Steamboat resort, town to doll up
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS - The big ski area here boasts of having “Champagne Powder” on its slopes, but the rest of the resort has been far less refined for years.That’s all starting to change this summer as Steamboat’s well-financed new owner and a host of other developers begin pouring more than half a billion dollars into revamping the mountain, the town and its outskirts.
“We don’t want the delta between our base experience and the rest of Colorado to get any greater,” said Chris Diamond, Steamboat Ski Resort president.
The biggest changes include: long-deferred investments in ski area infrastructure, an overhaul of neglected areas in the downtown business district, and an unusually large number of high-end residential projects happening all at once and all over the place.
Catching up with the likes of Vail and Aspen could take time because Steamboat is among the last of the major areas to bring some polish to its base and town.
“It’s going to make Steamboat more competitive over the next few years,” said former Vail executive Andy Daly, whose Alpine Mountain Ranch & Club is one of Steamboat’s toniest real-estate projects. “Of all the major resorts, Steamboat was the one that had seen very little investment.”
Under former parent American Skiing Co., the ski area made only basic improvements. It even sold off some of its assets. It didn’t have the money for extra upgrades or to fix the flawed design of the beginner area.
But once Canada’s Intrawest bought Steamboat in March, it committed to $16 million in a single summer, more than the former owner invested over a decade.
“There’s a bit of a vision (the new owners) are going to come driving over Rabbit Ears Pass with Wells Fargo trucks,” Diamond said. “But there’s a lot of discipline.”
An urban renewal authority has begun to address the infrastructure issues that have plagued the base area for decades.
In the meantime, Steamboat has been stuck at about 1 million skiers a season, year in and year out. It boasts as many season passholders - roughly 10,000 - as it does residents because it’s a place where “darn near everybody skis,” according to Diamond.
No one expects the area’s character to change radically, even though at times this summer the whole town seems to be one big construction zone.
Steamboat’s long-time push to preserve its ranching heritage sets it apart from other ski areas, which tend to be based near former mining towns, or the forest, or resort areas developed solely for skiing.
The ski town has benefited from an increase in the number of flights serving its vastly improved airport, which until recently featured a dirt parking lot and seasonal flights.
But residents say Steamboat has managed to retain some of the appeal of a much smaller area and town.
There’s still free parking within an easy walk of the lifts. But back-to-back condo developments have added to the sprawl along the main route into town. And finding affordable housing has become more of a challenge.
“Steamboat’s not the funky little place it used to be, but it has maintained its soul,” said John Waldman, who has lived in Steamboat for 27 years.
On a recent sunny day in the waning days of the ski season, a ski school class was filled with so-called “destination skiers” who had made the trip from all over the map - Harpers Ferry, W. Va., Monterey, Calif., and Chicago, among other far-away towns and cities.
“We’re almost purely a destination resort,” said Jon Wade, owner of Colorado Group Realty. “There’s a convergence of things happening but demand for ski condos is helping to drive the boom.”
Steamboat makeover
• The mountain: Steamboat’s new parent company pumps $16 million this summer into regrading the beginner area, moving and installing chairlifts and other much-needed changes at the base of the ski area.
• The town: Aging buildings demolished to make for a variety of mixed-use projects along Lincoln Avenue, the town’s main thoroughfare. Those include the former Westland Mobile Home Park, which will become the Riverwalk, a 230,000-square-foot project along the Yampa River between 3rd and 5th streets.
• The outskirts: On the edge of town, ranches and open land will morph into retreats with luxury homes tucked into the woods and around preserves.
