Last night in downtown Steamboat Springs there was a slew of mysterious behavior. The mad hatter danced down Lincoln Avenue followed by a family of sea gods. A crowd of Vikings strolled the sidewalks passing a monkey with a banana before stopping to greet the three pink ladies. A dragon towered over a crowd of people breathing fire as members of the emergency services looked on, while tossing candy to passing children.

It was Halloween, the most cherished community event of the year. Last night did not disappoint. For two hours Lincoln Avenue was closed to all traffic, except those on foot. Storeowners generously dished out volumes of candy, slices of pizza, pots of ice cream and toothbrushes – yes toothbrushes! There was a scream contest, live musicians and fire jugglers. Families, kids, couples, singles, empty nesters and canine friends strolled the street together absorbing the quintessential Steamboat vibe.

The snow held off despite the chill in the air – much to the amazement of long time locals, who expect the first big dump of year on that very night. The snow never came, but all the usual tradition remained with most adults feeling thankful they are not waking up to teach school in the morning. Thank you Steamboat for another spooktacularly fun night.

Reading on Ranches with BookTrails

Planning your summer vacation and wondering how to make your trip appeal to everyone in the family? We have a solution – summer camp. Steamboat has a whole host of exciting options for kids this summer and you don’t need to be local to take part.

We thought we’d share a couple weeklong favorites that never fail to please year after year. The best part of all, kids have fun, they do things they’d only be able to do here, and you are free to explore Steamboat without any resistance from the junior crew. You have your evenings together and everyone’s happy.

BookTrails
Steamboat’s first ever literacy learning camp was founded in 2012 by environmental educator and self professed bookworm, Emily Krall. Reading on Ranches is a collection of weeklong adventures that allow kids up to 6th grade to literally bring stories and characters alive. Students have the opportunity for multisensory learning by mixing reading with hands on activities all taking place outdoors. Each camp is themed and activities correlate to the chosen title or series. Campers could be reliving the days of homesteading, exploring the waterways of the Yampa Valley, learning wilderness survival types, writing in hieroglyphics or playing quidditch in a field. Student to teacher ratio is 3:1 and readers of every level are encouraged to join the fun. This summer camps include: Little House on the Prairie, Hatchet Camp, Wolves Mini Camp, Harry Potter Camp, American Girl Doll, Camp Half Blood, Spirit Animals, Spy Camp, Magic Tree House, Native American Legends, Tomb Raiders, Camp Splash I and II.
For more information or to register go to www.steamboatbooktrails.org

Yampatika
There is no better way to explore the natural world around us than through the guiding eyes of Yampatika. Four themed camps are offered to kids ages 5 -14, with an overnight camp out option for older participants. The Blue Planet is all about water and weather. Explore forests and plants on the Evergreen Scene camp. Delve into history on Wild, Wild, West camp learning about mammals, birds, livestock, mining and pioneers. Or cover geology, mountains and soil ecology on Landform to Landfill camps. Great adult day guided hiking options too. For more information or to register go to www.yampatika.org

Packing List

BookTrails is all about empowering kids to be themselves.

Don’t forget to bring sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, good shoes for hiking, backpack and lunch bag, water bottle, rain jacket and a big smile. Pre-made lunches can be ordered and picked up around town from Backcountry Provisions and Cruisers. Our own local favorite snack for happy campers is Honey Stingers mini waffles and chews available in most food stores and from BAP at the little red house on Oak Street.

until the Mountain officially opens we are going to run a few other numbers by you, while we wait. So to start us off 10 facts and stats you might like to know about Steamboat’s ski area…….

1963 – on January 12, the ski area was officially opened

165 trails to explore for the novice to the expert.

3,000 skiable acres of cruisers, meadows, trees, bowls and terrain parks.

6,900 ft – ski area base elevation

3 miles and counting – Why Not?- Steamboat’s longest ski run

331 inches is the average snowfall

59 frost-free days (so true we even have a book to prove it, 59 days, 39 degrees F at 6,770 Feet – Meeting the Challenge of Gardening in the Yampa Valley).

19,668 pillows to lay your head are available within the valley.

3 miles between the ski area shopping zone and downtown, a free bus service joins the two.

79 Olympians with links to Steamboat – there are several around to lend a hand each winter on the mountain between guiding and clinics, so keep you eyes open and you might just snag a couple great tips.