Nicole Miller our expert for Ski Town, U.S.A.®. Nicole is the digital communications manager at Steamboat Resort and manages the ski area’s social media channels. She moved to Steamboat in 2006 after earning a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of Colorado in Boulder. She learned how to ski on Steamboat’s historic Howelsen Hill at age 3. She’s definitely got the inside track on the best things in Steamboat.
Whoop your way through some Champagne Powder®
Steamboat is famous for its Champagne Powder® snow (So good we’ve trademarked it!) so get yourself some fat skis and float your way through the lightest, driest, fluffiest snow you’re ever likely to come across. And if you want to act like a native, make sure you whoop as you go!
Ski with an Olympian
Steamboat is known as Ski Town, U.S.A.® because of the 89 winter Olympians the town has produced. Both Billy Kidd — Steamboat’s director of skiing, World Champion and Olympic silver medallist — and Nelson Carmichael, Olympic bronze medallist and World Cup Champion, offer free clinics throughout the season. The stories they’ll tell are almost as good as the advice they’ll give.
Unwind at the Strawberry Park Hot Springs
Steamboat Springs was named by fur trappers who thought they heard a chuffing paddle steamer coming down the Yampa River. The sound was actually a bubbling mineral spring, of which there are 150 in the area. For a wonderful back-to-nature experience, head to Strawberry Park Hot Springs. Take a torch and a towel and soothe your hard-working body in one of the pools carved out of the natural rock. They range from very hot to very cold — take your pick!
Ride a Horse Through the Snow
Get a taste of Steamboat’s true western heritage by taking a horseback ride at Del’s Triangle 3 Ranch. You can be a complete novice — they’ll loan you Stetsons and chaps, and the sure-footed horses will follow owner Ray Heid and his son Perk on their trusty steeds as you meander a trail through the majestic aspen-covered landscape.
Visit Downtown Steamboat
A stroll down Lincoln Avenue will give you insight into Steamboat Springs’ western history. Visit F.M. Light & Sons, an outfitter established in 1905, to try on Stetsons and cowboy boots. And a sit on Lightning the model horse outside the store is a must for any child. Finish your visit by popping into Lyon Drug Store, with its soda fountain and juke box, or slide into a booth at Johnny B Goods for old-fashioned shakes and malts.
