Cowboys take on the Mountain

2009 is off to a flying start. With over 5 feet of snow and three weeks of country music acts playing at the Steamboat Music Fest Tent, capped off with the legendary Charlie Daniels on Monday night, it was only fitting that we should continue the Western party theme with the wildest event of all - the Cowboy Downhill.

70 Cowboys participating in the National Western Stock Show traveled to Steamboat to take part in a crazy day of events on the mountain. The first race required a range of skills as they negotiated a slalom course, lassoed a Steamboat Ambassador and showed off their horsemanship skills by saddling a horse before crossing the line. The main event is the infamous mass-start Cowboy Downhill which takes a straight-line course down Headwall over two huge drops. Needless to say, with many of the participants taking their first turns on skis, few reach the finish without a tumble and several crossed the line without one or both skis.

With much laughter and a few beers the event is a true celebration of Western Spirit. There is less emphasis on who crossed the line first and more on getting cheer and a laugh from the crowd of bemused spectators. This 35 year old tradition lives on and celebrates Steamboat's ranching heritage and status as a World Class ski destination all in one day.

Yee- haa!

WINTER STORM WATCH

Issued by The National Weather Service
Grand Junction, CO 
3:46 am MST, Fri., Dec. 12, 2008

...IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

A STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH WESTERN COLORADO ON SATURDAY AND MOVE OVER THE AREA THROUGH SUNDAY. AS THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACHES SATURDAY AFTERNOON... SNOWFALL WILL SPREAD INTO THE VALLEYS OF NORTHWEST COLORADO. THE FRONT WILL BRING AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW LATE SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT REDUCING VISIBILITIES. SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY WITH 6 TO 12 INCHES POSSIBLE IN THE CRAIG AREA... AND OVER A FOOT POSSIBLE IN CLARK... STEAMBOAT SPRINGS... AND OAK CREEK BY EARLY SUNDAY EVENING.

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW... SLEET... OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

Surf to Snow....the 20 year cycle

It was 1990; I was an avid surfer chomping at the bit every time the swell came up, However, depending on the conditions, uprising swell meant also snow fall in the mountains where I could ride in Tahoe on white walls of frozen water on my snowboard. It was always a tough choice!

As I was graduating from my culinary program in California I was offered an opportunity to move to Hawaii. This decision was easy – why the heck not! I packed my bags, surfboards, shorts and sun lotion and headed west to Maui with few regrets about the dust soon to be gathering on my winter gear. It was a great decision, being on the water riding a fast moving wall of water or sticking my feet in the sand watching perfect waves curl over a reef will be forever part of my soul. But life is a journey and the story did not end there.

I made the break from Hawaii to continue my culinary journey in Italy this past year to finish my graduate certification in Advanced Culinary and Pastry. The spell of the waves was not broken (I can still go back to play!) but along the way life presented a new opportunity to come to the mountains of Steamboat. Confronted with a fork in the road that 20 years ago would have otherwise just as easily taken me to the life of a ski bum I decided to cross over to the other side captivated by the lure of the legendary powder in this corner of the Rockies.

Today as I sit here at the beginning of a winter season that will span the next 5 months I am contemplating a new kind of surf session. This time I'll be riding a frozen wave of powder that is as mouthwatering as the perfect barrels of Maui. My passion for the perfect ride lives on in a new dimension.

My passion for food lives on with me in this new dimension. I am just taking it to another level and I hope to share the moment with you.

"Pura Vida"

Anthony Kresge
Executive Chef
Moving Mountains Catering Company

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Here you can get the latest updates on our news feed, you can write and read reviews from past guests and sahre pictures and video.

Most important of all you join our "community" by becoming a Fan of Moving Mountains!

Frontier Lands in Steamboat this Winter

Frontier Airlines has added ski season flights from Denver to Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden, the airline announced last week. The service will run from December 18th to April 22nd on Bombardier Q400 aircraft.

Frontier will operate three flights a day to and from Denver International Airport, the news release stated. The turboprop Q400s contain 74 seats, four of which will be removed to add space for luggage and ski gear.

For skiers hoping the visit Steamboat this winter this is very good news as flyers are once again about to discover that the price of your flight has more to do with competition in the marketplace than the price of a barrel of oil. Not only does this provide more capacity to meet the ever increasing popularity of Steamboat, it also places every other airline flying into Steamboat/Hayden under pressure to price airfares more competitively to meet the challenge of Frontier - one of the top low-cost carriers in the US.


First indications are that this is exactly what is happening and some fares into Hayden on Orbitz.com have already dropped by over $100. We are watching airfares everyday and expect more discounted opportunities while availability still exists. if you are contemplating a trip to Steamboat this winter this is a great incentive to check your best travel dates and shop for airfare.

Package Airfare Deals

Airfare to Steamboat has become more expensive this year, but there are still some great deals to be had. Working with our wholesale partners we have been able to land some spectacular deals for package airfare when large groups, unable to meet their commitments, release available seats back onto the market at below retail rates.

Restrictions on these restricted airfares allow us to offer these great rates when combined with two other package elements. In our case this means lodging & a full-service catered package. So not only can you now have your cake - you can eat it too!

Here are some sample airfares* (including taxes & fees) that we have seen recently:

Sample Dates	February 21 - 28	March 7 - 14
Chicago (ORD)	$395	$445
Dallas (DFW)	$395	$445
Houston (IAH)	$495	$359
Newark (EWR)	$435	$435
Minneapolis (MSP)	$575	$550
Atlanta (ATL)	$786	$986

Please call (877-624-2538) or email us now for a full vacation quote with airfare.

*Fares are subject to availability and rates are likely to vary until reservations are confirmed due to the current fluid nature of the flights marketplace.

Our Favorite Recipes..

Just to tempt you further into considering a full-service catered package with your next ski vacation we are sharing some of the great recipes that we have served over the years in our catered chalets

Mediterranean Chicken

This delicious moist chicken recipe is easy to make, can be made well in advance and it can be cooked and served in the same amount of time as your vegetables of choice will take to prepare.

Serves: 12 Marinate chicken at least 1 day (max 3).
Prep: 20 min Cook: 30 min
12 Chicken Breasts, boneless & skinless ½ c Dark Brown Sugar 1 c Dry White Wine For the Marinade: 6 Cloves of Garlic, peeled 6 Bay leaves 1 c Prunes, quartered ½ c Capers, with a little juice 1 c Green Olives with pimento ½ c Oregano ½ c Red Wine Vinegar ½ c Olive Oil
How to do it... 1 - 3 Days before: 1. Place all the marinade ingredients into a ziploc bag along with the chicken. Toss to coat the chicken evenly. Refrigerate at least one day. One hour before dinner: preheat the oven to 350ºF. 1. Lay the chicken pieces out onto a roasting pan. Be sure to remove the 6 bay leaves and to set the 6 garlic cloves to the side of the chicken breasts. Top the chicken breasts with the rest of the marinade mixture, equally distributing the prunes, olives and capers. 2. Sprinkle the chicken with the brown sugar and white wine. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Bake for 25 minutes. Then, remove from the oven. Pour off the juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil. While boiling slowly drizzle in water and cornflour to thicken into a sauce. Simmer for 1 min. Then serve chicken with sauce poured on top. (Be careful not to serve the garlic, unless everyone gets a clove!).

A Record Ski Season !!

With just two weeks to go Steamboat has accumulated 452" of snow, passing the record snowfall total of the 1996/97 season (447.75"). Perhaps the only question that remains is whether we will see 500".

After a slow start to the season with opening day postponed for a week Steamboat just never got out of the storm cycle. Since November 21st, snow has fallen 78 out of 103 days (75.7%) with 45 of those days recording four or more inches. This season at mid-mountain, the resort has seen 17 inches in October; 23 inches in November; 126 inches in December (3rd snowiest); 129 inches in January (2nd snowiest) and 104 inches in February (2nd snowiest); and 9 inches in March for a combined total of over 37 feet.

In addition to registering another four-wire winter, the resort hit three key milestones within just a month of each other: surpassed 300-inch mark on 2/1/08; six days later surpassed 350-inch mark on 2/7/08; and on March 2nd surpassed the 400-inch mark. Furthermore, Steamboat-Ski Town, U.S.A.® received more than 100 inches of snow for three consecutive months (December, January & February) for the first time in resort history.

Click Here to see some awesome video

By the numbers...

8,400,000
Pounds of scoria spread on local roadways by city snowplows

$106,000
Money spent on truck rentals for hauling snow

1,300
Overtime hours logged by city snowplow drivers

75,000
Cubic yards of snow hauled out of town

450
Inches of snow to fall on Mount Werner since October, a new record

23
Snow removals, by dump truck, in Ski Time Square and along Lincoln Avenue

16
Number of luxury homes offered this winter by Moving Mountains

13
Record number of staff in the Moving Mountains Team

0
Days of school cancelled because of snow by the Steamboat Springs School District

Powder points

It snowed more than 6 feet in the first ten days of February 2008

It snowed 7 feet in seven days at the summit from Jan. 8 to 14

The ski area hit the 100-inch mark for summit-base depth March 6

Streaks of consecutive snow days

Longest Streak: 26 days (Jan. 16 to Feb. 10) with 137.5 inches (11.5 feet) at mid-mountain

2nd Longest Streak: 14 days (Dec. 19 to Jan. 1) with 66 inches (5.5 feet) at mid-mountain

3rd Longest Streak: 11 days (Dec. 6 to Dec. 16) with 75 inches (6.25 feet) at mid-mountain

Top Steamboat winters

2007-08: 450 inches and counting

1996-97: 447.75 inches

1983-84: 447.5 inches

1995-96: 441.25 inches

2005-06: 432 inches

1992-93: 423.5 inches

The ski area surpassed the 300-inch mark for the season Feb. 1; six days later, it surpassed the 350-inch mark on Feb. 7; and on March 2, it surpassed the 400-inch mark. These three key milestones were reached within a month’s time.