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. 

Friends — Alaina Hersey, Zoe Francis, Quinn Beato, Sky Chone, Jasmine LeFevre, Mady Murphy and Mohammed Aoahmed — made their way from the shuttle to the resort decked out in caps and gowns. Making the trek from Boulder, these college seniors hit the slopes on closing day to commemorate the end of a four-year academic career at the University of Colorado.

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Just a few yards away at the bottom of the escalator, 3-year-old Ava Niggas was celebrating a different life milestone: It was her first year skiing all by herself without mom or dad having to hold her.

Ava, her brother Brody and their Bernese mountain dog, Gunther, reminisced on Ava’s first solo ski season while waiting for the luau performance to begin at the base of the mountain.

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Meanwhile at the top of the mountain, Linda Danter was notifying passersby of the 2:30 p.m. luau while she celebrated another season as a Steamboat Resort ambassador.

“This season has been excellent and this week’s extension has been a wonderful bonus for sure,” Danter said.

Danter was grateful for the resort’s decision to extend its season by a week, and she noted that the week did not feel like spring skiing. 

“If you skied Friday this week, you would have thought you were skiing mid-season,” Danter explained.

Down at the gondola, another ambassador sang a similar tune.

“Yeah, it’s definitely busy, but look at all these smiling people out here,” Beth Riley said. “It was worth keeping it open.”

With the closing of its 60th season, some people are likely already looking forward to Steamboat Resort’s 2023-24 season opener in November.