the performances of the Olympic athletes inspire you, Steamboat resident Andy Wirth, who commutes often to Vancouver for business and pleasure, recommends a killer hike or trail run up the Grouse Grind Trail on public lands held by the University of British Columbia. The trail climbs a wicked 2,800 vertical feet in just 1.8 miles, but Wirth says Steamboaters are up to it.

“This is a big-time physical challenge,” Wirth said. “But since you’re at sea level, it won’t really feel like it.” Evans says the choice of hotels for visitors to Vancouver is obvious — its Opus Hotel (www.opushotel.com), can be reached by a direct train trip from the airport to the fashionable Yaletown neighborhood. Standard rooms feature vibrant color combinations. Wirth counters with a recommendation of a boutique hotel of his own choosing — Le Soleil (lesoleilhotel.com). Compared to Opus, the furnishings are traditional European style. The bar at The Copper Chimney is eye-popping. Alternatively, Wirth said, try a B&B in the relatively quiet neighborhood of Kitsilano: kitsbb.com, kitsilanosuites.com or betweenfriends-vancouver.com. For fine dining, Wirth says Chambar, featuring Belgian cuisine, is a don’t-miss-it spot for shellfish near Gastown. “They have the best mussels my fiancée and I have ever tasted,” Wirth said, “and we’ve been trying hard, through our travels, to find anything better.” When you’re in the mood for a lowkey dining experience, Wirth recommends Abigail’s Party, where you should be sure to order a blueberry tea after dinner. If you’re

Pictured above: Granville Island. Vancouverite Sarah Evans said the best way to visit Granville Island is to take the aquabus from Yaletown. 44 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Photo: Tourism Vancouver/John Sinal

Road Trip

Granville Island Market

Photo: Tourism Vancouver

Photo: Tourism Vancouver/Cypress Mountain

seeking coffee and a light breakfast, seek out Higher Grounds in the trendy Kitsilano neighborhood and order the Veggie Egger. Vancouverite Karen de Ridder urges visitors not to overlook the Watermark on Kits Beach for the best sunset viewing and outdoor dining overlooking the beach. The best restaurant in Vancouver could be the Blue Water Grill, Evans said. It fea-

Distinctive Designs Quality Cabinetry

ichard eed

Cypress Mountain

970.871.6080 846.1501

tures West Coast cuisine and is famous for its stunning sushi bar. If you want to rub shoulders with restaurant employees after they get off work, head for the tiny tapas bar, BIN 941 Tapas Parlour. Vollan recommends that visitors find their way to the campus of the University of British Columbia for a cultural fix. The

Skyline from Kitsilano

Photo: Tourism Vancouver Museum of Anthropology occupies a “stunning space,” Vollan said. If you catch a break in the weather, rent a bike and cruise out to the Spanish Banks and then on to Stanley Park, where you can take in a cricket match. Say, cricket isn’t a winter Olympic sport, is it? — Tom Ross/At Home

Distinctive Design Timeless Beauty Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Todd Lodwick ph

oto by John F. Ru

ssell

Erica Muell

John F. Russell

er photo by

Matt Ladley photo by

John F. Russell

Bill Demong photo by John F. Russell

Eliza Outtrim photo by Mike Morse

John F. Russ

photo by Jo

46 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

hn F. Russell

ell

Olympic hopefuls Snaphots of 23 athletes who hope to continue Steamboat’s Olympic tradition the coaches and athletes in this club that we’ve been able to produce so many high-level athletes for so long. It takes a lot of people to build this kind of tradition, and we are very proud of it.” In November, the skiers or snowboarders on these pages hoped to join the parade of Steamboat Olympic athletes that started with John Steele’s appearance in Lake Placid, N.Y. Steele opened the door to Steamboat’s Olympic tradition of Olympians in 1932, and there have been 71 athletes since then who have made 117 Olympic appearances. The list includes Olympic medalists like Nelson Carmichael, who won the bronze medal on the moguls course in Albertville, France, in 1992; Shannon Dunn, who won the snowboard halfpipe bronze at 1998 in Nagano, Japan; and moguls skier Travis Mayer, who won the silver in men’s freestyle at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is undetermined who will compete in Vancouver come February, but the list of Olympians with Steamboat ties is certain to grow. Turn the page to read about some of the athletes who are hoping to add to Steamboat Springs’ Olympic heritage.

Text by John F. Russell

Bryan Fletcher photo

by Chad Hurst for ca

nSURVIVE

Justin Reiter photo by John F. Russell

hen the 2010 Winter Olympic Games open in Vancouver, B.C., in February, Steamboat Springs’ longrunning Olympic tradition is likely to continue. It will be fueled by homegrown athletes like Todd Lodwick, Johnny Spillane, Alex Miller, Brett Denney and Bryan and Taylor Fletcher. But there will be others. There will be athletes who came to Steamboat Springs from Vermontville, N.Y., Black Hawk, S.D., and Park City, Utah, as part of their Olympic journey. These are athletes who were born outside of Steamboat Springs city limits but share at least two things in common with our homegrown athletes. The first is a connection to Steamboat Springs, its community and its history. The second is a desire to step into the Olympic spotlight in order to reach the dreams many of the athletes have held since childhood. “It’s neat to think that a community of Alex Miller photo by John F. Russell this size has the ability to compete with the world,” said Rick DeVos, executive director of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. “It says a lot about this community and

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Photo: John F. Russell Photo: John F. Russell Photo: John F. Russell

Johnny Spillane, 28

Bill Demong, 29

Nordic combined This isn’t the summer that 2003 Nordic combined World Champion Johnny Spillane had hoped for as he looks forward to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He’s spent the past two months recovering from a pair of surgeries to repair his damaged knee but is confident he will be back on top of his game by the time the snow starts to fly. “I’m feeling good right now,” Spillane said. “I’ve lost a bit, but I’m sure that I can get back in shape. I’m hoping to come back well rested and am looking at this as a blessing in disguise.” Spillane, who grew up a few blocks from Howelsen Hill, exploded onto the Nordic combined scene after winning the Nordic combined sprint event at the 2003 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. However, his career has included many other highlights. He’s made three Olympic appearances (1998, 2002 and 2006) and was part of the Olympic team that placed fourth at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. His results also include a gold medal at the Junior World Championships in 1999 and silver in 2000. Spillane says he loves the excitement and atmosphere surrounding the Olympics, but he says the key to success is keeping them in perspective. “I enjoy the pressure, the excitement of the Olympics. ... It seems like I always have my best results at the biggest events.”

Nordic combined Nordic combined skier Bill Demong is a native of Vermontville, N.Y., but there is no doubt the U.S. Ski Team veteran also has found a following in Steamboat Springs. The three-time Olympian (1998, 2002 and 2006) moved to Steamboat Springs in 1996. He wanted to be closer to the U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team, which was based here at the time. He lived in the Yampa Valley from 1998 to 2003. When the U.S. Ski Team moved to Park City, Utah, after the 2002 Olympics, Demong reluctantly changed his address. However, Demong’s connection to Steamboat Springs is strong. The young athlete suffered a skull fracture in a swimming accident in August 2002 but spent the winter recovering, crosscountry skiing and taking a few college classes in Steamboat Springs. He returned to the U.S. Team and the World Cup Tour for the 2003-04 season, but it was in 2007 that he made his mark. That year, Demong raced to the silver medal in the individual Gundersen event at the 2007 World Championships. It was a breakthrough and marked Demong’s rise to the top. Last season, he was nearly unstoppable in the World Cup circuit, collecting 10 World Cup podiums and placing third in the race for the overall title. He added two more World Championship medals to his collection of hardware at the 2009 World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. He brought home gold and bronze medals.

48 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Todd Lodwick, 33 Nordic combined Since 1994, Steamboat Springs native Todd Lodwick has represented the gold standard for American Nordic combined skiing. The four-time Olympian (1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006) has six victories on the World Cup tour, won the German Grand Prix in 2004 and has stepped on the international podium 30 times in his career. Until last season, however, World Championship and Olympic glory had eluded the skier who grew up in the shadows of Howelsen Hill’s worldfamous ski jumps. Lodwick retired in 2006 after a frustrating Olympic showing in Pragelato, Italy. Luckily for the U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team, however, Lodwick’s absence from the sport was short-lived. He spent two years on the sidelines before he made a return to the sport he’s known since childhood. He worked his way back on to the World Cup Tour and was rewarded with two gold medals (mass start, individual Gundersen) at the 2009 World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. Now that he’s back on top of his game, Lodwick has set his sights on the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and some unfinished business. “I’m confident in what we are doing. … We’ve had to jump a couple of hurdles this summer, but we are moving in the right direction, we have the right focus, and we know what we are doing will make us competitive with the best teams in the world,” Lodwick said.

Bryan Fletcher, 23 Nordic combined Nordic combined skier Bryan Fletcher seems to be coming into his own at just the right time. Fletcher, who was born in Steamboat Springs, is coming off one of his best seasons on the U.S. Nordic combined team. Last season, he earned his first World Cup points and landed on his first Continental Cup podium. He also understands that it will be a fight to earn a spot on a very talented U.S. Nordic Combined team. But it isn’t the first time in his life that he has faced a challenge. When Fletcher was 3, doctors diagnosed him with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. For two years, Bryan and his family traveled to Childrens Hospital in Denver for regular chemotherapy treatments. When the treatments ended, Bryan continued to make the long trips for follow-up appointments for the next two years. He won his battle with cancer but still is looking for ways to give back. Last summer, he worked with two organizations that help children dealing with cancer, including the Candlelighters. He helped the Candlelighters organize the Walk of Hope and 5K run.

Photo: Chad Hurst for canSUR

VIVE

Alex Miller, 23 Nordic combined Alex Miller has spent the past four years with the U.S. Nordic combined team looking for his chance to jump to the next level. With any luck, that jump will come early this winter, and Miller will reach a goal he has been working toward for most of his life. “The key to this season will be skiing well in those early Continental Cup events and qualifying for the World Cup,” Miller said. Miller finished last season strong. He picked up 10th-, 11th- and fifth-place finishes in his final three Continental Cup meets, respectively. He also recorded a sixth-place finish at a December 2008 Continental Cup meet in Park City, Utah. That, combined with a strong summer training season, has him excited about his chances of moving up to World Cup and the possibility of landing a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.

Tyler Jewell, 32

Vic Wild, 23

Alpine snowboarder Olympic snowboarder Tyler Jewell is looking to earn his second straight Olympic appearance in 2010. The U.S. Ski Team member spent the second half of last season on the sideline with a sprained medial collateral ligament. Despite his injury, Jewell finished with two World Cup top 10s (a fifth and seventh) and finished with a 10th at the World Championships, where he was riding injured. Jewell lived in Steamboat Springs before the 2006 Olympics in Italy and for a year after that. He moved to San Diego in 2007 and now is living in Park City, Utah.

Alpine snowboarding It’s true that Vic Wild would love to be named to the 2010 U.S. Olympic team that will compete in Vancouver in February, but the 23-year-old says his goals are not limited to a single event. He wants to become the fastest rider in the world. After a solid season in 2008, Wild was sidelined for most of the 2009 season with an ankle injury. Four surgeries later, he appears to be back on top of his game. He finished in eighth place in a parallel slalom event in Landgraaf, Netherlands, in October and says he feels good headed into the season. How he fares in the five Olympic qualifiers, which run from December through the first week in February, will determine if he gets an invitation to Vancouver.

S. Ski Team

Photo: John F. Russell

Photo: Jonathan Cheever/U.

Photo: Mike Schirf/U.S. Ski

Team

Photo: John F. Russell

Photo: Brian W. Robb/U.S. Ski Team

Eliza Outtrim, 24

Jeremy Cota, 21

Freestyle moguls Mogul skier Eliza Outtrim learned how to ski on the slopes of Mount Snow in Vermont, but when she decided to get serious about reaching the next level of skiing, she came to Steamboat Springs. Outtrim, who was born in New Haven, Conn., moved to Steamboat Springs in fall 2002. She attended The Lowell Whiteman School and was a member of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. In 2005, she earned a spot on the U.S. Ski Team thanks to a win at a NorAm event in Killington, Vt. She finished second in the NorAm standings that year. She opened 2006 with a win at the selection events and placed seventh in her first Word Cup that same year in Deer Valley, Utah. Today she lives in Steamboat Springs but splits time with Colorado Springs, where she is an economics major at Colorado College. This winter, however, she is planning to focus on skiing and her shot at Olympic glory.

Freestyle moguls Jeremy Cota said the key to success for him this season is to forget about the results and just focus on skiing. “I feel great. I had a great camp in Whistler, British Columbia, and I’ve been training all summer on the water ramps,” Cota said. He’s hoping the hard work will pay off with top results at the selection events and World Cup openers in December. Cota already has collected 11 career podiums on the NorAm and Europa Cups, including two second-place finishes last season. He also won the NorAm title for dual moguls. His mother, an instructor at Big Squaw Mountain in Maine, introduced Cota to skiing. He was a member of the Sugarloaf Freestyle Program when he was 12 and attended the Carrabassett Valley Academy for five years. “This season, I plan to focus on clean, fast runs. If I can do that then I think I will be successful,” Cota said.

Emiko Torito, 27 Freestyle moguls Emiko Torito has been a regular in the World Cup circuit since being named to the U.S. Ski Team 10 years ago. Her connection to Steamboat Springs dates to 1998, when she moved to our mountain town to train with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and attend The Lowell Whiteman School. In 1999, she won the U.S. Junior Championships and has collected three medals, including the 2001 dual moguls title, in five trips to the Junior World Championships. She won her first World Cup in 2008 in Lake Placid, N.Y. She also was the national moguls champion in 2008.

Erica Mueller, 28 Alpine snowboarding For Erica Mueller, snowboarding is a passion. She started racing in high school in Vermont and after graduation in 1999 moved to Steamboat Springs with hopes of making it to the sport’s biggest stages. She just missed her shot in 2006 but is determined to make it this time around. “It was heartbreaking when I didn’t qualify,” Mueller said about the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team. “I don’t want that to happen this time around. I’m working really hard, and I don’t want to consider the option of failing to make the team.” Mueller has been a member of the U.S. Team since 2004. She left the team last summer to join an elite group of riders as part of America’s Snowboarding Team. Mueller won the U.S. National Parallel Giant Slalom championships in 2006 and was part of the World Championship team in 2007 and 2009. She won a NorAm Race to the Cup parallel slalom in 2008 and was fourth and fifth at the NorAm finals last season. She picked up an eighth-place finish on the World Cup in 2007 and also owns a 12th-place finish from 2006. “It’s a new team with a new approach. I think this team will give me the best chance to qualify for the Olympics and do well once I get there,” Mueller said. 50 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Photo: John F. Russell

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Mike Morse, 28 Freestyle moguls A third-place finish in Norway last winter marked the first time U.S. Ski Team mogul skier Mike Morse has landed on the World Cup podium. This year, the skier, who lives in Steamboat Springs, is hoping to continue his string of firsts. This winter is the first time Morse will have a spot on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team’s “A” squad, and he is hoping he will ski well enough to earn his first invitation to the Olympic Games. Morse moved from Duxbury, Mass., and spent a winter with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club before being named to the U.S. team six years ago. He still lives in Steamboat Springs. “I can’t wait to get started. I’m already looking forward to the first World Cup,” Morse said.

970-879-1828 • www.oldtownhotsprings.org

Photo: Scott Sine/U.S Ski Team

Ryan St. Onge, 26 Freestyle aerials American aerials champion Ryan St. Onge calls Winter Park his home, but like so many other skiers, he spent several years developing his talents with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. St. Onge attended The Lowell Whiteman School from 2000 until his graduation in 2001. He has spent 13 years on the U.S. Ski Team. Last season, St. Onge won two World Cup competitions and brought his total to seven for his career. He also owns five U.S. titles and five Junior World medals — including two gold. “One of the toughest things for me is to stay relaxed and trust what I’m doing. It may pertain to jumping or simply to getting better sleep, but if I can stay relaxed and calm, I can perform my best. And that’s all I really want to do,” St. Onge said. Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Capturing the magic of the Olympics

or three weeks in February the magic of the Olympics will play out on TV sets around the world. That magic will be fueled by athletes who are suddenly thrust into the spotlight after spending years striving, training and competing in the shadows of the major John sports. Their F. Russell stories earn our attention, their excitement drives our interest, and their emotions capture our hearts. It’s that atmosphere, and the athletes who are at the center of it, that make the Olympic Games so much fun to watch and so much fun to cover. But my love of the Olympics is a little less glamorous. I’ve been lucky enough to go to two Winter Olympic Games. I drove to Utah in 2002 to cover dozens of athletes from Steamboat Springs as they pursued their Olympic dreams. I watched as Travis Mayer, a member of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and a local favorite, reached new heights in the moguls of Deer Valley, Utah, where he won the silver medal in moguls. I sat in the news conference where many of the reporters, more in tune with college football than the details of freestyle skiing, struggled to discover who this skier was and what they should ask him. I felt luck to have already known him. Four years later I boarded a plane and flew to Torino, Italy, where I watched scores of athletes from Steamboat Springs lay it on the line in towns such as Pragelato, Bardonecchia, Sestriere and Sauze d’Oulx. I went to towns I had never heard of before arriving at Turin International Airport. They were towns with names I still can’t pronounce properly. During that trip I had the pleasure of watching Alpine snowboarder Tyler Jewell qualify for the Olympic finals. As he walked through the gates exiting the venue, he was flocked by dozens of reporters who wanted 52 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

to know his story. They had no idea that he had come to Steamboat Springs after being dropped by the U.S. Team, that he had lived in a tent the summer before the Olympics and that he had discovered the most affordable meal in Steamboat Springs was in the cafeteria at Yampa Valley Medical Center. I have to admit I felt good when Tyler walked past the throng of reporters, their digital recorders in hand, to talk with the reporter from his hometown newspaper first. Both experiences were unique and special. Both were completely different and I wouldn’t trade them for an autographed Mickey Mantle baseball card. But for me, the true joy of the games is not out in the spotlight — it’s behind the scenes where thousands of journalists work countless hours to bring the stories of the Olympics back home. For me, the magic of the games lives in the huge white temporary tents behind the grandstands but within walking distance of where the action of the Olympic Games unfolds. It lives in the work of the TV cameraman who finds the perfect angle to show us the critical moment of every event, and in the words that will be written by the journalists who are trying to find their own angle to each day’s story. Yes, it’s true that the Olympics will play out over a three-week period in February, but the athletes who will make the headlines and the reporters who write the stories understand that those three weeks move at a frantic pace. Today’s story will be gone faster than free donuts in the office break room, and the athletes who rise to the top will need to enjoy their newfound popularity because there is another young star waiting in the wings for his or her turn. In some cases, it might not be fair that the moment is gone in the blink of an eye, but when you stop and think about it, that’s what makes the Olympics so magical.

Photo: John F. Russell

Darren Ratcliffe, 27 Alpine snowboarder Several top finishes last season has Alpine snowboarder Darren Ratcliffe looking forward to getting back on snow this winter. Ratcliffe elected to skip the opening meet of the season, an indoor World Cup in Landgraaf, Netherlands, to save money and avoid racing inside. But after col-

lecting a first in a parallel slalom and third in a parallel giant slalom at NorAm events in Steamboat Springs last season, he is excited for the possibilities. Ratcliffe moved to Steamboat Springs after high school to train with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. He recently moved to Utah to be closer to the U.S. Team but still considers the Yampa Valley his home.

Photo: John F. Russell

Justin Reiter, 28 Alpine snowboarding After racing in the opening World Cup last season in the Netherlands, Steamboat Springs snowboarder Justin Reiter was forced to make the tough choice of whether to have surgery to repair a damaged knee. “I knew that something was wrong with the knee,” Reiter said. He tried to rest it and only ride on it during competitions. But

after the indoor race in Landgraaf, Netherlands, in October 2008, he decided it was time for action. “I couldn’t train for races, and I wasn’t riding as fast as I thought I should be,” Reiter said. “It was a little bit of a gamble, but I think the surgery was the right choice.” This year, Justin has returned to the snow and is hoping that sacrificing last season will make him faster and more dangerous in the World Cup.

Photo: John F. Russell

Maddy Schaffrick, 15 Snowboard, halfpipe At first glance, 15-year-old Maddy Schaffrick looks more like a typical teenager than a contender for a spot on this year’s Olympic snowboarding team. But appearances can be deceiving. Schaffrick, who was on a snowboard at age 7, already has an impressive list of top results to her name. Schaffrick finished fourth in a U.S. Grand Prix event at Copper Mountain and was third at the finals in Killington, Vt., last season. She was also riding high after getting her first invitation to the Winter X Games. But if Schaffrick hopes to make the Olympic cut, she will have to earn a spot in an impressive field that is expected to include top halfpipe riders like Kelly Clark, Gretchen Bleiler and Hannah Teter.

Nick Hendrickson, 18 Nordic combined Nick Hendrickson knows if he makes the 2010 Olympic Games it is going to be a bit of a surprise, but that will not stop him from trying. Hendrickson, 18, is actually from Park City, Utah, but Scott Sine/U.S. Ski Team spent last winter in Steamboat Springs working with Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club coach Martin Bayer. The junior enjoyed a solid season, earning a spot on the Junior World Championship Team that competed in Strbske Pleso, Slovakia.

Brett Denney, 19 Nordic combined

Brett Denney is aware that the Olympics are a possibility in 2010, but a spot isn’t the main goal for the 19-yearold skier from Steamboat Springs. “I want to consistently finish in the top 20 of Continental Scott Sine/U.S. Ski Team Cup meets and maybe move up to World Cup A,” Denney said. “It would also be nice to land on the podium at the Junior World Championships. The Olympics could happen, but if they don’t I’m not going to be too disappointed.”

Photo: John F. Russell Photo: John F. Russell

Matt Ladley, 18 Snowboard, halfpipe Matt Ladley was just 14 when he was asked to join the U.S. Ski Team’s rookie squad. Since then, the Steamboat Springs snowboarder has collected a long list of top halfpipe results, including second-place finishes at the 2009 Oakley Arctic Challenge and the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. This year he plans to focus on the Dew Tour and hopefully land a spot at the 2010 Winter X Games. Of course he also would love to land a spot on the Olympic team that will compete in Vancouver, but he understands that getting one of the four spots will be a challenge.

Jana Lindsey, 25 Freestyle aerials

Mick Dierdorff, 18 Boardercross Success on the NorAm last winter has resulted in a change of plans for Steamboat Springs snowboarder Mick Dierdorff. Dierdorff earned the overall NorAm title in boardercross last season and is hoping to improve on that this winter. The top result earned him a guaranteed spot on the World Cup Tour this winter and a chance to compete in all the Olympic qualifiers. It also convinced him to delay his college plans for at least one year. Dierdorff, who had planned to attend the University of Colorado this fall, has decided to stay in Steamboat Springs and continue to prepare for the upcoming season.

Olympic aerialist Jana Lindsey used to drive from her home in Black Hawk, S.D., to train with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. Lindsey had one of the best seasons of Scott Sine/U.S. Ski Team her career in 2009 after she increased the degree of difficulty in her competition moves. She finished in fifth place at the World Championships in Japan and then capped off the season by winning the national title.

Taylor Fletcher, 19

Michelle Gorgone, 26

Scott Sine/U.S. Ski Team

Alpine snowboarding Michelle Gorgone learned to snowboard at Waterville Valley, N.H., before moving to Steamboat Springs, where she joined the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and Mike Schirf/U.S. Ski Team attended The Lowell Whiteman School. She graduated in 2001. She was a member of five Junior World Championship teams (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003) before making the jump to the World Cup. She was a member of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team and finished 22nd in parallel giant slalom.

Nordic combined Taylor Fletcher knows his odds of making the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team are long, but that’s not going to stop him from making a run. “It’s going to be a dog fight with everyone on the team,” Fletcher said. “We are all so close, and everybody has an

opportunity to make the cut.” Fletcher is coming off a strong season. He made the Junior World Championship team and was rewarded with his first World Cup start. He also picked up a 12th-place finish at the Junior World Championships in Strbske Pleso, Slovakia.

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Skiing may be what they do best, but when World Champion Nordic skiers Johnny Spillane, Bill Demong and Todd Lodwick come out to play, they head to the fields and streams around Steamboat Springs.

World Champion Nordic combined skier Johnny Spillane is at home on the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs. Spillane not only enjoys fly-fishing, but he also guides when he has time.

Photo: John F. Russell

Nordic champions share their love of the great outdoors

54 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Story by Tom Ross

ohnny Spillane can’t imagine traveling to Europe without his fly-tying kit. Billy Demong’s idea of a swell afternoon is avoiding brown bears while jogging for miles across the Alaskan tundra and using his GPS to mark the location of caribou antler sheds. And Todd Lodwick prides himself on getting inside his quarry’s skull so he can think like an elk. The three young men have spent endless amounts of time together during the past 15 years. And in addition to their affinity for Steamboat Springs, they share a love of the outdoors. And then there’s that other thing. Spillane, Demong and Lodwick share World Championship gold medals in the demanding sport of Nordic combined skiing. In fact, they are the only Americans to become world champions in their sport, which merges ski jumping and cross-country skiing into one competitive event. Nordic combined is obscure in the U.S., but the sport is so celebrated in Europe that the American athletes are celebrities in cities like Oslo, Norway, and Munich, Germany. Another experience shared by the trio includes overcoming the lingering disappointment of not reaching their podium potential at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Demong, Lodwick and Spillane have the opportunity to build on their World Championship success at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Escape to the woods Skiing is their job and when they come out to play, they head for the fields and streams. Spillane works as a fishing guide in Steamboat when his schedule permits. But the highlight of his annual outdoor calendar comes in early autumn when hormonecrazed bull elk are bugling in the aspen forests and Johnny picks up his bow. “Archery season is what I live for, and the month of September is it. There’s adrenaline in it, but it’s really about getting deep into the woods. It’s awesome,” Spillane said. What are the odds? Three world champion skiers come of age at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, and all of them share a passion for hunting and fishing. Lodwick, Spillane and, in his own unique way, Demong, would just as soon be tracking big game or tempting trout as stepping into their ski bindings. Spillane and Lodwick grew up fishing as boys in Northwest Colorado. Demong’s hometown of Vermontville, N.Y., is in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. Spillane spent time at his family’s cabin on the White River near Meeker, and Lodwick enjoyed a big chunk of his youthful summers close to the water in North Routt County. “We spent six weeks every summer at Steamboat Lake, and I went fishing every morning,” Lodwick said. “I felt like I needed to be out there as soon as the first light came

Olympian Bill Demong stands in a river near his home in Utah. Like his Nordic combined teammates, Demong also enjoys getting outside and fishing when he has a chance.

Carl Van Loan/Courtesy

through (the) tent.” That boyhood enthusiasm has stayed with him. He cherishes memories of a float on the Green River when he and friend T.J. Thrasher caught and released more than 75 trout. However, it is bow hunting that dominates his thoughts of the outdoors. Arguably the greatest Nordic skier in American history is so accomplished at bow hunting that he is on the pro staff of camouflage clothing manufacturer Mossy Oak. And that explains why his Uvex ski jumping helmet at the 2009 World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, was painted with a camouflage motif.

A balance to life “I think you have to have stuff that balances your skiing,” Lodwick said. “Is hunting my life? No, my family is my life. And my skiing involves dedication, hard work and fun. But I’m trying to convince my wife (Sunny) that hunting is real good for me.” Demong’s approach to the outdoors is not so focused on the actual harvesting of a game animal or out-foxing a fish as it is for his Nordic combined teammates. “I like to go camping with no particular purpose,” he said. “I might go by myself or with one friend.” He has completed a successful mule deer hunt and treasures a picture of himself holding a brilliant Alaskan salmon as big as his leg. But for Demong, fishing is just one small part of a trip down a remote Alaskan river. “It’s best for me if I can catch big, dumb fish,” Demong said. “Alaska has spoiled me because the need to match the (insect) hatch for finicky ghost trout is replaced with giant hungry fish swallowing huge flies with abandon! Floating a remote river fishing for salmon and rainbow

trout that have never seen a lure before evokes the feeling of fishing as it should be for me.” The stories Demong likes to tell about a couple of Alaskan river trips involve some exotic ski training. “Johnny and I liked to take off on training runs across the tundra,” Demong said. “Once we ran up a 2,000-foot ridge.” Along the way, they spied huge brown bears in the distance and used a GPS to mark the spot of discarded caribou antlers so they could retrieve them on the return trip. Steamboat resident Dave McDonald, who was a member of the river expedition, recalls the sight of the two athletes loping back across the tundra, their bodies bristling with armloads of antlers. “We were 80 miles from any town, and I remember seeing a bush plane fly over low and I could imagine the pilot radioing back to base, ‘You won’t believe what I’ve got below me! There’s two skinny guys running along and they’re loaded down with antlers!’” Spillane’s favorite elk hunting trip involves hooking up with younger brother Sam and burying himself deep in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area. “I haven’t taken an animal in a couple of years because I passed on some smaller bulls and became obsessed with two really big bulls.” Lodwick takes a cerebral approach. “I understand the animals,” he said. “I want to outsmart the animals and figure out what the next move is going to be. Does it work every time? No. But I’ve only missed filling my elk tag once.” With the wind in his favor, Lodwick has become a wizard at placing himself in the path of elk. Standing motionless in his Mossy Oak camouflage, he’s had the big ungulates come within ridiculously close range.

Winter 2009-10 | At Home

| 55

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Photo: John F. Russell Todd Lodwick, who won two Nordic combined gold medals at the World Championships last winter, likes to spend the fall hunting in the woods of Buffalo Pass. “I’ve touched a cow (elk) on the nose with the tip of my broadhead,” he said. This year, limited to just a couple of days of hunting because he needed to spend time with his two toddlers, Lodwick shot a cow from a range of several feet. “The arrow had barely left the bow when it hit her right here,” he said thumping his chest.

Tying one on In the run-up to an Olympic year that could become a crowning moment for all three athletes, Spillane is rehabbing his knee after surgery. He wisely limited himself to hunting close to town. But he’ll make up for it on the World Cup circuit this winter, when he fills all the down time in the hotels, tying perfectly balanced flies guaranteed to fool a trout. “There’s (only) so much German television you can watch,” he said. “The coaches want us off our feet all day Thursday (the day before official training at the 56 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

competition venues). I tie flies all day.” Spillane’s goal is tying an average of 15 flies a day for weeks in a row. When the ski season is over, his fly boxes will be full and ready for spring angling.

A winning strategy Lodwick doesn’t hesitate to draw the unlikely analogy between Nordic combined skiing and bow hunting. “This whole last year leading up to the World Championships (in Liberec) was like a hunt,” Lodwick said. “You start out to conquer something and then it all comes together. That was a 10-month stalk. I take it back. It was more like a 14-year stalk.” With the perseverance and Zen-like concentration of passionate outdoorsmen, Demong, Lodwick and Spillane are stalking Olympic gold this winter. The hunt reaches a climax in British Columbia in February. All three men should feel right at home in the thick woods of the Canadian Rockies.

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luxury

The units at One Steamboat Place offer inviting fireplaces and well-designed living spaces.

he standard of luxury for vacation condominiums at Steamboat Ski Area is poised to gain a lofty plateau this ski season. And when Trailhead Lodge, One Steamboat Place and Edgemont welcome their first vacationers of the winter, a new design aesthetic will make itself known at the same time. Interior designers in the Yampa Valley are steadily moving away from the lodge look and cowboys-and-Indians motifs that held sway through the first part of the decade. In their place, designers are working to achieve a deliberately

ambiguous aesthetic. It’s a style meant to be adaptable. The understated Western look of reclaimed barn timbers married with sleek light fixtures and industrial steel allows art enthusiasts to show off divergent art collections — either a prized Remington bronze or an abstract Kandinsky painting — perhaps in the same room. The Ranch House Interior Design in Boulder took the design lead at Trailhead, setting the tone with dark wood flooring, dry-stack rock fireplaces mounted with flat-screens and creamy granite slabs with

chiseled edges. The lodge includes 86 fully furnished suites. Trailhead led the trio of new condo projects, opening to guests in July. Early in 2010, its owners and guests will enjoy preferred status on a new people-mover gondola, ferrying people from Wildhorse Meadows up and over the knoll into an upper terminal where One Steamboat Place opened its public plaza in time for Thanksgiving skiers to enjoy a new fire pit. The arrival experience for skiers, diners and shoppers has at last been boosted into the 21st century.

Story by Tom Ross ❘ Photos by John F. Russell

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A new standard of

luxury

The living space inside Trailhead Lodge is roomy and open. The kitchen opens up into a great room with a walk-out deck and mountain views.

Stand in front of the ski area’s ticket windows facing southwest in the direction of the gabled condo tower of One Steamboat Place, then pivot on your heel and look at the existing gondola building with fresh eyes — the contrast is unmistakable. One Steamboat Place and Edgemont were on schedule in late October to host their owners for the first time early in 2010. Edgemont is 10 slalom turns or a chairlift ride away from One Steamboat Place, slopeside and just up the Stampede trail. Edgemont is distinctly different from Trailhead and One Steamboat Place in that it will not make formal arrangements with a property management company on behalf of its owners. That condition does not preclude owners from making their own rental arrangements, but vacation rentals will not be part of a management umbrella covering the entire project.

very individual bathrooms found in the larger units. At OSP, developer David Burden’s wife, Sandy, teamed with J Banks Design Group of Hilton Head, S.C. Edgemont, again, is notably different from its Steamboat cousins in that individual owners will take responsibility for the interior design and furnishing of their vacation homes with the option of working with Slifer Designs, of the Vail Valley, which furnished the model unit. Edgemont Project architect Oz Architecture chose deep brown cabinetry (just this side of black) with glass doors and elm wood floors, which have not been seen before in Steamboat. Subtle pastel colors on the walls are taken from nature, and kitchen islands capped in granite with an antique texture are another first in the resort village.

OSP declares code red

Edgemont Sales Director Mark Murrell said that beyond the basic finishes, owners will enjoy great latitude to create homes that reflect their individual tastes. “We’re committed to working with our owners as if each condominium is a custom home,” Murrell said. “I can’t wait to see

The interiors of the condominium homes at One Steamboat Place flow from a commitment to distinctive deep red cabinetry, beginning at the front door and continuing through the kitchen to a dining room banquette and on into one of several 60 | At Home | Winter 2009-10

Freedom at Edgemont

what some of them look like when they are completed. There are a few that are going quite modern and in a few, they’ll be very rustic.” Emblematic of the varying design approaches is the reclaimed antique oak beam that is standard in the floor to ceiling fireplaces in every living room. The fireplace mantels were carefully planned to allow the option of placing a flat-screen television above the fireplace, or leaving it free to display art. We can anticipate that more than a few Edgemont owners will take Slifer’s suggestion and place a semi-circular table against the wall in the generous hallway outside the master bedroom. “It’s a great place to put family photos and mementos to personalize the home,” Murrell agreed. Enter the master bedroom and there’s another custom touch you won’t see anywhere else — a sliding frosted glass door that runs on rails — evoking an urban loft or a barn door. “Some owners will have these doors etched” with a custom design, Murrell predicted.

No two bathrooms alike

At One Steamboat Place, every bathroom is a work of art. In fact, you can expect to find a print of a European master oil painting

A new standard of

luxury

The kitchen inside this Edgemont unit features top of the line appliances and an area with enough space to whip up a culinary masterpiece or a late-night snack.

framed over the tub in the master bath. There also is an upholstered chaise, a steam shower and a travertine floor. But another bath has a floor inset of rough black pebbles that provide a foot massage in the shower. OSP comprises 38 whole ownership condominiums plus units devoted to 176 eighth-shares and a flock of one-twelfth fractionals in the 450,000-square-foot resort that includes a restaurant and even ski school offices for Steamboat Ski Area. The designers were so devoted to making each condominium home distinct from the other that they felt obligated to travel from Paris to Parma, Italy, for a major antique-buying expedition. The results of all that shopping have paid off with resort condominiums that delight the eye. “This is meant to feel warm and family friendly,” Burden said while gesturing at the model unit.

Windows upon windows Trailhead Lodge carries on a flirtation with Steamboat’s ranching heritage in the form of local photographer and architect Tim Stone’s large warm-tone photographs of horse tack. After all, the interior design

team is from The Ranch House. Stone’s detailed close-ups are abstract enough to blend nicely with the colorful area rugs and custom-built upholstered chairs specified by the design team. Owners choose from among four color palettes and fabric selections to suit their taste. The dramatic artisan glass vases and dry arrangements in the sleek bathrooms also speak to the contemporary style of a modern bunkhouse. Several of the executives from Trailhead developer Resort Ventures West have Intrawest pedigrees, so it’s not your imagination, RVW development manager Mariana Ishida acknowledged. The floor plans are not unlike those one might find at Intrawest resorts in Mammoth, Calif., and Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C. The big difference? The windows are much taller than one would expect to find at those resorts, ensuring dramatic views of the South Valley and Emerald Mountain. Taken as a group, Steamboat’s trio of new signature properties have put Steamboat well on the way to realizing its goal of reclaiming its stature as one of the most contemporary ski villages anywhere.

The master bedroom inside this Edgemont unit comes complete with its own bathroom, fireplace and a view of the slopes of the Steamboat Ski Area.

Bathrooms at One Steamboat Place come complete with top of the line fixtures and countertops that scream luxury living. Winter 2009-10 | At Home

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Tom Ross remembers

Steamboat’s great four-way skier Wren made U.S. Olympic team in slalom and ski jumping

ave you ever wondered who would win a four-way ski competition between Nordic combined World Champion Todd Lodwick and Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety? Lodwick is a dominant Nordic skier and Ligety is perhaps the most versatile Alpine skier among American men. By four-way ski competition, I mean one in which the athletes are required to compete in crossLongtime local country skiing, writer Tom Ross downhill and slalom has called racing and ski jumping. Steamboat Such a competition Springs home is unheard of today, since 1979. but two generations ago, four-way skiers were fairly commonplace at the University of Colorado and Denver University. Steamboat Springs’ Gordy Wren might have been the greatest four-way skier America ever knew. This is the age of specialization, but it’s fun to contemplate which of today’s skiing greats might excel in a four-way meet. I wouldn’t underestimate Ligety for onethousandth of a second. But logic tells me Lodwick would have an unfair advantage in ski jumping and cross-country skate skiing. Ligety is a certified speed demon in a giant slalom course and skis slalom and downhill well enough to have won the combined gold in Torino, Italy, in 2006. However, I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that Lodwick and Nordic combined teammates Bill Demong and Johnny Spillane are capable of skiing slalom and downhill courses and faring better than Ligety would in ski jumping and in a 10-kilometer skate race. Of course, the debate is academic. Because you’ll never see such a matchup between two of America’s best medal hopes going into the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, in February 2010. Just the same, if I had a time machine, I’d send Lodwick and Ligety back to 1948 so they could face off against the great Gordy Wren. Gordy who? I forgive you if you don’t remember

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Gordy Wren. He died Nov. 25, 1999, at age 80. As a competitor, coach and ski area manager, Gordy was one of the most influential personalities of his era in American skiing. Wren qualified for Alpine and Nordic events in the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Try to imagine the contemporary athlete who could qualify for the Olympics in ski jumping, slalom skiing, downhill racing and ski jumping. Gordy Wren was the only American ever to pull off that feat. Author Sureva Towler wrote in the “History of Skiing at Steamboat Springs” that Wren was born in Steamboat where his grandfather ran freight wagons over Buffalo Pass and his great uncle George was a skiing mailman. I’d like to see a modern Olympian deliver the mail on skis. Gordy’s father, Lawrence “Tuffy” Wren, was a rodeo cowboy who competed in ski jumping in Steamboat’s first Winter Carnival in 1914. Gordy and his pal Barney McLean were training to compete on the U.S. Alpine Olympic team in 1940 when World War II canceled the Winter Games. Instead, Wren joined the famed 10th Mountain Division and spent the war attached to Italian troops whom he taught mountain warfare, survival techniques and rock climbing. The soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division trained as ski troops, and Gordy was the acknowledged master of ski-waxing techniques. In 1948, already a war veteran, Gordy once more prepared himself for the Olympics. He was good enough to be named to compete in all four events he tried out for. After arriving in St. Moritz, he decided not to compete in the Alpine events, but instead he chose to focus on cross-country skiing and jumping. The decision paid off as he placed fifth in ski jumping. He returned to Howelsen Hill, where he became the first American to ski jump the

Gordy and Jean Wren. In 1948, Gordy became the first American to ski jump more than 300 feet. He also was crowned the national giant slalom champion that same year. length of a football field with an effort of 301 feet. That same year, he was crowned the national giant slalom champion. That won’t happen in 2010. Gordy coached the next generation of Olympians on Howelsen Hill and went on to have a career as a ski area manager. He was the ski area manager and an instructor at Mount Werner from 1967 to 1970, moving on to play similar roles at Loveland Basin, Jackson Hole, Winter Park and Alta, Utah. His legacy is preserved in the national and Colorado ski halls of fame and in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. Gordy Wren will always have a unique place in the history of competitive skiing.

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