September 2022 Construction Updates
September 15, 2022 Update
Steamboat Square/Base of Resort
- Pavers, light poles, and fire pits are being installed in the plaza.
- Stone work on the stage will be complete by the end of the month, roofing is scheduled to begin next week.
- Concrete is being poured on the ice rink at the end of the month and will cure for four weeks. The railings will be installed after the concrete.
- The deck for the lower terminal will be installed later this month and RFID gates will be installed mid-October.
- The pull rope for the Wild Blue Gondola will begin installation next week.
Greenhorn Ranch
- Interior framing, drywall, electrical, and plumbing work continues in the Sprung Structure.
- Mid-station terminal work on Wild Blue Gondola continues and will be complete by end of October.
- Greenhorn Ranch Express lift drive station enclosure will be built at the end of October and the pull rope will be installed in early November.
- Work on magic carpet installation and snowmaking infrastructure continues.
September 2 Update
Steamboat Square/Base of Resort
- Plaza snowmelt is being installed.
- Pavers are being set and fire pits will begin to be put in place.
- Light poles will be put in place in the next few weeks.
- Footings and caps for the stage will be poured this week. Stone will be set in early September. The roofing will follow in late September and pavers after that in early October.
- The railing on the Ice Rink will be installed beginning next week. A slab will be poured in mid-September.
- Christie Peak Express towers will be assembled over the next few weeks. The haul rope will be installed in mid-September.
- The lower terminal canopy for Wild Blue Gondola is complete. Tower installation for the lower leg will be complete this week and rope installation will happen at the end of September.
Greenhorn Ranch
- Sprung Structure tent installation is complete. Electrical, plumbing, and interior framing has started.
- Mid-station terminal work continues and will be complete in early October.
- Work on magic carpet installation and snowmaking infrastructure continues.
August 2022 Construction Updates
August 8, 2022 Update
Steamboat Square/Base of Resort
- Framing has begun in the lower level of The Range Food Hall.
- Staining on the second floor beams continues.
- The curb for the Ice Rink has been poured.
- The timbers for the Stage are in place and the roof will start to take shape.
- Exterior stone work on the Creekside level building has started and will continue over the next few weeks.
- Christie Peak Express lift will be re-set on the lower terminal towers this week.
- The terminal canopy for Wild Blue Gondola has been set.
- Grading and earthwork on the base slope continues.
Greenhorn Ranch
- Lining is being placed on Sprung Tent structure.
- Mid-station terminal foundation for Wild Blue Gondola will be poured this week.
- Upper towers of lower leg of Wild Blue Gondola were placed with a helicopter this week.
July 2022 Construction Updates
July 6, 2022 Update
Steamboat Square/Base of Resort
- Concrete and timbers for the second floor of The Range food hall will begin over the next few weeks.
- Timbers for The Stage will begin to take shape mid-July.
- Work on the Ice Rink will begin mid-July.
- Exterior stone work on the Creekside level building has started and will continue over the next few weeks.
- Major earth work and grading at base area continues for Wild Blue Gondola and Christie Peak Express terminals and new tower locations for Christie Peak Express.
- Foundations are being built for both the Wild Blue Gondola and Christie Peak Express lift.
Greenhorn Ranch
- Yampa Valley Electric duct installation happening through the end of the month.
- Underground utilities are being installed for sprung tent structure and the Wild Blue Gondola mid-station.
- Concrete backfill foundations are being poured through the end of the month.
- Excavation on the Greenhorn Ranch Express lift will begin at the end of the month.
- Magic Carpet installations will begin in early August.
World Class Learning at Greenhorn Ranch
An innovative, terrain-based approach to ski and snowboard instruction will transform Steamboat’s SnowSports School this coming winter. The brand new Greenhorn Ranch, located near the previous Rough Rider/Bashor Basin area, will feature Terrain Based Learning® to give Snowsports School guests the ultimate and most successful experience when learning to ski and snowboard.
Previously, Steamboat Resort’s SnowsSports School was located at the base area. However, as part of Full Steam Ahead, the SnowSports School will have a new location at the recently re-graded Greenhorn Ranch, which will be accessible via the new Wild Blue Gondola’s mid-station. All guests in the SnowSports School who are learning to ski or ride will now have an incredible facility dedicated solely to them.
A company known as Snow Operating is the exclusive provider for the trademarked teaching system known as Terrain Based Learning®, which is what Steamboat’s SnowSports School will be implementing this upcoming season. The premise behind this innovative, progressive and well-regarded approach to ski and snowboard instructing lies in the terrain itself. By using the terrain to naturally teach skiing and snowboarding, new skiers and riders are able to feel sensations such as gliding and turning to acquire skills faster on the snow. While the shaped terrain provides a sensation to create learning, the instructor facilitates the process by pointing the skier/rider to those specific sensations.
Greenhorn Ranch is unique in that it is a brand-new area that has been re-shaped, re-graded and re-designed to create the ultimate Terrain Based Learning® experience. There will be four carpet lifts and one brand new high-speed quad known as the Greenhorn Ranch Express. Two of the carpet lifts will be relocated from the previous base area and one will be a new, covered, double barrel lift to access two different types of terrain.
Within Greenhorn Ranch, there will be a shaped-terrain progression that skiers and riders will follow to give them the appropriate sensations in the correct order. The first carpet lift will access a very short slope at a 7% grade with rollers, to give new skiers and riders the sensation of gliding with the ability to stop by simply running out of speed. By giving SnowSports School guests the ability to feel the gliding sensation in a controlled environment without the fear of falling, Steamboat Resort is boosting confidence in their most beginner skiers and riders.
Once the gliding/stopping technique has been mastered, the second shaped terrain feature is a ‘Banked Turn’ course to give skiers and riders their very first turning sensations. The shaped banks will guide the flat ski/board around the corner to facilitate edge change naturally. Accessed from the covered, double barrel carpet lift, the ‘Banked Turn’ course is a way to create effortless turning as well as sensations of turning the legs, tipping the ski/board and changing pressure before moving onto the third terrain feature.
Also accessed from the double barrel carpet lift, but this time on the skier’s left, ‘the perfect slope’ will be the main terrain feature for SnowSports School guests. A perfectly groomed slope at a 12% grade, which is the ideal steepness to learn to turn, will have raised sides to allow skiers and riders to turn naturally, traverse the slope, and then turn naturally again with some assistance from a concave-shaped hill. Imagine a super-duper mini halfpipe groomed perfectly at a 12% grade, and that is what you will find at the third shaped-terrain progression.
The fourth and last carpet lift will access a slightly steeper and longer slope at a 14% grade and 200-foot length. The last shaped-terrain progression will feature two more banked turns, but this time with a slightly tipped road in between turns to teach the skier/rider how to naturally traverse on uphill edges. Once all four different terrains have been mastered in the carpet lift area, it will be time for the Greenhorn Ranch Express.
The brand-new Greenhorn Ranch Express will be a high-speed quad but will run at lower speeds to give beginner skiers and riders a safer and more successful experience when learning how to ride a chairlift. This chairlift will be accessible to all skiers and riders at Steamboat Resort, however, the carpets and shaped terrain will be exclusive to guests within the SnowSports School.
Greenhorn Ranch will be dedicated to beginner skiers and riders at Steamboat Resort (within the SnowSports School), and will be the gateway to learning how to ski and ride all across the mountain. With the innovative Terrain Based Learning® approach, new skiers and riders will be set up for success and have an enjoyable experience learning how to ski and ride at Steamboat Resort.
Written by: Erin Campbell
June 2022 Construction Updates
June 22, 2022
Steamboat Square/Base of Resort
- Heavy timbers and metal decking for the first floor of The Range Food Hall first floor have been completed.
- Timbers for The Stage will begin to take shape mid-July.
- Work on the Ice Rink will begin mid-July.
- A slab of concrete has been poured between Steamboat Square and the Steamboat Gondola. Exterior stonework has begun on the Creekside level.
- Work is being done on foundations for towers 1 and 2 for the Wild Blue Gondola.
- Major earth work and grading at base area continues for Wild Blue Gondola and Christie Peak Express terminals and new tower locations for Christie Peak Express.
Greenhorn Ranch
- Concrete is being poured and retaining walls/footings are starting to take shape at Greenhorn Ranch.
- Electrical conduits are being run through the site at Greenhorn Ranch.
- The sprung tent structure from Rendezvous has been dismantled and will be relocated to Greenhorn Ranch after the July Fourth holiday.
- Magic Carpet installations will begin in early August.
Wild Blue Lift Line
- Tree removal for Wild Blue Tower locations started this week along with helicopter activity. Stay tuned to the website and app for up to date information on trail impacts.
June 8, 2022
Steamboat Square/Base of Resort
- Heavy timbers for The Range Food Hall first floor have been installed. Metal decking installation to begin soon.
- The Stage will begin to take shape mid-June.
- A slab of concrete will be poured next week between Steamboat Square and the Steamboat Gondola. Exterior stonework will be done on the Creekside level.
- Preparing to begin the Wild Blue Gondola lower terminal form/foundation.
- Major earth work and grading at base area continues for Wild Blue Gondola and Christie Peak Express terminals and new tower locations for Christie Peak Express.
Greenhorn Ranch
- Forms/foundations are starting to take shape for sprung tent structure and mid-station of Wild Blue Gondola.
- Tree removal for Wild Blue Tower locations will take place starting next week. Expect helicopter activity.
Full Steam Ahead
Major capital enhancements are unfolding at Steamboat over the next three years.
This ranching town turned ski town has experienced a lot since the ‘60s. Today, we’re stampeding in a whole new direction, teaming up with world-class partners for $180 million in monumental improvements.
Upgraded mountain flow, more expert terrain, revamped learning and base areas and much more come together with loads of pioneering spirit to shape the Steamboat experience for every visitor.
Decades in the making, three thrilling years of growth and stoke are underway at Steamboat. Here’s what we’re excited about:
A Base Area Facelift
Pardon our dust while we redo the entire resort base area. The ambitious Steamboat Square undertaking includes escalators (read: easier access to snow!) and plans for an après ski plaza, new restaurants and bars, a ski beach and an ice rink. Watch for The Range Food & Drink Hall, a new retail spot for kids and a stage for live music.
Mountain Camp – New this season, Steamboat’s Mountain Camp building — formerly the Kids Vacation Center — is a one-stop-shop for families with small children. Little skiers ages 2 to 6 enjoy lift access, lunch, lesson instruction and equipment rentals. The new location in the west wing of the Sheraton Hotel has been built from the ground up as an intentional, warm and welcoming environment.
A Top-to-Bottom Gondola – The new Wild Blue Gondola arrives for Winter 2022/23 as the longest gondola in North America and the fastest 10-person gondola in the country. The state-of-the-art gondola will feed skiers/riders through a newly created mid-station adjacent to Bashor bowl with the final destination at the top of Sunshine Peak. At a total length of 3.16 miles, the new gondola will increase the out of base capacity from 6,000 people per hour to 10,000 people per hour, getting skiers from bottom to top in 13 minutes. The bottom gondola portion opens next winter and the top half opens the following season.
More Lifts, More Terrain – New lifts and 650 new acres of terrain will make Steamboat the second largest ski resort in Colorado. Crews are re-grading a whole section of the mountain, transforming Greenhorn Ranch into a new dedicated learning area for beginners. Mahogany Ridge will serve up 650 acres of new expert terrain. All in all, terrain will increase from 2,965 permitted acres to 3,615 permitted acres. Increased snowmaking efforts on Sunshine Peak will guarantee great early season snow.
Take a Ski Tour – We love sharing the Steamboat Dream with guests! Guided tours are a great way to get the lay of the land and master chairlift navigation. Now, your guide will also fill you in on how Steamboat is investing $180 million on and around the mountain to enhance the guest experience. Tours are offered Sunday through Wednesday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. from January 10, 2022 until April 6, 2022. Meet at the top of the Steamboat Gondola at 9:45 a.m. Cost and Requirements: Adults 13+: $15, Child 12 and under: $5, Kids 12 and under complimentary with purchase of adult. Proceeds are given to a non-profit focused on sustainability efforts in the Yampa Valley. Must be 10 years or older and comfortable on BLUE runs. Children age 10-18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Author: Lisa Blake