Frisco's Romp to Stomp

Posted for Nancy Yearout

RE/MAX Properties of the Summit

nyearout@colorado.net

http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

 

 

     For a decade, Summit County has hosted the Tubbs Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer annual snowshoeing 3k and 5k races dedicated to raising money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a national breast cancer research organization.

     The event has raised around $860,000 since its inception and this year the aim is to add another $125,000 to top the $1 million mark for money raised in Summit by the Romp.

Make it a weekend

     The Romp to Stomp will take place March 2 at the Frisco Adventure Park.

     Summit County resident Joan Davids has been involved in the event every year, the first as a volunteer and participant and the other nine as chairperson of the event. Davids hopes to not only encourage participants to enjoy the snowshoeing, but to convince them of the value of coming earlier and staying longer.

     “The whole idea is to get people up here in the county for the whole weekend. Make it into a weekend,” Davids suggested. “We don't want that excitement to just drop. … Now we're saying it's just a full weekend. It can drop on Monday,” she added with a laugh.

     Romp to Stomp is doing several things to encourage participants to stick around. First, organizers are continuing the tradition of the night-before Pink Party, which features a goodie bag, coupons for drinks, trunk shows by local retailers and plenty of good food, as well as a chance to mingle with other participants.

     The big new thing this year, which Davids hopes will really encourage visitors to extend their time, is the Romp to Stomp app. Developed by Silverthorne-based company YodaCom, the app has a myriad of features designed to help visitors enjoy, explore and discover Summit County. It will display a schedule of all Romp to Stomp events and times, give up-to-date road conditions, allow users to take photos and send them to friends or Facebook, find deals and directions to Summit County businesses and even help them find where they parked their car. It's also free.

     Jeremy Black developed the app free-of-charge for Romp to Stomp. He's participated in the Romp many times, he said, and his sister is a breast cancer survivor.

     “I'm thinking, there's gotta be an app for that,” Black said. And now there is.

     The other new development will take place March 3, the day after the Romp. Participants who show their Romp to Stomp bib at Loveland will get an $11 discount on a ski pass for the day. Additionally, for every discounted Romp to Stomp ticket, Loveland will donate $10 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

     “I think it's a cool win-win for everyone,” Davids said.

     Romp to Stomp caps the number of participants at 2,300, so registration is first come, first served. Davids encourages people register, whether it's their first or 11th time.

     “Of course all of us know somebody who's been through breast cancer, unfortunately, so many people come to the event to celebrate that the person actually has survived this miserable disease, or in memory of someone who unfortunately didn't make it through,” Davids said, who is a breast cancer survivor herself. “Therefore, the importance of the fundraising comes in, in my mind, because Komen's mission is to really eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.”

     “Have fun,” she added, “Enjoy the beauty out there on the Frisco Adventure Park and do it for an important cause.”

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

     Susan G. Komen for the Cure, often referred to simply as Komen, is one of the largest and best-funded organizations in support of breast cancer research in the country. Founded in 1982, Komen came about after Nancy G. Brinker promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, who was succumbing to breast cancer, that she would do whatever she could to work toward eradicating the disease. Since then, the organization has grown across the nation and now has international connections and a global impact.

     The Romp to Stomp is one of many programs that helps raise money for Komen. In addition to Colorado, it also takes place in New Jersey, Vermont, Minnesota, Utah, Washington and Oregon, as well as two locations in Canada. According to Davids, the Colorado event usually raises the most money. Last year it reached $114,000. The year before that was its record high at $149,000. This means that the goal of $125,000 is certainly achievable, Davids said.

     “Every dollar helps,” she added.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Slow Down When the Weather Gets Bad

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

     The headlines are too familiar: “Tractor-trailer crash on I-70 at Avon kills 1,” “Fatal semi-truck crash closes I-70,” “Crash is third fatal accident on I-70 this week.”

     Interstate 70, a major corridor both for intrastate and interstate commerce, is our mountain community's source of revenue and accessibility that too often presents dangerous, or sometimes deadly, consequences. In the last two weeks alone, accidents have closed down lanes on the interstate, creating traffic jams and aggravation.

     On Wednesday, a trucker traveling westbound veered off the roadway and over-corrected, according to the Colorado State Patrol, losing his life as a result. The week before, seven semitrucks crashed, including a tanker carrying hot oil asphalt. The tanker's contents did not spill, but removing the crashed truck from the interstate was a lengthy and careful process.

     Late last year, a snow plow and SUV were involved in a crash on Vail Pass that sent a 21-year-old man to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. And countless other accidents often include drivers sliding off wintry roads or accidents that result because of speeding or driving under the influence.

     Colorado State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis said that the number of accidents are more or less on track with last year's numbers. He said it's hard for the patrol to track the exact number and causes of accidents because 15 calls could come in for the same car that slid off the road, and police might arrive and the car has already left the scene, for example.

     At the Colorado Department of Transportation, spokeswoman Ashley Mohr said the department is constantly conducting studies around the state in the name of safety. Speed studies, which help determine speed limits in specific areas, occur every day around the state, she said.

     If there's a particular stretch of road that sees multiple accidents, Mohr said the department would study those accidents to determine whether it could do something to prevent future accidents. The department would examine everything from speeds to road conditions at the time of the accidents, she said.

     The department did review the accident near Wolcott recently involving the seven semitrucks and determined the crash was not caused by a road condition that CDOT could have prevented through more plowing or maintenance. That accident was reviewed because there was precipitation on the roadway, a situation in which CDOT always goes back and reviews when there are accidents, Mohr said.

     “Part of the problem is where a lot of these accidents happen, there's heavy truck traffic,” Mohr said. “We look at what kind of vehicles are involved in these situation and it's usually the trucks.”

     CDOT tries to distinguish whether truck traffic has caused an accident or whether it's a roadway design or road conditions, she said. The department currently has no red flag on Interstate 70, meaning there's no specific area that has seen enough accidents to warrant a safety study.

     Lewis said in cases of blowing snow, which was happening in parts of the state on Thursday afternoon, crashes always increase. Most aren't terrible, he said — they're mostly cars that have slid off the road, causing little-to-no damage and rarely injuries, but there's a big influx of calls reporting those crashes.

     Generally speaking, people go too fast for the conditions, Mohr said, adding that truck traffic is obviously not the only problem.

     “Always pay attention,” Mohr said. “We heavily encourage folks to pay attention to speed limits. But, just because the speed limit says ‘x,' if conditions are not safe for that, it's OK to slow down.”

     Lewis couldn't agree more. He said State Patrol often encourages people to simply stay put when road conditions are bad, but if you absolutely have to be out on the road, always anticipate that it will take more time to get to your destination and give yourself that extra time, he said.

     “It doesn't matter what you're driving,” Lewis said, adding that four-wheel-drive can only help so much.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Las Vegas Furniture Market

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

     After returning from the Las Vegas Furniture Market, I think it is only fair to discuss the upcoming furniture fashions that made their place at Market this winter. This being my first Market experience, I was certainly blown away by the masses of furniture. Now that I have had time to revisit the trip, I ask myself “What had the strongest presence?”

     It is certainly safe to say that leather is king! The represented trends included bonded leather, authentic leather, fleece-lined leathers and leathers of vibrant to neutral colors, just to name a few. Of these, the bonded leather was represented very well at Market. The innovations and restructuring of this leather-blended upholstery have come a very long way.

      Several times at Market, I would sit down in a bonded leather sofa and was mistakenly convinced that it was full, authentic leather. Today, the look and feel of bonded leather is remarkably comparable with that of real leather. A few years ago, this was not necessarily the case.

     The newest trend of fleece-backed leather is really a hot idea for the mountains. The fleece backing creates a thicker, warmer finish to the upholstery. Being in the furniture industry, I have come across many folks in Summit County who refrain from leather-type fabrics on furniture because it can often feel cold. These fleece-lined leathers put cold mountain temperatures to shame.

     Motion furniture is booming in all show rooms. Reclining sofas and loveseats are in high demand, and the manufacturers are responding with motion pieces in all designs. More contemporary styles are coming through in reclining. Motion in the past has featured more pillowed and full-sized appearances. The latest looks include stream-lined arms and sleek silhouettes.

     Another concept that stuck out within all manufacturers is the use of color and prints. One of the top vendors we carry in our store, Ashley Furniture, is doing a lot of entertaining colors. Red, teal and deep blue were frequent colors seen in their show room. Starburst patterns in complimentary colors represented the toss pillows on the brightly fitted pieces. One sofa to the next to the next was equally as impressive as the last. It was difficult to pick a favorite.

     Some furniture shoppers can be intimated by these funky-colored trends. However, the idea is that in affordable furniture, you can go with that fun colorful set in your living room. In seven years after your taste has changed, you don't have a ton of money invested in your current furniture. Therefore, you aren't heartbroken to replace it with something fresh and new.

     The furniture world is massive and, truthfully, overwhelming at times. There are quarterly furniture shows each year in the U.S. As imagined, the biggest challenge is to develop the newest style and design that sets you apart from the rest. Vegas Market for winter 2013 has been concluded for only two weeks, but it is already ancient history. High Point Market to take place at the end of April in North Carolina is already the next order of business

     For more home style tips and information visit ifurnish and More Space Place in Frisco or email Kalyn Johnson at kalyn@morespaceplaceco.com.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Jazz and Wine in Keystone

Posted for Nancy Yearout

RE/MAX Properties of the Summit

nyearout@colorado.net

http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

 

 

     Keystone is fast becoming the go-to place for wine aficionados with its longstanding summer Wine & Jazz Festival and now a winter festival too, new as of last year. The Winter Wine Weekend returns for a second year Saturday and Sunday.

Jazz and wine

     Saturday night features a wine tasting paired with hors d'oeuvres by Black Diamond Gourmet and entertainment by jazz musicians Will Donato Trio. Donato, a saxophone player and national recording artist who has played with Al McKay (Earth, Wind and Fire), Bruce Conte (Tower of Power), Steve Reid (The Rippingtons) and others, is a popular performer with Keystone's summer festival.

     The wines were handpicked by Tracy Whitlock of the Bacchus division of Republic National Distributing Company, which partners with Keystone Neighborhood Company to sponsor the event. All are available locally and range from $8-$25 retail.

     “When you have to narrow it down to a few wines, you want those wines to all stand out and to really embody what region and varietal they're representing — and also to be a good value to the consumer,” said Whitlock, who selected 10 reds and 10 whites for the occasion. “The idea is to introduce people to some great quality wines that are a great value and are easily accessible for people to enjoy and learn about.”

     Among the featured wines are two unoaked Chardonnays — Chardonnays that have not been aged in an oak vessel, which is a traditional American preparation method. Whitlock said unoaked Chardonnays are becoming more and more popular as people learn more about wines and become more experimental with their choices. “People are realizing that this varietal has a beautiful expression on its own without the added component of oak,” she said.

     Far from a snobby affair, Whitlock said Keystone's Winter Wine Weekend “is fun” and “meant to be enjoyed,” in contrast to the preconceived notions some folks have about what a wine experience need be.

     At $30 in advance online or $40 at the door, “the Saturday night portion in particular is a great value and very kind on your purse strings for everything that is included,” said Maja Russer, Warren Station director of events and marketing. Last year, the first night sold out.

Cooking tips too

     On Sunday, for $55 in advance or $65 at the door, Warren Station presents a “triple-whammy,” as Russer called it — a wine pairing, cooking demo and catered New Zealand meal where guests get to eat what they've just seen made.

     The chef conducting the demo is the same as the caterer — the renowned Chef Christopher Rybak of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area's Black Mountain Lodge fame. Rybak will present a New Zealand dinner with appetizers including a crab-and-shrimp salad on citrus-scented quinoa and assorted cheeses; a spinach, strawberry, feta and toasted almond salad with balsamic vinaigrette; braised New Zealand lamb shank with fresh greens and waxed beans with carrots and creamy polenta. He will demonstrate how to make each of the courses onstage, and after each, servers bring the dish out to attendees.

     “It's not just a demo — people are getting to eat what is being demoed,” said Russer.

     Later, they can recreate the dishes at home. The event is pretty labor intensive to put on, she said, because while the chef is demonstrating how the food is prepared, there's a coordinated effort taking place behind the scenes to plate each course. Last year, Russer found herself making use of serving skills mastered back in her days at Dillon Dam Brewery.

     Between food demos, wine specialist Jeremy Krug — who also gives wine seminars at the summer festival — will talk about the wines selected to pair with each course.

     “Last year we did Italian wines and an Italian theme,” Whitlock said. “This year we thought New Zealand would be fun because those wines are really up and coming and just beautiful.”

     Since Whitlock also works with Rybak at A-Basin, they collaborated on the New Zealand theme. Well known for his role as A-Basin's executive chef, Rybak worked at Keystone years ago, and he operates a catering business too. The folks at Warren Station got to know him last summer through his daughter, Chelsea, who worked as a special events intern for the arts center.

     “We have had Chris cater KNC events in the past and our experiences are that his product and presentation are top notch,” Russer said. “I personally am a fan.”

     To purchase tickets for the advance, discounted rate, visit winterwinekeystone.eventbrite.com.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

One Million Vertical Feet

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

     One million vertical feet in one day.

     That was the goal of the relay team from Six Pack Sports when it caught the first chair at Keystone Resort Wednesday morning. The 10 skiers weren't aiming for fame, though, they were aiming to raise money for a good cause.

     The Six Pack Sports team took on its Million Vertical Feet Challenge to raise money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado. Overall, the team raised nearly $13,000 for the nonprofit organization.

     Big Brothers Big Sisters provides at-risk children with mentors. Its reach is national, with roots in Colorado going back to 1918. In 2012, the program supported roughly 1,900 mentoring relationships in the Denver and Pikes Peak areas.

     Mike Kirkland, commissioner at Six Pack Sports for the last four years, has participated in Million Vertical Feet challenges in the past in other states. This year, he decided to bring the challenge to himself and his colleagues at Six Pack Sports to benefit a good cause.

     The money raised by Wednesday's challenge will to go start the inaugural Sports Buddies ski day. Sports Buddies is a program offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters in which children and their mentors participate in organized activities, including attending and playing team sports. The money raised by Kirkland and his colleagues will provide for transportation, ski lift tickets, rental equipment and lunch for the participating children.

     Kirkland plans to help make the Sports Buddies ski day an annual event.

     “We're going to have a heap of these,” he said.

     Six Pack Sports is dedicated to promoting sports and similar activities throughout the community. A year-round sports league based out of Denver and Boulder, Six Pack Sports provides opportunities for adults to get together and share their love of sports.

     Raising money for children to enjoy sports just made sense, Kirkland said. “I thought it was a natural fit for the fact that we do adult sporting events.”

     Kirkland's team did the math for what they would need to do in order to achieve its 1 million vertical feet in one day challenge. By completing 44 runs each, they could accomplish approximately 100,000 vertical feet per person.

     “We got the first chair up and we're going all the way through the night skiing,” Kirkland said from the gondola Wednesday. He and his companions chose Keystone Resort, they said, because of the night skiing option. They needed to ski for 11-and-a-half hours straight to meet their target, and even ate their sandwich lunches while riding up the gondola.

     “It's a grind. We're bombing every single run. We need to go straight down the mountain every time,” Kirkland said. He paused, then added, “It's a lot of fun.”

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

A Hotel on F-Lot?

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net


     Eighteen months after Breckenridge officials shut down a proposal for a high-end hotel on the central F Lot property, the town is preparing to explore the feasibility of such a project.

     Breckenridge is poised to contract with a private real estate firm and an appraisal company to investigate whether a luxury, branded hotel is financially realistic for the F Lot property.

     The F Lot is currently a town-owned, paid parking lot, but Breckenridge leaders have for several years characterized the space as a last gem of undeveloped space in downtown Breck.

     The private consultants are charged with exploring the viability of a variety of development options, or no development at all on the property. They told members of the council a hotel would need to generate at least a 17 percent return on investment to be considered feasible.

     A number of developers expressed interest in putting a hotel on the lot in the fall of 2011.

     “The council really felt that they were pretty much at a disadvantage not understanding when those proposals came in if that made good business sense,” Breckenridge spokeswoman Kim Dykstra-DiLallo said. “What they're looking to this consultant to do is really to look at is it feasible to even consider that piece of property to become a hotel.”

     The consultants will also investigate concerns among members of the lodging community that in a small market like Breckenridge a new high-end hotel might cannibalize existing two- and three-star short-term rental properties.

     Town leaders emphasized the importance of the consultants' study of the F Lot be fair, unbiased and open to the possibility that a hotel might not work at the location.

     “I want to make sure that our community can feel safe that this was truly an independent consulting job,” Councilman Mark Burke said. “Our objective was to see if there's a need for a higher-end hotel.”

     An East Coast developer initially brought forward an unsolicited proposal for an F Lot hotel in 2011 and asked the town to support the project by providing the property for free.

     Members of the lodging community came out in strong opposition to the hotel, saying many smaller companies already have a hard time filling all their rooms and that plans for additional developments at the gondola lots and on peaks 7 and 8 were poised to expand the lodging market enough over the next few years.

     The town solicited additional hotel proposals, but later shut down the idea altogether.

     In connection with the future of the F Lot, town officials are also considering redesigning the adjacent Riverwalk area, the nearby arts district and placing a park or open space on the next door Tiger Dredge Lot.

     Members of the council have said that any parking lost as a result of the development of the F or Tiger Dredge lots will be replaced.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Copper Mountain Plans Improvements

Posted for Nancy Yearout

RE/MAX Properties of the Summit

nyearout@colorado.net

http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

 

 

     On the heels of Breckenridge Ski Resort's success with an application to expand to a new mountain, Copper Mountain is now also looking to improve its offerings.

     New lifts, new trails and wind turbines are the headliners of a package of improvements Copper proposed to the U.S. Forest Service.

     Forest Service officials released the details of the resort's improvement plans Monday in a Notice of Proposed Action (NOPA), calling for public comment prior to the start of environmental analysis on the projects.

     The proposal was released just days after Copper announced plans for a $500,000 overhaul of the Woodward training facility.

      That project, alongside the improvements included in the Notice of Proposed Action, are planned to cater to the resort's summer guests and could represent an interesting response to Breckenridge's Peak 6 expansion, which many expect to steal industry headlines in the upcoming season.

     The projects, if approved, will be constructed during the summer months, likely over the course of several years given the short building season on the mountain.

     Copper officials did not directly comment on whether the proposed improvements are meant to help the resort compete with Breckenridge's expansion.

     “The projects proposed have been on our historic improvement list and are additions to our most recent (environmental impact statement) and revised Master Development Plan,” spokeswoman Austyn Williams told the Summit Daily in an email.

Copper's list of proposed projects

     > A Kokomo make over. As part of an effort to increase teaching terrain, the resort is looking to replace the existing triple Kokomo lift with a 3,000 foot chair based adjacent to the Union Creek facilities. The new lift would provide both round trip service and transport for beginning ski and ride students to two new surface conveyor lifts located on the gentle terrain north of the lift's top-load station. The resort is also pitching a viewing deck addition that would allow skiers, snowboarders, coaches and the public to overlook the terrain park and Woodward facility.

     > Catalyst Terrain Park surface lift. Intended to help expedite training and the flow of athletes through the park, the surface lift is expected to be particularly beneficial during the Woodward at Copper late-spring and early-summer training program.

     > New trails and improved access. The proposed action calls for a series of new trails or improvements to existing trails that a challenge for skiers and snowboarders either due to a flat grade or difficult terrain. Resort officials want to create a new, groomable trail entrance to the Enchanted Forest, a new T-Rex connector trail, to replace the low-angle Woodwinds Traverse trail and an improved runout trail from Spaulding Bowl.

     > Surface lift access to Copper Bowl. Copper executives area also looking to add a new surface lift to the west of the existing Sierra Lift, that would provide service to Copper Bowl, which currently is only accessible by hiking to the top of the ridge above the bowl. The 850 foot proposed conveyor would be able to transport 800 people hourly.

     > Wind turbines for clean energy. In an effort to enhance environmental sustainability, the resort also proposes installing two 24-foot wind turbines near the Union Peak Ski Patrol Station to help offset power used on the mountain.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Copper Mt. Updates Training Facility

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net


     Winter Olympic hopefuls and amateur daredevils alike will have a newly renovated place to practice and play in Summit County. Copper Mountain officials announced that Woodward at Copper, an indoor-outdoor ski and snowboarding training facility, will get a $500,000 facelift in time for summer camps in June.

     Woodward at Copper opened in 2009. Basing its philosophy off of Camp Woodward in Woodward, Pa., which opened in 1970, Copper Mountain was the first indoor-outdoor mountain home for a training facility that allowed winter-sports athletes to try new, difficult tricks in a safe environment, according to a resort news release.

     “Still one of few training facilities of its kind today, Woodward at Copper is poised to raise the bar, yet again, leading into the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, with improvements that will not only transform winter sports training, but will cater to summer action-sports enthusiasts, as well,” resort officials said in a written statement.

     The renovations include a new foam pit, a protective cushion that allows athletes to perfect unprecedented and risky moves that they otherwise couldn't practice in a real-world environment.

     The pit will be added next to the current big jump line that will include a drop in platform with 2-foot and 4-foot jumps designed for development of beginner park skills.

     “It allows you to try tricks you wouldn't try outside until they're perfectly maneuvered,” said Copper spokeswoman Austyn Williams. “You would spin off into a foam pit before trying it over hard land. The growing trend of action sports on the snow is increasing the difficulty of the tricks year after year.”

     The street area will double in size allowing for full access by BMX, mountain bike, skateboards and park skis and snowboards. Renovations also will include two new viewing areas giving spectators an up-close sightline of the action.

     “The reason behind the expansion is we want to keep the Woodward product as fresh as possible,” Williams said.

     Woodward at Copper, a 19,400-square-foot facility, will unveil its latest improvements in time for the first week of summer camp, which starts June 16.

     On top of the indoor renovations, Woodward at Copper will also add a summer chairlift. Starting June 16, Woodward at Copper camps will have full access to a lift-served snow jib park with dedicated features designed to shrink the learning gap. BMX and skate program offerings will be extended outdoors, on-mountain, and include an outdoor mini-ramp for summer campers.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net    



     Five new high-alpine bowls, 543 new acres and a 23 percent increase in skiable terrain.

     That's the package of improvements Breckenridge Ski Resort is promising skiers and snowboarders with the opening of its fifth mountain, Peak 6, at the start of the 2013-2014 ski season.

     The expansion will be Breckenridge's first in more than a decade and is expected to make headlines across the industry.

     For the resort, the project was hard won, fraught with bureaucratic hurdles and pushback from a community loathe to see acres of healthy trees be cut in a forest already devastated by the pine beetle epidemic.

     Though the project's opposition hasn't yet conceded defeat — there's talk of litigation relating to the U.S. Forest Service decision to allow the project — approval on the expansion was a big win for the resort, one it's preparing to leverage with other Breckenridge businesses.

     “The addition of Peak 6 for the 2013-2014 ski season will be a huge step for both the ski resort and our entire community in providing an improved customer experience for our guests,” Breckenridge director of marketing Kieran Cain stated in a letter directed to members of the business community. “We hope you share our excitement in what will be the biggest news in the ski industry over the next year.”

     The letter was included with a series of talking points for local business owners to provide to employees who work with customers.

     The project drew heated but mixed reactions from the community prior to its approval, with some celebrating the prospect of new skiable terrain and others railing against prospective harm to the forest and wildlife in the area.

     For some, the impending construction signals the end of a long fight.

     “I have no hard feelings,” said former town Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron, who was a vocal opponent of the expansion. “Sometimes you fight a battle not because you think you can win it, but because it's the right thing to do.”

     In August, after years of environmental studies and community debate, the Forest Service approved the more than 500-acre expansion, which will add a fifth mountain to the resort. Within the boundaries will be 10 new-cut trails, 13 runs above treeline and the resort's first above-timberline intermediate terrain. Skiers and snowboarders will be able to access the mountain via a four-person chair and a detachable six-person lift from Peak 7. There will also be a warming hut at the top of the mountain and a restroom facility at the mid-load location.

     The resort agreed not to develop a base area on Peak 6 prior to the expansion's approval and withdrew and initial request for a restaurant on the new terrain from the application.

     Breckenridge sits on land owned by the Forest Service, within a designated boundary. The Peak 6 expansion falls within the existing boundaries.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Mountain Pine Beetles on the Decline

Posted for Nancy Yearout
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net


     The spread of the mountain pine beetle epidemic, which has swept through forests across Colorado since 1996, is slowing significantly, according to the state's recently released annual aerial forest health survey.

     The U.S. Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service reported that the epidemic has expanded by 31,000 acres in 2012, as compared to the 140,000-acre increase in 2011.

     “Generally speaking, the mountain pine beetle epidemic in Summit County is definitely declined,” said Cary Green, U.S. Forest Service timber management assistant for the White River National Forest eastern zone. “We haven't seen any widespread damage since 2009/2010. I think Summit County's clear in that.”

     Though the epidemic is declining, Green said that it doesn't mean the beetles are gone completely. It will be possible for pockets of trees to be affected in the future.

     “They're always going to be in the ecosystem,” he added.

     Nearly 3.4 million acres in Colorado have been infested by the mountain pine beetle since the initial outbreak in 1996. Most mature lodgepole pine trees have now been depleted within the initial epidemic area.

     Mountain pine beetles aren't the only insect causing havoc on Colorado's trees, however. While the pine beetles seem to be in decline, the recent report stated that the spruce beetle outbreak has started to expand. Nearly 1 million acres have been affected since 1996, including 183,000 additional acres detected in 2012.

     The majority of the spruce beetle devastation has occurred in southern Colorado in the San Juan and Rio Grande national forests. Though spruce beetles have shown up in Summit County, Green said they do not appear to be in very large numbers.

     Unlike mountain pine beetles, which attack standing trees, spruce beetles prefer fallen trees, where they build up their population before attacking nearby weaker trees. Similar to mountain pine beetle, the increase in spruce beetle activity is due to factors that increase tree stress, including densely stocked stands, ongoing drought conditions and warmer winters.

     According to Green, spruce beetle infestation is harder to spot, because the needles simply fall off rather than change color as with the mountain pine beetle.

     Green said that the main focus right now is to deal with the remnants of the beetle kill as well as increase the health of the forest to make it less susceptible to future beetle attacks, of any kind.

     “(We're) trying to get most of the dead trees out where we can, trying to utilize the trees in some sort of product so they don't go to waste,” Green said. “And regenerating the next future forest is obviously the goal as well.”

     This will come in the form of planting trees in areas of high use, such as recreation areas. In other parts, Green said, lodgepole trees will start to come back on their own, particularly younger trees that survived the beetle epidemic and are therefore much less likely to succumb to beetles.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Breckenridge Discusses Solar Panel Policies

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

     Members of the Breckenridge Planning Commission will be deciding if, when and where to allow solar panels in the historic core of town tonight.

     It's one of the first steps in the process of tightening town policies on solar panel installations in downtown Breckenridge, an issue that has sparked controversy among residents in recent years.

     “We're trying to balance the issue of the character in the historic district with the use of sustainable resources,” planning manager Chris Neubecker said.

     The key question before planning commissioners will be whether to allow freestanding solar panel arrays for commercial and residential use in downtown Breckenridge, which are not currently prohibited by the town planning codes.

     Current town policies regarding solar panels were put in place several years ago, but town leaders at the time primarily considered the issue of panels being installed on historic homes and didn't go into the question of arrays on or near larger buildings.

     “We really thought this through when we did it originally,” said planning commissioner Eric Mamula, who was on the town council when the solar panel policies were initially adopted. “But stuff always comes up. We didn't really even think of the larger buildings with flat roofs. There's some new territory we're covering now.”

     With approval from the planning commission the draft of revised solar panel policies will go before the town council for discussion as a new law.

     The proposed policy changes call for flush-mounted solar panels to be allowed on sloped roofs, even if they are visible from a public street or alley. But solar devices on flat roofs and detached stand-alone arrays would be allowed only if they were not visible from nearby streets or alleys.

     Town officials say they hope a community solar garden planned for the McCain property north of town will provide an alternative for business owners and residents in downtown Breck who want to use clean energy, but can't get solar panels approved on or near their own property.

     “We think that would be a viable option for property owners almost anywhere to buy into solar and renewable energy without having panels on their property,” Neubecker said. “That would give them an option to use renewable energy and get credit, but not have any visual impacts on their property.”

     The solar panel discussion was renewed last fall when the owners of the Lincoln West Mall, on the corner of Main Street and Lincoln Avenue applied to install the devises on the flat roof of the building.

     The mounting structures and panels themselves would have been visible from nearby Ridge Street, prompting the town government to review the existing rules.

The application was latter withdrawn.

The issue of solar panels in the downtown historic district gained attention two years ago when the Breckenridge Town Council considered a proposal to install solar arrays on several town-owned facilities including the Riverwalk Center and Breckenridge Golf Club, eliciting a wave of outrage from community members who considered them to be too ugly for the carefully protected core of town.

     The town later killed the proposal.

     “I'm a big supporter of solar panels, but I think the place needs to be appropriate,” Councilman Mark Burke said at the time. “Councils long before me have created codes to maintain the historic beauty of Breckenridge. Solar panels will never be historical.”

     But the council took no action at the time to amend the town's codes or laws to ban solar panels on private structures in the core of town.

     The planning commission is slated to discuss the issue at 7:15 tonight in the council chambers at Breckenridge Town Hall.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Town of Blue River in Transition

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net


     Fifty years ago Blue River was a sleepy little village of second-home owners and peace-loving locals hidden on the southern rim of a county not yet discovered by the ski industry.

     But surrounded by breathtaking vistas and miles of backcountry access, within range of local resorts and with somewhat lower real estate prices than neighboring areas, the tiny settlement wasn't going to stay a secret forever.

     Today, as Blue River approaches its 50th birthday, it is a town in transition.

     “It's flip-flopped,” Mayor Lindsay Backas said. “It used to be mostly second-home owners. Now we believe that it's mostly permanent residents.”

     Approximately 800 of them, according to the most recent census data. And while Blue River still doesn't have any commercial businesses within the town limits, it is evolving and developing in other ways.

     Perhaps the best evidence of the changing tide came last April, when the town hosted its first municipal election in decades. Since approximately 1978, there had been no need to have a vote in Blue River, because candidates for the board of trustees always ran unopposed. In 2012, two Blue RIver residents stepped up to challenge the incumbents, and one of them won a seat on the board in an election that drew nearly 150 voters to the polls.

     At about the same time, the town finished construction on Blue River's first park — now something of a community-gathering place — and began a public push for Summit Stage bus service to be extended to the south end of the county.

     Now, with a growing number of permanent residents demanding more services, town officials are looking at bigger projects, including a recreation path that would run through Blue River and up Hoosier Pass, a contract for additional law enforcement and a comprehensive plan for the future of the town.

     The comprehensive plan, a process of determining the community's goals for future development, is still in the early stages, but will likely be completed this year with input from local residents, Blue River officials said.

     “It's sort of an overall municipal plan that deals with all aspects,” town Trustee Rob Theobald said. “We'll be looking at immediate changes, three to five years and then 10-25 years.”

     The plan will likely confront some of Blue River's biggest questions: whether to allow commercial business operations in the town limits, how to address backcountry access and a possible three-mile plan examining how the town will interact with its neighbors in the future.

     The plan is still in its infancy, but will likely be completed this year. Town officials say they do plan to incorporate the input and priorities of Blue River residents.

Growing pains

     The process of evolving from the quiet cluster of vacation homes that incorporated in the 1960s to an active community of permanent residents has had its ups and downs.

     Blue River officials have thus far been stymied in their ongoing efforts to give the town some autonomy in the form of a bus route and a zip code of its own.

     For some residents, the growth and development come along with what might be an inevitable sense of apprehension that the nature of the town they love, and have chosen to live in, may change.

     “When I was a kid I really remember Blue River being kind of a world away from Breckenridge. It was its own residential area where residents would go to really escape the bustling world of Breckenridge,” resident Toby Babich said. “I worry that making changes just for the sake of change may go against the character of the town.”

     But while the comprehensive plan does have far-reaching goals, there are some things town officials say are not on the discussion table.

     “I don't think we're envisioning any major change to the sort of mountain rural aesthetic,” Theobald said. “We're not looking to become another Breckenridge or another Highlands neighborhood. We're looking to improve what we have.”

     Information on public meetings around the comprehensive plan will be forthcoming, Blue River officials said.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

SnowSports Industries America Snow Show

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

     Women promoting sunglasses stood around in bikinis and fur vests. A DJ for a headphones company spun tunes atop a trailer. Spyder showed off a custom Audi R8 inside its booth. Pepa of the hip-hop trio Salt-n-Pepa performed for Burton.

     And there were lots of stickers. This is an industry that loves stickers.

     Behind all of the fanfare, and the stickers, there was serious business to be done at the SnowSports Industries America Snow Show inside the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. This week, it is the epicenter of the $3.3 billion retail snowsports industry.

     “For the ski industry, this is it,” said Dan Chalfant, president and CEO of Avon-based Liberty Skis. “This is the big dog.”

     Liberty's booth had the company's line of 2013-14 skis plastered to the wall as Chalfant and other employees chatted with buyers, media members and other industry insiders on the floor of the convention hall.

     This is Liberty's 10th year at the SIA Snow Show. For them, it is a chance to renew connections with buyers with whom they have worked in the past, as well as connect with people who aren't familiar with Liberty.

     They were showing off their wide Helix skis, the really wide Double Helix and the enormous Mutant 192, as well as a new ski that will benefit the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and will be hand-tuned by former U.S. Ski Team racer and valley local Sacha Gros.

     Friday morning, Eagle-Vail-based ski wear maker Skea's booth was hosting buyers from Whistler, B.C.; Sun Valley, Idaho; and Pittsburgh, Pa.

     Owner Diane Boyer said that during the show, she will come in contact with buyers that represent 80 percent of her yearly sales.

     “Buyers can come see the whole collection and feel the whole culture of the brand,” Boyer said.

     One of Skea's coolest new products is a down jacket called the Cali. It has a 3-D, bubble-like fabric that is stretchy and water-proof.

     As a past chairperson of SIA, Boyer was one of the people behind the show's move from Las Vegas to Denver in 2010.

     Varyk Kutnick was manning the Fat-ypus booth with fellow athlete Brandyn Roark. They were showing off their new models including the powder skis D'Riddum and the D'Root, which feature a unique five-point shape that allow for quicker turns. With appointments set for throughout the day, they were touting their high-quality construction and their local roots in Breckenridge.

     “We're just trying to spread the love because when people get on (our skis), they don't go back,” Kutnick said.

The buyers

     On the other side of the coin were the buyers.

     Mike and Deb Grant, owners of Off Piste Sports on West Meadow Drive in Vail Village, were taking a break Thursday afternoon after a full day of appointments on the opening day of the show, which runs through today.

     The Grants will place over 50 percent of their orders for next season at this show. As a small, independent store, they want to stand out from other ski shops in Vail, so they were looking for unique items — clothing, ski equipment and accessories — to put on their shelves next season.

     “If it shows up in too many stores, we don't want it,” Mike Grant said.

     This is the one event where they can see just about all the merchandise they need to stock their store. There are lots of aspects of a product that you just can't understand via a catalog — colors, sizing, and just the benefit of holding a product in your hand.

     “You can touch it, feel it, try it on,” Mike Grant said.

     For the Grants, the SIA Snow Show is also a time of excitement of the new year. It's an annual reunion of reps, buyers and manufacturers who together ride the ups and downs of the industry, and a chance to look ahead to a new year.

     Buzz Schleper of Buzz's Ski Shop will spend three or four days at the convention, where he does most of his buying for next season. He is booked up with retailers such as Burton, Never Summer and K2.

     For him, nothing can replace seeing a product live.

     “To see the whole line fresh, you have to come to this show,” Schleper said. “If you don't come, you are just guessing.”

     SIA is as much about the extracurricular activities as it is about the convention floor. Schleper was still choosing options for that night that included a Spyder party and a concert by the punk band Pennywise.

     There was also a boxing match between industry figures sponsored by Skullcandy and Pabst Blue Ribbon that was billed as “Boxing, bros and brews.”

Building relationships

     The companies ranged from the industry heavyweights to the newcomers just trying to establish a name for themselves. On the latter end of the spectrum was Weston Snowboards, a Minturn-based company that was at its first SIA Snow Show.

     Owner Barry Weston Clark said he was trying to build relationships with good retail partners, “not just sell to anyone.” They would like to work with retailers who have a strong emphasis on backcountry outfitting.

     The convention is also an opportunity to get media exposure. Clark said several media members expressed interest in talking with Weston because of its sustainability focus — the company makes snowboards from beetle-kill pine.

     Some saw the convention as a unique opportunity to get face time with the most powerful people and companies in the industry. You could include the locally based SOS Outreach in that group.

     SOS Outreach's Seth Ehrlich said the group was meeting with the corporate partners who make the group's work possible — creating mountain adventure-based programs for at-risk youth.

     They include K2, Ride, 686 and Quiksilver.

     “This is our chance to see them in person,” Ehrlich said.

     They were also hosting the fourth annual Youth Summit on Saturday, where they would present a lifetime achievement award to snowboard pioneer Tom Sims.

     SOS had a booth set up near the entrance to the big convention hall. Of course, they had stickers.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.

Peak 9 Restaurant to Close

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net
   


 In the small office at the back of Peak 9 Restaurant at Breckenridge Ski Resort, there's a window that overlooks the entire Tenmile Range.

     It's a view Kevin Brown, owner of the last independent dining spot on the mountain, has enjoyed for nearly 40 years, but one he'll soon have to give up.

     With the lease on the building set to expire next year, the Breckenridge institution known for its variety of homemade soups, is preparing to close its doors for good at the end of the 2013/14 season.

     “To be here to finish it out is incredible,” Peak 9 manager Mike Mraz said. “It's a little piece of history.”

Different

     For Brown, the closure is bittersweet. At 61, he's dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to the business, a shared effort with his good friend and original owner Barbara Tunnicliffe, who died in September.

     But running a restaurant at 11,000 feet is a challenging venture. Brown arrives at work before sunrise every day and, his employees say, rarely takes a day off. In the summer he spends two months on repairs and maintenance on a weather-worn building which he doesn't own.

     During the ski season, food has to be brought in by snow cat, and Brown keeps a full-time live-in staff of three people at the restaurant in the winter to help with opening and closing procedures.

     He plans to retire when the lease runs out at the end of next season rather than reopen the restaurant at another location in Breckenridge. For him, Peak 9 and Peak 9 Restaurant are inseparable anyway.

     “I just don't have the energy to do that,” Brown said. “Up here it's such a unique situation. I love it, I come up in the morning and it's beautiful. I can take a walk a around the building, take a quick snowshoe up the hill, clear my head and get ready for the day. In town, it would be a 24/7 thing.”

     But many of Peak 9's customers, some of whom ate at the restaurant as kids and now bring their own children to dine there while skiing Breckenridge, aren't ready to see the restaurant go.

     For four decades, Brown and Tunnicliffe have specialized in a different kind of on-mountain dining experience, defined by hot, hearty and homemade food, lower prices than their competition and a family atmosphere.

     Brown's own daughters, now in their 20s, grew up working at the restaurant on weekends, and his wife, a school teacher, often helped out on her days off.

     “Over the years, we were known as the family owned restaurant,” Brown said. “It's the family atmosphere people are going to miss.”

The end of the lease

     The original owner, Tunnicliffe, opened the Peak 9 restaurant with a 10-year lease in 1974 through a connection with the ski area CEO. At the time, it was just one of several independently owned dining spots at a resort where executives weren't interested in the food-service industry.

     “Breckenridge ski area was owned by Aspen Ski Company back then,” said Brown, who was hired on to run the kitchen in 1975. “They were in what they always used to say was the uphill transportation business, they weren't in the restaurant business.”

     But under Tunnicliffe's hand the restaurant business thrived on Peak 9, and the eatery began to earn a reputation for good food and a family atmosphere. It's success grew, and by 1984 resort management was ready to offer Tunnicliffe a sweeter deal: three more 10-year-options on the lease in exchange for an investment in an expansion to the building.

     “They were really happy with what we did here,” Brown said. “We kept improving the business as time went on to where it was making them a lot of money.”

     But before the first 10-year lease option rolled around, the ski area had changed hands and the new ownership was more interested in the restaurant business than its predecessor. In 1994, resort management with a company called Ralston Purina tried to break the restaurant's lease and retake possession of the building. But Tunnicliffe and Brown, by that time a full partner in the business, stood their ground and took the resort to court to fight for the lease. They won the case in district court, but Ralston Purina appealed the decision. An appellate judge again ruled in the restaurant's favor, but the company appealed the case again to the Colorado Supreme Court. After nearly four expensive years of litigation, Brown and Tunnicliffe won their case and the right to renew their lease.

     But the original 30-year-agreement expires in 2014, and Vail Resorts has made clear they don't plan to offer another extension.

     “We have been planning for a long time to transition that restaurant back to our own operation,” Breckenridge Ski Resort spokeswoman Kristen Stewart stated in an email to the Summit Daily. “The lease model has been used at many ski resorts including Aspen, and now that we have developed our own expertise in mountain dining, it's logical to operate it. We truly appreciate the partnership that Kevin Brown and the Peak 9 team have provided over the years.”

     Stewart said the resort will continue to operate a restaurant out of the building, but it's unclear whether the name or other aspects of the current character will be retained.

     Vista Haus and the now-defunct Bergenhoff were once also independent restaurants at Breckenridge. But one by one, the dining locations have been taken over by the resort. For roughly the last 20 years, protected by its 1984 lease agreement, only Peak 9 has remained.

     “It's like an island in the middle of an ocean,” Brown said. “Or an island on top of a mountain.”

     Peak 9 Restaurant is located just below the top of the Beaver Run Chair on Peak 9.

History of Breck's Ski Run Names

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

     For a good lesson on local history, go skiing. At Breckenridge Ski Resort, many of the runs are named after early ski area characters or events, and some after the personal whims of early locals. Here's the story behind some of the first runs, plus their lower run-outs, named in the early days after Peak 8 Ski Area (Breck's original name) opened in December of 1961.

     Four O'Clock was probably the first run cut through the woods. It went from its current location near present-day Vista Haus down to Park Avenue. Its name, appropriately, derives from the fact that it was the way down to town at closing.

     Springmeier (the correct spelling was actually Springmeyer) was named, for reasons only the forest knows, after a colorful local character of the 1940s to 1960s — Alva Springmeyer. His story is shrouded in mystery except that he came from Oklahoma and made quite a bit of money in oil (this was known because the local postal clerk noted the monthly checks he received from some oil interests). Springmeyer married Agnes Adams, who owned a millinery shop in the current location of Skinny Winter gift shop on Main Street. Springmeyer kept his herd of goats in the rear of the building in winter. The couple lived in the log cabin next to Gold Pan Saloon that currently houses Twin Moose yogurt shop. Springmeyer also invested in local real estate and probably made a killing when the ski resort developers needed land for lodging, retail and other facilities. Maybe that's why his name graces one of Breck's ski runs today.

     Rounders and Callie's Alley were named after the resort's first developer — Bill Rounds (nicknamed “Rounder”) — and his wife Carolyn (nicknamed “Callie”). Rounds owned Rounds and Porter, a Wichita, Kan., lumber, oil and real estate development firm. Callie still lives in the Denver area, while Bill passed away some years ago. The final run — Spruce — was simply named after the official Colorado tree.

     The resort's original chairlift was named the Heron #1 and ran from near the base of the current Rocky Mountain Superchair to a point above and north of Vista Haus. The chair had a mid-point off-loading capability in the flat area below the intersection of Spruce, Swinger and Rounders. The northernmost run back to the base — the continuation of Spruce — was named Ego Lane because it was so easy that it boosted your ego and courage on the way down. On the opposite, south side of the tree island on the left side of Ego Lane was Boreas Bounce, currently the lower part of Crescendo.

     Later runs in the same general area include two named after successful movies of 1977: “High Anxiety” and “The Goodbye Girl.” Both of these runs were cut during the late 1970s ownership of the ski area by 20th Century Fox when the movie studio, flush with profits from these movies as well as “Star Wars,” ventured into the ski recreation business for a short time.

     And then there was Little Johnny, whose real name was Johnny Sheron, a fiery, party-loving, height-challenged lifty of the mid- to late-1960s who lived in Fairplay. Who knows where Little Johnny is today — but his name lives on in the snows of Breckenridge.

     Many thanks to Maureen Nicholls for some of the details in this article.

Parking in Breckenridge - it's a money-maker

      Revenues from parking fees are on the rise in Breckenridge with the use of new, more advanced technology credited with improving parking enforcement and efficiency in town.

     A series of solar-powered pay kiosks along with an automated license plate reader system have amped up parking rule enforcement in Breck over the last year.

     Following last year's launch of the license plate reader system — technology that can recognize when a vehicle has violated the three-hour parking limit — the number of parking tickets issued in Breckenridge increased 38 percent.

     The police department also reported a 78 percent increase in the number of three-hour parking warnings issued in town from 2011 to 2012.

     Before the system was implemented last year, community service officers frequently walked upwards of six miles per day around town using chalk to mark vehicles, and were generally only able to conduct parking time-limit checks twice daily.

     The majority of free parking spaces in Breckenridge are subject to a three-hour time limit, intended to ensure new spots regularly open up for shoppers and diners, town officials have said.

     The system has also been able to spot stolen, missing or suspect vehicles parked on Breckenridge streets by their license plate numbers, which had been entered into the program's “hotlist.”

     The license plate reader system went active a few months before the new payment kiosks were installed. The 13 pay-and-display machines, located at various pay-parking lots around town, process credit cards in real time, increasing revenues once lost when cards declined, officials with the Breckenridge Police Department said.

     “Our new pay-parking machines have really been an improvement,” police chief Shannon Haynes said. “We haven't had any machine failures and we've seen an increase in revenue data and reporting. Those have just been a complete turnaround for the parking program.”

     The new machines are also easier for customers to use and designed to function in sub-zero temperatures. Although powered by solar energy, the machines passed the cold weather test in Breckenridge earlier this month, when temperatures fell to -20 and the machines reportedly continued to operate without problems.

     The older pay kiosks, replaced in November, were falling into disrepair, Breckenridge officials said.

     Parking is an ongoing topic of debate in Breck, with lots and street spaces frequently approaching capacity on busy winter weekends.

     The Breckenridge Town Council has added the issue to its list of top priorities for 2013, commissioning staffers to do an analysis of the town's current parking system to determine whether the existing lots are the best use of land.

     But town leaders have been vague on possible solutions and this summer face the loss of 17 existing parking spaces from the Tiger Dredge Lot with the construction of a new roundabout at the intersection of Four O'Clock Road and Park Avenue.

     Members of the town council say the town's parking problems are still on the radar and that the town is considering possible locations for new parking reserves.

     “That little Exchange parking garage is a really nice neighborhood parking solution, and we've been looking hard at whether or not there's a couple of other places around town to have a similar solution,” Councilwoman Wendy Wolfe said. “It's musical chairs on the parking. It's a big puzzle.”

     Wolfe said she hopes to see any parking places lost replaced elsewhere as the town develops.

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

Summit Stage Facing Cut-backs

With little money left in the bank and a $300,000 budget shortfall to make up this year, the Summit Stage is facing some tough decisions.

“We're discussing some service restructuring for 2013 aimed at helping us rebuild our fund balance,” transit director John Jones said.

Officials estimate the free transit system needs to cut spending by $500,000 in 2013 to recover what it owes and begin to rebuild reserves. The number could mean reductions in service, layoffs and pushing back the start of ski season service by two weeks for the coming winter.

Three different cost-cutting plans have been floated, proposing scale backs that would save the system between $500,000 and $900,000 through a variety of different strategies. But they all have a few things in common.

“All of them would result in cutbacks in service,” Summit Stage board president Kent Willis said. “All would result in layoffs.”

The first of the three alternatives proposes reducing all routes to hourly service in the summer — April through December — and starting the ski season two weeks later, Dec. 8 rather than late November.

Jones said many of the cuts proposed would have little impact on customers, but a report from the transit system acknowledges the first plan is bad for both riders and employees and may, “affect ridership negatively for additional periods as a result of shaken confidence by the public in the system.”

The second alternative calls for new windows of shoulder season service, which would scale the system back to hourly service from mid-April to mid-June and again from early September to early December, but would maintain half-hour service during the peak summer and winter months. It would call for fewer layoffs than the other two alternatives, but offers the least cost savings and still pushes ski season service back by two weeks.

County officials said they are trying not to scale back summer service, and any changes likely won't be implemented before April, when the current winter service is set to end.

“We're going to do absolutely everything we can to avoid any service cutbacks this summer,” assistant county manager Thad Noll said. “Our plan right now is to go through the winter schedule through April as already posted. If we make any changes, those would likely be to the summer schedule and they might be as simple as extending the summer.”

The Summit Stage finished 2012 approximately $300,000 in the red after a number of expenses — including maintenance on an aging fleet of buses and vacation coverage for veteran drivers — exceeded expectations. The transit system's savings account, once close to $4 million, has been severely depleted in recent years following the construction of a new fleet maintenance facility.

The Summit Stage Board of Directors will likely make a decision on this year's cost-saving measures at its next meeting, slated for the end of February.

Posted for:  Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

Breckenridge to Reconsider Plastic Bag Ban

The Breckenridge Town Council passed on a proposal that would ban plastic bags at large grocery stores and encourage other retailers to cut back on single-use bags, calling the plan unfair.

It was the first time town leaders have reacted to a concrete plan for bag reduction in Breckenridge since the new council put the issue at the top of its priority list last year.

But officials said they weren't willing to adopt a proposal that treated single-use bags differently depending on who gave them out.

“This grocery versus retail thing, I'm adamantly opposed to that,” Councilman Mike Dudick said. “If plastic bags are bad, they're bad. We, as a community, can't be kind of pregnant on this.”

Without voting on it, the council returned the proposal to the SustainableBreck Business Task Force — the panel of individuals from local the restaurant, retail and lodging industries who drafted the plan — asking for revisions last week.

City Market has declined to comment on the bag-reduction discussions to the Summit Daily, but town staffers said the company indicated it would not oppose or support a bag ban initiative during discussions with the town.

Town leaders also indicated they wanted a plan that would target both plastic and paper bags. Paper bags require more energy than plastic to manufacture, according to town staffers.

Three bag reduction strategies are currently on the table: a full ban of plastic and possibly paper bags, a fee on each bag — the revenue from which might be directed toward a bag-reduction marketing and education campaign — and a voluntary program encouraging local businesses, residents and visitors to move away from the use of plastic bags.

The task force proposal recommended banning plastic bags at large grocers in Breckenridge within six months, imposing a fee on paper bags and encouraging smaller retailers in town to decrease bag use, with benchmarks over the next few years.

The proposal received generally favorable feedback from the community.

More than 80 percent of people surveyed at a public forum and 66 percent questioned online supported the idea of banning plastic bags at large grocery stores. Approximately 80 percent of respondents at the forum and online backed the idea of asking retailers to voluntarily scale back on single-use bags.

“I feel strongly that we should ban bags at all stores,” one unidentified online respondent stated. “Besides the use of petroleum in making them and long life in the landfill, they are unsightly trash hanging from our trees and bushes around town.”

Opponents of the bag reduction plan generally cite the possible implications on Breckenridge's tourist economy, fueled by visitors who may not be aware of, prepared for or patient with a bag ban when they arrive in town.

“Breckenridge bends over backwards to please tourists,” another unnamed community member stated in an online comment. “Tourists don't come prepared for anything, let alone bring returnable bags on a trip.”

Some have suggested using money generated by a single-use bag fee to supply local lodging companies and shuttle services with reusable bags branded with Breckenridge or local business logos to be provided to visitors.

Both Aspen and Telluride have implemented somewhat-successful bag bans in recent years. Fees on bags have been effective in reducing use in other jurisdictions, according to town staffers.

Approximately 14 million trees are cut and 12 million barrels of oil used annually to produce paper and plastic bags. Billions of bags end up as litter every year and are ingested by wildlife, introducing toxic chemicals into the food chain, a memo from town staff stated.

Posted for Nancy Yearout
RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
www.realestate-breckenridge.net

Breckenridge's Snow Sculpture Contest

By now, the figures have started to emerge from the giant blocks of ice at Breckenridge's Riverwalk Center parking lot. Beneath the red Chinese flag, a family strides forth from the snow. They are surrounded by animals, including an ox, a dog and two ducks. Around them, a family works on the sculpture, tapping and scraping as the figures come to life beneath their tools.

Artists from Harbin

Team captain is Hongchun Liang, who has been an ice sculpture artist for 15 years. His wife, Yang Jiang, is the team representative, and their daughter Lu Liang also helps with the sculpting. Lu Liang said she has done this for only two years, not as long as her father or the other two team members, Zhigang Sheng and Shuo Yuan. Lu Liang is the only one of the group who speaks English.

The team hails from Harbin, a city in northeastern China that is famous worldwide for its ice and snow sculpture festival. Cold winds from nearby Siberia spill into the area, which often records temperatures as low as -36 degrees Fahrenheit. This is ideal for the snow festival, however, which lasts for an entire month.

The ice sculpture exhibits in Harbin are impressive in size, both height and length. Full-size buildings are made from blocks of ice and every night the place is illuminated by lights. These large sculptures are found on Sun Island, across the river from the city, and an area called “Ice and Snow World.”

According to Lu Liang, in order to be a sculptor in Harbin, a person must have first officially studied as an artist. Often, this training starts young, around the age of middle school students.

Happy Winter

The Chinese team has entitled their sculpture “Happy Winter.” It shows a family of mother, father and child surrounded by animals and next to a small silo. Hanging on the sides of the silo are chili peppers, traditional in China, and sheaves of corn, as a nod to the sculpture's American setting.

Lu Liang said that the team has been doing well, especially since it hasn't been nearly so cold in Breckenridge as it is in Harbin, where they usually work.

The team was unable to bring many of the tools that they usually use in Harbin, due to restrictions of such items on airplanes. Now in Breckenridge, they are using their creativity to make do. Hongchun Liang even made his own tool to his personal specifications.

Each team's block of ice weighs approximately 40,000 pounds. The block started at 10 feet wide, 10 feet long and 12 feet high, requiring the teams to use scaffolding in order to carve at the top of the block.

Culture connection

The students in Jocelyn Subberwal's Chinese class at the Peak School took a field trip Friday to the Riverwalk Center to meet the Chinese sculpting team. Subberwal was excited to jump on the opportunity for the students to talk to native Chinese speakers.

“I really hope that they are really able to connect with them and use their Chinese to ask them something that resonates with them a little,” Subberwal said.

The students prepared questions that they wanted to ask and Subberwal provided them with relevant vocabulary, including “snow,” “ice” and “sculpture.” They have only been studying for a short time, but all of them seemed to be excited to study the snow sculpture up close and interact with the team.

The first thing they pointed out were the Chinese figures carved into the sculpture. They correctly identified the “good luck/happiness” symbol and (through Subberwal's translating help) asked questions about the sculpture itself and life in Harbin.

“I think it's really cool,” said Kait Schultz. The language aspect of learning more about it was difficult, she said.

“I've only been studying it for a semester. I have a pretty decent vocabulary so far,” she continued, but added that she wasn't quite sur what order the words should go in to make sense.

Her classmate Cassidy Citron said she's interested in learning more about the city of Harbin, though she also wasn't quite sure exactly how to phrase it.

A group of students gathered around Lu Liang, shifting their feet, excited yet nervous to try out their Chinese conversation skills.

They started with the easy ones, asking, “Ni hao ma?” (How are you?) Lu Liang smiled and replied she was fine. They grew bolder, asking about where she was from and what her name was.

“You all speak very well,” Lu Liang told them in Chinese.

At the end of the visit, the students gathered with the sculptors for a group photo, standing smiling in front of the “Happy Winter” sculpture, looking like one large, happy, cross-cultural family.

“I think it's really nice,” Subberwal said of the opportunity to speak with the Chinese team. “For us it really is meaningful, particularly because there are ice sculpture contests in Harbin, we have ours, the climates are similar. I think it's really good.”

Breckenridge Snow sculpting Contest

It all started with the toss of a coin in the office. Heads, they would compete in the Ullr Fest snow-sculpting contest. Tails, they would build a float for the parade. The coin came up heads.

The year was 1980, and the group of realtors built their first competitive snow sculpture using what was then an additive process, where snow is piled up to create the sculpture instead of cut away from a preformed block. And they won — that year, and the next and the next.

Then in 1985, while they were sculpting a piece showing Prince Charming bending over Sleeping Beauty to give her a kiss, a man stopped by to ask if they'd considered taking their talent to nationals. “We didn't know there was a whole worldwide community of snow artists out there,” said team member Rob Neyland. “Right then and there I knew that we had to make that a Breckenridge event.”

And so the group embarked on a lengthy process to put Breckenridge on the snow-sculpting map. They worked with the town, the resort and other local groups to found and host the Colorado state championships while at the same time making a name for their team on the national and international stages.

Today, the fruits of their labor take the form of the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships, which draws teams from around the world and upwards of 32,000 guests each year, braving sometimes subzero temperatures to witness the awe-inspiring and otherworldly manifestations come to life in snow.

And Breckenridge is now officially on the map, known internationally as one of the premier snow sculpting venues in the world.

The process

The event takes place in stages. First, Breckenridge Ski Resort makes the snow, which is hauled by dump truck to the site by the Town of Breckenridge Public Works Department. Front-end loaders and a huge snow blower transfer the snow into wooden molds, alternating with volunteer human laborers, who jump in, stomp the snow to pack it down, and jump out to wait for the next layer.

This is how the 10x10x12-foot starting blocks are created.

Sculpting commences this year at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22 with a shotgun start and ends 65 hours later at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 26.

Sculptors work with hand tools such as vegetable peelers, small saws and chicken wire to cut away snow and render their designs; no power tools or colorants are allowed. Participants often leave support beams in place until the last night and then remove them hoping the sculptures maintain their structural integrity, Neyland said.

Sculptures do collapse — like in 1988 at nationals, held at the Milwaukee Zoo, when the Breckenridge team's piece deconstructed 20 minutes before judging. Still, the weather and snow conditions in Breckenridge make this less likely to occur here than in other locales, Neyland said.

“I think that it's important to note the subtractive nature of this art form,” he added. “It makes it challenging. And literally it is a performing art. Think of it as very slow theater — because you are performing this art on the public stage and you only get one shot at it.”

The competition is also a race, Neyland said in a 2012 film by Second Act (http://yhoo.it/wRcp6h). “There's a 65-hour competition period and it's a pretty grueling, hardworking 65 hours.”

The last night — Friday, Jan. 25 — is said to be one of the best times to visit, as the artists prepare to stay up the whole night to finish final detail work on their sculptures.

By Friday, too, Neyland said the sculptures start to sing. “When the internal form of the sculpture is exposed to the cold night air, it cures. The whole sculpture starts to turn into a crystalline structure,” he said. “When my teammate is 10 feet away and I can hear and feel the strikes of his chisel at the base, it's because it's become a crystalline structure. It's still fragile but very solid. It's truly a remarkable thing.”

Guests are invited to view the entire process, from the sculptures' creation through the weeklong viewing of finished sculptures Jan. 27-Feb. 3. At night, the white pieces glisten, lit up by eco-friendly LED lighting.

International stage

Teams are selected by committee from a pool of applicants based on their performance in other snow sculpting competitions, the designs they submit and other considerations. This year, 16 teams were chosen from a pool of 42 applicants. It's the widest and most diverse field from the largest group of applicants yet, said Rachel Zerowin, spokesperson for the Breckenridge Resort Chamber.

Among the competitors are an all-female team, new from Argentina, that will sculpt a caracol, or snail. Other countries new to the competition are Iceland, Singapore, Ecuador and Mongolia. They join teams from Australia, Baltic (Latvia/Estonia), Canada-Yukon, Catalonia-Spain, China, Germany, Great Britain-Wales, Mexico, USA-Alaska and USA-Breckenridge.

Some, like Mexico, practice and compete in sand, so they have to translate their skills to snow upon arrival in Breck.

“I must say that I have the greatest of respect for people that perform this art form in sand,” Neyland said. “Sand is a very different medium. Snow is pretty solid. Sand, you basically pile up and go from the top down. You don't really get the chance to go back and mess with it.”

After coming to the Breckenridge event for a few years, Team Mexico took first place in 2011. “I called them out as most improved team,” Neyland said. “They obviously came with their eyes open; they took notes and learned and came back and applied that. In 2011 they pulled out an absolutely stunning piece. They came from a no-snow environment and cut their teeth on that art form in Breck.”

This year Team Mexico will sculpt “Whal-e,” a mechanical whale composed of plates, rivets, a gear system and a navigation controller. The message is about the superiority of natural over mechanical beauty, and the need to solve global warming.

Team Iceland brings “Lopapeysa,” a ball-shaped snow house with windows in the pattern of a traditional Icelantic sweater.

From the U.S. come Team Alaska as well as Breckenridge's homegrown team of Tom Day, Tim West and Margo Jerkovitz, led by Keith Martin. The local team is creating “8 Seconds to Glory,” a bull and rider inspired by Breck's new summer rodeo.

Last year Team Canada-Québec took first place with “Great Expectations,” a sculpture of Quebec's ice harvesting history. The piece also won the Artists' Choice and People's Choice awards. Second place went to Team Germany for “Dancing Screens,” an angular, abstract work in snow symbolizing how interpretations change with perspective, intended to highlight the need for a critical point of view in today's media-driven world. Team Baltic (Latvia-Estonia) took third with “Discover the Edge of the World,” and the Kids' Choice award went to Team Alaska for “The Deadliest Catch: Calamari's Revenge,” in which the mighty beast pulled a ship into the depths of the ocean.

This year's winners will be announced at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 27, along with the Artists' Choice award and the voter-driven People's Choice and Kids' Choice awards. There are no cash prizes, only recognition within and beyond the snow sculpting community.

Amenities

New for 2013, folks can follow the teams online and see the submission sketches at BreckConnection.com, along with daily photo updates at Facebook.com/GoBreck. Also new are activities like photography workshops, a VIP party, the opportunity to host a team for a day and a snow sculpture gift pack — which can be purchased in conjunction with lodging for an extra-participatory experience, Zerowin explained. For info, visit GoBreck.com or call (800) 462-7325 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (800) 462-7325 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting .

Inside the Riverwalk Center, the Snow Lounge offers warmth and comfy leather sofas, a store featuring keepsakes like pins, postcards and posters, an exhibit exploring the last two decades of snow sculpture championships and the snow-sculpting process, and voting boxes for the People's Choice ($1 donation) and Kids' Choice awards. The Ice Village, on the Riverwalk Center lawn, displays ice carvings.

“Rarely does the public get to see the living act of sculptures performed,” Neyland said. “Generally you see the sculpture when it's done. The thing that's so incredible about this art form is that people literally get to see the transformational act of the birth of these sculptures. (The artists) start with a 20-ton block of snow and literally release the sculpture that lies within that block of snow — not unlike Michelangelo's famous quote, ‘I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.'”

Breckenridge: Re-envisioning the Riverwalk

Residents and visitors may see the area between the Riverwalk Center and the arts district begin to transform in the coming years, as the town council explores a new vision for the cultural core of Breckenridge.

A consultant hired to draft a redesign of Breckenridge's artistic center, including the Riverwalk and the Blue River Plaza presented a series of proposals to town leaders Tuesday that would bring a new look to the area.

The project, dubbed the arts district renaissance by town staffers, would aim to connect the Riverwalk Center on the west side of Main Street with the arts district campus on the east side via the Blue River Plaza, transforming the area into a walkable corridor dedicated to arts and culture.

“We want it to develop into a really special place that would preserve open space and the art and the soul of Breckenridge,” town spokeswoman Kim Dykstra-DiLallo said.

The vision the consultant proposed Tuesday pitch, first and foremost, a makeover of the Blue River Plaza, which would relocate many of the mature evergreens that are beginning to obscure views of the Tenmile Range.

One of the options proposes enhancements to the Riverwalk Center lawn, adding a play area for children with a climbing wall located on a retaining wall, a boulder maze and other features alongside the river. The nearby parking lot would be transformed into a parking plaza, which could be cleared of cars when needed and used instead for events.

The consultant's vision for the Blue River Plaza involves moving existing evergreens, including the town Christmas tree, to make space for more aspen and cottonwoods and removing picnic tables in favor of café-style tables and chairs.

Council members at Tuesday's meeting were open to the ideas presented, though some expressed reservations about potential costs and most weren't interested in relocating the town Christmas tree.

“Some things just happen to create their own reason for being and that Christmas tree has done that in this town,” Councilwoman Wendy Wolfe told consultants.

The renaissance project coincides with a redesign of the town arts district, which includes a campus of historic buildings, such at the Tin Shop where various arts classes and workshops are hosted. Town officials are also contemplating improvements to the Riverwalk Center to allow its uses and programming to be expanded in the future.

Posted for Nancy Yearout, RE/MAX Properties of the Summit
nyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

Business is Steady in Summit County

Despite a healthy dose of snow in December, skier visits at 21 resorts across Colorado fell 11.5 percent during the first part of the season compared to 2011, according to data collected by Colorado Ski Country USA.

But in Summit County, business held fairly steady to the prior year between the start of the ski season and the end of the year, occupancy and sales data for several local towns show.

Vail Resorts reported a 2 percent increase in skier visits through the holiday season, noting a rise in use by season pass holders, according to a financial earnings statement released earlier this month.

Lift ticket, ski school, dining and retail revenues were all up during the first part of the season as well, though the numbers are not broken down by resort.

Locally, Vail Resorts owns Keystone Resort and Breckenridge Ski Resort, but the financial report also includes data from its Eagle County and Tahoe resorts.

In Breckenridge, short-term lodging occupancy was flat in November to the year before. It took a slight 3 percent dip in December, but revenues held steady to 2011 numbers, according to data provided by the Breckenridge Resort Chamber.

“When we look at Breckenridge, it's the diversity here,” BRC spokeswoman Rachel Zerowin said. “People come here to do more than ski.”

Local businesses across the county reported business was generally good through the holiday season.

“I don't think it's been a terrible year,” Dillon Dam Brewery manager George Blincoe said. “It's been a decent year so far.”

For others, the first part of the season was better than decent. Mary Elaine Moore, owner of Stork and Bear Company and Around the World Toys, said her customers seemed to be finding ways to make the most of their visit off the ski slopes when the snow wasn't falling.

“Our numbers are really strong compared to last year,” Moore said. “I think this year they've figured out that even if there isn't snow, there are things to do up here.”

Industry officials attributed the statewide dip in skier visits to on-again off-again snowfall, which delayed openings at some resorts.

“First period is largely fueled by in-state visitors and an unseasonably warm October and November kept many Coloradans from tallying lots of ski days,” Colorado Ski Country USA president and CEO Melanie Mills stated in a recent release of the period between opening day and Dec. 31. “Snow did not arrive in earnest until mid-December, but when it came, it was in time for in-state and out-of-state guests to enjoy wonderful wintery holidays at resorts.”

Vail Resorts' financial data reflected a similar trend of a lull in business until the snow began to stack up in December.

“We were very pleased to see that once more typical conditions arrived at our resorts, we saw very strong visitation and guest spending,” VR CEO Rob Katz stated in a release earlier this month.

Breck got 25 inches of snow in December, a number on par with the 20-year average for the month, according to data from the National Weather Service.

Vail Daily reporter Lauren Glendenning contributed to the reporting of this story.

Posted for Nancy Yearout, RE/MAX Properties of the Summitnyearout@colorado.net
http://www.realestate-breckenridge.net