Winter Relocation to Steamboat Springs, CO

So for some time I had been planning on moving back to Steamboat Springs for a winter of ski instructing and training. Having a previous history there (Post and Video) resulting in injury, I was going in with the motto of "keeping it on the ground." I was returning to the job of Chirdren's Ski Instructor at the mountain. A gig where most of the time you get to act like a child and go skiing, while teaching some techniques (and safety. Children need to learn safety.). Unfortunately the job also comes with the "you name it" scenarios that come up in dealing with kids, a list of which is much to lengthy to include here.

That's a car in the middle of a Nebraska country road.

There were numerous big rigs in the ditch.

So the first adventure started when I left Michigan on December 19th. There just so happened to be a blizzard moving across the Plains which I drove straight through, starting in Iowa. I survived the worst in Iowa and made it to Nebraska (previously dubbed "The Worst State in America."). The weather improved and the sun even came out. I came upon Lincoln, Nebraska and was directed off I-80 and learned that it was closed across the entire state, mainly for cleanup (see pictures below). Thus I had to drive HWY 34 and 30, two lane highways that parallel I-80. Average Speed over half of 'Braska-<40MPH. Worst trip ever.





Eventually I rolled down Rabbit Ears pass into Steamboat at 6AM on the 21st. The stars were out and my thermometer read -10 F. I got to my temporary place of residence and took a nap.


So now I'm moved in and do little more than work, eat, sleep, run, swim, bike and free ski on days off. The plan is to get fast for IM Lake Placid next July. I'll be returning back to Michigan come mid-April.

I chose Steamboat for several reasons. The historical ski town is not full of pretentious people, most being super friendly. The reputation of the children's ski school is fantastic. Of course the nearly 350 inches of super light powder is a dream. Training wise there is a great facility right downtown-Old Town Hot Springs complete with 25yrd outdoor lap pool. That's right you can comfortably swim laps while it's 10 degrees and snowing. Living at altitude is a plus for aerobic conditioning as well. This winter I also plan on improving my Nordic skiing skills, of which there are also great facilities. Check out the US Olympic Nordic Combined team if you need confirmation.