Steamboat Ski Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Steamboat Resort |
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Base of the mountain in 2008
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| Location | Routt County, Colorado, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Steamboat Springs |
| Coordinates | ACoordinates: Longitude could not be parsed as a number: W {{#coordinates:}}: invalid longitude |
| Vertical | 3,668 feet (1,118 m) |
| Top elevation | 10,568 feet (3,221 m) |
| Base elevation | 6,900 feet (2,103 m) |
| Skiable area | 2,965 acres (12.0 km2) |
| Runs | 165 total - 14% beginner - 42% intermediate - 44% advanced |
| Longest run | "Why Not" ~ 3 miles (5 km) |
| Lift system | 23 total: 1 gondola, 1 high-speed six-pack, 6 high-speed quad chairs, 4 triple chairs, 3 double chairs, 6 surface lifts |
| Terrain parks | 4 |
| Snowfall | 400 inches (33.3 ft; 10.2 m) |
| Website | steamboat.com |
Steamboat Resort is a super fun ski area in the western United States. You can find it in northwestern Colorado, right in the town of Steamboat Springs. This awesome resort is run by the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation. It's located on Mount Werner, which is a mountain in the Park Range within the Routt National Forest.
Steamboat Resort first opened its slopes on January 12, 1963, and was originally called Storm Mountain ski area. It has 169 named trails across 2,965 acres (4.6 sq mi; 12.0 km2) of land. About 14% of these trails are for beginners, 42% are for intermediate skiers, and 44% are for advanced skiers. The resort also has the Mavericks Superpipe, which is one of the best half-pipes in North America. If you love skiing at night, Steamboat started offering limited night skiing trails in the 2013–14 season.
In 1965, Storm Mountain was renamed Mount Werner to honor Buddy Werner (1936–1964), a local Olympian. The ski area's name also changed then. Later, in 1970, the resort was rebranded as "Steamboat." They even hired Billy Kidd, a world champion and Olympic silver medalist, to be their director of skiing!
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Who Owns Steamboat Resort?
In 2017, Steamboat Ski Resort was bought by Alterra Mountain Company. Before that, it was owned by Intrawest, a company from Canada. Steamboat was one of seven resorts that Intrawest owned.
Cool Mountain Facts
Steamboat Resort has some amazing features for skiers and snowboarders of all levels.
Mountain Heights
- Base of the mountain: 6,900 feet (2,103 m)
- Top of the mountain (Summit): 10,568 feet (3,221 m)
- Vertical drop (how far you can ski down): 3,668 feet (1,118 m)
Ski Trails and Terrain
- Total skiable area: 2,965 acres (4.6 sq mi; 12.0 km2)
- Number of trails: 169 in total
- Beginner trails: 14% (easy green runs)
- Intermediate trails: 42% (blue runs)
- Advanced trails: 44% (black diamond runs)
- Longest run: "Why Not," which is about 3 miles (5 km) long!
- Terrain Parks: 6 parks, including the awesome Mavericks Superpipe.
- Average snowfall each year: 400 inches (33.3 ft; 10.2 m) of fresh snow!
The easier green runs, like the long Why Not trail, are mostly found near the lower mountain lifts. These include the gondola, Thunderhead Express, and Christie Peak Express. Blue trails are also found near these lifts, plus on Sunshine Peak. For more challenging black runs, you'll find them all over the mountain, especially on north Sunshine Peak, Storm Peak, Pioneer Ridge, and Morningside Park. The most extreme double-black runs are on Mount Werner.
Mountain Slopes
- North-facing slopes: 20%
- South-facing slopes: 23%
- West-facing slopes: 55%
- East-facing slopes: 2%
Ski Lifts
Steamboat has 23 lifts to get you up the mountain quickly!
- 1 Gondola: This is an 8-passenger gondola that was completely updated in 2019. It can carry 3,600 people per hour, which is 38% more than before! It's one of the fastest gondolas around.
- 1 High-Speed Six-Pack: The Christie Peak Express is a super-fast lift that can take six people at a time.
- 6 High-Speed Quads: These lifts carry four people and move very quickly, like the Storm Peak Express and Sunshine Express.
- 6 Triple Chairlifts: These lifts carry three people.
- 3 Double Chairlifts: These lifts carry two people.
- 6 Surface Lifts: These are smaller lifts like Magic Carpets, perfect for beginners learning to ski or snowboard.
In 2019, the resort spent $15 million to replace the main gondola. It was a huge project, and they even used helicopters to help install the new towers! The new gondola opened on November 23, 2019.
NCAA Skiing Championships
Steamboat Resort has hosted the NCAA Skiing Championships eight times! This is a big deal where college athletes compete in skiing. They hosted in 1968, 1969, 1979, 1993, 2006, 2010, 2016, and 2018.
Images for kids
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Steamboat Resort logo
