While the Olympic cauldron roars to life in Sochi, Russia, Steamboat Springs has its own flame of winter sports tradition burning bright.
Coinciding with the beginning of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Ski Town USA ® will be celebrating the spirit of competition and camaraderie with the 101st Winter Carnival. From Feb. 5 to 9, this age-old winter celebration will whip Steamboat Springs into a fervor of Olympic pride.
Watch before your eyes:
Skijoring is more than a sport; it’s a nod to Steamboat’s signature blend of winter sports and Western culture. For skijoring and the various Street Events on Saturday andSunday, Feb. 8 and 9, downtown Steamboat’s Lincoln Avenue will be closed and covered with snow so kids can be pulled behind horses at breakneck speed. They fly off jumps as the crowds roar with awe at this time-honored tradition.
The Night Extravaganza
On Saturday evening, Olympic spirit lights up historic Howelsen Hill Ski Area with a remarkable display of pyrotechnics and entertainment.
Celebrating 100 years of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, the backbone of Steamboat’s Olympic heritage that’s produced more than 80 Winter Olympians, the Night Extravaganza features the legendary Lighted Man – a skier adorned with lights and fireworks – Winter Sports Club athletes soaring off ski jumps through hoops of fire and a fireworks display for the record books.
Steamboat-raised sibling pairs Taylor and Arielle Gold (snowboard halfpipe) and Bryan and Taylor Fletcher (Nordic combined) will compete along with Todd Lodwick, who is appearing in his record sixth Winter Olympics. Lodwick was awarded the honor of carrying the United States flag during the Olympic Opening Ceremony. A total of 14 Steamboat-trained athletes will be competing throughout the games.
Watch the excitement from a downtown restaurant with a view of the Howelsen Hill ski jumps where Olympic dreams have been born for 100 years.
