YOUR AD HERE »

Skiing History Week: My life is like your vacation

Stacey Wooley/For the Steamboat Today

Steamboat is a ski lover’s kinda town. People who know how to contract “powder fever” the morning of a nice little snowstorm, live in Steamboat. These are smart, savvy, outdoorsy, snow sport enthusiasts who don’t cringe at the bumper sticker that says, “I like big dumps” or “phat skis need love too”. Steamboat is one of those few places where you can find a T-shirt that says, “My Life is Better Than Your Vacation”. Am I right? Let’s not forget being surrounded by the comforting license plates that display in one clever way or another that Steamboat locals love winter… PWDRHND, GONESKN, MTNLUVR, SNOBUNNY, SKIBUM, LUV2SKI, SKI4LF, CLIFHUKR, OFFPISTE, IMDIFFCLT, DBLBLK-D, IMARIPPR, shall I go on?

From Park City, I take Highway 40. Destination Steamboat Springs, a solid 5 hours of windshield time. About 100 miles out, I start to see the F.M. Light and Son signs… those telltale, mustard colored mentions, teasing me that I am getting closer. Less than an hour later, I’m finally hittin’ Lincoln Ave. Deep breath. Ahhhh, Steamboat.

Backtrack… It’s June and The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame has chosen and announced that we will bring our traveling road show, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to Ski Town USA. Previous years we descended on Deer Valley, Sun Valley, Vail and last year, Park City. Next stop, Steamboat Springs, choice venue, no doubt, but why?



Each year we pitch a resort town that is, if possible, celebrating an anniversary of some sort. Howelsen Hill hit its centennial this year. This tid-bit alone made Steamboat a no-brainer. The fact that Steamboat is home to a world-renowned winter sports club, oodles of Olympians and previous Hall of Famers the likes of Billy Kidd, Hans Geier, Nelson Carmichael and Deb Armstrong doesn’t hurt either. Steamboat Resort and The Steamboat Grand agreed to play host and welcomed us to Ski Town USA with an “on the edge of your seat” enthusiasm. Surely, this little slice of heaven is a place we could attract the masses and rally the locals for Skiing History Week and host a sell out Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Again, a no-brainer.

When we come to town, April 6-12, our goal is to engage the community with three days of film festival showings, a humbling legendary ski history presentation, interactive panel discussions, Inductee parties, a break out beer tasting and a Hall of Famer first tracks opportunity. Steamboat, wont you come out and play? To see a full schedule and register for any or all of the week’s festivities, please go to http://www.skihall.com and click on Skiing History Week or call (906) 485-6324.



Stacey Wooley works with event marketing and sponsorships for the United States Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum. She is writing a series of columns leading up to Skiing History Week and the Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony in Steamboat Springs April 6 to 12. She can be reached at Stacey@SkiHall.com


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.