Steamboat Living

Summer 2012

Staying fit:

Analyze your running gait Cooking with Laundry’s Chris Randall artiSt profile:

Monroe Hodder gets abstract

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•

w w w. s t e a m b o a t s e a f o o d . c o m

John F. ruSSell

contents

noontime nymph: matt gaylor wets a line when the river still had water.

Departments

Special section: Locals

12 Quick Hits

27

Retracing John Wesley Powell, carving trees in Craig, a close call in Alaska and more.

17 Artist Profile

For Monroe Hodder, moving from painting trees to stripes was as natural as moving to Steamboat.

20

Cooking With Brussels sprouts hash, anyone? You’ll find that and more from the creative mind of Laundry’s Chris Randall.

18 Residents You’d Welcome to Dinner From mechanics and moms to athletes and avalanche forecasters, an inside look at locals who help make our community what it is.

Bonus: Find out if you’re a true local with our Locals Quiz (page 28)

22 Staying Fit: Running Analysis 101 Our fitness guru checks out a gait analysis with Steamboat’s Forever Fit.

24

Real Estate: The Brunners’ Cow Camp Today’s rural land sales are epitomized by a rare parcel steeped in Steamboat history.

48 Road Trip: Scuba Diving in Denver

Cavorting with groupers, sharks and manta rays isn’t just for Cozumel. You can also do it a mile high in Denver.

52

Inside: Best of the Boat supplement This year’s Best of the Boat reader survey yielded a record number of votes — ranking categories from dining and real estate to services and shopping — proving that our populace is plenty opinionated about this place we call home.

Tom Ross Remembers Horses of Another Color: An inside look at General Pershing and other Steamboat stallions from the past.

54 Parting Shot

On the cover: Emily Seaver basking in the blooms of the Yampa River Botanic Park. Find her Locals profile on page 30. (Photo by John F. Russell) Summer 2012 | SteamBoat living

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DAvID DIETRICh

From the editor

Suzanne Schlicht Chief operating officer Scott Stanford General manager Brent Boyer Editor in chief mike polucci Magazines manager eugene Buchanan Magazines editor nicole miller Assistant editor Take me to the river, Walk me on the Water: eugene Buchanan testing the knee-tweaking Ski Yaks at the Yampa river Festival.

laura tamucci Creative services manager

Locals for Life

Steve Balgenorth Circulation manager

“Dad, can we go to the cemetery sometime?”

The question came innocently enough from my daughter, Casey. We had passed a few on a recent road trip and had worn the “People are just dying to get in there” joke thin. But in the process, she asked if Steamboat had one.

So this spring, I took her and a few friends there on a whim before their Saturday basketball game, turning north by the Steamboat Springs Transit Center onto Conestoga Circle followed by a quick left onto Cemetery Drive.

Once there, they scampered over its rolling hills looking for the oldest birth year they could find. The years moved back from Robert Amos, 1880; to Eddy Herbert, 1859; Josephine Jones, 1850; and finally the winner, Eliza Mosser, 1817, which Casey called out proudly.

More important than keeping the kids occupied, it painted a picture of the locals who lived here centuries ago as well as the hardships they endured and the joys of small-town living they got to celebrate.

The hardships manifested themselves in the young ages etched onto many tombs, including 16-year-olds Thomas Foster and Mary Novell, who died in 1932 and 1926,

respectively; 4-year-old Elinor Vancha, who died in 1918; and the infant McKinney twins from 1926.

But it also told a tale of fixtures in Steamboat long before us, from the townfounding Crawfords to the Klines, Werners and Hitchens, who are honored today with the Hitchens brothers ski jumping nights on Howelsen Hill.

The point is, they were all locals just like you and me. They might have had different priorities — running the ranch instead of local trails, planting fields instead of poles and peddling wares instead of pedaling Mount Werner — but they were locals to the core, living here for the same quality-of-life reasons we do.

What they didn’t have is a magazine like Steamboat Living honoring them every year. So what better reason to celebrate our own fixtures of town than to bring you this annual look at some of our favorite locals, as nominated by our readers.

And by calling attention to some of today’s marquee residents, hopefully you’ll be inspired to take a trip up Cemetery Drive and pay respects to some of those who paved the way before us. Just let us know if you find a birthday before 1817.

— Eugene Buchanan

Correction Noodles & More Saigon Cafe co-owner Vicki Nguyen is the sister of co-owner Eric Nguyen. Their relation was incorrect in the Best of the Boat section of the spring 2012 issue of Steamboat Living.

photographers Scott Franz, Joel Reichenberger, John F. Russell, Tom Ross and Matt Stensland Writers Scott Franz, Luke Graham, Nicole Inglis, Joel Reichenberger, Tom Ross and Matt Stensland advertising design and production Stephanie Corder, Seve DeMarco, Rachel Girard and Todd Wilson advertising sales Christy Woodland

Steamboat Living is published three times a year, in March, July and November by the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

Steamboat Living magazines are free.

For advertising information, call Mike Polucci at 970-871-4215.

To get a copy mailed to your home, call Steve Balgenorth at 970-871-4232.

Email letters to the editor to ebuchanan@SteamboatToday.com or call 970-870-1376 Summer 2012 | SteamBoat living

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Quick hits

L

DaviD lamB

ongtime local and former U.S. Ski Team member David Lamb won’t soon forget his first heliskiing trip to Alaska this spring. Lamb, along with locals Danny Jendral and builder/heli guide Seth Koch, joined a trip in March near Haines with Alaska Heliskiing only to witness two people — Robert Liberman, 35, from Telluride, and client Nick Dodov, 26, from Truckee, Calif. — die in an avalanche. Here’s Lamb’s take on what happened and what he learned.

In His Own Words David Lamb reflects on Alaska avalanche tragedy that killed 2 I’ve skied all over the world on the U.S. team, but this was my first experience big mountain heli skiing.

and sent the rest of his group below. Then the sixth guy, a snowboarder, took a line in the middle, which set the slide off.

We couldn’t have timed our conditions better. We got there on a record year right after a 7 1/2-foot storm. The first day was outrageous, the best ski day of my life. But on the second day, it was game over.

A huge windstorm had crusted everything over.

The avalanche was huge — about 300 yards across, with a 6-foot-deep crown. It completely washed over Rob’s safe zone. Everyone else tried to back up as much as they could, but there was a big cliff behind them. They were lucky; it could have been a lot worse.

After our first run, we flew back up valley and saw from our helicopter where the other group was skiing, in an area known as Takhin Ridge. Rob, the lead guide, was in a safe zone

We circled a couple of times looking for visual clues, then finally set down on a bench, where our lead guide jumped out to help. But he made us stay put because there was still

12 | SteamBoat living | Summer 2012

so much hang fire above us.

After we lifted up again, we shot up to the top of the ridge, where we picked up another guide and dropped him off to help. But he was on a snowboard, so he couldn’t do too much.

Then we circled again and they finally flew us back, where they got more guides to help.

It was a sad deal. Rob was a great guy.

They had five more days of bluebird skies afterward, but after the accident, I had pretty

much checked out emotionally, so I came home. My friend kept on skiing with another outfit.

I know now what you’re really dealing with in terrain like that, and what the outcome can be. I walked away knowing I’ll be much better prepared to handle the conditions through equipment checks and training and better prepared to emotionally deal with such a worst-case scenario.

I’ve traveled around the world my whole life skiing, but this was the first time I’ve ever experienced anything like that. The hardest thing was not being able to do anything at all to help. ■

CRAIG DAILy PRESS

Whittle the Wood Gets Sculpted into Craig Life

The eagle has landed: a sculptor puts the finishing touches on an entry at Craig’s Whittle the Wood rendezvous.

What would you do if you were a parks director and you noticed your park’s cottonwoods were dying of disease?

If you’re Craig’s Dave Pike, you invite wood carvers to town and host a tree-carving contest — which is why you might see more and more carved stumps in town whenever you drive through Craig.

“We were just looking for a way to preserve the historic cottonwood trees deteriorating in Craig City Park,” Pike says about the June event’s 1999 beginnings. “We decided to leave the tree stumps for local artists to carve and our premier summer event was born.”

That simple idea 13 years ago now has blossomed into the Whittle the Wood Rendezvous, one of the country’s most unique art festivals.

Every year, 12 artists and their chain saws are invited to town to turn trees into masterpieces in just four days with spectators on hand amid the shavings.

After having carvers work their magic on the park’s dying trees in the event’s first two years, organizers now cart logs in from elsewhere for artists, who choose their stumps in a tree-selection lottery. When the works are completed — ranging from eagles with wings spread to a Stop Global Warming bear with sunglasses and a melted ice cream cone — the public, artists and three independent judges choose People’s and Artists’ Choice awards as well as three Best of Show awards with cash prizes. The weekend also includes music, arts and crafts vendors, food and more.

And Craig gets the spoils of the sculptures, with the artwork now gracing parks, schools and courthouses across Craig, Hayden and even Dinosaur. “It’s a great time for both sculptors and spectators alike,” Pike says. “Plus, we get the bonus of artwork afterward.”

Info: www.whittlethewood.com.

— Eugene Buchanan

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CouRTESy

Quick hits

Remembering Walt Webber This July 4th As this year’s Fourth of July parade rolls past the flagpole on the Routt County Courthouse lawn, World War I veteran Walt Webber might well be looking down saluting this town.

A resident of this valley for 35 years, Webber never missed a parade, and donating the flagpole was among his proudest moments.

But locals have more than his flagpole to be thankful for. Born in Fruita in 1891, Webber came to Steamboat in 1927 with wife Gertrude and opened an electrical services and supply store.

While hard times and a devastating shop fire made for a difficult first year, Webber quickly made his mark on the town.

He devised a surround-sound system on his work truck, which quickly became synonymous with local events. Blaring music

and announcements, the truck transformed Winter Carnivals, Fourth of July parades and rodeos. In the winter, Webber turned his vehicle into the Roving Christmas Tree. Festooned in trees and red lights, he travelled the valley delivering homemade candy to every child.

He also brought TV to the valley. Armed with a homemade device, he spent months scouring the county on horseback for a signal, while his family remained home watching the screen to document any picture they saw — with exact timing.

He succeeded on Woodchuck Hill, leasing an acre of land and erecting a booster station. The venture cost him $20,000, of which he recouped $6,000 from the city. One snowy evening in 1949, the community gathered where Colorado Mountain Col-

14 | SteamBoat living | Summer 2012

Watching the Game? You have Walt Webber to thank. in addition to bringing his sound truck to parades, he also brought Tv to the valley.

lege now stands for a boxing match, the first TV viewing in the valley.

As Steamboat’s radio repairman, Webber the Lamplighter would spend hours talking to people across the world on his CB radio for free. Postcards with call names from Japan to Alaska decorated his workspace.

Granddaughter Cindy Wright laughs as she recalls sitting in the Chief Theatre in the ’60s watching a movie when the

sound was interrupted with, “This is the Lamplighter, can you hear me?” He was forced to reduce his system’s power after it interfered with the police radios.

Many remember him from his Roving Christmas Tree tradition, which continues in Hayden today. But from TV and radio to raising of the flag, he brought far more to town, whether it was eclectic or electric.

— Suzi Mitchell

Group Rides for Mere Mortals maTT STenSlanD

Don’t want to hammer with the hard guys? Finally, there’s a group of road riders more interested in keeping it fun than comparing testosterone levels.

In an effort to promote a more fun, casual and less-intimidating group riding experience, Chad James recently founded the Mere Mortals Bicycle Club for people not overly concerned about pelotons.

To get an idea of the cycling club’s attitude, this is how James describes it on the club’s Facebook page: “I want to ride with folks, but a 30-minute hill climb up Rabbit Ears or a four-hour, 30-mph sufferfest is still out of my league. I know some of you are complete hammers, but I hope you’ll be interested in riding with some regular humans now and then.”

The Mere Mortals meet casually every week on Saturday mornings at the Milk Run Donut Cafe, 941 Lincoln Ave. “That was the whole idea,” James says. “Let’s not meet at a bike shop. Let’s meet somewhere where regular people have regular vices.”

The group starts riding by a doughnut-friendly 10:35 a.m. and likely earlier once the mornings get warmer. About 10 people show up to ride each week.

Riding is kept at a conversational pace, and the group typically rides 20 to 25 miles out-and-back. Including intermediate men and women riders as well as ocleggo my ego: The mere mortals are just regular humans who like to ride (after casional experts who offer tips, the Mere Mortals try meeting for doughnuts). to start and finish rides as a group. “We kind of have a no-drop policy,” James says.

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Quick hits

If you can do it once, why not do it again?

That’s the theory John “Captain Volume” Lathrum is adopting as he takes the summer to retrace one-armed John Wesley Powell’s 1869 descent of the Green and Colorado rivers from Green River, Wyo., through the Grand Canyon.

Lathrum, the local owner of Heavy Metal Welding, originally made the trip in 2008. He’s at it again this year in his 16-foot raft with a custom-welded frame, heading from just outside Steamboat all the way to Lake Mead.

More than the rowing, he says the hardest part is procuring the proper permits from the river system’s various regulatory agencies. The first piece of the puzzle was securing one for the Grand Canyon. He crossed that bridge when friend Fred Kohler pulled a put-in date for Sept. 14.

Working upstream from there, he secured permits for Cataract

GarY PeTerSon

Local retraces 1869 rafting route of John Wesley Powell

Canyon Crusade: in addition to better equipment, John “Captain volume” lathrum also has a leg up on Powell with two arms.

Canyon on the Colorado River above Lake Powell as well as Stillwater/Labyrinth, Desolation/ Gray and Gates of Lodore canyons on the Green River, where

he’ll put in Aug. 13. He plans to reach Hite Marina on Lake Powell on Sept. 11 and then drive two days to the Lee’s Ferry put-in for the Grand.

“The key part was getting the permit for the Grand Canyon,” the longtime rafter says. “Once you get that, you can try to get everything else to fall into place.

In 2008, we motored across Lake Powell, but I’m not doing that again.”

Lathrum knows he’ll have lower flows than he did four years ago, complete with pesky sandbars to dodge in the flatter stretches, but at least he’ll have company. Twenty people are joining him for the Gates of Lodore section, with five people, including local Alex Maher, joining him the entire way.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Lathrum says. “Ever since my parents took me to Lake Powell in 1977 when I was 14, I’ve been fascinated by him and the desert canyons he explored.

And Steamboat is about as close a launching point as you could have to start such an expedition.”

— Eugene Buchanan

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Artist proFile

From Trees to Stripes: abstract artist monroe hodder at home in her Steamboat studio.

Hodder’s abstract expression brightens Yampa Valley

COLOR

DIvE INTo

M

onroe Hodder saw a career in art as an “exciting adventure” — a grand future that would take her on a journey through colorful worlds.

“I jumped right in and never looked back,” she says about pursuing art at a young age.

The abstract painter, easily identifiable by her brightly colored clothes and near-constant smile, lives part time in Steamboat Springs and part time in London, melding the two juxtaposing sceneries into her conceptual but playful works.

“What I’m striving for is a lot of depth,” Hodder says. “The outcomes are a bit unpredictable. It’s terrifying. Each one, I’m just going with the flow.”

Known for her large oil paintings of contrasting and complementary horizontal stripes, Hodder has displayed her work all around the world from Denver’s William Havu Gallery and the Denver Art Museum to the Andre Zarre Gallery in New York City and Belgravia Gallery in London.

Hodder is represented locally by former gallery owner Kimberly

Saari, who says the highlights of their seven-year relationship include visiting Hodder’s studio to get a sense of the light, music and ambience that inspires her work.

“Monroe’s a very complex person, and that comes out in her work,” Saari says. “She’s one of the most vivacious, happy people but also very deep, educated and intellectual. I see someone constantly pushing herself in a new direction, and I find that very admirable.”

In her 30-year career, Hodder has drawn figures and painted trees. Living abroad in several different countries offered her a broad perspective of nature, one that settled deep into her painter’s mind.

“For Russians, nature is where their spiritual life resides,” she says about her reverence for trees. “It’s how God comes down through the Earth.”

In Kazakhstan, she says the white birch trees captivated her, and one day, she turned the trees sideways on the canvas. Thus was born her signature, horizon-

tal stripes.

But she’s never static or stagnant in her work.

“One thing that’s helped me develop as an artist is opening my eyes and seeing art with a humble mind,” Hodder says.

Saari says Hodder also is devoted to art education. In February, a group of Steamboat Springs High School seniors visited her west Steamboat studio.

She animatedly spoke about her career and gave the students an inside look at her new direction: layered squiggle shapes with an organic feel and angled lines that begin to break down the horizontal stripes. She talked about her process, which starts with just a “jumble of lines” and about the music she listens to that inspires her work.

“You have to kind of look into your soul and think about what is important,” she told the students.

“For me, pure color goes a long way for my expression. You have to strip everything away — that’s the main lesson. How to jump into that creative spirit and not be afraid of mistakes.” ■

Story by nicole inglis ❘ Photos by John F. Russell Summer 2012 | SteamBoat living

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To prove that the Yampa River is navigable, Backdoor Sports owner Peter Van De Carr once spent 10 days kayaking from the river’s headwaters 250 miles to Jensen, Utah, while carrying a package of Hostess Twinkies. After arriving, he pulled the delicacies out and sold them to an outfitter for a quarter. “I wanted to show that you can use the river to conduct interstate commerce,” he says.

“That means it’s navigable and landowners can’t block passage.”

young gun

At this spring’s Cody’s Challenge Randonee race, one racer was shorter than most competitors’ poles. Tackling the short course at age 7, local Bridger Carlton skinned, climbed and schussed with the best of them, all in the name of raising funds for the Cody St. John Foundation, which benefits local ski patrols. “He liked my highspeed crash at the bottom of the chute,” says his dad, Will, who also competed in the March 17 event.

Bridger plans to be back again next season, a year older and wiser. “It was hard at first but then it started to be really fun,” the rugrat Randonee racer says. “It was cool to be the only kid there. Everyone was really nice to me.”

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moots named colorado company to Watch

While its employees might be spinning their wheels at lunchtime, local titanium bike manufacturer Moots is doing anything but in the business world.

This spring, Moots was named a 2011 Colorado Company to Watch out of 400 nominees by the state Office of Economic Development. “It recognizes growing companies that fuel the economic fire of the state,” the group’s Sam Bailey says. Moots is riding the accolades with such new bike models as the MX Divide and Psychlo X RSL. “It’s a nice recognition of our team’s work,” Moots President Rob Mitchell says. “Moots is a child of the Yampa Valley and its values. This award is just as much a recognition of our community and the other outdoor businesses based here.”

MooTS

Gary E. Fresques, DDS, PC

We all know what a great mountain town we have. Now the rest of the country knows it, as well. In May, Men’s Journal magazine ran a full-page photo of our little hamlet showing the Yampa River in front of a snow-topped Mount Werner in fall headlining a story about the Best Mountain Towns in the High Country. The write-up below called the town’s local orthopedic surgeon a bull rider, heaped praise on F.M. Light & Sons, said athletes “soak sore quads” at Strawberry Park Hot Springs, and mentioned that your local fly-fishing guide might be an Olympian.

Scuttlebutt the Sup Stops Here

Peter Hall, the harmonica player for Missed the Boat, is making boards as well as bluegrass music. Hall recently returned from China with prototypes for his new Hala inflatable stand-up paddleboards and paddles. Made out of 5 1/2inch drop stitch material rather than the conventional 4-inch, the boards are uber-stable, making them perfect for the likes of the Yampa River. “Their stability is through the roof,” says Hall, who can be seen regularly testing them on the Yampa. “I think you’ll start seeing more people taking up the sport here and beyond.” Info: www.halagear.com.

olympic Strokes

DoN MCLEAN

Steamboat might well be swimming with Olympians, but the town’s latest athlete to compete on the world stage will do so in the water instead of the winter. This spring, local Blake Worsley qualified to represent Canada in swimming in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. While Worsley was raised in Steamboat — earning his swimming stripes, often in below-zero temperatures, at the Old Town Hot Springs lap pool — he has dual citizenship in Canada, and will represent our neighbor to the north in the games. “I’m excited to be qualified for the Olympics,” he says. “I appreciate all the love and good luck and congratulations everyone in Steamboat has given me.”

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locals Build Buff Ski

Like the Colorado Buffs? Now you can show your support on your skis, thanks to two local entrepreneurs smitten with the black and gold. Locals Luke Dudley and Don McLean recently launched a University of Colorado-themed ski as a benefit for CU’s athletic department and ski team. The ski features inlaid wood designs of the Flatirons and the CU athletic logo. “The idea evolved after attending the CU Ski Ball last fall,” says McLean, adding that longtime local and CU alum Scott Wither bought the first pair. “It’s the perfect all-mountain ski for Steamboat. With my daughter on the CU Ski Team, it just all fit together.”

DIG ThIS

mumm’s the Word

People dig Dig This. The Steamboatbased company, which lets people run heavy excavating machinery, recently was named a Top 25 Newsmaker by McGraw-Hill Construction’s Engineering News-Record. “It was quite the day, with an awards luncheon, cocktail reception and black tie dinner,” says owner Ed Mumm, who attended the awards ceremony in New York City. “It was humbling to be in the presence of the other 24 Newsmakers.”

— Eugene Buchanan

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| 19

Bringing southern f lavor to Steamboat Springs

A

s a teenager in Roswell, Ga., Chris Randall cooked and cleaned to save up enough money to buy skateboards.

“I got my first kitchen job washing dishes and busing tables,” he says, describing his initial work duties at a fine Italian restaurant. “I had a passion for cooking early on that was instilled in me by my family.”

Today, Randall cooks for fun.

He cooks to express himself as an artist. And he cooks to make a living for himself and his 6-month-old son in Steamboat Springs.

Laundry’s first executive chef is a cooking veteran. But he faced a new challenge this year when he moved to the Yampa Valley from Shreveport, La., in January: mud season.

“It’s a big challenge because it’s the first time I’ve faced a situation like this,” Randall says in Rex Brice’s new downtown restaurant on 11th Street. “But it’s a fun challenge.”

Randall says 12-hour work days and a menu of creative dishes helped the restaurant stay open and pull through the slow season that sees several local eateries close to get their bearings for a busy summer.

The new challenge didn’t deter him from preparing creative dishes that pull from his southern roots.

Randall, 41, went to college to study to be an artist, but his passion for cooking kept him in the kitchen. He held his first executive chef position at a restaurant in Nashville, Tenn.

“I’ve worked under some good chefs,” he says as he ticks off a list of mentors that include actor Richard Gere’s personal sushi master.

Randall brands himself a southern boy who does a lot of “whacked out” Asian-influenced dishes and fine dining versions of comfort food. He also gives a nod to his scallops.

Laundry doesn’t brand itself as an ordinary restaurant, and Randall doesn’t consider himself to be an ordinary cook.

The restaurant’s menu, which changes often, is filled with dishes like cocoa-coffee-smoked bison carpaccio with aged Manchego cheese, hickory-smoked brisket Philly and Brussels sprouts hash. The dishes are meant to be shared by diners.

Story and photos by Scott franz 20 | SteamBoat living | Summer 2012

“The southern influence is really big here,” Randall says. “It’s a family-friendly kind of way of cooking. It’s also based on using cuts of meat that people don’t normally use like ox tail, neck bones and shanks that people don’t think too much about but that I grew up using for food.”

Randall says a successful chef is someone who likes to eat but also enjoys the career’s long list of demands.

“It’s a different lifestyle,” he says. “You work strange hours, and you have to have a passion for it. If you like what you’re cooking and are proud of it, it makes a successful cook. Life is pretty awesome for me, being a cook and having the position I’m in.”

recipe corner: Brussels sprouts hash with mustard vinaigrette Brussels sprouts hash

cookiNG With

What you’ll need 1 acorn squash 1 butternut squash 1 sweet potato 2 purple potatoes 1 onion 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts Olive oil Bread crumbs Chopped bacon How to make it 1. Peel and cut squash and potatoes into 1-inch cubes.

2. Coat them in olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a sheet tray.

3. Roast at 400 degrees until edges are brown and vegetables are softened. Cool and set aside.

4. Cut Brussels sprouts thin and set aside.

5. Cut onion into 1-inch dice.

6. Put olive oil into hot skillet and caramelize onions until brown. Set aside.

7. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roasted root vegetables, caramelized onions, shaved Brussels sprouts and a pinch of fresh garlic and oregano.

8. Saute until Brussels sprouts start browning.

Put mixture into a bowl and drizzle with mustard vinaigrette (recipe follows).

9. Top with bread crumbs, chopped bacon and fried onions.

mustard vinaigrette What you’ll need 2 tablespoons of whole mustard 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons cider vinegar Olive oil Honey Canola oil

How to make it 1. Combine ingredients in blender and add honey.

2. Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1 1/2 cups of Canola oil. ■

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Summer 2012 | SteamBoat living

| 21

stAYiNG Fit

Stride guide: local runner maddie ruppel gets tested on the treadmill at forever fit.

Out of the Gaits

Forever Fit video analysis breaks down running form

R

unning can be rough on the body, and even a minor injury quickly can ruin a runner’s season.

“Let’s prevent the injury versus fixing it afterward,” says Erin Monger-Rosso, a physical therapist with Forever Fit of Steamboat Springs.

To do that, she likes to use video analysis, an economical yet valuable tool that she thinks is underutilized. Forever Fit recently upgraded its equipment and offers the analysis for $30. The whole process takes less than an hour, and runners are bound to walk, or run, away with a few things they can work on to achieve a great gait.

“It offers instant feedback, which really helps people

work on their form,” says Monger-Rosso, who has been a physical therapist for 11 years and specializes on working with athletes. Before taking over Forever Fit 2 1/2 years ago, Monger-Rosso worked in Stanford University’s athletic department. At Emory University, she wrote her thesis on video running analysis focusing on track athletes who had chronic hamstring problems.

To demonstrate how the analysis works, consider 16-year-old case study Maddie Ruppel, who is a Steamboat Nordic skier, soccer player and swimmer. Last summer, she took up the sport of triathlon and now is training for her second season. In short, she’s in

for a long summer of running.

Before Ruppel gets on the treadmill, Monger-Rosso asks her about her medical history, past injuries and how much she is running. After that information is gathered, she tells Ruppel to hop on the treadmill.

After warming up, Ruppel runs at a steady, comfortable pace. Meanwhile, a video camera linked to computer software captures her stride from the side, front and back.

After Ruppel’s time on the treadmill, Monger-Rosso interprets the video. By replaying it in slow motion, she can critique Ruppel’s run. She points out that it looks like she is gliding through the air and her ponytail is moving equally side to side. Both are subtle

Story and photos by matt Stensland 22 | SteamBoat living | Summer 2012

signs of good running form.

Monger-Rosso does notice that Ruppel’s left hip movement is off.

“Our bodies don’t like twisting,” Monger-Rosso says.

“They like being stable. You have really good form, and if we can just get that hip a little more stable, you’ll feel better, especially on long runs.”

Imbalances and asymmetry start appearing as runners increase their mileage, MongerRosso says, and these can lead to injuries.

Among other observations, Monger-Rosso also looks at where Ruppel’s foot is striking the ground. “It’s perfect,” she says.

To address Ruppel’s hip and muscle imbalance, Monger-

Voted

Best of the Boat

Real estate BRokeR running replay: erin monger-rosso monitors maddie ruppel’s stride on her video screen.

Rosso shows her exercises that, if done daily during the next couple of months, will strengthen the muscle that is causing the imbalance.

“An ankle sprain can shut this muscle down, and this muscle is so crucial in running,” MongerRosso says.

Ruppel leaves the analysis excited that she has something to work on that can improve

her performance.

“Being able to look at my gait alignment from three different perspectives was super beneficial,” she says. “I love how a few key exercises can help keep my left hip in line when I run. It was very enlightening.”

Info: www.foreverfitsteamboat. com ■

tailored solutions superior results 2010 top produCer 2011 Most properties sold Who you work with will make a difference. Call for a no obligation “chat” and see if there is an approach that ensures your goals are met.

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970-846-5551 darrinfryer@earthlink.net

Summer 2012 | SteamBoat living

| 23

The Brunners’ Cow Camp Rural land sales trend epitomized by parcel soaked in history

A

mong the numerous rural land parcels being offered for sale in Routt County this summer, Dean and Loveta Brunner’s 44.5-acre “cow camp” on the way to Stagecoach Reservoir is woven into the history of the South Valley and the day when farm chores were done with the help of horses.

“All the old horses are gone now,” Dean says. “At one time, we had 18 draft horses. It was a fabulous place to raise a family.”

Dean and Loveta, both in their 80s, are selling the last and choicest piece of what once was a sprawling cattle ranch that straddled Colorado Highway 131 and ran all the way to the foot of Rabbit Ears Pass.

Their cow camp sits at the top of a gradual hill at 7,000 feet, just beyond the intersection of the state highway and Routt County Road 14 in an area of open fields surrounded by broad-shouldered mountains.

Dean grew up not far away at the foot of Rabbit Ears Pass (U.S. Highway 40 now runs through the spot where the Brunner home once stood). If his family went to town, it was no more than once a week in a horsedrawn wagon.

In addition to the Hereford cattle that dominated Steamboat’s herds in those days, they milked Holstein dairy cows. Like others in the neighborhood, the Brunners separated the cream themselves before delivering it in cans to the railroad depot to sell in Denver.

Erik Steinberg, of Prudential Steamboat Realty, has offered the property for sale for $995,000 based on a recent appraisal. It includes a meticulously kept mobile home and a new steel equipment shed. However, the buyer of this property, less than 10 miles from town on paved roads, likely will envision a dream home with views of Blacktail Mountain, the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area, Mount Baldy and Steamboat Ski Area.

“Probably the No. 1 attribute is the views,” Steinberg says. “They picked this high spot in the terrain for the ambience and the

Packing Their Saddle Bags: Dean and loveta Brunner are selling the last of their routt County ranch.

view. It provides a cool spot in the summers and looks down on a deep pond that Dean dug himself. It’s great for wildlife watching.”

Dean always has designed and built much of his own haying equipment. He and a neighbor, Norton “Gonk” Jacobs, used to custom cut hay for other ranchers from North Park to South Routt.

One year, Dean managed 3,200 cattle pastured from Centennial, Wyo., to Cimarron, Colo.

As desirable as the Brunners’

cow camp is, Steinberg and his partner and wife, Kathy, agree that there are some impediments to selling rural land in today’s market.

A certain segment of Steamboat’s buyers always have sought a country retreat. There was a time not so long ago — in 2006 — when a 35-acre parcel within a reasonable drive of the ski area couldn’t be touched for less than $500,000, if it could be found at all.

Things have changed, Kathy

Story and photos by tom ross 24 | SteamBoat living | Summer 2012

says, and buyers are focused on parcels that already have attractive homes that can be acquired for less than their replacement cost. That means parcels without a modern home, even when they offer 360-degree views and are an easy drive from town, have fewer prospective buyers.

“Most people won’t pay as much for the land because by the time you put a home on it, you’re over $1 million, and most buyers don’t want to have a million-dollar property right

now because they don’t think it’s wise,” she says.

She illustrates the point with the example of a short sale in May in the Game Trails subdivision where the property was valued at $1.695 million with a 3,600-square-foot home on 35 acres. It sold for $775,000.

“Everybody else wants to find that same deal,” she adds. “We’ve lost some buyers to other ski areas because they think our sellers in Steamboat are pretty unrealistic. It used to be the case that 35s weren’t attainable unless you were willing to pay a high price. Now, it’s hard to tell what the values are.”

A month ago, she had clients sell a Sidney Peak Ranch lot in the South Valley for $400,000.

They had paid $890,000 for the building site that came with access to a large indoor riding arena. “That sale established a real-world price for that subdivision,” she says.

north routt heats up

Thirty miles away, in North Routt, particularly near Steamboat Lake State Park, prices are trending the same, but sales levels have picked up this spring.

Roy Powell, of Steamboat Village Brokers, was the listing agent on a 0.65-acre lot in the Steamboat Lake Subdivision that sold for $50,000 on May 14, exactly half of what it sold for in 2007.

Powell, who lives in North Routt, said property there always has been influenced by prices in Steamboat; when lots and homes in town are reasonable, fewer people are willing to look in an area of scenic beauty with longer winters than they would experience in town.

Still, there always has been a vacation homebuyer who might not even use a North Routt home in the depth of winter. On the other hand, he says, the establishment of the North Routt Charter School has added greatly to the region’s sense of community.

“Historically, any time prices are distressed, making Steamboat more affordable, the communities of North Routt are affected,” Powell says. “But some really exceptional acreages have sold this spring.”

Powell says Elkhorn is special because it overlooks Steamboat Lake, where lots once sold for as much as $400,000. A five-acre lot sold for $150,000 on May 18.

reAl estAte

end of an era: The Brunners’ ranch off routt County road 14.

Cindy Rogers, of Steamboat Village Brokers, has a 1.1-acre lot on Golden Tide Place listed for $79,000. It would be easy to build on and has views that look up the Willow Creek Valley to 10,000-foot Hahn’s Peak.

“In general, single-family homes that are priced right are moving,” Rogers says. “There are great opportunities on land and hopefully that will be the next opportunity.”

Back at the Brunners’ cow camp, Loveta, who grew up in Burns on the Colorado River, has mixed emotions about selling.

The couple spends their winters on another parcel of agricultural land near Montrose, where they have a second ranch.

“I love the ranch,” she says. “I grew up on a ranch, and the hayseed is in my blood.”

If hayseed is in your blood, now you know where to go. ■

Summer 2012 | SteamBoat living

| 25

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LocaLs A celebrAtion of our fAvorite personAlities Carl Herold at home on his South Routt ranch pAGe 33

Are You a Local?

We all like to brag about how long we’ve been here. Take Steamboat Living’s simple quiz to help determine whether you’re a cheechako or a sourdough when it comes to your tenure in Steamboat.

1. White out is used to: A. turn legs into jelly B. correct mistakes on a term paper C. warm up your legs on the first run D. A and C 2. Three current postal clerks’ names are: A. Don, Tom and Ron B. Fred, Hank and Harriet C. Julie, John and Norbert 3. Locals used to gather atop Thunderhead in the early morning for: A. advice from Billy Kidd B. free coffee/mimosas C. rope drop 4. I try this ski parking sequence, in order: A. tiny lot below Knoll Lot, Ski Time Square, Knoll Lot, Meadows Lot B. Meadows Lot, Knoll Lot, Ski Time Square C. rodeo grounds, City Market, Wildhorse Meadows

5. Drink out of the Lithium Spring and you may get: A. the trots B. a euphoric feeling C. a ticket D. algae in your teeth

9. Touch the Buddy Werner statue atop Mount Werner and you’ll get: A. arrested B. good luck C. cold fingers

13. The name of our local mountain range is: A. Park B. Elk C. Zirkels D. Never Summer

6. The original name of the Yampa River was: A. Bear River B. Steamboat River C. Anything Town USA River D. Billy Kidd Brook

10. The following Broadway musical resulted from Agnes de Mille square dancing in a schoolhouse in Hayden: A. “Grease” B. “Oklahoma” C. “West Side Story”

14. These bands played at the Inferno: A. Dave Matthews, Clarence Gatemouth Brown and Sonia Dada B. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Taj Mahal and the Suburbs C. Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull and Charlie Daniels

7. The original hospital in town now is: A. a medical marijuana dispensary B. Old Town Pub C. Old Town Hot Springs D. a tattoo parlor 8. The following people attended Perry-Mansfield: A. Dustin Hoffman, Julie Harris and Lee Remick B. Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake C. Marilyn Monroe

11. The word “Yampa” comes from: A. a flowering, edible root that grows along the river B. the founder of town, Herbert B. Yampa C. an Indian greeting

15. The original name of Steamboat Ski Area was: A. Billy Kiddville B. Storm Mountain C. Grouse Creek D. Wally World

12. The real name of today’s Lighted Man is: A. Tom Hanks B. Jon Banks C. Claudius Banks

16. The old Routt County license plates started with: A. ZY B. YK C. WZ

17. Lincoln Avenue is so wide because: A. it was designed to fit Hummers and Lincoln Navigators B. it was used to drive cattle to stockyards C. high school tuba players needed more room at Winter Carnival 18. The train depot once was one of the largest: A. cattle shipping centers in the West B. facilities to host Cabaret C. coal-transfer stations in Colorado How did you score?

5 points for each correct answer (90 total) 80 to 90: veritable John Crawford 70 to 79: Billy Kidd 60 to 69: five-year ski bum 50 to 59: came for the winter, stayed for the summer Below 50: just visiting

Answers: 1: D; 2: A; 3: C; 4: B; 5: B; 6: A; 7: B; 8: A; 9: B; 10: B; 11: A; 12: B; 13: A; 14: A; 15: B; 16: C; 17: B; 18: A

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LOCALS

| Summer 2012

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SErVICES

ThE 2012 rESulTS ArE IN ...

hOmES

ShOppING

DINING

4,949 VOTErS • 156 CATEGOrIES • 1 GrEAT TOWN COmmuNITy

BrOuGhT TO yOu By

2 | Best of the BoAt 2012

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 3

4 | Best of the BoAt 2012

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 5

BEST Of ThE BOAT

BONANzA Contest yields record number of entries

I

f you weren’t sure where to eat, imbibe, shop, or do whatever else you do in Steamboat beforehand, now you know. This year’s Best of the Boat contest yielded a record 4,949 votes, or nearly half the local population. And this populace is as opinionated as ever when it comes to all things Steamboat.

Be it the best french fries, pizza or real estate broker, contestants voted on 156 categories, selecting what they deemed the top three in each one.

6 | Best of the BoAt 2012

“It’s a pretty unique way to find out how locals and visitors feel about certain aspects of our town,” magazine manager Mike Polucci says.

Categories were divided into five segments: Dining & Drinking, Shopping, Services, Homes & Real Estate and Community. Locals had a month to vote and did so in droves, eclipsing last year’s tally by more than 30 percent.

So without further ado, here are this year’s winners.

Survey receives Nearly 5,000 responses

H

oly moly. If Hollywood has winning formulas for its sequels, we’ve stumbled upon one with our Best of the Boat survey. In all, 4,949 readers responded this year, up 56 percent from 2012 and a whopping 1,500 percent from the inaugural contest’s 305 responses in 2002. Opinionated readers had exactly one month to answer the 156-question survey, and they did so in droves, producing Steamboat’s most representative readers’ choice survey ever. Following are a few behind-thescenes facts and figures as well as some answers that didn’t make the final cut:

Survey Stats 4,949 voters in 2012 survey 305 voters in original 2002 survey 272,751 total votes submitted 30,525 ExploreSteamboat.com

largest margin of Victory 68 percent Best Hot Dog: Hungry Dog

65 percent Best Liquor Store: Central Park Liquor

visits

55 percent Best Grocery Store:

Top 5 Questions by Votes 3,755 Best Sit-Down Breakfast 3,652 Best Sit-Down Lunch 3,555 Best Pizza 3,552 Best On-Mountain Après 3,492 Best Grab-and-Go Lunch

50 percent Best Pet Supply

City Market

Store: Paws ’N Claws ’N Things

47 percent Best Place for a Men’s Haircut: 10th Street Barbershop

45 percent Best Place for a

Sandwich: Backcountry Provisions

funniest responses Best Wings: “I’m a fan of colors, so parrots.”

Best Ribs: “Mike Polucci’s — carved from steel.”

Best Seafood: “Anywhere closer to the ocean than Colorado.”

Best Burrito: “Illegal Mexican burrito cart run by my grammama.”

Best Fine Dining: “I don’t make enough money to enjoy fine dining.

Sounds classy, though.”

Best Elected Official: “Are you kidding? They are all ‘best’ until they are actually elected.”

Best Carpenter: “Jesus Christ.”

Best Local Runner: “That guy who ran from the cops by jumping in the river.”

Best Local Snowboarder: “Paris Hilton.”

2011’s funniest responses Best Place for a Men’s Haircut: “Don’t know, I’m bald.”

Best Place to Get a Massage: “My back and shoulders.”

Best Snow Removal Service: “My husband.”

Best Place to Dance: “On a pole.”

Best Place to Walk a Dog: “Your neighbor’s yard, late at night.”

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 7

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(970) 879-3617 • 635 Lincoln Ave • Old Town Square menu online at www.backcountryprovisions.com

8 | Best of the BoAt 2012

F

rom Burger Night to bruschetta, Steamboat Springs has it all when it comes to dining. Lick wing sauce off your fingertips while après skiing and then settle in for pork amandine or elk tenderloin afterward.

There’s good reason for the diversity. Steamboat is a town where you burn through carbs like your bike tires gobble up singletrack. It’s only natural to replenish them come mealtime. Thankfully, a host of restaurateurs here are great at what they do — refueling us so we can get back out there and pursue our favorite pastimes. Whether our budget favors a sandwich or sushi, there’s a restaurant to fit the bill.

And some of these eateries are better than others, according to our voters who ranked everything from ambiance to appetizers. Drawing more responses than nearly all of our other categories combined, the Dining & Drinking division remains Best of the Boat’s most hotly contested category — almost as hot as the meals its proprietors serve.

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 9

DINING Best Après Ski on the mountain 1. Slopeside Grill 2. T Bar 3. The Tugboat Grill & Pub

Best Asian

Best Bakery

Best Coffee Shop

1. Mahogany Ridge Brewery and Grill 2. Carl’s Tavern 3. Sunpie’s Bistro

Best Bartender 1. Tod “JJ” Johnson, Laundry 2. Jennie Tollison, Sweetwater Grill and Slopeside Grill 3. Richard “Gooch” Shine, Sunpie’s Bistro

Best Bloody mary 1. Creekside Cafe & Grill 2. Ragnar’s 3. Freshies

Best Breakfast, grab and go 1. Colorado Bagel Co. 2. Lil’ House Country Biscuits & Coffee 3. Backcountry Provisions

Best Breakfast, sit down 1. Creekside Cafe & Grill 2. Freshies 3. Winona’s

Best Burrito 1. Azteca Taqueria 2. Fiesta Jalisco 3. Qdoba

Call for reservations or book online Downtown Steamboat Springs | 911 Lincoln Avenue 970-879-1919 | www.Harwigs.com Open Every Day 5:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

We accept Amex, Visa and MC 10 | Best of the BoAt 2012

Best Cocktails 1. Sweetwater Grill 2. Mahogany Ridge Brewery and Grill 3. bistro c.v.

3. Harwigs/L’Apogee

Best Bar

English: apogee (ap-uh-jee); the highest point.

1. The pinnacle of dinning

1. Johnny B. Good’s Diner 2. Rex’s American Grill & Bar 3. Freshies

1. Noodles & More Saigon Cafe 2. Saketumi 3. Sambi

1. Chocolate Soup Pastry Kitchen 2. Milk Run Donut Cafe 3. Winona’s

L’Apogée

Best Children’s menu

Best Catering Service 1. The Drunken Onion Get & Go Kitchen 2. Steamboat Meat & Seafood Co. 3. Marno’s Custom Catering

Best Chef 1. Kate Rench, Cafe Diva 2. Brian Vaughn, bistro c.v.

3. Vicki Connacher, Rex’s American Grill & Bar

1. Steaming Bean Coffee Co. 2. MountainBrew 3. Starbucks

Best place to Dance 1. The Tugboat Grill & Pub 2. The Tap House Sports Grill 3. Old Town Pub

Best Delicatessen 1. Backcountry Provisions 2. Steamboat Meat & Seafood Co. 3. 5th Street Market and Deli

Best family restaurant 1. Rex’s American Grill & Bar 2. Johnny B. Good’s Diner 3. Ore House at Pine Grove

Best fast food 1. Qdoba 2. The Hungry Dog 3. Subway

Best fine Dining 1. Cafe Diva 2. bistro c.v.

3. Harwigs/L’Apogee

Best french fries 1. Double Z Bar & BBQ 2. Rex’s American Grill & Bar 3. Big House Burgers and Bottle Cap Bar

Best hamburger 1. Big House Burgers and Bottle Cap Bar 2. Double Z Bar & BBQ 3. Rex’s American Grill & Bar

Best happy hour off the mountain 1. Mahogany Ridge Brewery and Grill 2. Sweetwater Grill 3. Carl’s Tavern

DINING Best host/hostess

Best margarita

1. Paul Underwood and Beth Fadel, Cafe Diva 2. Katy Vaughn, bistro c.v.

3. Shauna Hay, Sweetwater Grill

1. Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant 2. Cantina Mexican Restaurant 3. Fiesta Jalisco

Best hot Dog

1. Fiesta Jalisco 2. Cantina Mexican Restaurant 3. Tequila’s

1. The Hungry Dog 2. Big House Burgers and Bottle Cap Bar 3. The Tap House Sports Grill

Best Italian 1. Mambo Italiano 2. Mazzola’s Majestic Italian Diner 3. Riggio’s Ristorante

Best lunch, grab and go

Best mexican

Best music Venue 1. The Tugboat Grill & Pub 2. Sweetwater Grill 3. Old Town Pub

Best Outdoor Dining 1. Sweetwater Grill 2. Sunpie’s Bistro 3. Slopeside Grill

1. Backcountry Provisions 2. Azteca Taqueria 3. The Drunken Onion Get & Go Kitchen

Best pizza

Best lunch, sit down

Best ribs

1. Freshies 2. Creekside Cafe & Grill 3. Winona’s

1. Double Z Bar & BBQ 2. Steamboat Smokehouse 3. Ore House at Pine Grove

1. Brooklynn’s Pizzeria 2. Soda Creek Pizza 3. Blue Sage Pizza

Thank you, Steamboat, for voting for us!

970.870.1544

635 Lincoln Ave. Located downstairs at the corner of 7th and Lincoln Avenue

Best margarita: rio Grande mexican restaurant

Open Monday to Friday 11a.m. to 10p.m.

Saturday & Sunday 5p.m. to 10p.m.

The margaritas at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant were voted Best of the Boat for the second year in a row.

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 11

DINING Best Salads

Best Sushi

1. Freshies 2. Creekside Cafe & Grill 3. Ore House at Pine Grove

1. Saketumi 2. Noodles & More Saigon Cafe 3. Spostas Sushi

Best Sandwich

most Vegetarian friendly

1. Backcountry Provisions 2. Freshies 3. Creekside Cafe & Grill

1. Bamboo Market 2. Freshies 3. Healthy Solutions

Best Seafood

Best View

1. Steamboat Meat & Seafood Co. 2. Cafe Diva 3. Saketumi

1. Hazie’s 2. Sweetwater Grill 3. Cottonwood Grill

Best Server

Best Place to Watch the Game

1. Daryl Newcomb, Cafe Diva 2. Kenny Pitts, Rex’s American Grill & Bar 3. Karen Jimmerson, Mambo Italiano

1. The Tap House Sports Grill 2. Carl’s Tavern 3. Slopeside Grill

Best Service

Best Wine List

1. Cafe Diva 2. bistro c.v.

3. Rex’s American Grill & Bar

1. Cafe Diva 2. Harwigs/L’Apogee 3. bistro c.v.

Best Steak

Best Wings

1. Ore House at Pine Grove 2. Cafe Diva 3. 8th Street Steakhouse

Best Steak: Ore house at pine Grove

1. The Tap House Sports Grill 2. Steamboat Smokehouse 3. Double Z Bar & BBQ

The Best Steak award goes to Ore House at Pine Grove for the second year in a row. Ore House also won third place Best Family Restaurant, third place Best Ribs and third place Best Salads.

Catering for all your occasions!

Events, Parties, Meetings, Weddings, Receptions, Rehearsals, Brunches & more Located in Wildhorse Marketplace

Open 11-7 Monday - Saturday, 1-6 Sunday

www.drunkenonion.com | 970.879.8423 12 | Best of the BoAt 2012

A

part from recreation, our town revolves around real estate. After all, everyone who lives here, as well as those who visit, has to have a roof overhead when they’re not out adventuring. This has spawned one of the valley’s biggest industries, running the gamut from real estate and mortgage brokers to builders, architects, plumbers, tilers, title companies, property managers and more.

Like a trout slurping a dry fly on the Yampa, certain businesses and professionals rise to the top of this niche, according to our voters. You’ll find some of the Best of the Boat highlighted in the following pages.

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 13

hOmES Best Architect

Best General Contractor

1. Joe Patrick Robbins 2. Bill Rangitsch, Steamboat Architectural Associates 3. Jan Kaminski, Mountain Architecture Design Group

1. Zie Builders 2. Fox Construction 3. Gerber Berend Design Build

Best Bathroom remodel Service 1. Bartolini Kitchen & Bath 2. Rustic Woodworks 3. Barb Stimson Cabinet Designs

Best Carpenter 1. Adam Richey, Richey Construction 2. Paul Hobson 3. Chris Rhodes, Soda Mountain Carpentry 3. Jim Comeau

Best Electrician 1. Greg Couchoud, Central Electric 2. Fred Grippa, Midwest Electric Systems 3. Geoff Coon, Coon Custom Electric

Best Architect: Joe patrick robbins Joe Patrick Robbins was voted Best Architect in this year’s Best of the Boat survey.

Best fireplace and Wood Stove Service 1. Hot Stuff Hearth & Home 2. Mountain Home Stove & Fireplace 3. Steamboat Stoveworks

Best Interior Designer 1. Irene Nelson, Irene Nelson Interiors 2. Suzy Lord, Interior Concepts 3. Valerie Stafford and Bruce Caplowe, Rumor Design

Best Kitchen remodel Service 1. Barb Stimson Cabinet Designs 2. Bartolini Kitchen & Bath 3. Kitchen Perfection

Best landscaping Service 1. Gecko Landscape & Design 2. The Lawn Lady 3. Kinnikinnick Lawn & Garden

Best mason 1. Jeff Kortas, Alpine Masonry 2. Fred Castaldo, Fred Castaldo Masonry 3. Rick Adams, Adams Masonry

Best mortgage Broker 1. Josh Kagan, Cornerstone Mortgage 2. Kathryn Pedersen, Yampa Valley Bank 3. Holly Rogers, Yampa Valley Bank

A Steamboat dining tradition for over 40 years.

This historic barn was converted into a restaurant in 1971.

Our steaks are hand cut Certified Angus Beef® and the Prime Rib is slow roasted daily.

Serving jet-fresh seafood, chicken, ribs and lighter fare. Our famous cinnamon rolls and endless salad bar included with every dinner.

Reservations Recommended • 970-879-1190 On the bus line at the corner of Pine Grove Road & Hwy 40 1465 Pine Grove Rd. • www.orehouse.com 14 | Best of the BoAt 2012

hOmES Best painting Service, indoor 1. Spiegel & Son Custom Painting and Finishing 2. Sloop Painting 3. Johnston Painting

Best painting Service, outdoor 1. Spiegel & Son Custom Painting and Finishing 2. Sloop Painting 3. Lawton Painting Co.

Best plumber 1. Ken Roche, Total Service PHD 2. Phil Taber, Taber Plumbing & Heating 3. Jeff Herfurtner, Jeff’s Plumbing

Best property management Company 1. Steamboat Resorts 2. Mountain Resorts 3. Central Park Management

Best real Estate Broker 1. Darrin Fryer, Prudential Steamboat Realty 2. Pam Vanatta, Prudential Steamboat Realty 3. Doug Labor, Buyer’s Resource Real Estate

Best roofing Company 1. Tin Man Roofing & Home Improvement 2. Revelation Roofing of the Rockies 3. Wilson Roofing Division

Best Spa Technician 1. Precision Pools & Spas 2. Aqua Vita Spas 3. Pacific Spas & Pools

Best Tiler 1. Todd Pollert 2. Erik Feeley 3. Clark McCormick

Best real Estate Agency

Best Title Company

1. Prudential Steamboat Realty 2. Colorado Group Realty 3. Steamboat Village Brokers

1. Land Title Guarantee Co. 2. Heritage Title Co. 3. Stewart Title

Best real Estate Agency: prudential Steamboat realty Prudential Steamboat Realty won top honors in the Best Real Estate Agency category for the second year in a row. Pictured are Pam Vanatta, who won second place Best Real Estate Broker, and Cam Boyd.

Prudential’s Darrin Fryer won first place Best Real Estate Broker.

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 15

Michelle Diehl

Broker Associate, GRI

Your REALTOR Your Steamboat Your Home

970.846.1086

www.SteamboatDream.com

Voted

Best Bike Shop

Quality Old Town Service at Low Prices.

5 t h & L i n c o l n Ave | 9 7 0 . 8 7 9 . 9 14 4 | w w w. s t e a m b o a t s k i a n d b i ke . c o m

16 | Best of the BoAt 2012

L

et’s face it. Steamboat Springs doesn’t have any factory outlets or Cherry Creek malls or the glitz and glamour boutiques of Aspen or Vail. And that right there is likely why all of us live here.

But there’s still plenty of shopping that’s as world class as our snowfall.

From clothing stores and art galleries to children’s stores, secondhand emporiums, ski shops and more, stores exist from main street to the mountain for whatever need and urge you have.

Sure, there’ll always be the need to venture elsewhere for that super sale or hard-to-find item, but the bulk of your list can be satisfied right here in Steamboat, accessible by foot, bike, car, skateboard and, as we discovered in the fall, even horse.

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 17

ShOppING Best Art Gallery

Best Gift Shop

1. Steamboat Art Museum 2. Artists’ Gallery of Steamboat 3. Images of Nature

1. All That Jazz 2. Lyon Drug Store 3. Steamboat Art Co.

Best Bike Shop

Best Grocery Store

1. Steamboat Ski & Bike Kare 2. Orange Peel 3. Ski Haus

1. City Market 2. Safeway 3. Bamboo Market

Best place to Buy a Car

Best home Decor Store

1. Steamboat Motors 2. Cook Chevrolet and Subaru 3. Denver/Front Range

1. Annie’s Home Consignments 2. Ace Hardware 3. Steamboat Moxie Home Consignments and Design

Best Children’s Clothing Store

Best Jewelry Store

1. Kookaburra Kidz 2. Walmart 3. Quiksilver

1. Hofmeister Personal Jewelers 2. The Silver Lining 3. Steamboat Art Co.

Best Convenience Store

Best liquor Store

1. Space Station 2. Market on the Mountain 3. Loaf ’N Jug

1. Central Park Liquor 2. Arctic Liquors 3. Ski Haus Liquors

Best Sporting Goods Store: Ski haus Ski Haus picked up the Best Sporting Goods Store title for the second year in a row. It also won first place Best Women’s Clothing Store, third place Best Men’s Clothing Store and third place Best Bike Shop.

18 | Best of the BoAt 2012

ShOppING Best men’s Clothing Store 1. Allen’s Clothing 2. Zirkel Trading 3. Ski Haus

Best pet Supply Store 1. Paws ’N Claws ’N Things 2. Elk River Farm & Feed 3. Pet Kare Clinic

Best Secondhand Store 1. Deja Vu Boutique 2. Annie’s Home Consignments 3. LIFT-UP of Routt County

Best Sporting Goods Store 1. Ski Haus 2. Sports Authority 3. Steamboat Ski & Bike Kare

Best Women’s Clothing Store 1. Ski Haus 2. Moose Mountain Trading Co. 3. Kali’s Boutique

Best Gift Shop: All That Jazz All That Jazz was voted Best Gift Shop in Steamboat for the second year in a row. Pictured are owner Kim Haggarty and manager Joe Kboudi.

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Best of the BoAt 2012 | 19

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N

ary is there a better place to hang your service shingle than here in Steamboat Springs, where a friendly clientele combines with the ability to fly-fish, bike and ski on your lunch break — possibly even all on the same day.

Round any corner in town — or navigate our new-school roundabouts — and you’ll find companies offering nearly every service under our 300 days of sun. From doctors, dentists and vets to florists, hairstylists, mechanics and masseurs, Routt County is rife with everyone from entrepreneurs to professionals plying their trade in this town we all love.

Conducting business with a smile and handshake, they’re the backbone of Steamboat, all working hard to make our mountain-town lives complete.

Read on for a look at the cream of the crop, as voted by our readers.

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 21

SErVICES Best Accountant

Best place to Get a massage

1. Kari Nelson 2. Dana Tredway 3. Scott Colby

1. Life Essentials Day Spa 2. Rocky Mountain Day Spa 3. Old Town Hot Springs

Best Attorney 1. Adam Mayo 2. Kris Hammond, Hammond Law Offices 3. Randy Klauzer, Klauzer & Tremaine

Best Nordic Center 1. Steamboat Ski Touring Center 2. Emerald Mountain/Howelsen Hill 3. Lake Catamount Touring Center

Best Auto maintenance and repair Shop

Best Nursery or Gardening Store

1. Bob’s Downtown Conoco 2. Elk Mountain Automotive 3. Westside Automotive

1. Windemere Landscape & Garden Center 2. Gecko Landscape & Design 3. Ace at the Curve

Best Bank 1. Wells Fargo 2. Yampa Valley Bank 3. Alpine Bank

Best OB-GyN 1. Dr. Mary Bowman, Yampa Valley OB/GYN 2. Dr. David Schaller, Steamboat Springs Women’s Clinic 3. Dr. Leslie Ahlmeyer, Yampa Valley OB/GYN

Best Carpet Cleaning Service 1. Steamboat Carpet Care 2. Best Carpet and Upholstery 3. American Carpet & Floor Care

Best Child Care Center, infant through pre-K 1. Discovery Learning Center 2. Heritage Park Preschool 3. Young Tracks

Best Chiropractic Service

Best pediatrician

Best family Doctor: Dr. Jim Dudley Dr. Jim Dudley, of Steamboat Medical Group, was voted Best Family Doctor for the second consecutive year.

1. Dr. Sheila Fountain, Pediatrics of Steamboat 2. Dr. Steven Ross, Sleeping Bear Pediatric 3. Dr. Ron Famiglietti, Pediatrics of Steamboat

1. Rinn Chiropractic 2. Sanford Chiropractic 3. Backsmith Chiropractic

Best fitness Center/Gym

Best hair Salon

Best Computer Service and repair

1. Old Town Hot Springs 2. Anytime Fitness 3. Manic Training

1. Hair On Earth 2. Wildhorse Salon 3. Brio Salon & Spa

1. Lyon Drug Store 2. City Market 3. Walmart

1. Mac Ranch 2. NorthWest Data Services 3. Computer Support Guys

Best flower Shop

Best horseback riding Outfitter

Best photographer

Best Dental practice 1. Pine Grove Dental Arts 2. Sunny Lodwick Family Dentistry 3. Avant Garde Dental

Best family Doctor 1. Dr. Jim Dudley, Steamboat Medical Group 2. Dr. Lisa Harner, Yampa Valley Medical Associates 3. Dr. Rosanne Iversen, Steamboat Springs Family Medicine

1. Tall Tulips 2. Alpine Floral & Atrium 3. Steamboat Floral & Gifts

Best Golf Course 1. Haymaker Golf Course 2. Catamount Ranch & Club 3. Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club

Best Guest ranch 1. The Home Ranch 2. Del’s Triangle 3 Ranch 3. Vista Verde Guest Ranch

Best fishing Shop

Best place for a men’s haircut

1. Steamboat Flyfisher 2. Straightline Sports 3. Bucking Rainbow

1. 10th Street Barbershop 2. The Cut Above 3. Prime Kuts

22 | Best of the BoAt 2012

1. Del’s Triangle 3 Ranch 2. Saddleback Ranch 3. Dutch Creek Guest Ranch

Best hotel 1. The Steamboat Grand 2. Sheraton Steamboat Resort 3. Rabbit Ears Motel

Best Insurance Agency 1. State Farm, Debbie Aragon 2. State Farm, Dax Mattox 3. Alpine Insurance

Best massage Therapist 1. Pam Peretz, Life Essentials Day Spa 2. Erica Olson, Heartfire Massage 3. Ali Boehm, Kneading Hands Therapy

Best pharmacy

1. Corey Kopischke 2. Kim Keith 3. Larry Pierce

Best physical Therapy practice 1. SportsMed at Yampa Valley Medical Center 2. Kinetic Energy Physical Therapy 3. Johnson & Johnson Physical Therapy

Best Ski or Snowboard rental Shop 1. Ski Haus 2. Christy Sports 3. One Stop Ski Shop

SErVICES Best Snow removal Service, plowing

Best place for Ski/ Snowboard Tune

1. Native Excavating 2. Gecko Landscape & Design 3. Shuv-It

1. Ski Haus 2. Edgewerks 3. Christy Sports

Best Snow removal Service, roof

Best Veterinarian 1. Pet Kare Clinic 2. Steamboat Veterinary Hospital 3. Mt. Werner Veterinary Hospital

1. Native Excavating 2. Tin Man Roofing 3. Icebusters

Best Wedding Ceremony Venue

Best Spa 1. Life Essentials Day Spa 2. Rocky Mountain Day Spa 3. Waterside Day Spa

1. Steamboat Ski Area 2. Bella Vista 3. Catamount Ranch & Club

Best Surgeon

Best Wedding reception Venue

1. Dr. Eric Verploeg 2. Dr. Mark Hermacinski 3. Dr. Andreas Sauerbrey

1. Catamount Ranch & Club 2. Steamboat Ski Area 3. Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp

Best Towing Service 1. American Towing 2. Sunshine Mountain Auto 3. Rocky Mountain Towing

Best yoga Instructor

Best Travel Agency 1. Steamboat Reservations & Travel 2. Steamboat Central Reservations 3. Tailwind Tours

1. Jill Barker 2. Nina Darlington, Yoga Center of Steamboat 3. Patty Zimmer, Yoga Center of Steamboat

Best Auto repair Shop: Bob’s Downtown Conoco Bob’s Downtown Conoco again took top honors when it comes to maintaining or fixing your car.

Leslie A Ahlmeyer MD, FACOG, NCMP • Mary L Bowman MD, FACOG Megan M Palmer MD, FACOG

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Best of the BoAt 2012 | 23

Craftsmanship Defined.

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24 | Best of the BoAt 2012

Thurston@wildblue.net

J

ust like the people who live here, not everything can be grouped together in a certain clique. That’s where our Community category comes in, a melting pot of everyone from artists and teachers to politicians, paddlers and skiers who have chosen to call the Yampa Valley home.

Unlike some of our other categories, which lend themselves to creative business campaigns to lure in votes, this one is likely the most unbiased of all. The people who live here aren’t braggarts out to beat their own chests; they’re humble citizens who happen to excel in their professions and recreational pastimes.

What’s it take to be voted the best skier in town? Either a lot of friends or the skill set to stand out from the rest of the crowd in a community known as Ski Town USA. The same holds true for every other category in the section, whether it’s best golfer, biker or runner. In a fitness- and sport-crazed town like ours, it takes a lot to migrate to the top — especially when it’s your peers putting you on the podium.

Best of the BoAt 2012 | 25

COmmuNITy Best Artist

Best Golfer, male

1. Lance Whitner 2. Susan Schiesser 3. Robert Dieckhoff

1. Luke Brosterhous 2. Drew Sando 3. Butch Boucher 3. Jim Bronner 3. Tim Titus

Best Band 1. Missed the Boat 2. Loose Change 3. Worried Men

Best DJ 1. Brian Alpart, DJ Also Starring 2. Melissa Baker, DJ MelRae 3. Kip Strean

Best Elected Official 1. Diane Mitsch Bush 2. Cari Hermacinski 3. Kevin Kaminski

Best fundraiser 1. Bust of Steamboat 2. Ride 4 Yellow 3. Penguin Plunge

Best Golfer, female

Vo

1. DJ Edwards 2. Pam Vanatta 3. Michelle Avery

Best Golf hole 1. No. 10 at Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club 2. No. 18 at Catamount Ranch & Club 3. No. 12 at Haymaker Golf Course

Best Golf Tournament 1. Moose is Loose Golf Tournament 2. Ski Town USA Golf Classic 3. Rally for the Cure

Best Kayaker, female 1. Sarah Piano 2. Sandy Buchanan 3. Jessica Townsend

Best Kayaker, male 1. Dan Piano 1. Barry Smith 2. Eugene Buchanan 3. Adam Mayo 3. Sam Smiley

Best local Competition: Winter Carnival Winter Carnival reigns in the Best Local Competition category also having won Best Local Event in the 2011 contest.

... ted

Sleeping Bear Pediatrics 10th Anniversary

Steven A. Ross, MD, FAAP 970.879.2327 • 405 Anglers Drive, Suite A • Sundance @ Fishcreek • www.sleepingbearpediatrics.com • Find us on Facebook 26 | Best of the BoAt 2012

COmmuNITy Best live Entertainment Venue 1. Strings Music Pavilion 2. Howelsen Hill amphitheater 3. Sweetwater Grill

Best local Competition/ Athletic Event 1. Winter Carnival street events 2. Town Challenge Mountain Bike Race Series 3. Steamboat Marathon

Best mountain Biker, female 1. Kelly Boniface 2. Amy Charity 3. Liana Gregory

Best mountain Biker, male 1. Barkley Robinson 2. Nate Bird 3. Brad Bingham

Best musician 1. Randy Kelley, Worried Men 2. Steve Boynton, First String Music 3. Mark Walker, Loose Change

Best place to Work, less than 20 employees 1. Debbie Aragon State Farm Insurance 2. Alpine Bank 3. Lyon Drug Store

Best place to Work, more than 20 employees 1. SmartWool 2. Yampa Valley Medical Center 3. Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.

Best runner, female 1. Angie Mangiardi 2. Jenny Fox 3. Amanda Grimes 3. Cara Marrs

Best runner, male

Best Ski Instructor 1. Nancy Gray 2. Mike Contois 3. Laraine Martin

Best Ski patroller 1. Sharon Spiegel 2. Kyle Lawton 3. John “Pink” Floyd

Best Skier, female 1. Caroline Lalive 2. Alli Williams Smith 3. Tamra Malczyk

Best Skier, male 1. David Lamb 2. Todd Lodwick 2. Kerry Lofy 3. Joe Kelley 3. Johnny Spillane

Best Snowboard Instructor 1. Abigail Slingsby 2. Scott Anfang 3. John James

Best Snowboarder, female 1. Maddy Schaffrick 2. Erin Simmons 3. Yvonne Poirier

Best Snowboarder, male

1. 96.9 KBCR 2. 105.5 KFMU 3. 88.5 KUNC

Best recurring Event

Best Teacher

1. Steamboat Springs Free Summer Concert Series 2. Winter Carnival 3. Mainstreet Farmers Market

1. Grady Turner 2. Charlie Leech 3. Kelly Erickson 3. Tracy Bye 3. Micheale Koch

Best road Biker, female

Best Telemark Skier, female

1. Amy Charity 2. Kelly Boniface 3. Jody Gale

Large & Small Animal Medicine & Surgery

1. Allen Belshaw 2. Nicholas Sunseri 3. Andy Picking

1. Matt Ladley 2. Scott Anfang 3. Damon Butler 3. Bradlee Bates 3. Shawn Cole

Best radio Station

Steamboat Veterinary Hospital, P.C.

1. Madi McKinstry 2. Lorin Paley 3. Marla Bailey

Best road Biker, male

Best Telemark Skier, male

1. Barkley Robinson 2. Scott Schlapkohl 3. Matt Charity

1. Mike Contois 2. Pete Ogilvie 3. Barry Smith

• Acupuncture

• 24hour On Call Service • Animal Health Store

• In Business Since 1952

1878 Lincoln Ave, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 (970) 879-1041 Best of the BoAt 2012 | 27

Thank You for all of your votes in the 2011-2012 Best of the Boat Survey

What makes Life Essentials

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Look for our great offers on massages and facials in the spring and fall.

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PhoTo: Matt StenSland STorY: Brent Boyer

B E T T E R I N G

D O W N T O W N

Tracy Barnett Whether picking up tire-flattened soda cans and other trash from Lincoln Avenue or waking up with a start at 3 a.m. with an idea to improve the downtown business district, Tracy Barnett can’t shake free from her devotion to Mainstreet Steamboat Springs.

“I love Steamboat, and having been a business person downtown, I’ve always just wanted to make things better,” says Tracy, a small-town Minnesota girl who now has called Steamboat home for nearly 40 years.

She first arrived in the Yampa Valley in 1975, a fitting destination for someone who grew up loving all things Western — horses and history in particular. Fate brought her and longtime husband, Cooper, together when Tracy’s parents bought a California home from Cooper’s parents during her senior year of high school. Cooper was a student at Yampa Valley College — now Colorado Mountain College’s Alpine Campus — at the time.

The young couple later was living in a tent and taking care of a Lake Tahoe campground when the two packed up their car and made the permanent move to Steamboat. Tracy got a job at the front

desk at the Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association, and Cooper returned to his former job at the old Sidestep restaurant. Tracy soon found herself working in the food service industry, as well, and when the opportunity presented itself in 1985, the Barnetts bought Mazzola’s Majestic Italian Diner from previous owner Curt Weiss.

They owned the Lincoln Avenue eatery for nearly 20 years before a health issue took Cooper away from the business and got Tracy thinking about her next move.

It was at that time in the early 2000s that Tracy and several other business-minded folks helped to organize a local chapter of the Main Street movement that seeks to revitalize, preserve and grow downtown business districts in cities and towns across the nation. Before long, the Barnetts had sold Mazzola’s, and Tracy was hired as Mainstreet’s first manager.

For almost a decade now, Tracy has made it her mission to improve downtown Steamboat’s historic shopping and dining district. Hardly a day passes when she doesn’t spend time walking Lincoln Avenue and stopping to talk with business owners and shoppers. She’s been the driving

force behind the successful summertime Mainstreet Farmers Market, and she’s always looking to tackle the next big challenge. At the top of her list: Yampa Street.

“It has to be the way we go next,” Tracy says. “But it has so many challenges to improve it while maintaining its funkiness.”

The Barnetts’ two adult children, Brady Worster and Casey Barnett, call Steamboat home, as well, and often can be found alongside their mom helping at the Farmers Market and other Mainstreet events.

Tracy’s dedication to a clean, safe and visitor-friendly downtown first kicked into high gear when she owned Mazzola’s and would walk Lincoln Avenue at 4 a.m. to pick up trash in front of businesses. Her “Auntie Litter” nickname still holds true as does her grab-the-bull-by-the-horns approach to work.

“If you don’t do anything, nothing gets done,” she says. “And it takes passion.

If you want to get something done, find someone who’s passionate about it and let them run with it.”

The downtown Steamboat Springs business community might not know how lucky it is to have found Tracy — or that she found it.

Summer 2012 |

LOCALS | 29

A

FLOWERING

EFFORT

Emily Seaver PhoToS: John F. ruSSell STorY: nicole ingliS

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| Summer 2012

Emily Seaver remembers when the Yampa River Botanic Park had no shade.

The collection of towering trees had just been planted, and the east Steamboat park — once a flat pasture — was budding into the six-acre, 40-garden retreat it is today.

“It’s so wonderful to watch it evolve,” says Emily, who has been volunteering at the park since it first opened. “I find it to be a very peaceful place.”

Emily first visited the Yampa Valley in the 1970s. Like so many others, it was where she and her husband, Tony, chose to finally move in 1996. “We wanted to ski, and we wanted to live in a real town,” Emily says. “That narrows it down real quick.”

Back in New Jersey, the Seavers had a garden that went by the wayside as the deer population got out of control. Emily recalls looking through the gates of the botanic-park-to-be with curiosity when she first moved to Steamboat. Shortly thereafter, she was a part of the crew of volunteers who put together the first rock garden.

Now, a team of 15 regular volunteers — and sometimes as many as 40 — take care of the park with guidance from a design committee. And Emily is right there helping with every task.

As a member of the Over The Hill Gang, Emily also helped start a garden sponsored by the group. She’s at the park at least once per week tending to the plants and trees from small perennials to aspen and crabapple trees.

Bob Enever, who along with his wife, Audrey, founded the park and donated the land for it to the city, says Emily has been an indispensable part of the Botanic Park’s development; in addition to volunteering, she’s served on the board for more than a decade.

“She organizes members of the Over The Hill Gang to come and maintain that garden, and it’s probably the best maintained garden in the park,” he says.

“She always works hard on everything to do with the park. She does a terrific job, and the park is never far from her mind.”

Enever says that it’s volunteers like Emily who will carry on the park’s legacy.

And to Emily, there’s a good reason to keep at it.

“It’s a wonderful, peaceful and quiet place,” she says. “It’s a wonderful place to come almost anytime of the day ... to mediate or to work in the quiet. It’s healing when you look at nature. Some things you think were so important maybe aren’t.”

PhoTo anD STorY: toM roSS

M E S H I N G

W I T H

T H E

M O U N TA I N S

Art and Milly Judson Art and Milly Judson met in a snowstorm during a mountain rescue mission west of Fort Collins. Although not exactly a first date, it was a fitting initial encounter for the two University of Colorado students whose lives have been full of mountains and snowstorms.

He was a child of New York’s Adirondacks transplanted to Northern California. She grew up in Chicago and became enthralled by the Colorado Rockies. Their paths crossed as members of Rocky Mountain Rescue Group. If you ask Art, he’ll likely confess that he fell in love because she was a better climber than he was. “I was a better climber then, and I’m still a better climber,” Milly says.

“Jud,” as friends know him, freely acknowledges that his wife once extricated him from a tricky situation on a volcano in Oregon’s High Cascades known as Mount Thielsen. “I was leading and got myself stuck,” he recalls. “Milly had to take the lead and belay me up.”

The two married in 1956 while Art was studying geology at the University of Colorado and then moved to Oregon State University in Corvallis, where Art earned his bachelor’s degree in forestry in 1960.

The couple will have been married 55 years in December.

After reading a magazine article about snow rangers practicing avalanche control in preparation for the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, Calif., he found his calling. That interest in avalanches and snow safety brought the couple back to Colorado where Art landed a job as a snow ranger with the Arapaho National Forest. He became a protege of veteran snow ranger Dick Stillman, conducting research on avalanche zones on Berthoud Pass. Milly, meanwhile, enjoyed careers as a high school English teacher and manager of a travel agency. She also is an accomplished fine-art painter. The two built their home in Steamboat and moved here in 1969.

Art is keenly aware that more people than ever are skiing and snowmobiling in the backcountry these days, and he doesn’t understand the chances they’re taking. “It’s a different kind of thinking,” he says. “People have more knowledge (about avalanche conditions), and they don’t want to be told you can’t really forecast these things accurately.”

Milly has the distinction of having an avalanche path on the northeast flank of Hahn’s Peak named after her, the Milly O (her maiden name is Opie).

In 2006, Art received recognition for his contributions to the field of avalanche forecasting and safety by the American Avalanche Association.

He faithfully records weather data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at 7 a.m. every day. And he still drives up Elk River Road in the winter with a pair of binoculars and a camera to keep an eye on avalanche activity across Routt County.

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T E A C H I N G

M O R E

T H A N

A C A D E M I C S

Beth Wendler

PhoTo anD STorY: Scott Franz

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| Summer 2012

Teachers in Steamboat Springs are wondering how Beth Wendler finds time to do so much good.

After she and her husband, Todd, moved to the Yampa Valley from Denver in 2004 to raise their three kids, Beth found solace volunteering in classrooms and giving teachers a helping hand. Her dedication to students quickly caught the attention of local educators.

“I couldn’t imagine having a family and giving so much time outside of it to volunteer,” Steamboat Springs Middle School teacher Jennifer Spurlock says about Beth. “Her effort and energy is impressive.”

In 2009, Beth helped open a store in the atrium of the middle school that rewards students for good behavior with Nerf guns, jewelry, pizza and root beer floats.

“We have a whole bunch of stuff to reward students with,” she says.

Beth also spearheaded the effort to have local businesses donate prizes to the store. When it’s closed, the room is a dark space not much larger than an oversized closet. But when Beth gets behind the counter, the store is mobbed by crowds of kids anxious to cash in the tickets they earned for being good students. The store is part of the middle school’s Positive Behavior System.

Sitting in the school’s cafeteria in May, Beth predicts the store and its impact on students will only continue to grow next school year.

“This is not just a fun, neat idea,” she says. “It’s something that has proven to really work. I think the potential impact the store has on the school is important and profound. I love that it serves all kids, not just the ones who get accolades because they’re a jock or they play instruments in a band.”

Teachers report that since the store opened, referrals to the office for bad behavior have fallen.

When she’s not volunteering at area schools, Beth is leading music classes with families and their young children and infants. “It’s fun to see families have 45 minutes in their week to focus on their children and play music with them,” she says.

She adds that she’s not the only volunteer who deserves praise in Steamboat.

“Like so many of us who live and stay here, it was important for us to be in a place with a strong sense of community,” she says. “There are hundreds of amazing volunteers in this town.”

H O M E

O N

T H E

R A N G E

Carl Herold PhoToS anD STorY: Scott Franz

On the picturesque acres he nurtures in Yampa, Carl Herold easily could stay away from public service and debates. The lifelong Routt County resident has sweeping views of the Flat Tops and a healthy list of chores on his cattle ranch that sits far away from traffic signals and bustle.

But Carl always has had a strong voice in his community.

“If you live in a community, you should be involved in it,” he says while leaning on a tractor parked near the old white house he and his wife, Rita, have lived in since 1968.

“So many people give and help you to raise your children. A person needs to give a little bit back.”

Carl’s resume of public service is impressive. He is an active member of the Community Agriculture Alliance and the Northwest Colorado Sage Grouse Committee as well as Routt County’s Farm Bureau and Extension and Weed advisory boards.

He also has shared his passion and skill of leatherworking with 4-H members for decades.

“People listen to what he has to say,” Community Agriculture Alliance Executive Director Marsha Daughenbaugh says. “He’s very well-read, and he thinks before he speaks. He’s a very kind man.”

Carl, 71, grew up on a homestead near Stagecoach Reservoir. He and Rita have two grown children who live in Routt County.

But much has changed during the seven decades he has called South Routt home.

“Things have gotten faster around here,” he says, as he describes how new technology and advanced farming equipment have weakened some of the relationships between community members. “You don’t work together like you used to. It’s lost the community flavor a little bit, and that’s too bad. Sometimes, we stay within ourselves.”

He says he has watched new smartphones hinder simple conversations between schoolchildren who walk together along the quiet dirt roads that lead to his ranch.

But despite the advent of new technology, much of Carl’s ranching lifestyle remains unchanged and pleasantly predictable.

“All of the valley is usually consistent,” he says. “Most of the time, I know how many days I can plant on. You don’t have the flies and the worms near as bad here as they are in other places.”

Before driving his old, dusty Dodge pickup truck to check on his herd, Carl says that aside from brief departures to serve in the U.S. Army and attend college in Oklahoma, he never had a desire to leave the Yampa Valley behind.

“There’s good people in this county,” he says. “And there always have been.”

Summer 2012 |

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PhoTo: Matt StenSland STorY: nicole ingliS

BUILDING

A

COMMUNITY

OF

READERS

Sherry Holland Sherry Holland is more than a librarian because today, the media center at Strawberry Park Elementary School is much more than a library.

With the advent of digital and social media, today’s children consume information and read in a completely new way.

“It’s exciting right now because no day is the same,” Sherry says. “I’m working with something that opens the world to these kids. They’re becoming more critical in their thinking and more inspired.”

Although the school has a couple of Nooks, 40 iPads and 25 iPod Touches, Sherry never loses sight of the value of the physical book and the transformative powers of stories.

“It builds language and understanding of each other,” she says. “It builds compassion and an understanding of the

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| Summer 2012

humanity in all of us.”

Sherry has been working at Strawberry Park for 12 years and has lived in Steamboat Springs since 1981, when she worked for the Board of Cooperative Educational Services of Northwest Colorado. She has two grown sons in Wyoming but hundreds of children per year in which to cultivate a passion for stories, literature and writing.

She does that with her undeniable energy, cheery sense of humor and unwavering passion for allowing kids to just be kids through exploring the literary world.

Local resident Blair Seymour has had three sons go through Strawberry Park.

Two of them participated in the student council program Sherry runs, and all of them have taken part in her extracurricular book clubs. But Seymour says that’s not all

Sherry does beyond her librarian duties.

“She puts on these book fairs twice a year, but she goes above and beyond,” Seymour says. “She dresses up, decorates the entire library and has a weekend event for parents. She has so much enthusiasm — she’s always super upbeat and going a million miles a minute. My kids love her.”

Seymour adds that the book clubs, which Sherry runs before and after school, have directly impacted her children and their love of books. “They love reading, and part of it is from her,” she says. “She directed them to books they’ve really enjoyed.”

Sherry says the book clubs offer some of the highlights of her job. “I see these kids flourish from first to fifth grade,” she says. “I love seeing how they become such great readers and lovers of books and stories.”

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PhoTo anD STorY: Scott Franz

L O O K I N G T O N E W O P P O R T U N I T I E S

Draperies, Romans, Top Treatments, and Side Panels in 400 beautiful fabrics

Jake Barker

Howelsen Hill always will be Jake Barker’s second home.

Sitting at the base of the hill’s dormant ski jumps in early June, the Steamboat Springs High School graduate estimates that he has spent a quarter of his life skiing and playing at the city park.

“I’m excited to come back here in five years and see how the young kids who are in training now have grown,” he says. “This is the coolest place ever. I was down here almost every day during the school year.”

Jake, a lifelong Steamboat resident, will leave the Yampa Valley in the fall to study at Middlebury College in Vermont.

He may be stepping away from his familiar “paradise,” but the 18-year-old says he’ll just have to take Steamboat with him to the East Coast.

“I want to take part of my community with me wherever I go,” he says. “Whether it’s with my Moots bike or my Fischer Nordic skis, I want to take the experiences I’ve had in this town with me.”

Jake skied for the Steamboat

Springs Winter Sports Club and his high school’s Nordic and Alpine ski teams. He also graduated summa cum laude and earned the 4.2 GPA he needed to address his classmates during his high school’s graduation ceremony.

Steamboat Springs High School Principal Kevin Taulman says his campus graduates several students like Jake each year who master athletics and academics.

Still, Taulman says Jake’s name jumped out of the list of 2012 graduates.

“He just embodies Steamboat,” Taulman says. “He’s a good smalltown kid. He’s generous. He’s caring. He took rigorous courses and still excelled at sports. And yet he’s humble.”

Now Jake hopes Vermont will offer him as many opportunities as Steamboat did.

“Hopefully, I can get a taste of everything while I’m there,” he says. “The key to Steamboat is you almost have to leave it to realize how much you appreciate how much it has affected you and defined you as a person.”

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Summer 2012 |

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PhoTo: Matt StenSland STorY: nicole ingliS

RUNNING

ON

ALL

CYLINDERS

Hiram Martin Fast cars are just in his blood.

Hiram Martin spent most of his life in Wisconsin, where his father’s body shop and a drag-racing uncle had him turning wrenches before he could legally drive.

Now the manager of Four Star Repair, Hiram is as dedicated as ever to keeping cars — commuters and hot rods alike — on the road and out of the shop.

In 1999, Hiram came to Steamboat Springs, where he first worked for a local taxi service. It originally was just a visit, but he’s been here ever since.

“I love how nice the people are here and how they take care of themselves and their things,” Hiram says.

If those things involve motors, Hiram helps out however he can.

On a sunny afternoon at the shop, a deep orange 1968 Ford Mustang sits up

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on a lift. Hiram says it belongs to a local man who looks to him to keep his ’Stang running year in and year out — plus a few extras.

When Hiram reaches inside the black leather interior and turns the key, the 351 roars to life.

“He just wants to be able to put the key in and start it,” Hiram says about the owner. “You want that for anyone’s car.”

But beyond just keeping it running, Hiram takes pride in adding a supercharger to the engine and lowering the gear ratios to offer the driver extra “oomph” off the line.

Four Star Repair owner Tom Corl says it takes a special kind of personality and work ethic to do the kind of work Hiram does. “He just works real hard at it,” he says. “He’s very knowledgeable in

all aspects. He’s been through a lot of courses, but it’s a lot of common sense, not just school.”

Hiram married Candice May in 2004, and the couple has a 4-year-old daughter named Greta. Yet he still finds time to get involved in community events like the Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup, which he judges, as well as service the Horizons Specialized Services van fleet that transports residents with developmental disabilities. And Hiram goes above and beyond for that, as well, coming in on weekends to record the work done on each one.

It’s that and more, he says, that truly makes a Steamboat local. “It’s somebody that cares about the community and tries hard in their field,” he says. “If you’re a mechanic, be the best mechanic you can.”

HELPING

OTHERS

AND

THE

ENVIRONMENT

Andy & Craig Kennedy Craig Kennedy, a T-12 paraplegic, sits back in his wheelchair, happy to be back home in Steamboat Springs.

He has just returned from a consulting gig in London, training staff from 86 airlines about how to handle wheelchairs and other assisted devices.

He’s glad to be back home rather than Heathrow Airport.

“The people here are the reason I stayed after my accident,” he says. “That and the quality of life.”

Craig, 40, who moved here in 1994 from Lake George, N.Y., still remembers the day that changed his life forever: March 28, 1996, when he broke his back skiing Vertigo after taking a jump, hitting some ice and landing on his backpack.

As program director for Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports — or STARS, a local nonprofit offering outdoor camps and programs for people with disabilities — he’s made it his mission to help others better lead changed lives, as well. His STARS programs and camps include skiing, biking, archery, fishing, water skiing, swimming and more. Craig and his wife, Andy, also co-authored the book “Access Anything: Go Anywhere and Do Anything,” an inside look at sports easily accessible to people with disabilities.

Andy, 39, who moved here in 1998, has altruistic callings, as well, serving as program director for the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council.

“I’d been to Colorado and knew I was always going to wind up here,” Andy says. “It’s like a big family here — everyone has a million things going on, but everyone still connects with one another.”

While her passion now is sustainability — “You can apply it to the economy, community and environment,” she says — Craig’s passion still is firmly rooted in helping people with disabilities lead active lives.

That, of course, and sit-skiing the slopes of Mount Werner. On any given powder day, he’s regularly the first person in line, leaving his telltale threetracks before able-bodied skiers have even clicked into their bindings.

“Honestly, I think I enjoy skiing more now,” says Craig, who logs as many as 80 ski days per year. “It’s been more of a challenge to get to where I am, which makes me love it that much more.”

PhoTo: Matt StenSland STorY: eugene Buchanan

Summer 2012 |

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PhoTo: Matt StenSland STorY: luke grahaM

LOVING

WHERE

HE’S

AT

Tom Simmins One step into Tom Simmins’ office is all it takes to see why he loves where he’s at.

Two old pictures of Steamboat Ski Area hang on one wall and a retro skiing illustration on another. There’s also a map of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks, of which he’s climbed 31 of the 51; a signed picture of boyhood favorite Pete Rose (ask him about Game 7 of the 1975 World Series); and, closest to him, a collage of family photos, most of which are in the outdoors.

While all are a testament to his love for the outdoors, family remains the most important reason Tom has been here for 23 years.

“This is the happiest I’ve ever been,” says Tom, a vice president for Resort Group.

“It’s the best my family has ever been.

We’ve succeeded in raising two kids in a small town, and I’m making a decent living.

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Things couldn’t be better.”

Tom, 55, always has been an adventurer.

He grew up in Dayton, Ky., just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. When he turned 18, he and a buddy hitchhiked to California. On their way, they went through Colorado. “When I got home, I packed my stuff and went west,” he says.

He worked several seasons at the Grand Canyon before meeting his wife, Mary. He spent time in Boulder, Colorado Springs and Telluride before the two settled in Colorado Springs in 1981.

Eventually, the couple had two children, Emma and Natalie, and Tom realized that Colorado Springs wasn’t where he wanted to raise them. They had been taking trips to the mountains for five years, trying to find a place to settle down. Glenwood Springs was in the running, but in 1989,

Tom received a call that the Sheraton was looking for someone to manage a restaurant in Steamboat.

“When Mary saw Steamboat in the summer, it was an easy sell,” he says.

Tom has worked at Resort Group since 2005 and has fallen in love with everything outdoors as well as the Steamboat community, as illustrated by his volunteer work with Mainstreet Steamboat Springs and maintaining Eagle Scout Park.

“He’s like my rock,” says Tracy Barnett, Mainstreet’s manager. “He just really gets it.

He really loves this place.”

As far as he’s concerned, Steamboat has given him everything he ever wanted and more. “You couldn’t ask for a better town,” he says. “I don’t want to hear people talk bad about Steamboat. If you do, you’re not seeing this town.”

M A K I N G

S T E A M B O A T

W H A T

I T

I S

Ulrich & Janet Salzgeber A trip to the grocery store with Ulrich and Janet Salzgeber is never normal. It simply can’t be when you know just about everyone in town.

“I love that it can take 45 minutes to get a gallon of milk at City Market,” Ulrich says.

The two were born and raised in Lakewood in a time when the now Denver suburb was more of a cow town.

They married there in 1976 and moved to Steamboat Springs the following year to help Ulrich’s parents run Ski Town Campground.

“I was a little nervous,” Janet says. “I wasn’t an avid skier and hadn’t skied much. Plus, I was moving away from family.”

When the two moved here, there were about 3,000 people in town. When you have two people like the Salzgebers, it didn’t take long to make friends with nearly all of them.

“You knew everybody,” Ulrich says. “The only time people would honk was to say, ‘hi.’”

Nine years later, they decided to have kids, resulting in daughters, Elisabeth and Anya.

“We said we would wait until we matured,” Ulrich says. “Well that never happened, but we figured we’d have the kids.”

Although the two were young when they married and came to Steamboat, they grew with the town and each other.

Ulrich calls Janet “perfect,” saying, “I challenge you to find someone who will say something bad about her.”

She calls him charismatic. “Ulrich always says ‘hi’ to somebody whether he feels like it or not,” Janet says. “He’ll walk across the street to shake your hand. He makes people feel good about themselves.”

Janet works in food and beverage services with Steamboat Ski Area, a position she has held for 35 years (she was hired the same year as Billy Kidd). Ulrich was the general manager of Alpine Taxi until 2004. He now is a Realtor with Buyer’s Resource and was named Steamboat’s Realtor of the Year in 2010.

The two relish their roles in town. Knowing everyone is just part of the perks — even if it takes 45 minutes for a quick run to the store.

Remembering back to 1976 as a new couple in a new town, Ulrich says, “Back then, we were still young and bulletproof.

We thought nothing could go wrong. Really, though, looking back on it, nothing has.”

PhoTo: Joel reichenBerger STorY: luke grahaM

Summer 2012 |

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A L L

P U M P E D

U P

Eric Dorris

PhoTo: Matt StenSland STorY: Suzi Mitchell

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When artist and local businessman Eric Dorris first rolled into Steamboat Springs in July 1992, the college grad planned to stay through winter.

That was 20 years ago.

After a summer playing rugby and a winter on the mountain, all intentions to study law melted with the snow. He opted for a career in retail, powder mornings and Cow Pie Classic-filled rugby seasons.

During the next 12 years, he ran more than 30 resort-based retail stores across the country and met his Steamboat-raised wife, Jodi. After the birth of their first son, Tate, in 2002, followed

by Quinn the next year, the entrepreneurial duo started cleaning firm Yampa Valley Services and, a year later, bought Central Park Laundromat.

Constantly seeking commercial opportunities, Eric was approached about reopening Space Station in 2009. Both were excited about turning the corner of Seventh Street and Lincoln Avenue into an inviting downtown hub. Today, the busy convenience store employs eight people and houses Jeff and Danielle Hubler’s 7th Street Liquor and Tacos del Barco. Eric prides himself on providing friendly service and selling local products. He also is proud of the framed Cow Pie on display. “It’s a real talking point for visitors,” he says. So are the “I’ve Got Gas” Space Station T-shirts worn by locals and visitors.

This summer, Eric will pump gas south of the valley, too. He will reopen the Oak Creek gas station, after buying it in April. Once again, he is anxious to create a welcome pit stop for those needing more than gas or a gallon of milk.

While busy running four businesses, his real passion is art. The son of a Taos, N.M.-based artist, Eric inherited his mother’s creative spirit, now focusing on sculpture. When he was 4, his mom salvaged 10 rounds from a black walnut tree in their Tennessee yard. Nine moves and three states later, that wood still sits in Eric’s workshop.

Coy about his talent, he succumbed to two exhibits several years ago and sold his first sculptures. His work is an abstract interpretation of the human body. When asked about inspiration, he says, “I guess it began when Jodi was pregnant with Tate.” His first stone carving just left town for New Mexico.

The busy father also can be found at the rink assisting his sons’ youth hockey teams, riding the Yampa River Core Trail with his family or working out at Manic Training. That is, if he’s not watching rugby.

PhoTo anD STorY: Matt StenSland

MANIC

ABOUT

TRAINING

OUR

TOWN

Graham Muir When Graham “Bushy” Muir opened Manic Training in Steamboat Springs, it would have been an understatement to say he was a little nervous.

Despite the urging by friends to open a gym, Graham was unsure whether the people here would be attracted to the type of training he had to offer.

“It’s definitely not a social hour,” says Graham, 41.

For an hour three times per week, Graham developed a program aimed at increasing strength, endurance and agility for the mountain athlete. Located at a warehouse off Downhill Drive, his training equipment includes things you traditionally would find in a gym such as weights, but there also is a pile of sandbags, ropes, hurdles, rowing machines and sleds.

Three years after opening, Graham says Manic has been successful, with a following of elite athletes, housewives and grandmothers who have relied on the gym to help shape a healthy, active lifestyle that so many people in Steamboat are drawn to.

“It’s disappointing if I can’t go three times a week,” Manic athlete Lori Elliott says.

“He has an amazing passion and a gift for

knowing people’s abilities and getting them to work toward their potential.”

This holds true even for elite athletes.

Local Nordic combined Olympian Todd Lodwick says Graham’s program has helped him with his skiing and well-roundedness.

“He’s funny, a hard worker and makes us train hard,” he says. “If he thinks we’re slacking, he’ll push us. When you’re done, you always have a big smile on your face.”

The popularity and presence of Manic continues to grow. At the Steamboat Pentathlon in March, 42 athletes competed in their Manic shirts and more than 50 are signed up for the Steamboat Mad Mudder in July. Steamboat always will be the home base for Manic, but satellite gyms have opened up in Rhode Island and Eagle County. Another one is planned for Golden.

Graham, a New Zealand native, developed Manic after a career spent playing and coaching rugby. He lives in Hayden and moved to Routt County in June 2007 from Chicago after being recruited by former Steamboat rugby captain Michael Hurley.

Hurley heard Graham was planning a trip to Colorado, and he called Graham

to invite him to Steamboat. At the time, Graham was watching a Warren Miller ski film with his wife, Summer, and a segment from Steamboat came on. They couldn’t help but laugh, especially after the narrator said, “Pack up your car, give up your job and move to Steamboat.”

“I hadn’t planned to live here, but once we got out here, this was definitely somewhere we decided we could stay,” Graham says.

The couple has embraced the Steamboat lifestyle, and they are teaching it to their 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Zoe. She is a few years away from taking her first Manic class but already has taken an interest in the Russian kettlebell, a piece of equipment often used during Manic classes.

Before her first birthday, Graham had taken Zoe over Devil’s Causeway, and she has reached the summit of Rabbit Ears Pass, Emerald Mountain and Mount Werner with her dad’s help. Graham has embraced fatherhood and says there isn’t anything he would do without his daughter.

“It’s awesome,” Graham says. “It’s put everything into perspective and changed my focus.”

Summer 2012 |

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PhoTo: John F. ruSSell STorY: luke grahaM

FROM

HOWELSEN

TO

H A RVA R D

Emily Hannah When her acceptance letter didn’t arrive like all her friends’ letters did, Emily Hannah wondered what she had done. Should she have applied to other schools? Should she have applied to more schools?

Then one day, it was there. She had been accepted to Harvard.

“Disbelief,” Emily says. “It took awhile to realize I was actually going there.”

Emily will make the trudge in the fall to Harvard, a choice that wasn’t as easy.

Understand that Emily is lights-out smart.

She also is one of the brightest cross-country skiers in the country. Emily had to debate whether to put school off for a year and try to

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make the U.S. Ski Team. With her ability, she likely would have.

“I think Emily could ski and win World Cups,” says Brian Tate, the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s cross-country director.

“She could make the Olympics, if she wanted.”

Emily still has interest in skiing and will ski competitively for Harvard. But her passion doesn’t sit with two skis.

She’s more interested in the brain and how it works. “It’s an exploding field,” she says. “I want to use what we know about the brain and couple that with super computers. I want to artificially create a part of the brain with a computer.”

Skiing and school, however, have gone hand in hand for Emily. She trained 475 hours last year, with schooling receiving even more attention. Although she isn’t quite sure what she wants to do, she knows she wants to continue her education and eventually get a Ph.D. Chemical and physical biology interest her. She also may want to be a high school or college teacher.

Whatever the next four years and beyond hold is unclear. The only certainty is that Emily will be working hard and achieving great things — just like she has in Steamboat.

“Whenever I’m busy, it makes me more productive,” she says.

PhoTo anD STorY: Joel reichenBerger

H E A L T H Y

L I V I N G

Cara Marrs You don’t have to hide behind the bakery racks, shuffle cookies to the bottom of the cart or slide ice cream to the cashier like a CIA agent swapping national secrets.

Cara Marrs has seen it all, and she’ll happily relate the benefits of healthy living to anyone willing to listen, as she does on a regular basis in her career as a dietitian.

But she’s not in the business of looking into your shopping cart.

“I don’t try to stick my nose in people’s business,” she says. “Unless you seek me out.”

That said, she’d definitely like to help.

Healthy living never was a choice, Cara, 42, says. In fact, much of her life today, with her husband, Dave, and 8-month-old son, Max, has its roots in her youth.

She grew up in a resort community on Hilton Head Island on the South Carolina coast. She moved to Fort Collins for school and eventually to Steamboat Springs, which she found even more comfortable than most newcomers thanks to the lifestyle similarities with her childhood home.

“It’s fun to constantly have an influx of new people,” she says. “I’d like to live in a resort the rest of my life. It’s not putting up with it for me. I love it.”

Like life in Steamboat, life on the coast lent itself to healthy eating and plenty of physical activity. She certainly has no problems staying physically active in Steamboat. Cara was involved early in the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s

Telemark program and helped coach that bunch until her son, Max, was born.

And she runs, which might be her largest contribution to the community. Running is a natural extension of everything else she does. She’s been the director of the Steamboat Springs Running Series for four summers, and her aggressive, inclusive management has helped grow the series’ events from local get-togethers to widely respected, highly attended races.

“There are people in there competing but also first-timers just trying to get in shape,” Cara says. “We’ve created a nice atmosphere. Exercise can save people’s lives — not just physically but mentally, too.”

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Before:

After:

PhoTo: John F. ruSSell STorY: eugene Buchanan

L I L Y O F T H E VA L L E Y

634 Oak Street, Steamboat Springs, CO| 970-879-5764 | mtnarch.com

Lil Gonzalez

When Lil Gonzalez, 68, moved to the Yampa Valley from Los Angeles with her husband, Ben, and three sons in 1974, she didn’t know that she’d leave her mark on far more than the apparel at the T-shirt store they came to manage. From employees to neighbors, everyone she interacts with sings nothing but praise.

“She’s the best boss in the world,” says longtime employee Karen Dooley. “She’s fair, honest and one of hardest workers you’ll ever find. She’ll never give you a job she wouldn’t do herself.”

Managing The Shirt Shop while raising her three sons — Armando, 46, a TSA employee at the airport; Tony, 39, a lieutenant fireman in Denver; and Michael, 43, captain of Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue — she saw her business in Ski Time Square expand into operations in Breckenridge, Aspen and downtown Steamboat. Later, Shirt Off My Back purchased the lease and brought her on board as manager.

It’s an apt name for her business as she tirelessly gives the shirt off her back to friends and family. “I become friends with my employees and show them that I 44 |

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care about them,” she says.

“They come to me whenever they have issues, and I listen to them.” Case in point: When an employee went through a relationship breakup, Lil bought her a ticket to visit her aunt in Los Angeles.

Whether the good-natured style of small-town living has rubbed off on her or her on it, that’s what she loves about living in Steamboat. “Initially, it was a major adjustment moving here,” she says. “Back then, there wasn’t anything here ... just a couple of traffic lights downtown. We were living at the beach, and all of a sudden I had to get all three boys winterized. But then that first summer came, and it was so beautiful here there was no turning back.”

And she couldn’t be happier leaving the hustle and bustle behind. “Even though some people think it’s getting pretty busy here, I come from L.A., so I still think it’s great,” says Lil, who now has three grandchildren and takes care of her mother at home, as well. “I just love the beauty, intimacy and closeness of the community and the support it gives whenever it’s needed.”

PhoTo: Matt StenSland STorY: Brent Boyer

F R O M

M E D I C I N E

T O

M U T T S

Dave Terranova Dave Terranova and his wife, Jodi, once dreamed of going back to school to earn degrees in veterinary science. But with a couple of kids and a mortgage, a return to campus wasn’t an option. So they did the next best thing: They bought a pet supply store.

That the business purchase allowed them to move back to Steamboat Springs for good was icing on the cake.

Most local canine and feline lovers recognize Dave as the smiling face behind the counter at Paws ’N Claws ’N Things in Sundance Plaza at Fish Creek shopping center. It might seem like a far cry from his previous career in pharmaceutical sales, but Dave sees the similarities as well as the differences.

“People are happy in our store,” he says.

“It’s nice. I was selling medicine to sick people. Now I’m selling healthy products to customers who are having fun with their animals.”

And having fun is the atmosphere Dave maintains inside his store. He knows most

customers — both human and pet — by name, and he takes pride in working with pet owners on solutions to whatever might ail their four-legged friends.

“Customer service is absolutely of the utmost importance to us,” he says. “I try to treat customers the way I want to be treated in a store.”

The Terranovas have owned Paws ’N Claws for eight years, which might seem like an eternity for Dave, who like many young Steamboat transplants spent his first few years hopping from job to job.

After graduating from Old Dominion University in Virginia with a degree in business and finance, Dave moved to Steamboat to be a ski bum for a year. He worked at SportStalker, where he met and became friends with Jodi. But he soon returned to his home state of Delaware to begin a career in banking.

Then the Yampa Valley called him back. It wasn’t long before he and Jodi became a couple. They eventually owned and operated Cody’s bar at Yampa Valley

Regional Airport before Dave took a job in pharmaceutical sales back in Delaware in 2000. A call from a business associate here informed them of the pet supply shop for sale, and the rest is history.

“That was the ticket back to Steamboat,” he says.

When not at the store, Dave and Jodi spend most of their waking hours chasing their three children: Samantha, 14, Tyler, 13, and Anna, 10. There are weekend swim meets in the summer and Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Nordic skiing competitions in the winter.

And if there’s any time to spare, you can find Dave trail running on Emerald Mountain or schussing down the slopes of Mount Werner. But more than likely, you’ll see him helping a customer load a 40-pound bag of dog food into the back of a Subaru.

“I love this community,” Dave says. “The people are awesome and very supportive of a small business, which I’m very, very thankful for.”

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PhoTo anD STorY: Joel reichenBerger

F I G H T I N G

T H E

G O O D

F I G H T

Richard Tremaine Richard Tremaine likes to get his hands dirty.

In the literal sense, that defines much of his free time, whether it’s spent at his Steamboat Springs home or his North Routt cabin.

A tour around his house showcases what this means. He points to projects left and right, explaining the details of the garden he and his wife, Judy, maintain. He’s in charge of the potatoes and the garlic, but the fenced-off plot overflows with strawberries and other produce. A small greenhouse bristles with flowers and, a true test of any mountain-town gardener, tomatoes.

“That’s an ongoing learning experience,” he says. “We had a garden back in Virginia,

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and that was easy.”

There’s a large playhouse in back that he built for the grandchildren, but that pales in comparison to the North Routt cabin, which he and his wife also built themselves.

It wasn’t easy, he confesses, but for him, there was no other way.

Richard, 64, doesn’t mind getting dirty at his day job as a local attorney, either, taking on the cases of concerned citizens. Moving in 1988 from the high-speed legal world of Washington, D.C., to the slower-paced world of Steamboat Springs took some adjustment.

His first case was helping a group of citizens oppose a proposed Walmart.

“One of the first things I did was sue the city and the city council,” he says, laughing as he recalls how sheriff’s deputies were

sent to serve the council members and the grief that move still can bring upon him from those same council members, many of them now longtime friends.

Richard, who has one son in town, eventually served on the Steamboat Springs City Council in 1993, helping craft the community plan.

He’s fought similar fights throughout the years, his tactics changing as he learned the community. He’s served with the Community Agriculture Alliance and Yampa Valley Land Trust.

One of his most recent cases proves that not everything has changed, that he still likes to get his hands dirty: He took on the ultimately successful case to keep hunting restrictions in place for sandhill cranes.

The Carpet Shoppe

Quality, Value & Service Since 1969

Mon-Fri: 9:30 - 5:00 Evenings and Weekends by Appointment

879-0103 2680 Jacob Circle www.steamboatcarpet.com Summer 2012 | SteamBoat living

| 47

roAd trip

loDo Dive: in the mile high City, 15 feet deep is equivalent to 23 feet deep at sea level, but the sharks still look the same.

ScuBa Diving Denver

Downtown aquarium offers dose of Cozumel in Colorado T

he dive mask marks gave her away.

While the other girls on my daughter’s U12 hockey team followed their coach’s advice to rest up between games during their tournament in Denver, Brooke, 12, likely is the only person who has ever scuba dived with sharks between puck drops.

While the Mile High City might not seem like a scuba hot spot, no one bothered telling that to A1 Scuba. Pioneering a new trend in urban adventure, the company’s dive and snorkeling programs at the Denver Aquarium open up the world of Ariel to anyone willing to get wet with marine life. In front of regular visitors

watching through a window, the program lets you mingle with manta rays, glide beneath groupers and squeal at eels, all in your own giant, private fish tank a rod’s cast away from Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Like the pane separating us from the exhibit’s dry attendees, we have just enough of a window between Brooke’s games to pull it off. As soon as she clambers out of her hockey gear, we beeline to the aquarium for our visit to Atlantis.

Meeting us at the door is Shane Taylor, whose father founded A1 Scuba in Denver in 1959. Two pierced ears and pirate-like arm tattoos hint of a life spent near — and in — the

ocean. After handing us various forms to sign, he leads us through a hallway, warning us to watch out for animals being transported.

“The aquarium wasn’t originally designed to accommodate recreational diving,” he says, escorting us behind a 750,000-gallon saltwater tank, where workers add 335 pounds of salt to every 1,000 gallons of water. “But luckily, its infrastructure lends itself to a diving program pretty well.”

Indeed it does. Ever since opening the program to the public in 2006, A1 has taken as many as 2,500 people diving and snorkeling annually at the aquarium. In the process, it’s pioneered the program nation-

Story by eugene Buchanan ❘ Photos by A1 Scuba 48 | SteamBoat living | Summer 2012

wide, with five other aquariums throughout the country now offering similar programs, including those in Atlanta; Tampa and Orlando, Fla.; and Long Beach and Monterey, Calif.

“It’s definitely getting the attention of other facilities,” Taylor says as we walk down the hall. “But like ours, most of them weren’t designed with this sort of program in mind.

For many of them, it’s hard to offer this kind of program without making serious renovations.”

That’s not the case here; the Denver facility’s infrastructure suits A1’s needs perfectly. The tank’s entry and exit areas are big and have stairway access, and the facility just so happens

to have an elevator, deck areas and locker facilities with showers. “It’s pure luck that it works perfectly for our diving operations,” Taylor says.

The facility also allows A1 to conduct multiple programs at the same time, including dives in the 260,000-gallon tank and larger 400,000-gallon tank, which houses most of the sharks as well as three 12-footlong sawfish; puffer fish; barracuda; jacks and red drums; a tarpon that has quadrupled in size in the past year; and a rare blue, bumpy-foreheaded Napoleon fish. A1 also uses the tanks for certification and underwater photography courses.

Ahead of us, divers emerge clad in wetsuits from a shower room. Taylor ushers us in, where we change into our swimsuits, and then leads us into a freight elevator used for moving large marine animals in and out of the tanks, including sharks. Capable of transporting a great white, it can fit 22 people at a time.

“You mean sharks have been in here?” asks my daughter Casey, 8, as we ascend to the

like sea turtles coming out of their shells, aquarium diving is starting to surface across the country.

tank floor. “Cool!”

Up top at the staging area, we meet dive safety officer Brian Saxon, who explains the aquarium’s “no-touch” policy (something I wish my daughters would heed in the car).

“The fish are used to having people around, but we still have to take good care of them,” he says.

He also advises us not to worry if the grouper swims right above us and opens its massive mouth above our masks. It’s just positioning its

gill slits above our bubbles for an oxygenating massage. He adds that we can keep any shark teeth we find in return for a donation that benefits a satellite-tag program for sharks in the Pacific Ocean. So far, aquarium dives have raised $10,000 for the program.

After a safety talk, he hands us our wetsuits, booties, masks and snorkels and escorts us to the tank’s edge. While Brooke and I get equipped with tanks, buoyancy-control devices and regulators, Casey heads to the

Kin Divers: The author and his aquakids at the aquarium.

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roAd trip snorkeling group.

While Casey stays on the surface with the rest of the snorkelers, Brooke and I pass quick mask and regulatorretrieval tests and then plunge in, descending to the bottom of the 15-foot-deep pool. At Denver’s altitude, this equates to 23 feet deep at sea level.

As soon as we dip our heads beneath the surface, it doesn’t feel like Denver anymore. The 260,000-gallon tank includes two green sea turtles, one of which is 65 years old; a pair of nocturnal, skittish, 7-footlong, 80-pound eels; countless sting-rays; a white-spotted, gray-bodied guitar fish, with an acoustic-shaped body; three nurse sharks (with one in quarantine because it’s pregnant); clown and other tropical fish; and two groupers, including a 450-pound Queensland that’s still growing to its expected 1,200 pounds.

As Saxon warned, it soon hovers over Brooke, exposing its gaping jaw that could

If You Go A1 Scuba offers dive and snorkel trips to the Denver Aquarium on Saturdays and Sundays yearround.

Cost: $85 to snorkel (ages 6 and older); $185 to dive (with certification card); $195 Discover Scuba program (no card needed, dive with guide, ages 10 and older). All prices include $15.99 aquarium entrance fee, which you can tour afterward.

Info: www.a1scuba.com swallow Brooke whole. Her eyes are as wide as the bubbles caressing its gills.

Taking in sights divers normally only see thousands of miles away, Brooke and I follow Saxon through various passages, practicing our “Are you okay?” sign language and pointing at different fish.

Shortly later, he turns us loose on our own. A large eel bares his teeth from a crack. Sting rays glide effortlessly overhead, like clouds wisping over the Front Range. Two nurse sharks rest docilely in the corner.

We could be in Belize or

open Wide: While groupers revel in bubble massages, participants revel in diving at a mile high.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, save for the giant glass wall separating us from the gawkers below. Brooke ventures over to the window and waves enthusiastically, evoking onlookers to do the same. Casey waves at us from the surface above.

Eventually, Saxon signals it’s time to ascend, but we’re

stymied by the start of the daily mermaid show. So we wait it out in a corner, happily watching women swim around with mermaid suits, before rising back to our obligations on the surface, which, for Brooke, means swapping her dive mask for a hockey one at her next game. ■

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tom ross remembers

Cowboys are just along for the ride odeo season is under way in Steamboat Springs, and some of the best athletes in the Yampa Valley are showing off their moves every Friday and Saturday night at Howelsen Hill.

They jump like LeBron James and shed would-be tacklers like LeSean McCoy. Call them widow makers, call them studs, they’re rank and bad-ass; they are los caballos loco — you can even call them locavores. Because longtime local after a big night under writer Tom ross has the bright lights, you called Steamboat can find these star home since 1979. athletes diving into a high-protein meal of homegrown hay.

Cowboys can’t score unless the broncos come out to play, and some experts would say the bucking horses are the real stars of the Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series.

And they have years of pedigree behind them.

Some of the greatest rodeo horses of all time plied their trade in Northwest Colorado and neighboring states more than 100 years ago. There was General Pershing, Pin Ears, Carrie Nation and a high-flying horse named Steamboat from southern Wyoming, now on the list of Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame horses.

Rodeo was so popular in downtown Steamboat in 1902 that it got a bit out of hand, with cowboys organizing impromptu bucking events in the middle of town any time they became (ahem) inspired. Town government actually passed an ordinance making it a misdemeanor for cowboys to hold bucking contests on Main Street on Sunday mornings because the local matriarchs were feeling intimidated on the way to church.

The horse that mattered most hereabouts was the big, gray General Pershing, stabled just west of Steamboat with owner Joe Squire.

The July 9, 1919, edition of the Steamboat Pilot ran a headline pronouncing: “General Pershing is worst bucking horse discovered in years.” Worst, of course, meaning best.

Much more was expected of both cowboys and broncs back then. Today, cowboys must stay on the back of their rides for eight seconds to achieve a score. Back then, the “bronc stompers” were expected to stay in the saddle until the horse was no longer willing to buck. And the horse had to recover quickly because more than one cowboy was given a shot at riding him.

52 | SteamBoat living | Summer 2012

TREAD oF PIoNEERS MuSEuM

R

General Pershing was described in 1919 in the Steamboat Pilot as the “worst bucking horse discovered in years.” Worst, of course, meaning the best.

Steamboat author John Rolfe Burroughs Then again, because there were no wrote in Empire Magazine, “One of the bucking chutes, cowboys often got off to a thrills of my boyhood was watching a rocky start. Some saddle broncs could be blindfolded and saddled in the middle of the former schoolmate, who was the cousin of (Steamboat Pilot publisher) M.H. Leckenby, arena, with the cowboy quickly mounting. ride General Pershing almost, but not quite, Others had to be wrestled to the ground by to a standstill.” the rodeo crew, with However, the merthe cowboy climbing it is a misdemeanor curial horse Pin Ears on board and hanging tight while the horse for cowboys to hold was just as feared as General Pershing. Burstruggled to its feet. roughs reported that Few cowboys could bucking contests the bay horse lashed stay on General Pershon main Street on out at his handlers, ing beyond his second biting and squealing, big hop. “General Sunday mornings. in the rodeo arena and Pershing succeeded in actually “pawed three throwing every rider men to death.” that mounted him, and experienced cow What made Pin Ears such a mystery was punchers say he is the greatest bucker they his gentle nature outside the arena. Walt ever saw,” the article said. “A.E. McCormick, Long, whose father ranched in Twentymile the artograph film star and champion in Park southwest of Steamboat, owned Pin many riding contests, bet that he could ride Ears. the horse without stirrups, but it only took Burroughs explained in his book, “Where a few of Pershing’s elusive twists before Mcthe Old West Stayed Young,” that Pin Ears Cormick hit the dust.” had a gentler side.

Lawrence “Tuffy” Wren drew General “When he was home, Pin Ears was as Pershing in the bucking contest and had an gentle as an old plow plug,” Burroughs unusual experience: The great horse made wrote. “His owner’s three small children several jumps before Wren went flying rode him all over the place. They crawled through the air along with his equipment. beneath his belly and between his legs and, “Wren turned a flip-flop and came down standing on his hocks, used his tail to pull with the saddle still firmly gripped between themselves onto his back.” his legs,” the article reported.

So if you venture to this year’s rodeo, How tough was Wren? Later that season appreciate the athlete beneath the saddle as during the Hayden fair, he rode a sorrel well as above it; chances are the horse was horse that turned a forward somersault with spinning rodeos and mysties well before him aboard. Shaking off his bruises, Wren returned later in the afternoon to complete a today’s skiers and riders were doing so on Mount Werner. ■ ride on the same horse.

Summer 2012 | SteamBoat living

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a far cry from ferdinand.

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Red Hawk Ranch 500 acres of prime hunting land northwest of Steamboat. Dry Fork of Elkhead Creek flows along the northern Boundary, attracting a variety of wildlife. Rolling, aspen covered hills are a sanctuary for the elk. This area is home to one of the largest elk herds in Colorado. $599,000.

Marabou Ranch Just 5 miles from downtown and 8 miles from the Gondola, Marabou Ranch encompasses over 1,700 acres with 2 miles of outstanding fishing on the Elk River. The ranch’s spectacular landscape hosts an unrivaled range of amenities. Only 18 of the 62 homesteads remain. From $1,300,000.

The Homestead at Big Red Park Completely surrounded by National Forest, the Homestead at Big Red Park is 160 acres in the Colorado Rockies. High mountain streams and direct trail access provide year round recreation opportunities.

The attractive cabins are the ideal place to unwind. 40 minutes to Steamboat. $1,800,000.

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