Travel Editor

Last winter I made my way out West to Steamboat Springs, Colorado (also known as Ski Town, U.S.A.) to visit family and hopefully snowboard with my nephews on Mt. Werner. I have to mention that it started snowing each day from when I arrived in late November, and didn't stop snowing until the day I flew back to sunny Orlando, Florida.

I arrived without a board or gear and lucked into my nephew's previous board, pants, and jacket since we were the same size. All I had to rent were the boots and bindings and I had to pay to get an edge and wax on my borrowed board. The resulting costs were not high, and I made out really well. My nephews took me to this really cool shop named The Click where I was able to rent and purchase what I still needed and spent less than $100. The fact that my nephews are loyal customers of The Click may have had something to do with the great deal I received, but they were very reasonably priced anyway. It was a blessing to be able to borrow a board since all of the shops were completely depleted of rentals.

My advice to you is to reserve or purchase your board and gear ahead of time because they do go quickly.

Throughout the whole trip, the most I shelled out was around $400 for lift passes, which wasn't too bad. Although, if I had bought my passes before I arrived I could have saved quite a few dollars. After beating myself up on the slopes and in the terrain park, I went to Strawberry Park to unwind by taking a dip in their hot springs. It was such a relaxing experience and a highly recommended stop. Steamboat is set in a relaxed atmosphere at 6,695 feet above sea level, and everyone I met there was extremely friendly and down-to-earth.

Other than spending most of my time on the mountain, I also enjoyed stopping in the shops that are owned and operated by locals in the downtown Steamboat area. (I mean, who really wants to go to the same old shops as they have back home?) One place I wandered into was the Off the Beaten Path Bookstore. In addition to being a Wireless Hot-Spot, they had a wide array of books to choose from and a wonderful coffee house, wine bar, and cafe combined under one name of "Elements".

A restaurant that I enjoyed was The Tap House Sports Grill. It's a family environment with great price lists on their menu, especially on "Wing Tuesday" with 3 wings for a dollar!

From the time I arrived until the day I left, over 300 inches of snow descended from the heavens. It was any boarder's dream made reality. Steamboat is a spectacular place to visit! And I would recommend scheduling as much time as possible to vacation there. With breath-taking views and all around enjoyment, what else could anyone desire on a trip?

Photo by Shaun Quinlan (lightbox) at Morguefile.com

Labels: Mt. Werner, Snow, snowboard, Steamboat Springs, Travel

Posted by nordn8 on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 at 9:36 AM | Permalink