March 22, 2007 - It is official - 450 inches in one season - New Record!
As I wrote on Thursday, this was likely our last big chance to break the record. The snow gods had teased us for a week and a half with a 1/4 of an inch here and a 1/2 of an inch there. All of the locals were still holding out hope of breaking the record and we did that indeed with a four inch storm on Thursday afternoon! There was much celebration to be had around town and the paper even wrote an entire “Ode to 450 inches” expose in the Saturday paper. In this write up there was a history of when we got snow and how much we got. I thought it was perfect as it reminded me of all the times Clint and I woke to blow the snow but also how many times we got up on the mountain to get the goods.
The paper listed out some of this year’s snow stats and I have some of my favorites here…
8,400,000 - Pounds of scoria spread on local roadways by city snowplows
1,300 - Overtime hours logged by city snowplow drivers
0 - Days of school cancelled because of snow by the Steamboat Springs School District
Powder points
- It snowed more than 6 feet in the first ten days of February 2008
- It snowed 7 feet in seven days at the summit from Jan. 8 to 14
- The ski area hit the 100-inch mark for summit-base depth March 6
- Longest Streak of Snow: 26 days (Jan. 16 to Feb. 10) with 137.5 inches (11.5 feet) at mid-mountain
March 20, 2008 - It’s Snowing - Need 2 Inches to break the record!
It’s snowing this afternoon in Steamboat and every local knows we only need 2 inches to break the all time record of 447.5 inches set during the winter of 1996-1997. Keep your fingers crossed for us. The mountain has been recording snow fall in 1/2 inch increments trying to break this record. I’d like to see a good 4-6 inch storm to blow the record out of the water once and for all. Clint and I have been joking that if we miss the record, we are going to make bumper stickers that say “446 - I demand a recount”.
March 10, 2008 - 438 inches and counting
If you ask any local in town what one thing they are hoping for more than an epic score at the annual spring Ski Haus sale, then it will certainly be topping the 447.5 total snow fall record set during the winter of 1996/1997. Each inch of snow that falls means that we are that much closer to breaking the record. The anticipation is building. I knew something was up when I looked over at the sign on the top of the Sunshine lift yesterday and it said that we had received 1.5 inches of snow the night before. I don’t care if they start counting in 1/16ths of an inch, just as long as we break that darn record.
The season is starting to wind down, but at the guest house, we are starting to switch gears mentally for spring and summer. You see, spring is one of my favorite times in the valley. You can eat out for cheaper than you can buy food at the store. There is a meal deal nearly every night and it is a great time to reconnect with fellow locals that have been up to their eye balls in snow (i.e. - working several jobs, hunkering down to enjoy the snow, travel for work…you name it). While many locals will jet off for exotic locales, there are many of us with year round full time jobs who are “trapped here”. I couldn’t think of a better place to be trapped.
Start planning your get away for summer…because the old adage is that “I came for the winter, but stayed forever because of the summers.” We will have plenty of things to keep you all excited and busy here in Steamboat, including a place to store your mountain bikes in the garage as well as a bike stand to keep your rides tuned. If you planning a weekend away to kayak, trail run, mountain bike or just plain relax, drop us a line and make a reservation.
March 2, 2008 - From 52 to 15 Inches New!
Yesterday Clint and I went skiing and it was warm, almost hot. The news reported a high in Steamboat yesterday of 52 degrees. There was a free concert at the base and all of the locals and tourists had come out of the woodwork to enjoy a healthy day of spring skiing. We also heard yesterday that there was a storm headed this way, but no one would have believed it based on yesterday’s blue bird weather. But around 10 pm, in it rolled and after dumping 15 inches of new snow by mid-day Sunday, we knew for sure that March was here. Known for it’s epic spring skiing days and awsome winter storms, it doesn’t get much better than this. We have officially broken the 400 inch mark, and now all locals are crossing their fingers and hoping that we break the all-time record. After a winter like this one, you want it to go down in the record books, so that all those early mornings and late nights shoveling were worth it!