Cam Boyd Blog

Saturday July 16th, 1-4 PM

Rare opportunity to see 6 homes in Stagecoach in one afternoon! Group open house for 6 single family homes this Saturday from 1-4 PM. Spend your morning exploring Stagecoach…hike/bike/walk the trails around the Stagecoach State Park, rent a pontoon boat, go waterskiing, try your luck at fishing, discover the nearby town of Oak Creek, or just enjoy the beautiful drive from Steamboat to Stagecoach. If you get to Oak Creek, be sure to check out Lupita’s Cantina on the main street downtown. It was just voted best burrito by Sunset Magazine!

Open House Directions: From Hwy 40 in Steamboat, take Hwy 131 South. Continue on 131 for about 6.5 miles, then turn on 14 toward Stagecoach. Stay on 14 for approx 7.5 miles, then turn on 16. Once on 16, look for the open house signs. To get to the open house on Kickapoo Way, Stay on 16 for about 4.5 miles, then turn Left on Maricopa, Right on Pima to Kickapoo.

Here’s a link to a map with directions to all 6 homes.

Prudential Steamboat Realty is proud to once again host the Tour de Steamboat/Sunshine Kids Benefit Dinner & Silent/Live Auction outside at the Sheraton Pavilion on Friday, July 15th. This event is a significant fundraiser benefiting the Sunshine Kids' annual Steamboat Winter Games- a chance to give children stricken with cancer a week of winter fun in our beautiful town. In addition to 2011 being one of our largest silent auctions ever, it will also be available ONLINE until Midnight, July 13^th. Over 100 items include trips to Mexico, Hawaii, African photo safari, skis, rounds of golf, and various gift certificates/memberships.

When: Friday, July 15th, 6:00pm

Where: Outside at the Sheraton Pavilion in Steamboat Springs

What: Benefit dinner & silent/live auctions with all proceeds benefiting The Sunshine Kids Foundation

Cost: $25 includes dinner, beer and an evening outdoors with silent/live auction fun! Tickets are available at Prudential Steamboat Realty (Wildhorse Plaza) or you can call to reserve at 970-879-8100.

BID ONLINE HERE!!!

In addition, we are NOT requiring online bidders to be present to win, but attendees will get the final chance to bid on the online items, as well as many additional items, and a chance at 5 amazing live-auction items.

We look forward to seeing you all at the Sheraton Pavilion on July 15th to enjoy a beautiful Steamboat summer evening supporting an amazing cause!

To learn more about, or to register for the Tour de Steamboat assisted bike ride, visit www.tourdesteamboat.com.

To learn more about the Sunshine Kids Foundation, visit www.sunshinekids.org

If you aren't in Steamboat, you should be. Today ends a great holiday weekend; but it is only 4 days until another great weekend.

In fact, you should probably purchase your plane tickets right now for this next weekend. We're in the dead center of the two best weekends of the summer that Steamboat has to offer, in my opinion. This past weekend was 4th of July, and come Saturday, we'll be celebrating summer with the Balloon Rodeo and Art in the Park.

Just as the newspaper stated, we gave visitors the best fireworks showthe state had to offer. As a local, I tend to be 'spoiled' and watch the fireworks from a home on some high vantage point, but this year, I realized the the tourists really do have the best seats. I watched from a grassy field next to the rodeo grounds amidst crowds of other onlookers; close enough that we could watch the cowboys saddle up their mounts take off into the arena. The city changed the fireworks show a bit from previous years and had them exploding from four different locations on Howelsen Hill; most years they erupt from two. Sitting on the field gave us the vantage of having the fireworks explode directly over top of us. I had to cover my ears and question if I was having a heart attack from the vibrations rumbling through my chest, and my nephew continually yelled "Boom BOOM BOOM!" (He's almost 2, and it was his first show.)

The fireworks are probably an annual highlight of the 4th of July weekend, but the weather also makes it incredible. I spent one day rafting the North Platte for Bucking Rainbow, which was absolutely epic because of our long-lasting high water and 80 degree temperatures happening at the same time. In fact, our water is still high enough that tubers are not allowed to head down the river alone. (Bad for tubers, good for rafting!) I also enjoyed a great bike ride through town watching people stroll the shops and throw sticks for their dogs. Because it stays light so long, I even was able to do some rock climbing on Thursday after work. All of these were quite fun, but to be honest, the best part of my weekend was the skiing.

Wait, what? Skiing? That's right. 80 degrees and skiing! It's not exactly out your back door, but well worth the effort. While town no longer has any sign of snow (the very top of the ski mountain has a touch of white), North Routt still has plenty to ski on if you work for it. With a half hour drive from downtown to Clark and then a half hour 4-wheeler ride, I was able to get to Little Agnes(if this name sounds familiar, it is because we have a gear shop in town named after the peak's big sister, Big Agnes). It was quite the adventure, and we must have looked rather silly hiking in our shorts (I actually hiked in a red dress to celebrate the 4th!). We left Steamboat at 5:30am, and even though it was only 10am when we summited,it was still ridiculously warm and my group wore an assortment of swimwear, shorts, and t-shirts for our 1500 foot ski descent. While the snow was a little slushy at the bottom and we had some exposed logs to circumnavigate, I can honestly say the snow was really quite fun, and probably in my top ten days of the season. How often is it 80 degrees and there is still snow!?

(PHOTOS COURTESY OF DALTON REED)

Little Agnes. Our hike in starts here!

 Summer conditions for the hike in!

As mentioned, next weekend will host our annual Balloon Rodeo. Even if you absolutely hate getting up early, this is worth going to. Seeing the early  morning sun shine  through 50 hot air balloons as they lift off the ground is quite incredible. It's another one that I would not take the 'local' approach and watch from far away. Being down on the field is really neat, and having them all lift off around you is even better. You can get your panoramic shots of the balloons from far away later; they all will move up valley eventually. I recommend riding your bike to this event; its a great transition to miss traffic on your way to Art in the Park. With dozens of vendors and all sorts of neat crafts, this event is one of my favorites. From wood carvings to metal sculptures to face painting, this event has something for everyone. If you're grumpy and decide  your family is dragging you along even though you 'hate' art, you can grab a chair and listen to some live music while snacking on sugar roasted almonds and a turkey leg.

Get moving..... Steamboat won't wait for you but it will show you a great time if you make it here before the weekend!

Sometimes we feel sorry for ourselves living in Steamboat and this spring’s weather (or lack of spring) has caused some frustration for outdoor enthusiasts.  On Sunday however, we awoke to a beautiful day and I decided to go for a long road bike ride with my buddy Hans.  We rode a fabulous 55 mile loop that runs out a country road to the coal mine and then heads to Oak Creek over what is called the “three bitches”, 3 long, steep hill climbs.  After Oak Creek, it heads back to Steamboat on another quiet country road.  What a great ride!  I think we saw more animals (deer, antelope, cranes, hawks, fox and coyotes) than we saw cars. You don’t need EPO to feel good out here!

Yes, you read that correctly; in my opinion, Mud Season is quite possibly the best season Steamboat has to offer. WHAT?! It's true. According to Wikipedia, "[Mud Season] is regarded in some northeastern states within the United States as both a curse and a blessing because, although it is generally a messy time of year, it is an interlude between the standard tourist seasons." Granted, Steamboat slows down and becomes the quiet town we all know and love between busy seasons, but most locals tend to leave town because of all the MUD.

Let me tell you a little known secret. The mud only exists on the popular trails, and if you don't make the drastic jump of spending Mud Season in Moab, Fruita, or Boulder (all popular spring biking locations), you would realize how much Steamboat has to offer us during Mud season.

If you love skiing, Mud Season is your friend. If you love climbing, rafting or biking, Mud Season is your friend as well. If you love ALL of the above, Mud Season is your absolute BEST friend, because in one weekend, you can quite possibly do every single one of your favorite sports. Let's be honest, during the summer and winter, we have to give up our off season sports, but not during the interlude between the two!

This weekend I had the weekend I've been waiting for all winter, and I was attempting to have a day of each of my favorite sports. Friday I took a group of friends down the Eagle River for a warm up to rafting season. I work part time for Bucking Rainbow Outfitters  on my weekends as a white water river guide (feel free to book a trip and request me!) and this weekend we were training future want-to-be guides. This always provides entertainment as you can imagine, so I had a very fun river day that wore me out quite a bit.

As though Friday didn't wear me out enough, on Saturday a buddy and I drove to Quandary Peak, which is still covered in great powder at 14,265 feet, with the intention of having a great ski day (my second on a 14er). When we arrived, it was snowing heavily and was windy to boot, so we knew that our desire to ski the Cristo Couloir down the South face of the mountain would be a risky decision. We hiked it anyway when we realized the ridge line up still had great snow and would be a mellow but fun decent.

Our "mellow" day turned into a a knuckle gripping day when we were engulfed in a complete whiteout at the top.  We stood stationary for about 20 minutes in a position I have dubbed "The Scare Crow," meaning our backs were turned to the wind with our arms straight out with ski poles firmly planted to avoid being blown over. The hope was that this gust of blindness would soon blow over. We couldn't see anything, not even the rocks pictured below. With fits of Vertigo, one or both of us ended up laying on the ground, even though we had not attempted to go anywhere. This was a new experience for me; it actually felt like the snow was avalanching out from under us, and not being able to see anything, it was quite terrifying. Eventually, we decided this was not going to blow over and was probably a pocketed storm, and we had better start making our way SLOWLY down. We leap-frogged our way, side-slipping down a slope we could not see, careful to stay in the direction our compass told us and making sure we were not getting on anything steep so we wouldn't cause anything to avalanche. Once we dropped 1,000 feet we were able to see a bit around us; nothing much but enough to realize we were not where we wanted to be. We ended up hiking back up a separate ridge to find the trail again, and thank goodness, some fellow hikers we had met at the summit. Having missed our ski from the upper bowl of Quandary, we purposefully went off route (knowing we'd have a slog of a hike back out) to the lower bowl and got some really great powder turns. Again, I'm amazed at the quality of snow Colorado is seeing this season.

Speaking of Quandary Peak, there's a great article in the Denver Post about a blind man climbing Quandary in honor of the anniversary of his Climb of Everest. They chose a better climbing day on Quandary than we did; you can actually see the great views and the summit. Not to mention it's an incredible story.  Read the Article.

Robby at the summit ©RoryClow.com

The Clouds start rolling in... losing visibility

Finally! Some visibility in the lower bowl to make some powder turns!

If I had followed my weekend plans, I would have been rock climbing on Sunday. There's amazing climbing in Rifle Mountain Park, and had my skiing and rafting not destroyed my early season muscles, I most certainly would have gone. Instead, I chose 4-wheeling, which is much less taxing on the muscles!

Steamboat's Mud Season is fantastic with all of the options available to those who choose to stay and watch the aspens bud and the days become warm. Did I mention that the annual Carnival comes to Steamboat during Mud Season? Trust me, it's for Kids only. (I'm only saying that because it is POSITIVELY a good time, and hopefully you'll read that and decide not to go next year; shorter lines for me!) I went last night; I'm pretty sure it made me laugh even harder than rafting and skiing did.

Most homeowners claim to be eco-friendly and want to help the environment, yet they worry that making changes in their home will be costly or inconsequential. This is especially true for someone who is in the process of selling their home and doesn’t want to make any substantial changes to a place they hope to be leaving soon.

            However, making-energy efficient home improvements doesn’t have to mean sweeping changes and, by creating a better carbon footprint for your house, you will attract green-conscious homebuyers.

            Recent studies have reported that 80% of homebuyers identify energy savings and comfortable surroundings as key factors when deciding between listings, so more agents today are working with home sellers on innovative energy, environmental and ecological approaches and opportunities for selling the home.

            One simple and easy change concerns the lighting in your house. Today’s green lighting isn’t limited to the fluorescent light bulbs to which most people have quickly adapted. There are plenty of other options including LED gaining in popularity as a viable and affordable home-lighting source.

            LED is an energy-efficient, semi-conducting light source that started growing in popularity in 2007. In the past, LED lighting appeared as unattractive blue hues but today’s LED lighting offers the same bright white output as incandescent lighting. Plus there is an affordable price tag to go with it and people understand the value of it.

            LED lighting can also be used in some areas of the home that will better showcase features when one looks around. From track lighting over the fireplace to under-counter cabinet lighting to can lighting in the hall, LED fixtures can cast dramatic light on your home’s best features.

            There are plenty of other benefits as well. LED lighting uses 75% less electricity than the standard incandescent light bulbs, and LED bulbs last 50 times longer than standard bulbs, saving you money.

            Energy-efficient lighting should also be used in exterior locals of the home, such as around any deck, pool, patio or garden. These low-energy emitting lights are perfect complements to any outdoor features you want to show off.

            Of course, once someone buys a home, they can just make the changes themselves, but a savvy real estate agent will tell you that a homebuyer will judge your eco-friendly actions in a positive light and may be more inclined to deal with you.

            Taking advantage of these modern lights will not only let you help the environment, but it may benefit your pocketbook as well.

I left Steamboat Springs on Friday morning and it was snowing. Again. Since the ski mountain had been closed for a few weeks already, I was tired of the winter weather and was very happy to be headed to sunny Moab for a long weekend with friends. Moab is about a 5 hour drive from Steamboat so it makes a nice getaway trip. I haven't been to Moab for several years, and now that I have a 1 year old son, this trip was more mellow. Instead of riding several biking trails and camping, I rode 1 trail, jogged a few times with the stroller and slept at a nice house downtown, complete with a beautiful yard and hot tub. (Thanks Cam!) We had a great time, and on the way home, we stopped at Fisher Towers for a quick family hike. Coincidentally, right as we were approaching the base of a tower, we heard noises from above. We looked up and saw a figure leaning over the top, then she waved at us, and then she JUMPED! These photos show a young woman, a school teacher named Christy, that rock climbed up the tower, and then topped that off with a base jump. So even though it was a mellow trip, I still got quite a thrill watching her glide right above us. It was the perfect ending to our long weekend.

Normally when May 1st rolls around, we're deep into mud season and ready for flowers to start blooming. Not this year! Mt. Werner still looks as pristine and skiable as it did in February, and pictures of our beloved Buddy Werner statue at the very top of Storm Peak Express are surfacing with Buddy's head beneath the snow and a snorkel assisting him to 'breathe'.

It turns out that in the Zirkels, which are the mountains North-West of Steamboat past Clark, the snow pack is still a good 8 feet or higher. This weekend, I went out with 4 friends to do some winter camping, skiing, and Search and Rescue practice.

Unfortunately, our trip started out not very well planned on Friday night after a hectic day of gathering gear. We were bogged down with 70 lb packs each, filled with an assortment of survival gear (tent, sleeping bag, fire-starting, warm clothes) and rescue gear (ropes, ice axes, crampons, pulley systems, etc), and getting a late start to our 13 mile destination with a start at 4pm. Between the 4 of us, we had one snowmobile. Our plan was to shuttle everyone in the 10 miles to the Slavonia Trail Head, and then hike an additional 3 miles in with our gear to reach some spectacular skiing and some steeper terrain to practice rescues.

Long story short, the snowmobile broke down, and I was left 10 miles in while the driver was about 6 miles in with his sled and the remaining two friends were still back at the parking lot. Thanks to the spirit of 4 locals who were out on a hut trip, my group was reunited and even invited to join them in their hut that night. True Steamboat locals are a rare breed and the best breed; they not only offered us their floor space so we didn't have to camp that night, but they also fed us a delicious dinner and a hearty breakfast to keep us moving the next day. Even better, they towed our broken sled back to the parking lot for us, which we retrieved after we hiked out.

Saturday we decided to dedicate to rescue training to become better and more proficient in the mountains. Our main focus was in setting up anchor and haul systems using the snow to haul injured people back up over ledges and cornices. I ended up being the guinea pig "injured person" in this practice, so with all four of us roped up and carrying ice axes (which you would use in hiking up steep couloirs for a ski descent), my ski partners closed their eyes so they wouldn't know when it was happening, and I jumped off of a 15+ foot cornice. The drill reminded me of the trust falls they have your practice in group dynamics, but larger scale. My three partners self arrested (falling to the ground on top of their ice axes and digging their crampons into the snow) to stop my descent. I hung for about 15 minutes while they errected snow anchors and transferred my body weight from themselves to the pulley system. It was a successful day for certain, but not nearly as fun as Sunday!

Above: My team setting up an anchor system.

Me hanging from the Cornice waiting for a rescue!

Great View while waiting hanging from the cornice.

 Sunday, we decided to ski Hahn's Peak. This is a quick and easy hike; the drive from Steamboat, hike in, and ski out took us only half the day. The unique part of this story is that Hahn's Peak is so filled with snow that we were able to ski the South-East face in soft, wonderful powder. Normally, all winter long, this face remains rocky and exposed because of the warm southern sun constantly melting its slopes, and is typically in heavy avalanche phases when snow does accumulate. Not on Sunday! We were absolutely jubulant in our find and enjoyed the 1200 ft of vertical we were blessed to be skiing.

©RoryClow.com Hiking Hahn's Peak

Everyone may be on Spring Break enjoying the warmer weather, but the cold weather is still in prime condition in the Mountains, and if you know how to get to it, it is truly amazing! Even in Steamboat I've never enjoyed such a winter as this. My first ski day was on October 28th this year, and to have Powder on May 1st, well that is just a miracle.

Rory Clow

It's Springtime, and while the snow is not disappearing quite yet in Steamboat Colorado, it seems that everyone is ready to get moved into their new homes. Here are some FIRST THING tips to do when you get settled into your new place:

1. Change the dead bolts on exterior doors. Want to do it yourself?Check out this video at thisoldhous.com/newhome/bonus.

2. Locate the water shutoff valve. Good thing to know in an emergency.

3. Test the circuit breakers. To avoid overloading circuits, plug in lamps or radios and switch off one circuit at a time so that you know which outlets are connected to the same circuit. Label each breaker-box switch accordingly.

4. Install new (or test existing) smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

5. If you hired professional movers, unpack TVs, computers, and other electronics to check for damage. You may have a time limit for filing insurance claims.

6. Plug in night-lights around the stairs and in bathrooms to avoid stumbling around unfamiliar spaces in the dark.

Last week was Spring Break for the Steamboat Schools and the town emptied out.  Although we left for warmer weather, we’ve stayed in the past and enjoyed the feeling of having our town all to ourselves.  If the weather is cooperating, it can be an amazing time with the rivers full, the animals coming out of hibernation and some great spring x-country skiing and road bike riding.  But alas, the weather is not cooperating and we have the largest snowpack in history still growing.  I’m glad I didn’t pack my skis away as there is great skiing just a hike away!