Who would have thought that skiing Howelsen Hill every Sunday this season would have been so much fun. Over the past 20 years, my husband and I have always skied Mount Werner.

Well, not always — Tom timed for the city races for many years at Howelsen. I myself had never skied Howelsen, so given COVID-19 and the uncertain situation with crowd control and lift access on Mount Werner, I decided to opt out of a ski pass and ski Howelsen. Howelsen is an astonishing delight and a feather in Steamboat Springs’ cap.

What I enjoyed most was the laid back ambience — reminiscent of the skiing experience 40-plus years ago — seeing so many young children with their parents and encountering the many tourists who decided they would take a chance on Howelsen. As an out-of-town father of two small children said to me, “We always ski Howelsen when we come to Steamboat.” And that is pretty much the bottom line folks. We ski Howelsen.

So when those tantalizing offers from deep pocket developers come once again to City Council and propose to change Howelsen for the better, think twice, City Council and Steamboaters. A drastic change to Howelsen will be so far away from “the better” that it won’t even be funny.

Does the lodge need a little construction work? Yes. But should we change its character? No.

And the installation of a new chair lift is merited, but please don’t change for change sake. Be different, be old-fashioned, be a piece of history, be the same old Howelsen, because if this community decides to embrace all that Howelsen is, then generations to come will reap the benefits.

Huge thanks to the groomers, ski patrol, the wonderful lift operators, the snack bar guy and gals and especially, that cute and friendly girl who crossed off all of our names when she issued us the tickets on those Sundays. Her attitude was nothing short of genuine and sincere.

Five-hundred-plus cheers for Howelsen.

Sandy Fisher

Steamboat Springs