Skiers, horses, and mayhem take over the streets in Steamboat Springs.
The Rocky Mountain metropolis ofSteamboat Springs , Colorado , has a gutsy reputation to uphold . It ’s a rough - and - tumble cowboy town to be sure , but or else of outlaws , it has daredevils on ski . Dubbed the ski jump capital of Colorado , it ’s produced more Olympian athlete than almost any other city in America . But Steamboat is never rowdier than during its annualWinter Carnival , when men on shovels are pulled behind horses through snowy street , skiers jump through hoop of fire , and a high schooltime march stripe glides through Ithiel Town on ( you think it ! ) skis — all culminating in one of the tumid fireworks video display in America .
The idea of a winter fete is n’t unequalled to Steamboat Springs , which sits in Yampa Valley , three hours nor'-west of Denver . The time of year ’s cold and darkness have a way of making people crazy , and outcome like Montana’sCabin Fever Daysor Minnesota’sGreat Northern Festivalhelp cooped - up residents blow off steam . But you ’ve never see anything like Steamboat ’s Winter Carnival , which has continuously run during the second hebdomad of February for more than a century . This twelvemonth ’s event is happening February 8 to 12 , and it ’s sure to be a raging clip .
A historic celebration
The Winter Carnival to begin with lead off with ski jumping and cross - country ski races in 1914 . It was a style for locals to outfox the dusty weather condition blues and annul cabin febrility , explains Sarah Floyd , who ordinate the result with theSteamboat Springs Winter Sports Club . February snow total in Steamboat typically measure several feet , so it ’s perceivable that folks tend to get antsy . “ The event were organize to bring the community together during the recollective winter , ” says Floyd .
Speaking of the Winter Sports Club , it ’s in reality the oldest ski golf club in the westerly United States , responsible for more than 100 Olympian athletes who have made 179 appearance in 21 Winter Games . So in case you ’re wonder … Yes , the Winter Carnival can get pretty free-enterprise .
Today , the festival has expanded beyond its original offerings . More than 800,000 pounds of snowfall are trucked into the center of town , overcompensate Steamboat ’s main street , Lincoln Avenue , for psyche - to - head races . grand of spectators and one C of participants meet on the urban center for the affair , with racing car competing on both streets and mountain slope for vaporing rights in the categories of Alpine , Nordic , and freestyle skiing , as well as snowboard .
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Cheap skiing and thrills
competitor aside , both advanced and beginner wintertime athlete will find mountain to do in Steamboat Springs during the circus . Most of the party revolves aroundHowelsen Hill , a municipally - owned mountain where filch ticket only race $ 43 daily for adult , and arefree on Sundays with an forward-looking reservationall winter long — that ’s rightyou pay nothingfor a full day on the slopes . Howelsen Hill is also nursing home to Steamboat ’s ski jumping facility , where you’re able to see jumpers take presume dip above the townspeople throughout the fair .
Whileskiing is cheap all winter , it ’s even garish during Winter Carnival . You cangain entryinto the event and score liberal skiing at Howelsen Hill for the intact workweek by purchasing a $ 10 release ( $ 12 online ) or a $ 15 neck gaiter ( $ 17 online ) . Each contribution is a donation to the Steamboat Winter Sports Club , and the buttons are somewhat of a aggregator item .
This year ’s button was project by a 14 - twelvemonth - old Steamboat resident Davis Brosterhous , and depicts a perspective from the foot of Howelsen Hill . “ I train at Howelsen Hill multiple Clarence Shepard Day Jr. a hebdomad , and the pitcher’s mound plays such a vast role in our community and Winter Carnival , ” he sound out . “ Howelsen Hill is a braggy part of life for skiers , locals , and the whole township , and why it was my inspiration for the Winter Carnival this year . ”
Steamboat’s Winter Carnival has been happening for more than a hundred years.|Visit Steamboat Springs
Street races and parade
From ski jump jamboree to lead by the nose sculpting and firepits with liberal s’mores , the Winter Carnival is a workweek of activities designed for all years . But if you only have a few days to celebrate , come for the weekend . That ’s when the Ithiel Town throws down for some of the funfair ’s biggest events , include the street race , parade , and pyrotechnic extravaganza .
Saturday kicks off with 100 - meter Nordic ski sprints down Lincoln Avenue , and anyone with a pair of skis can sign up to compete . There are multiple heats and long time divisions , and medals are even awarded to the fastest kids . The backwash are followed by an entertaining show featuring ski and snowboard stunts like street slalom , donkey drag , and the notable shovel speed race , in which grown adults raceway on shovels pulled by horses .
Steamboat also has the designation of being home to a high school march band on ski . The local high school microscope slide ( and sometimes takes spills ) along the street , perform overtures and ballad galore .
Racers compete on both the streets and mountain slopes.|Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
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When the weather gets cold, things get wacky.
The Lighted Man
You ’ll definitely desire to hang up around for the carnival ’s gilded coda , because Steamboat gets get off on Saturday Nox . Join the revelry at Lincoln Ave ’s bars and restaurants , likeThe Barley Tap and TavernandOld Town Pub , do some top - notch eating at Latin eateryBésame , or gorge yourself on huitre , champagne , and an epic seafood disk atPrimrose . When you ’ve had your filling , head back to Howelsen Hill for the Night Extravaganza — and keep an oculus out for the Lighted Man on Skis .
The Lighted Man on Skis has been a Steamboat custom since 1936 , when a human race named Claudius Banks skied down the hatful wearing more than a hundred pounds deserving of shelling - powered sparkle . Today , the Lighted Man is a regular at the funfair , though their suit is now covered in lightweight light-emitting diode . You never make out what you ’ll get from each class ’s Lighted Man ; some people have even been experience to strap 32 - in Roman standard candle to their back and jump through flaming hoops .
Alongside the Lighted Man , hundreds of athletes from Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club work together to put on a dazzling performance with flares , sparklers , and lights . The show is followed by a truly massive fireworks display , an explosive end to a thrill - filled week . The carnival wraps up on Sunday — but just until next February comes around , of class .
Howelsen Hill is home to Steamboat’s ski jumping facility.|Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Come for Steamboat’s weekend festivities, including parades, demonstrations, and street races.|Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Don’t skip the famous shovel speed races, in which grown adults race on shovels pulled by horses.|Steamboat Radio
The Lighted Man on Skis has been a Steamboat tradition since 1936.|Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
A truly massive fireworks display follows the Lighted Man.|Visit Steamboat Springs
