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posted by Andrea Griffith in Travel

Best Winter Skiing

January 16, 2012

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — If you think Ski Town USA is only about the skiing, think again.

Winter in Steamboat Springs can be a time to try everything from fly-fishing to hot-air ballooning to skinny dipping in a remote natural hot springs.

Want some indoor activities? How about Pilates, knitting classes or throwing a bowl on a potter's wheel.

All that variety exists because of the balance Steamboat has struck as a vacation destination and a town in its own right. In fact, the number of hotel beds is nearly equal to the number of residents — about 12,000.

In years like the current one, when ski resorts in Colorado have had a slow start because of a dearth of snow, the off-the-slope activities have salvaged many a vacation.

Steamboat Springs, located about 150 miles northwest of Denver, was named in the 1860s by French fur trappers who thought the mineral springs they heard sounded like a steamboat. Its nickname, Ski Town USA, recognizes that Steamboat has produced more winter Olympians than any other town in North America: 79, including 17 who went in 2010.

"Laid-back. Genuine. Fun. There's arguably no other resort that surpasses Steamboat's down-to-earth vibe," SKI Magazine wrote in ranking Steamboat No. 8 in its 2011 Top North American Resort Guide.

Steamboat has been working to hold onto that down-to-earth feeling while spending $1 billion over the past five years on "Steamboat Unbridled," a renovation and improvement effort for the town, the base of the ski area, and the Steamboat/Hayden airport, located 25 miles west of town. Nearly complete, it has given the area a fresher, funkier look and feel.

Activities in Steamboat are grouped into three general areas; on Mount Werner near the Steamboat Ski Area, in the Old Town district three miles away, or out of town in Routt County. Free public bus service, private resort shuttles and tour operators offer transportation to the various landmarks. Here are some details. For activities that are weather or snow-dependent, call ahead to check on conditions.

-KAREN SCHWARTZ, The Associated Press

If You Go...

STEAMBOAT SKI & RESORT: Steamboat Springs, Colo.; http://www.steamboat.com/ or 970-879-6111.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: http://www.steamboat-chamber.com/ or 877-754-2269.

GETTING THERE: Steamboat Springs is about 150 miles northwest of Denver. The Steamboat/Hayden airport (HDN), about 25 miles from town, is served American, Delta, United and Frontier airlines.

(AP Photo/Steamboat Powdercats, Kent Vertrees)

Do you ski? Where do you like to hit the slopes?

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