1. Cows across Routt County are dying in droves. What’s killing them?

A perfect storm of irregular weather patterns, wildlife and flooding is causing ranchers across Routt County to lose cattle at an alarming rate.

Some ranchers say they have not had this terrible of a calving season since 2008, which also saw a winter with heavy snow, while others cannot recall a time where it has ever been this bad.

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2. Writers on the Range: A Colorado reservoir gets ready for an epic snowmelt

Reservoir manager Ken Beck says wryly that he has lots of water coming his way, “and I need a hole to put it in.”

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In southern Colorado, Beck is the superintendent of Pine River Irrigation District and Vallecito Reservoir, which catches water from the 13,000 and 14,000-foot-high peaks of the Weminuche Wilderness. It’s a place so wild and beautiful that Teddy Roosevelt protected it in 1905 by creating the 1.8-million-acre San Juan National Forest.

3. Resort-goers find reasons to celebrate amid closing day blues in Steamboat

Closing day finally arrived at Steamboat Resort to the dismay of many skiers and riders, and just like that, the season came to an end.

People headed to the gondola on Sunday, April 16 — many in luau attire — to squeeze in their last runs of the 2022-23 ski season. For all the reasons people had to sulk, there were just as many to celebrate. 

4. Steamboat Resort will renovate, reopen to give young athletes extra training

The resort may be closed to the public starting Monday, April 17, but will reopen shortly after for athletes with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club to train from April 27-30 and again May 4-7. 

In order to best accommodate the athletes, Bashor will undergo a facelift.

5. 2022-23 officially second snowiest season on record at Steamboat Resort

Five inches of snow falling ahead of closing day made 2023 the second snowiest season ever recorded at Steamboat Resort. 

Flakes fell throughout Friday, April 14, and continued into early Saturday, April 15, bringing the mid-mountain snow total on Steamboat’s snow report to 448 inches. 

6. Hayden sees worst flash flooding in many residents’ memory, and it likely isn’t over yet

Hayden resident Jordan Worden woke up to a call from a friend around 2 a.m. Thursday, April 13, and sprinted out of bed.

“My boots, of course, were floating in the garage,” Worden said. “I had to run out barefoot to grab my sump pump, and thank God I did, because my house would have been much worse.”

7. Billy Kidd celebrates 80th birthday at Steamboat Resort (with photos and video)

The secret to skiing at 80?

“Be really, really good at 79 and 9/10 and then you just coast into 80,” Billy Kidd said.

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8. ‘A trend that needs to get nipped in the bud’: Postholing hikers are losing the trail — and sometimes their shoes — on Quandary

Late Thursday night, Summit County Rescue Group volunteers were called to Quandary Peak to rescue three out-of-state hikers. 

One of them was postholing — sinking into the snow past the knees, to the point where it becomes difficult to move — so deep they lost a shoe, according to Summit County Rescue Group member and spokesperson Anna DeBattiste.

9. How homeowners, service providers are dealing with soggy basements, crawlspaces

Crouching over in a soggy crawlspace as icy water runs into tall boots while trying to fix a sump pump is not any homeowner’s idea of a fun chore.

Local service providers say checking for water intrusion in the lowest level of homes is imperative to do every day for at least the next three weeks.

10. Boulder developer proposes 55 market-rate units on west side of Steamboat

A new housing development proposed on the west side of Steamboat Springs would add 55 market-rate units, with 17 of those being earmarked for local workforce.

The Steamboat Springs Planning Commission recommended approval in a 5-1 vote on Thursday, April 13, for several variances and conditional uses on the property, which is between the Routt County Combined Law Enforcement Facility and Whitehaven Mobile Home Park.