Snow is White Gold

Flakes of white drifting down and covering the ground create an entirely new meaning living in a ski resort.

The long time ranching families shrug and declare,” we always get snow. The only questions are when and how much.” Snow means winter moisture to ranchers. Timing really is not an issue.

Timing to the ski resort and to the avid winter ski enthusiast is of paramount importance. Steamboat Springs ski resort typically opens slightly before Thanksgiving. When the temperature hovers around the 60 degree mark during October, the palms of the ski resort owners and key department supervisors begin to perspire. You see mounting tension as the temperature refuses to plummet. Staring at green grass on the slopes with only a few weeks until season opening strikes terror in the hearts of the owners. Well, more likely terror as they visualize their bank accounts bathed in red ink.
Steamboat installed snow making equipment in 1980 to stave off a disastrous ski season. The drought of 1977 forced the resort to close for a few weeks. No snow = no skiers = no revenue. Every effort commenced to avoid a similar economic disaster in 1980. The Industrial Company received the coveted contract to install the noisy cannon sized guns which transformed water into frozen particles resembling snow. In reality the product of those noisy massive guns resembled tiny granular ice chips. The good news was that the “corn snow” served the purpose of filling in the bare spots and allowing the mountain to function for winter sports.

Snow was more than desired, it was coveted as prevention of an economic disaster for the entire resort. Merchants relied on the fluffy white gold to bring tourists. Steamboat began its transformation from a ranching and mining community to guest oriented services on July 6, 1958 with the ground breaking of the first few trails. The merchants in the 1960s through the 1980s relied heavily on the tourist trade for the bulk of their annual income. Summer tourism at that point was minimal at best.

A skimpy snow year equaled little if any net profit for the year. Snow quickly transformed from a four letter word to “white gold.” As the ski area flourished, so did the merchants in downtown Steamboat as well as Ski Time Square at the base of the mountain. The ski resort, the merchants and the winter “slat rats” eagerly anticipated the white landscape.

The enthusiasm was almost palpable as the new “ski bums” arrived in town. A full season pass adorned the necks of the privileged and was displayed as a fine piece of jewelry. Actually with the 2009-2010 cost of a season pass at Steamboat retailing at $1299, it is equivalent to a fine item of jewelry.

The buzz intensified to the sound of a swarm of bees as the temperature dropped and snow flakes drifted to the ground. Normal night owls and bar stool warmers rushed home to bed in order to awake early. The goal became to arrive at the gondola fully dressed and ready for action before the line formed. Grab your water bottle, power bars, and anything else you might possibly need for the day. Arrive at the gondola in time to press your nose to the glass doors eagerly waiting on the massive bull wheels to turn moving the gondola cars up the mountain. The first ones to set skis or snow board to the slopes outside the gondola at the top of the mountain relished the fresh powder.

Snow became the delight of the ski resort, the merchants and the winter sports enthusiasts.

Anyone who has lived in a ski resort for even a few seasons never views snow the same again. Snow was almost revered as the white gold it represented to all those who relied on it for fun and financial security.