Courage Classic event at Copper raises money for Children’s Hospital

#Copper Mountain, Colorado.

 

Behind every participant in the Children’s Hospital Colorado Courage Classic bike ride is another person — a family member, friend, patient — who has been affected by cancer. Sometimes those people are literally behind them, on a regular or a tandem bike, or their photo is pinned to the back of their jerseys.

 

This was the case with Silverthorne resident Wesley Knight, riding alongside his daughter Amanda Stevens. The two had a large photo of their family friend, 14-year-old Ian Tuthill, pinned to their backs. Tuthill lived next door to them for about 10 years when they lived in the Denver. He was diagnosed with and succumbed to osteosarcoma last year, so Knight and Stevens dedicated their ride to him.

 

This is the 22nd year of riding in the event for Knight, who pedaled in the very first ride back in 1990. In fact, he was the top fundraiser for that first event, bringing in $6,000. Last year, his fundraising efforts put him at 98 of 2,000 other riders.

 

“It’s such a great cause,” Knight said. His purpose for attending the event is to do what he can to help the Children’s Hospital. “That’s my main goal — just to get out and ride with Amanda and do something worthwhile.”

 

Years of courage

 

Last weekend marked the 24th year of the Courage Classic event, in which 2,000 riders from all over the state and country gathered in teams or individually, on all sorts of bikes — from road and mountain bikes to recumbent bikes and tandems — to ride 155 miles over three days to raise money for the Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver.

 

Over the years, the event raised a total of $28 million dollars. This year pulled in one of its highest amounts — $2.24 million so far, with fundraising continuing until Aug. 31.

 

This was the first year that Copper Mountain has hosted the event, with the ride starting and ending at Burning Stones Plaza, and featuring live music and a bike expo. A shorter route option was also added this year for families or people who didn’t feel up to the longer ride. Day one featured an 80-mile course starting at Copper and passing through Leadville and Vail, then taking riders up over Vail Pass on the way back to Copper. A second ride led bikers through Silverthorne to Ute Pass and back for a total of 58 miles.

 

The second day included a 31-mile family bike ride from Copper to Silverthorne and back along the recpath and a 42-mile course around Dillon Reservoir to Keystone and back. Monday finished the event with a 33-mile ride to Breckenridge and back to Copper.

 

“The physical challenge is climbing up the mountain, climbing up in elevation and just pushing yourself,” Amanda Stevens said. “There’s a lot of support, a lot of volunteers that help you through the race with encouragement, and the other riders are helpful too, as they’re passing you,” she said, laughing.

 

Though many of the riders came from Denver and the Front Range, they weren’t too worried about the climb in elevation.

 

“What altitude?” shouted one member of the Med Head Gear ’Eads team from Denver.

 

Doctor Jodie Mathie, a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital with Cherry Creek Pediatrics, has been involved in the event for 21 years. In the first year, Mathie noticed that only a few Children’s Hospital doctors came out

.

“So I made it my mission to get more hospital people involved and more doctors,” she said. That led to the creation of the Spin Doctors team, which became one of the event’s largest teams, “until the lawyers arrived,” Mathie said with a laugh, referring to the Wheels of Justice team, made up of attorneys, which is now the largest team. The doctors’ team, now called Gears of Courage, is still large, with about 140 members

.

“That makes me smile,” Mathie said.

 

She remembers one Courage Classic event in particular, back in 1994, when the doctor team dedicated its ride to a patient they called “Wonder Boy Greg,” a 10-year-old diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, who had a 10 percent chance of making it. When TV reporters interviewed team members, they mentioned Greg, who happened to be watching it during his chemotherapy treatment. According to Mathie, he turned to his parents and told them that he wanted to ride in the event next year. Eventually, he recovered, became a lawyer and has been along on many rides since.

“It was a really special thing that I have just never forgotten,” Mathie said.

 

Chris Hugget, a Denver resident and 7-year participant, is just one of many people inspired by the children behind the ride.

 

“When you see this many people get together for a common cause, you just feel that there’s a chance for mankind,” she said. “Just the concept, kids with just a limited amount of time and they choose to be here. I mean, time is priceless and these kids are out here raising money, these kids are out here riding … The fact that they’re out here doing it, it’s unbelievable. If these kids can do this, we have a responsibility to get out here too.”

 

Children and doctors weren’t the only hospital workers at the event, either. Representatives of the Youth And Pet Survivors (YAPS) program, which pairs children with cancer together with dogs with cancer, had several riders and animals along with them. Spree, a three-legged Lab mix, drew plenty of glances as she galloped happily through the lunch break area at Trent Park in Silverthorne on Saturday.

 

Each person on each bike had his or her own story of personal connection, commitment, suffering and love.

 

Mathie summed it up best.

“I think almost everybody has at least one special person they’re riding for.”

 

For more information or to donate, visit www.couragetours.com.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.

Summit Historical Society unveils new history lecture series

#Breckenridge, Colorado.

Anyone who says that history is old, dusty or dead has never seen a live performance designed to shine a spotlight on characters and stories from the past.

 

This is exactly what the Summit Historical Society plans to do with its new series called “Pastry and the Past.”

 

The series, which begins today, July 22, features a weekly hour-long historical lecture paired with desserts. While previous history-related events in Frisco have been held during the day, Christy Nelson, of the Summit Historical Society, hoped to create an event that the working, touring crowd could easily attend.

 

“The concept … was something that could attract those who can’t make it to other venues that are during the day because they’re just too busy or too active,” she said.

 

For the pastry portion of the evening, Nelson rounded up friends and locals with good baking reputations. Each lecture will feature a spread of homemade desserts.

 

While the pastries feed the body, the words of the lecturers will feed the mind.

Bringing the past to life

 

The first lecture of the series will be given by Sandie Mather, who is well known among all three Summit County historical societies for her vast knowledge of area history and for her portrayals of historical figure Anna Sadler

.

Mather first came to Summit County in 1979, drawn by the area’s geography and history, to finish her dissertation in the field of historical and physical geography. Since then, she has returned often, splitting her time between Summit County and her job as professor emerita at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. She has written 13 books about the history of Summit County, including “They Weren’t All Prostitutes and Gamblers,” which addresses the topic of women in the county.

While writing the book, Mather came across the diary of Sadler, a woman from the Midwest who moved to Breckenridge with her husband.

 

“I was so excited,” she said of the find. She used what she found in the diary’s pages to finish her book and, eventually, take on Sadler’s persona at historical events, even dressing to fit the part.

“I used her diary, I used what I knew about the women who lived here, (and) I used the newspaper because the society editor constantly talked about what these women were doing, so I could put together her life,” Mather said.

 

One of the best aspects of a live performance, rather than simply a reading or discussion, Mather said, is that it really brings to light all the differences between past and present.

 

“They (the audience) really have no idea what it was like to live out here. It’s just such a different world,” she said. “We pick up cellphones; they waited weeks for a letter to get from home.”

Through her years of research, and her access to Sadler’s personal diary and thoughts, Mather feels that she can accurately portray the historical figure.

 

“Oh yes, I can become Anna. I can really think what it was like,” Mather said. “I can empathize.”

In addition to performing as Sadler, Mather will give two other lectures — a presentation on the saloons of Summit County and a lecture on the geology and vegetation of the area.

 

The series’ second lecture will be given by local historian and author Bill Fountain, who will discuss prospectors seeking gold in east Breckenridge from the 1890s to the 1920s.

 

Rick Hague, another local historian, will present two lectures — one on the hard-rock mining days of the 1880s and ’90s and the series’ final presentation at the end of August on the history of Summit County’s Washington Mine.

 

All of the presenters have done vast amounts of research on their topics, Nelson said.

“I’m pretty excited about the whole series,” she said.

 

An hour before the performances, most of which take place at the Dillon Community Church, the Dillon Schoolhouse will be open to those interested in visiting.

 

“The schoolhouse is incredibly interesting,” Nelson said. “It is set up as it was back in 1883 when it was built.”

 

While children are certainly welcome at the lectures, the presentations are more intellectually geared toward adults, she said. The series is free for Summit Historical Society members, while nonmembers are asked to give a donation.

 

“All of the proceeds will go to the Summit Historical Society, with our mission being to preserve,” she said. This includes a number of buildings throughout the county, which the society has worked to preserve. “Our goal also is to educate and to disseminate the incredible history that’s here, to share (it) with folks. I was a person who’s lived here 10 years, and until this year, I really didn’t have an appreciation of the incredible history.

 

“I know there are a lot more folks out there who live here and just don’t know. So that’s my hope, to not only provide for the historical society and our preservation projects but to also educate.”

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.

Tall tales at Washington Mine

#Breckenridge, Colorado.

The life of an average early miner involved about 10 hours of work per day, six days a week, in dark, tightly enclosed, wet and often dangerous conditions.

 

“If they were working in the wintertime, quite often they would go into the mine right when the sun is coming up, and get out of the mine when the sun would be setting. So they were pretty much in the dark for months at a time,” said Gordon Brownlow, a guide with the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.

 

Visitors at the Washington Mine site on Saturday learned about the history of mining in the West, viewed mining relics, toured inside a mineshaft, learned some tricks of the trade and even learned about miners’ superstitions.

 

“In Colorado, you drive by the sites where all these old mines were and you wonder, ‘Who were these people, and what did they do and why did they build these funky looking structures?’” Brownlow said. “I think people are happy to learn what it really means.”

 

Upon retiring after 30 years in television, Brownlow decided to find out more about his family’s mining history.

 

“I got interested because my family originated in England. They were Cornish miners and moved to Montana, where they became gold miners.

 

“I’d never really understood, except for pictures that I’d seen,” he said.

 

The historian was so fascinated by the stories and history of mining, in 2007 he joined the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance to help them tell stories of early day mines.

 

Now he takes guests back in time at Washington Gold and Silver Mine near Breckenridge. In the mid-1880s, Washington was one of the area’s largest mines, with five main shafts and over 10,000 feet of underground workings.

 

A pay rate of about $3 per day attracted miners to the West. That compared with about $1 or $2 a day in Eastern Coal mines, Brownlow said

.

But the work was far from glamorous. Every day before heading into the mine, workers would grab a brass coin-shaped piece with a number on it. Workers would return the coin to the board after each shift. This helped supervisors keep track of who was down in the mine at certain times, in case of an explosion or cave-in.

 

Upon coming up from the mine, workers would go to a changing room to get out of their wet clothes.

“But the mining company had a bigger reason for it,” Brownlow said. “They were worried about the miners stealing their gold.”

 

Some of the miners got smart and made false bottoms in their lunch pales or their hats — someplace where they could hide a nugget or two, Brownlow said. “Or they might swallow a small nugget and deal with it later.”

 

Miners were very superstitious. Tommyknockers, the spirits of departed miners that live in the mines shafts and tunnels, are a big part of mining folklore.

 

“If you didn’t feed them or talked bad about them you’d have cave-ins or lose tools or might not find the gold and silver you were looking for,” Brownlow said.

 

“Tommyknockers were very valuable to miners lives,” he said. “Miners used what they knew from working in the mines all of their lives, but they attributed it to their superstitions about the Tommyknockers.”

 

Anyone interested in hearing more mining tales can sign up for a tour through the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.

 

Becky Harney and Jean Morgan were two in a group of about eight women from Louisville on the mine tour Saturday morning.

 

“We are both volunteers for the Louisville historical museum. Learning about what’s happening in other places helps us to understand what’s going on in our place,” Harney said.

 

The women said they appreciated the work Brownlow and the Heritage Alliance were doing to educate visitors about Breckenridge’s mining history.

 

“It’s so wonderful to see people that are interested in helping other people understand history and preserve what we have from our past,” Morgan said.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.

Summertime snow spotted at Loveland Pass

#Breckenridge, Colorado

Travelers driving over Loveland Pass did a double take as they witnessed snow falling onto the mountainside on Thursday.

 

The flakes came down between 2 and 5 p.m. in the afternoon, said Frank Cooper, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Less than an inch of snow fell down to about 11,000 feet — above the timberline — and melted quickly, he said.

 

“It was just a trace of snow, but it made for a nice picture,” Cooper said.

 

Between the second week of July and the third week of August is the most uncommon time of the year to see snow in the high Rockies, according to local weather experts.

 

“It’s not really, really rare — but it is unusual,” Cooper said.

 

The Colorado Climate Center doesn’t track historical data about summer snowfall in the area, but climatologists said they’ve had many reports of people seeing snow during the summertime in the High Country.

 

“They think it is remarkable and unprecedented,” said Nolan Doesken, the state climatologist at the Colorado Climate Center. “But it has happened and will happen. ... It’s a huge surprise for newcomers, and it’s less of a surprise for folks who have been around for a long time.”

 

What is rare are big, soft snowflakes falling in the summer months.

 

Doesken said he has inkling the “snow” that fell yesterday is more likely to be what weather experts refer to as graupel — a pyramid-shaped ice pallet.

 

“It’s not really pure snow,” he said. “It’s more like a soft hail.”

 

The precipitation yesterday was likely spurred by a thunderstorm.

 

“The bulk of our summer precipitation throughout July and August is what we call convective — bubbles of warm air rising,” Doesken said. These updrafts form clouds and initiate precipitation. Then, when downdrafts occur, they take the very cold air from up in the clouds and bring it down to lower elevations.

 

“Thunderstorms cause air temperatures in the mountains to drop rapidly, sometimes causing snow,” Doesken said.

 

Meteorologist Cooper said he doesn’t expect any more snow to fall in or near Summit County in the next week.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Breckenridge PRCA Rodeo rolls out championship bull-riding event

#Breckenridge, Colorado

1,800 pounds of bull.

 

140 pounds of cowboy.

 

8 seconds.

 

That’s the math for today’s bull-riding championship event at the Breckenridge PRCA Rodeo. While the rodeo has featured bull riding every weekend since its start in June, this event will feature the country’s top riding professionals atop the best bulls in the business.

 

The championship event was specifically timed in order to fall before the Championship Bull Riding world finals in Cheyenne, Wyo., catching many of the professionals while they’re in the area.

“We timed this stop so they could stop here and have a chance to win in Breckenridge on their way up to Cheyenne,” said Brad Bays, event promoter for the rodeo.

 

The bulls have come in from 11 different states. They are top stock and each one costs upwards of $100,000.

 

“They’re superstars in their own right,” Bays said, “and just to be able to see them is pretty neat.”

Like the riders, the bulls have their own set of judges, professionals who travel to rodeos all over the country specifically to judge bulls. Evaluation categories include intensity, kick, spin and drop, Bays said. The best three bulls from today’s event will win $15,000.

 

“We’ve seen a big demand for bull riding and of course we do that every weekend, but we only do a total of around 10 bulls in our PRCA rodeos,” said Bays, “so this brings in a lot more bulls, a lot higher prizes and just more entertainment for the crowd.”

 

In addition to riding, today’s event will pit bull against clown. It’s a contest of speed, smarts and agility for both human and animal. After loosing the bulls into the arena, the clowns will dash around with them, gaining points for each feat, such as touching a bull on the head, spinning a bull in a circle or even jumping over one.

 

“If he times it right, he can clear the whole bull,” Bays said.

For the fun of it

 

The riding event will feature a total of 56 bull riders competing for a $7,600 first-place prize. Fifty-one of them are professional rodeo performers; the other five are local Summit County residents who are doing it not for money or fame but simply for fun.

 

One of the locals is A.J. Pestello, 20, of Breckenridge. He started riding bulls during high school and has jumped at every opportunity since, from practice pens to rodeos. Getting the chance to test his mettle against prime bulls has him excited.

 

A rider quickly gauges the quality of the bull he’s on, Pestello said. “When he comes out of the chute, … you’ll know on his first jump if he’s going to come out kicking and jumping high or if he’s going to be flat and run around low to the ground.”

 

Pestello repeats his mantra — “mind in the middle” — in the final seconds as he’s waiting on top of the bull in the chute. While he admits to feeling nervous in the week leading up to an event, once he gets to the arena, “I’m calm and ready to go.”

 

Rules require each bull rider stay on top of his bull for a full eight seconds. While this might not seem like much to someone sitting in the stands, for those on top of the bull it feels a lot longer.

“It’s an eternity on the back,” Pestello said.

Fellow local bull rider Alan Mikkelsen agreed. “Eight seconds is a long time,” he said, drawing out the “long.”

Still, for someone like Mikkelsen, from Pass Creek Ranch in Silverthorne, who’s in the saddle at least half the day, bull riding is a great way to blow off some steam. The 30-year-old has been riding bulls since he was 17.

 

“I took an eight-year break and, for some reason, I just couldn’t get it out of me and I started riding again last summer,” he said, referring to Breck’s inaugural rodeo.

 

While Mikkelsen won’t be competing professionally or for the prize money, that doesn’t mean he’ll be taking his rides any less seriously.

 

“Every time you tie into a bull, you’re trying to make it the best ride of your life,” he said.

Both Pestello and Mikkelsen said that the adrenaline rush is what keeps them coming back for more.

 

“For me, the challenge of trying to go stride-for-stride with something — and not break its spirit but still hang with it — the adrenaline rush you get from it is like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” Mikkelsen said. “Bull riding is a sport of its own.”

Full weekend of events

 

The championship bull riding kicks off yet another weekend of Breckenridge PRCA Pro Rodeo events, from mutton busting and calf scramble for kids up to professional barrel racing and roping and wrestling events.

 

Those showing up at 4:30 on either of the three days can seize the opportunity for a free “Behind the Chutes” tour. Spectators can get a glimpse of the rodeo behind the scenes, see the bulls and horses and learn about all the aspects that make up a rodeo.

 

“It’s just going to be good entertainment for the whole family,” Bays said.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Black bear seeks refuge in Breckenridge Golf Club tree

#Breckenridge, Colorado.

As locals and golfers at Breckenridge Golf Club sought temporary shelter from the bombardment of rain drops on Monday, so too did a black bear.

 

The bear, which was estimated to be a 250-pound 4-year-old, sought refuge in a tree on the fifth hole of Breckenridge’s Bear Nine layout in the Tiger Run neighborhood.

 

The bear was first discovered by a neighbor of Meigan Canfield’s.

 

“Our neighbors texted us and said there was a bear in their tree,” Canfield said. “Our neighbor was walking their dog when the bear just moseyed out in front of them. I think it may have gotten startled a little because it jumped up into the tree and was 60 feet in the air in no time.”

 

Word about the wildlife-viewing opportunity spread quickly and before long a small group of residents and visitors had congregated near the fifth hole to snap photos. Canfield, who has resided in Breckenridge for 13 years with her family, was among the photographers, but she opted to shoot her pictures from the safety of her neighbor’s house.

 

“I’ve only seen a bear one other time and it wasn’t from this close,” Canfield said. “It was about 20 feet away.”

 

Luckily, the close encounter wasn’t enough to startle the bear.

 

“It wasn’t really freaked out at all,” Canfield said. “It just sort of looked at me while I was taking pictures of it, then it took a nap for a while.”

 

On Wednesday Mike Porras, public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said it was fortunate there weren’t any incidents Monday in Breckenridge. Although Parks and Wildlife officials encourage people to take advantage of wildlife opportunities, Porras said those should be conducted from a safe distance, and no one should approach any wildlife, especially bears.

 

The problem is the human tendency to want to feed wildlife — but becoming accustomed to human-provided food is essentially a death sentence for bears, Porras said.

 

Providing bears easy access to trash, tossing food to bears or even hanging a bird feeder outside a home become hazards not necessarily because of the content, but because bears are opportunistic feeders with great memories.

 

“Bears do not hunt people; they’re natural instinct is to avoid us, but if they become comfortable it can be a danger to humans,” Porras said.

 

Bears may not actively hunt people, but because they are wild animals they can act unpredictably, Porras said, especially when cornered, startled or feeling threatened. A bear that becomes reliant on human-provided food is more likely to be involved in an incident with people, and it is Parks and Wildlife policy to put down a bear after only one incident of aggression against humans.

 

“We encourage people to discourage bears to become comfortable around them, but it is a wonderful wildlife viewing experience,” Porras said. It basically comes down to three simple rules, “don’t feed, don’t approach and don’t harass bears.”

 

And those rules go for all wildlife species, Porras said.

 

The public is encouraged to report bear sightings to a local Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer. Acts of aggression should be reported immediately.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.

Summit County’s highest peak gets mountain face-lift

#Breckenridge, Colorado.

A trails project on Quandary Peak will have volunteers rising early to scale the mountainside, performing “old-world” trail techniques above the treeline on one of Colorado’s most popular hiking destinations.

 

“One of the big attractions of this project is it gives people not only from Summit County but all over Colorado the chance to work on these iconic peaks,” said Coby Gierke, field programs manager for the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.

 

The shear numbers of hikers who scale the peak makes it more vulnerable to damage.

 

“It’s one of the busiest Fourteener trails in the state and a lot of the damage that occurs there is related to the traffic,” Gierke said.

 

The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative works to protect and preserve the natural integrity of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks through active stewardship and public education. They are teaming up with the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District to make a mark on Quandary Peak on Saturday, July 20.

 

Trail project organizers said volunteers will help protect native plants found at Quandary — a unique High Alpine ecosystem sensitive to disturbances.

 

The trails at the peak formed by hikers, coined “social trails,” hurt the environment.

 

“They weren’t designed with sustainability in mind, they were created by people trying to get from point A to point B,” said Teddy Wilkinson, Friends of the Dillon Ranger District project coordinator.

The nonprofits have been working to reroute trails at Quandary Peak to more rocky areas with less native plants.

 

“We can direct the user impact to places that are more durable and harder to damage over time,” Gierke said.

 

The Fourteeners project manager said the organization designs their projects to be accessible to anyone.

 

“We try to provide a variety of work options for folks on these projects,” he said.

 

Tasks will vary from heavy-duty work for people who want to be exhausted at the end of the day, to helping collect seeds and transplant native plants along the trail.

“We can find work for every one,” Gierke said.

 

Wilkinson took part in the Quandary event as a volunteer last year. He describes the project as one of the more “physically intense” projects the Friends group embarks on throughout the season. But, he said, anyone who can hike up the trail should be fit to contribute to the project.

 

Volunteers will use traditional dry stone masonry techniques to build staircases, retaining walls and other structures to help maintain the integrity of the main ascent trail.

 

The “old-world” type of construction uses similar techniques to those found in Roman and Old English architecture. Volunteers will use the same principles that keep ancient structures standing today, Gierke said.

 

No mortar, concrete or adhesive is used to bind stones together. Instead, volunteers will use weight of the stones to pin them together.

 

“The construction techniques we use are built to a standard where they will last 50 to 100 years,” Gierke said.

 

The atmosphere at the project is described as serious but fun.

 

“We set a culture that we are serious about what we are doing and we want to make a difference,” Gierke said.

 

Project organizers said they want volunteers to have a good time while being aware of the inherent risks of trail work in high elevations. Some areas will be unstable and steep, and volunteers will be transporting heavy, bulky materials, Gierke said.

 

“These people are here because they have passion to improve and preserve these special places,” he said. “We want them to be careful and safe up there.”

 

It’s important for people to get involved to protect the unique high-alpine environment on Quandary Peak, FDRD’s Wilkinson said.

 

“We want to instill a feeling of stewardship for public lands for all of our volunteers,” he said.

The nonprofit representatives said at the end of the day volunteers should feel empowered they made a lasting impact on the sustainability of one of Colorado’s most popular hiking destinations.

 

“We all love these trails and really value having assets like the Fourteeners trails in our community — but these trails don’t build these themselves,” Gierke said.

 

“I want volunteers to feel like they’ve made a lasting contribution,” he said. “The work they do is going to be there for a long time and make the trails better.”

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Orchestra on the radio

#Breckenridge, Colorado.

The Breckenridge-based National Repertory Orchestra is partnering with Krystal 93 Radio to present a live broadcast of one of its most popular concerts, “Topilow Pops.” Tune in Friday at 7:30 p.m. to hear the pops program, featuring maestro Carl Topilow and soprano Margo Watson.

 

This is the first time that the National Repertory Orchestra has presented a live broadcast of a concert.

“The pops program is always a sellout, so the radio broadcast is a great way to share it with people,” said Douglas Adams, CEO of the National Repertory Orchestra.

 

Krystal 93 is the radio station of the Rockies, serving Summit County on 93.9 FM, Eagle County on 93.1 FM and Clear Creek County on 92.3 FM. It also streams online to listeners around the world at www.krystal93.com.

 

“We are very excited about this new partnership with the National Repertory Orchestra and are looking forward to giving more people the opportunity to experience an NRO performance by broadcasting the show live,” said John O’Connor, general manager of Krystal 93. “This is truly local programming at its best.”

 

Each year, the National Repertory Orchestra’s “Topilow Pops” concert is one of the audience’s favorite concerts; children and adults alike will enjoy music from Broadway musicals, The Beatles and recent Disney films such as “Enchanted.”

 

“Carl Topilow has crafted a program which moves from classical pops (Pachelbel’s ‘Canon,’ considered to be one of the most beautiful pieces of music in the history of mankind) to music from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’” Adams said.

 

For more information about the National Repertory Orchestra, visit www.nromusic.com

or call (970) 453-5825.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.

Breckenridge Ski Resort's Peak 6 expansion project commences

#Breckenridge, Colorado

Breckenridge Ski Resort's biggest expansion in the last decade is officially underway.

Construction started to create 543 acres of new terrain in the Peak 6 area of Breckenridge Ski Resort, Vail Resorts announced Wednesday.

The Peak 6 expansion project will stretch the amount of skiable terrain at the resort by almost a quarter. The project will include 400 acres of lift-served terrain and 143 acres of hike-to terrain. The resort also plans to add a high-speed, six-person chairlift and a fixed-grip chairlift to access the Peak 6 area.

Peak 6, located within the resort's special use permit boundary, is the first ski terrain expansion on U.S. Forest Service land in Colorado since 2008 and the first at Breck since the Peak 7 expansion in 2002.

The 543-acre terrain addition is slated to open for skiing and riding for the 2013-2014 ski season.
“This is one of the most notable ski area enhancements in the past decade,” said Rob Katz, chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts, in a press release. “The new expanded terrain will feature high-alpine, intermediate bowl skiing — a rare find among our eight world-class resorts and in North America. This is an exciting season on the horizon for Breck and our company.”

The resort currently features four peaks, encompassing 2,358 acres. Within the skiable area, there are five terrain parks, two halfpipes and eight bowls. The resort also boasts the highest chairlift in North America.

The process for approval for the Peak 6 expansion project began with a scoping in 2007.
The U.S. Forest Service approved the project in August 2012 in the form of a Record of Decision, after completing a Final Environmental Impact Statement. The decision was appealed, but after further review the Forest Service decided to uphold its approval.

The appeal was filed in October 2012, raising issues that the project violated NEPA, violated the Forest Plan direction on scenery, and did not adequately evaluate the loss of backcountry skiing or the location where backcountry access gates might be located.

The Forest Service said an appeal-deciding officer reviewed the concerns and affirmed the White River National Forest supervisor’s decision to approve the project.

The project has also raised concerns about degradation to lynx habitat.

Vail Resorts and environmental nonprofit Rocky Mountain Wild compromised over concerns the expansion project would damage the local Canada lynx population in late May.

The Denver-based organization decided not to move forward with litigation when Vail Resorts agreed to increase its contribution to the National Forest Fund, which was established to address lynx habitat improvements in Summit County. The company agreed to pay $425,000 toward lynx conservation in Summit, representing $125,000 on top of its original pledge.

“There’s always going to be some conflict between nonprofit and private industry,” Matt Sandler, staff attorney at Rocky Mountain Wild, said in an interview on May 31. “This demonstrates a situation where we could find some common ground and put our time and resources toward a beneficial cause.”

Vail Resorts representatives said they will announce the projected opening day for the Peak 6 lifts and terrain during the early winter season as construction comes to a conclusion.

“We are excited to be underway with the construction of this important project, and will work with the USFS to keep the public updated on additional information in regard to public safety as the project moves along, especially as it relates to recreational access in the area,” said Pat Campbell, SVP and COO of Breckenridge Ski Resort, in a press release.

As part of the construction process, the USFS has issued an official Forest Supervisor Closure for the Peak 6 construction area closing all roads and trails within the area for the duration of construction. The closure applies to pedestrians, wheeled motor vehicles and all other forms of motorized and non-motorized travel. For more information on the closure, contact the Dillon Ranger District at 970-262-3484.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Doing good deeds, pulling bad weeds

#Frisco, Colorado

Marie Roberts, 84, and Stewart Coffin, 83, took time out of their weeklong summer vacation to dig in the dirt and do a good deed.

 

The former Summit County resident invited her friend Coffin, who’s from Massachusetts, for a getaway in the High Country.

 

So far, the highlight for Roberts has been reuniting with friends and checking on the flower garden she helped to plant at the Summit County Community and Senior Center. Bicycling at Copper Mountain Resort has been a major highlight for Coffin.

 

Their vacation plans also included taking part in the “Pulling for Colorado” noxious weed removal event.

 

“I told Stewart that one of the things we would be doing when we came here was to do the big weed pull,” Roberts said. “It makes you feel good, and you know you are able to contribute.”

 

Coffin said he’s been gardening since he was 8 years old, so he’s no stranger to working outside.

“Whenever I see a weed I have an inkling to pull it, so it comes naturally,” he said. “It gets in your blood after a while.”

 

About 50 volunteers contributed to the event on the Frisco peninsula on Saturday. It was a joint effort involving the Summit County weed control department, the Forest Service and the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District. The Friends of Breckenridge Trails group also hosted an event to help eradicate noxious weeds at the Cucumber Gulch preserve.

 

Stephen Elzinga, a range technician for the east zone of the White River National Forest, was on site pulling weeds at the Dickey Trailhead event.

 

“I’m pitching in to help out and show that the Forest Service appreciates everyone coming out,” he said.

 

Event organizers and volunteers scoured the trailhead and surrounding areas for noxious weeds.

“It’s good to see their enthusiasm,” Elzinga said. “Some good work was accomplished. I’ll be doing the followup weed control in this area, and they just made my job a lot easier.”

 

Friends of the Dillon Ranger District volunteer Sue McHenry said she’s been part of every local Pulling for Colorado event. She said over the years more agencies and volunteers have gotten involved, and they’ve been able to make a big difference in stopping the spread of invasive plants.

The mix of volunteers at the weed pull included senior citizens and children, longtime locals and part-time residents, from weed-removal experts to novices.

 

McHenry said volunteers teamed up to help educate one another. People who weren’t familiar with local weeds weren’t afraid to ask questions and learn from the veteran weed pullers.

 

“They’ve been asking, ‘What’s this?’ ‘Can I dig this?’ ‘Should I bag this up?’” McHenry said. “Years from now they are going to be the knowledgeable ones leading the volunteers.”

 

Local weed experts said looks can be deceiving when searching for noxious species. Volunteers pulled up sharp and nasty-looking weeds such as the musk and Canadian thistles. But they were also tasked with picking a prettier-looking plant.

 

“The false chamomile looks like a daisy, and a lot of people have them in their gardens because it looks ornamental,” said Ryan Cook, with the Summit County weed department.

Even though the plant looks nice, it can have devastating effects to the environment, taking out local species as it disseminates seeds.

 

“They are a noxious weed that can spread all over the county and get very invasive,” Cook said.

Volunteers made big strides toward protecting the popular recreation area from being taken over by weeds. The knowledge they take home will be equally as valuable, Cook said.

 

“The education these people take home to their family and neighbors and friends is exponentially beneficial to us beyond what we are doing out here today,” he said.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Get started with gold panning in Summit County

#Breckenridge, Colorado

There’s something appealing about sloshing a pan of dirt around in the frigid meltwater from mountain peaks, your fingers turning a painful cherry red, for the chance of finding colors in the pan — the tiny, elusive bits of flour gold that are so small you have to gather them up with an eyedropper.

“It’s gold fever — the hope of getting rich,” said Betsy Tomlinson, who co-owns Country Boy Mine in Breckenridge with her husband, Doug.

 

 “I see it with people when they find one piece.”

 

The couple purchased the historic Country Boy Mine nearly 20 years ago to open as a tourist attraction, where guests can now venture nearly 1,000 feet into the underground, hard-rock mine before trying their luck gold panning and visiting the burros and other attractions.

 

“We have an underground spring in the mine that goes by the vein structure that is constantly replenishing our stream,” Tomlinson said. “We named it Eureka Creek. People pan in the stream, and we find gold every day — not every person, but every day. It’s a lot of fun.”

The biggest piece they’ve found to date was the size of a grain of rice.

The right equipment

 

For gold pans, which can be purchased at Country Boy Mine along with other parts of the panning toolkit, Tomlinson prefers metal.

 

“They’re sturdier, and you can use them as a shovel,” she said, although “a lot of people swear by plastic because of the riffles,” which are designed to catch the gold. With the metal pans, the rust serves as a riffle, she said. On cold days, panners can work their material indoors at the blacksmith shop, and on sunny days, there are views from the stream. “The technique is easy because it’s fill, shake, splash,” she said.

 

What’s not always easy is the patience required. In any case, it’s a chance to experience Colorado history.

 

“The streams here still have a little gold in them,” said Dave Philips, jeweler at Summit Gold in Frisco, who has tales of folks using metal detectors for some good finds. “I won’t name any names, but one guy with a metal detector, five or six years ago, found three nuggets, which are very unusual up here. Between them, they weighed 2.5 ounces.”

Although he has panned for gold and owns a sluicebox himself, Philips said that “it is the hardest work you will ever do, guaranteed. You’ve got to have a good back. The bottom line in gold panning is numbers. Even if you’ve got a good spot, the more dirt you go through, the better you’ll do.”

Thrill of the hunt

 

Gold panning is about “the thrill of finding a big nugget,” said Gary Beaderstadt, of the Gold Prospectors of Colorado, host of the annual Colorado State Gold Panning Championships, which took place in Breckenridge last year and will be in Cripple Creek this year. Participants compete in speed panning, skill panning and dry panning.

 

But it’s also about the camaraderie, Beaderstadt said. The group hosts outings on its four claims along the Arkansas River and six claims in Fairplay, where members pan for gold, learn about equipment such as the Desert Fox — a machine that separates gold from the black sands for you — and help one another out.

 

“We all realize that we are not going to get rich — but you never know when you are going to find a big nugget,” Beaderstadt said.

 

For an exhibit about mining techniques that includes gold panning, check out the free, self-guided Frisco Historic Park and Museum at Second and Main streets in downtown Frisco. Both Breckenridge Ski Resort and Keystone Resort offer faux “gemstone” panning for tots, along with other summer activities.

 

The Breckenridge Heritage Alliance also hosts two sites that offer mine tours and gold panning. There’s panning in the creek at Lomax Placer Mine on Peak 8 and a sluicebox panning experience at the Washington Gold and Silver Mine in Illinois Gulch.

 

“It’s not easy,” said Cindy Hintgen, operations manager for the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance. “That’s why there are very few millionaires.”

 

But it still makes for a fun day in the sun, and she reminds families not to forget the sunscreen.

“Practice” is the key to success, according to Stephen Medlin, a bearded and grizzled prospector who leads tours at the Lomax Placer Mine. Medlin has hunted gold around the world since the 1970s. But as for his Summit County finds, he remained tight-lipped.

 

“Why give away the keys to the bank?” he asked.

 

“Even though we didn’t find any gold, we found other cool stuff,” said Tessarae Harris, of Kansas, who panned for gold in the Lomax Placer Mine stream with her brother Malachi on July 6. “This is the most mud I’ve ever played in.”

 

“For the price, this is a really good time,” said her grandmother, Danita Jones. “What do kids like to do better than to play in the mud and the water?”

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.

Free live music runs Friday and Saturday in Dillon

#Dillon, Colorado

 

The town of Dillon is hosting free concerts at the amphitheater and free live music at the Dillon Farmers’ Markets throughout the summer, and this weekend is no exception.

 

Victor Andrada will start things off at the Dillon Farmers’ Market on Friday. Browse wares from local and regional vendors and artists while tuning your ears to Andrada’s mix of easy-listening acoustic folk, jazz, blues, country and Latin.

 

Too Slim and The Taildraggers

 

The town of Dillon will welcome critically acclaimed Too Slim and the Taildraggers to the Dillon Amphitheatre on Friday as part of the Friday Night Concert Series. Too Slim and the Taildraggers is an American blues-rock band formed in 1986 and hailing from Spokane, Wash. The band currently consists of Tim “Too Slim” Langford (lead vocals, guitar), Polly O’Keary (bass, vocals) and Tommy Cook (drums).

 

Too Slim and the Taildraggers are a hit around the world with their impressive delivery of blues and rock music. If you’re into Stevie Ray Vaughn, then you’ll dig the sounds of this Pacific Northwest favorite.

Moses Jones

 

Colorado’s own Moses Jones will play at the Dillon Amphitheatre on Saturday as part of the Sunset at the Summit concert series. The Moses Jones band is a 12-piece dance band with a high-energy, talented stage show. The band features a full four-piece horn section, five-piece rhythm section and three vocalists, who provide a wide range of musical entertainment delivered as only the Moses Jones band can.

 

Following the performance will be a fireworks memorial to celebrate the life of Connie Gruber, presented by her husband, Jerry.

 

Dillon Amphitheatre concerts feature food and beverage concessions and are free to the public. Outside alcohol and pets are not allowed.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Volunteers to gather in Breckenridge to realign the Sidedoor Trail

#Breckenridge, Colorado

Those who have hiked around the network of trails in Golden Horseshoe near Breckenridge will likely know the Sidedoor Trail. From French Gulch and the town of Breckenridge, the trail winds up to connect with the Prospect Hill summit, affording sweeping views of the town and surrounding areas.

 

Recently, the trail has come under scrutiny for its upper portion, which covers a very steep section of ground.

 

“There’s a portion near the end of it that’s unsustainable,” said Chris Kulick, Open Space and Trails planner for the town of Breckenridge. “It’s very steep, not a very enjoyable experience.”

 

Despite its difficulties, the trail remains fairly well traveled for multiple-use recreation, from hikers and dog walkers to bikers and horse riders in the summer, and cross-country skiers and snowshoers in the winter. Its popularity comes from its direct access to Golden Horseshoe and its network of trails.

It is for this reason that Sidedoor was chosen for this year’s collaboration between the town of Breckenridge’s Open Space and Trails and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), taking place at the end of the month. Each year, the two organizations get together for a volunteer project that benefits Summit County’s environment in some way. Previous years have seen campground restoration, tree plantings and, in 2005, restoration of the lower portion of the Sidedoor Trail.

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado

 

Since 1984, VOC has spread its mission of outdoor stewardship throughout the state. To do this, it relies on volunteers of all ages and walks of life to provide manpower to its various projects, like the one in Summit County this month. While the organization has a staff of 12, its ranks swell to the thousands when counting volunteers.

 

“It really doesn’t matter who you are, or whether you know anything about the environment at all — you can still help,” said said Ann Baker Easley, executive director of VOC. “Whether you’re a kid or a mom or a dad or a single person, young or old, VOC can find a spot for you, no matter what.”

Easley has held her position with the VOC since 2007. Before that she spent more than 10 years at the Colorado Youth Corps Association, which she helped found. It was the VOC mission that caught her interest, she said.

 

“For me, the idea of doing (outdoor stewardship) with people just giving freely of their time through volunteerism was a really compelling idea, a compelling mission,” she explained. “Colorado’s resources are such that we really need people to be engaged in that. So it was an incredibly exciting opportunity to (join) and build on all of the connections and efforts I had been doing years before that with the state.”

 

In recent years, the organization has focused increasingly on how to get the state’s youth involved with its stewardship and volunteer projects. Easley estimates that at least one third of VOC volunteers in 2012 were under the age of 18.

 

“We’ve really adapted our work effort so that a family can come out and a family can spend just part of the day coming out, so we’ve seen a much greater increase in families coming together and volunteering for a day or part of a day,” she said.

 

By making the volunteer projects more accessible and more numerous, the organization has been able to increase its impact statewide.

 

In another effort to involve Colorado’s youth, VOC is hosting its first Youth Stewardship Summit in early August. The summit, which takes place in Black Hawk, is a four-day camping trip to educate high school-age teens about stewardship, outdoor recreation, environmental education and leadership training. Participants will take part in fly-fishing, ghost town tours, hiking, habitat restoration, invasive species removal, trail maintenance and historic preservation during the day and listen to campfire speakers on topics of wilderness leadership, environmental ethics and astronomy in the evening.

 

Those wishing to participate can transport themselves or take advantage of buses provided by the VOC at its various partnership offices throughout the state. Those closest to Summit County are the Eagle/Vail and Salida/Leadville offices. Applications for the summit are due by July 12.

While people often associate VOC with trail maintenance, many don’t realize that the VOC offers much more than that, Easley said. “We have a lot more diverse opportunities.”

 

Choosing to volunteer not only helps the environment, but benefits the volunteers themselves as well.

“People can go back, years and years later and see exactly what they did, whether that’s a trail that they built or a wetlands that they restored or a tree that they’ve planted in an urban park,” Easley said. “There’s something really tangible about that.”

Sidedoor and Summit

 

The Sidedoor Trail realignment project will draw volunteers not only from Summit County, but from across the state as well. Ellie Jordan, VOC project manager for the Sidedoor project, said that between 65 and 95 volunteers will be traveling to Breckenridge for the weekend of the project and camping out overnight by the ice rink. Plans are in place for some free music on Saturday and breakfast will be served both mornings.

 

“It’s just a lot of fun and you get to meet people from all around the state who are like minded and interested in getting outdoors,” Jordan said. “We all use the trails in Colorado and it’s (only) a day. We provide the logistics and the tools and you don’t have to do anything but show up and help break a little trail.”

 

While many VOC projects are open to all ages, the physical exertion necessary for hiking to the site and breaking the new trail is likely too much for anyone under 13 years of age, Kulick suggested. “It’s definitely fairly physical.”

 

But beyond the physical capability, all else anyone needs is simply the will to volunteer.

“That’s one of the great things about it. Someone that’s wanted to volunteer but doesn’t know anything about trail building will learn a lot over the course of the weekend,” he added.

 

Those interested in volunteering can sign up on the VOC website, although the group will certainly welcome walk-ins throughout the weekend. The feeling is one of ‘the more the merrier.’ The goal is to get between 125 and 150 volunteers to get the project done in just two days.

“Having that critical mass of people really just helps it happen,” Kulick said.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Breckenridge’s old CMC building begins next chapter

#Breckenridge, Colorado

In 1942, George Enyeart began classes as a first-grader at a large, stately brick building on Harris Street in Breckenridge, the county’s first K-12 schoolhouse. He would graduate from the same building in 1954, one member of a class of only 16 seniors.

Nearly 60 years later, Enyeart was among several dozen locals, elected officials and historians who gathered on the front lawn of the old schoolhouse Saturday to watch Breckenridge Mayor John Warner and County Commissioner Thomas Davidson swing sledge hammers to mark the start of a renovation project on the historic building and the next chapter in its now more than 100-year life.
Crews are breaking ground today on a $7.4 million restoration of the aging structure, which will be redesigned to house a community center, movie theater and the south branch of the library.
It is the largest redevelopment project in Summit County’s history.

“Just over 100 years ago, our forefathers built this building, a dedication to public education,” Davidson told the group who gathered for the project kick off ceremony Saturday morning. “We’re lucky we have the opportunity to give this building a rebirth for the next 100 years. (It was) built in the last century, but it’s really going to be a 21st century facility.”

The interior of the building will be almost completely redone, with the exception of certain historic aspects of the structure, such as the original gymnasium floor, which will be preserved. In the basement, the Speakeasy, Breckenridge’s only movie theater, will be remodeled and updated facility to allow the cinema to continue to operate with digital projection. There will also be a kitchen facility on the bottom level of the building, as well as community meeting space.

The upper levels will house the new library — which will feature a children’s room, quiet reading space and a coffee shop — as well as an area showcasing local historic artifacts.

The town of Breckenridge is partnering with the county government, the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance, the Summit County library board and private partners and donors to cover the bill for the renovation. A fundraising committee has so far come up with close to $700,000 to help pay for the project.

“It was built in 1909, and it was a community venture. Miners, shopkeepers and business owners got together and created this school, this multi-purpose building,” Warner said Saturday. “I think we’re doing that again here in 2013.”

A schoolhouse teaches history

By the end of the 19th century, the growing student population in the south end of Summit County was overwhelming the tiny one-room log-house school that had been built in 1871. A new building was constructed at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Harris Street in 1882, but the town soon outgrew its four classrooms as well.

In 1908, 57 voters agreed to allow the town to use a $20,000 bond to construct a much larger schoolhouse that could accommodate the county’s needs. Only two people voted against the measure. Work began on the building in the fall of the same year, and members of the community were invited inside for the first time in February of 1909, according to a history compiled by the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.

Students from all over Summit attended the new school, because it was the only one in the area that offered high school classes and the opportunity to earn a diploma. Some students came from distant mining towns like Montezuma, which at the time were a full-day’s trip away, and boarded in Breckenridge.

The school welcomed 13 high schoolers and 139 elementary students, who were taught by a total of six teachers that first year.

In 1921, as growing attendance again began to put pressure on the building, voters approved a $35,000 bond to construct an addition which housed a swimming pool, auditorium and the gym. It was the first school in Colorado to have a swimming pool, Enyeart said. There was a diving board, but he said in his day that wasn’t enough of a plunge for some of the boys, who would climb up and jump from the rafters.

Enyeart’s older sister was a teacher at the school during the years he attended, and they both also lived with his parents.

“I never got away with anything,” he said, laughing.

He, along with every other boy in school, went out for the basketball team, the only sport offered at the time. In the 1950s, the principal was also the coach and he welcomed them all.

“He said, ‘You guys just come on out and we’ll make room,’” Enyeart remembered. “So we had little guys, big guys, and we belonged to a league where we were the only C-class school. We played Kremmling and Walden.”

Generations of Summit County students continued to be educated on Harris Street until 1961, when cracks were discovered in the foundation, the building was condemned and the children moved to a new facility in Frisco.

The building sat empty for several years, until it was acquired by Breckenridge in the mid-1960s and became the town hall. The then-all volunteer fire department also relocated there around the same time. The police department, town clerk’s office and the town marshall all took up residence in the structure, as did the local library and drivers’ licensing bureau, according to the BHA’s history.

In 1977, Colorado Mountain College purchased the building for $300,000 and remodeled the interior. The project revealed several hidden gems, including a pressed-metal ceiling and arched windows with original glass and hand-carved woodwork. The gym was divided into classrooms, the basement became a movie theater and eventually students returned to the old schoolhouse.

The building continued to serve as the CMC Breckenridge campus until 2010, when the college relocated to its current facility on the north side of town.

Buried treasure

Breckenridge officials again purchased the building in 2010, calling it a community treasure that needed to be preserved.

But it was an aging treasure, buried under needed improvements that were anticipated to cost millions of dollars. In the meantime, town leaders were unsure what to do with the building.

“There was a lot of thought that went into what was going to happen with this building,” said former Breckenridge Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron, who spoke at Saturday’s ceremony. “There was thought banded about maybe a town hall, there was thought banded about condominimumizing it early on, we thought maybe local housing. But I don’t think there’s a better use for this building than a library.”
Last year, the county government was preparing to construct a new library building off Airport Road to replace the current facility, which officials say is no longer large enough to meet the community’s needs.

They approached the town to ask for financial support with the project and received an unexpected response.

Members of the town council at the time were willing to help build a library, but they didn’t want a new building. They wanted to recover an old one and place the library there. Town officials saw it as an opportunity to restore the old schoolhouse on Harris Street, make it a hub for the community and to split the cost of the project with the county government, which was already prepared to invest a few million dollars in a new facility.

There were some in Breckenridge who opposed the project due to the steep cost, but the county approved the plan.

The project is slated for completion by the fall of 2014.

Structurally, the building has weathered the years well, and is eligible for inclusion in the state and national historic registers, according to documents from the BHA.

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Summit County to hold open house on hazard mitigation plan

#Breckenridge, Colorado

As officials prepare to update a 2008 Summit County hazard mitigation plan, they are asking for public input on the document at a public open house to be held from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday in the Buffalo Mountain Room in the County Commons building in Frisco.

 

Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about the plan, review the results of a countywide risk assessment and offer feedback on concerns and priorities for reducing the risk of natural disasters in the county.

 

The plan addresses the threat of disasters including wildfires, flooding, severe winter storms, drought and avalanches; it sets goals for reducing the impact of such events on community members and their property, according to a statement issued by the Summit County government.

 

Officials say the destruction caused by many natural events can be reduced or eliminated through preparation and planning, which have become primary goals of FEMA’s.

 

Local entities participating in the development of the plan include the towns of Dillon, Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne and Blue River, several special districts, Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue and the Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District and the Denver Water board.

 

Feedback gained during the open house will be included in the plan where appropriate. The final document will be made available for public review and comment, the release stated. It will be submitted to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management for approval, then to the leading bodies of each of the local agencies involved for adoption.

 

For more information on the project, contact county emergency manager Joel Cochran at (970) 423-8911 or at jcochran@co.summit.co.us.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Stand-up paddleboarding, the next big thing on Dillon?

#Frisco, Colorado

It started as a way for Hawaiian surfers to take photos of tourists trying to surf. They would use canoe paddles to power their longboards farther out into the ocean to get good shots. Now stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) has become an everyman sport.

 

In other parts of the country the sport has exploded in the last few years. From flatwater to whitewater, paddleboards are increasingly becoming a staple of watersports. In some parts of Oregon, if there’s flatwater, there is probably someone stand-up paddleboarding on it. It’s become part of a morning workout routine for some avid SUP’ers. There’s even paddleboard yoga.

 

Here in Summit County, the sport appears to be on the rise. Area retailers say the easing of restrictions on Dillon Reservoir could lead to the sport growing quickly here. Until this year, paddleboarders were required to wear wetsuits or dry gear if they were going out on the reservoir. It was an ill-informed safety measure that a group of locals successfully petitioned to change.

 

The argument was that the average paddleboarder will spend about as much time actually in the water as a kayaker or any other boater, since a paddleboard is almost as stable. The necessity of a wetsuit to protect against cold water temperatures was unjustified. On top of that, standing on a paddleboard, in the sun, while wearing a wetsuit, could actually make a paddler more prone to overheating.

With the lifting of the restrictions, things are beginning to change.

 

“People are kicking the tires,” said Matti Wade, owner of Ten Mile Creek Kayak in Frisco, after answering some questions from a curious Breckenridge couple.

 

“We saw it in Hawaii,” the woman said, “and we were thinking about giving it a try.”

 

Wade fields questions daily from people who stop in his shop and are interested in the sport. Around here, the word is getting out, but slowly.

 

“I don’t know if many people know that we do them,” said Jen Shimp, office manager at the Frisco Bay Marina, of paddleboard rentals. The marina began renting paddleboards earlier this year.

Quick learning curve

 

One of the reasons they think it will catch on is the quick learning curve.

“It transcends age and ability,” said Wade. “They (beginners) get it pretty quick.”

Shimp tells people who come in to rent a board to start on their knees, rock back and forth, then gradually work their way to a standing position. “It’s all about balance.”

Shimp said it takes the average person about 15 minutes to get a feel for it. “By the time they get back in, their having a blast!”

When to go

For Dillon Reservoir, it’s best to get out early in the morning or late in the afternoon, because the wind typically picks up around 10 a.m.

 

Before the wind picks up, the reservoir is often completely flat. Early in the morning there’s also less boat traffic. Rowers, kayakers and paddleboarders often witness a variety of wildlife in the morning hours. It’s not uncommon to see an osprey carrying a fish back to a nest. Shimp called it “picturesque paddling.”

 

Evenings, when the wind dies down, are also a good time to have a pristine paddling experience.

Hard or Soft?

 

The next question for any prospective paddler is whether to go for a hardshell or inflatable paddleboard. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

 

Inflatables offer portability and a lower price point. They’re also good for anyone looking to use them in a river, since they’ll stand up to contact with rocks and flex in rapids. But what you gain in practicality you lose in performance on flatwater.

 

“Once you go hard-boarding you never go back,” Wade said to a customer.

 

A hard board will track much better in flatwater, meaning you glide on top of the water instead of pushing through it. The result is a more efficient paddle stroke, and it’s easier to cover more distance. The difference is bit like that between a whitewater kayak and a touring kayak.

 

While there are sturdy inflatables out there, Wade cautions, “Be leary of cheap inflatables online. If the price is too good to be true, there’s usually a reason for it.”

 

He’s seen a number of people come into his shop asking to have leaks repaired on cheaper boards. That said, a well-made inflatable will stand up to a lot of abuse. They require a good air pump to get them rigid enough to perform well.

Where to rent

 

The Frisco Bay Marina now rents hardshell paddleboards. Kodi Rafting, a retail shop in Frisco, rents inflatables. Ten Mile Creek Kayak offers demos of both hardshells and inflatables. Rates vary between $35 and $75 depending on style of board and length of time. Ten Mile Creek also offers lessons, and Kodi Rafting has guided tours on the Colorado River that start with some flatwater instruction.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Breckenridge Distillery rolls out new products, expands facility on Airport Road

#Breckenridge, Colorado

Jordan Via is a mad scientist, concocting new recipes with his beakers and potions at the Breckenridge Distillery. Some are meticulously groomed, and some happen by happy accident, but all showcase his talents as a still monkey and master blender.

 

Not content to rest on his laurels after creating the award-winning Breckenridge Bourbon and Vodka, Via has dreamed up some new products, some of which will be on the market very soon. Between cranking out new spirits, keeping pace with the demand for its bourbon and breaking ground on a new barrelhouse, the Breckenridge Distillery is a bustling hub of activity. Here’s a look at some of the new items brewing on Airport Road.

Bitters

 

Rather than developing dashing bitters, Via went the route of an Italian-style amaro, a bittersweet liqueur like a Campari.

 

“It was about a year of formulating,” he said. “I have always been interested in the category; I love drinking amaros myself. One nice summer up here gone by and I said, ‘I’m going to have to make one for next summer.’”

 

The liqueur is 16 percent sugar and 72 proof, which is significantly less alcohol than dashing bitters, Via said. It’s made with 16 different herbs and botanicals and fruit to finish and requires a three-stage maceration and three weeks to produce a batch from the base alcohol.

 

One of the bittering herbs that provides aroma and flavor is genepi, which grows wild in the Tenmile Range and thrives above 8,500 feet. The herb is in the same family as wormwood, but without the thujone that causes hallucinations.

 

“There are two types of genepi; only one smells like chamomile, and the other smells like dish soap,” Via said.

 

The two species look identical, so finding the fragrant twin is a process of rubbing the flowers between his palms and taking a whiff. The artistry and detail of the bitters don’t stop with the spirit itself. The bottle and label have stories of their own.

 

“The bottle — there was a competition over in Italy at a university by Bruni Packaging, and this was one of the art student’s winning entry,” Via said. “So they produced it and no one was using it.”

Via found the bottle by reading an article about the contest and immediately wanted it to showcase his product.

 

“I love that bottle,” he said. “It looks like an anaphore, an old wine bottle from ancient Rome. Our graphic designer hand drew that label. We went back and forth between two different designs that he made on the computer, and we didn’t really like either of them, so he hand drew this one. It’s an art project.”

 

A 750-mililiter bottle of the bitters sells for $29 at the distillery. Via said it’s a great summer drink with a little bit of ginger soda and a slice of fresh orange, or drop a shot of it into a nice, hoppy beer like an IPA for a more complex flavor.

Single malt

 

The production of single-malt whiskey isn’t limited to Scotland. For the past two and a half years, give or take, Via has been aging his own version of the liquor.

 

“It’s still resting,” he said. “It’s delicious, but we’re not releasing it yet. I’m going to give it at least four years, perhaps six. Single malt is all about patience; there’s a reason why the Scots don’t release it for eight years. It’s going to be fantastic.”

 

Because of the popularity of Breckenridge Bourbon, the distillery can’t do many batches of the single malt on the still.

 

“We’ve laid down about 60 barrels so far, and we weren’t really able to make any last year,” Via said. “We’ll roll it out in small, numbered batches once a year just to hold on to it. People want it, but you have to be kind of stingy with it to give them the best.”

Peach-bourbon liqueur

 

The Breckenridge peach-bourbon liqueur was a serendipitous creation brought on by an excess of peach juice.

 

“We made a peach brandy using four tons of fresh peaches from last year’s harvest in Palisade,” Via said. “The peaches were de-stoned by hand and pressed in a basket press. We filled a tank because we wanted to make a peach brandy and age it for a few years.”

 

The distillery was also making a pear brandy, and the pears arrived riper than the peaches.

 

“So we put the peaches in the greenhouse and they were so fat and ripe that they had so much juice — we didn’t know what to do with the juice,” Via said. “So I pulled down some 2-year-old bourbon barrels, and I emptied them halfway and ran the peach juice off the press into the bourbon barrels.

“We let it age for about six months before we checked it, and when we opened it up and tasted it, it was just awesome. It has a perfect balance of sweetness; it’s 50 proof. There’s nothing else in it but fresh peach juice and Breck Bourbon. It’s sweet but not cloying.”

 

Only two barrels of the peach-bourbon liqueur were made, and it will be released on Aug. 1 in 375-mililiter bottles. The stuff was so good, Via said they are going to shoot for six or eight barrels with the next peach harvest.

 

“It’s one of the happiest accidents I’ve encountered,” he said.

Brandy

 

Brandy also takes some time and patience, which is why the Breck peach brandy is still “resting away,” Via said. The pear brandy, on the other hand, is an un-aged, clear, white variety that also will be released in 375-mililiter bottles on Aug. 1.

 

“It’s made from a whole bunch of fresh Palisade pears,” Via said. “Its real charm is in its youthful, bright pear notes. We pressed the pears off in the basket press and then retained the fleshy material, and after the first distillation of the spirit, we put that product back onto the skins and macerated them for 48 hours so they would pick up that bright, waxy note of the pear skins — that brought in a whole other pear note.”

 

Only about 400 bottles of the pear brandy will be released.

 

“I really didn’t make much of that,” Via said. “It’s a test batch, so we didn’t want to over do it. We’ll release it right before harvest, so people can come and get it and then see what we’re doing back there with the next batch.”

Breaking new ground

 

All of those new products need a place to hang out until their time arrives. The distillery recently added larger fermentation tanks and will break ground on its new barrelhouse next week. The current storage capacity is about 320 barrels, and the new building will hold upwards of 3,700 barrels.

“We’re going to be racing to get it done before the summer’s out,” Via said. “We were planning on breaking ground in June, so we’re a little bit behind. We’re just getting started; we just moved the electrical and are getting started on digging it out and laying the foundation next week. It’s going to be beautiful, and it’ll be done by September or October.”

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Town of Breckenridge to shoot holiday fireworks

#Breckenridge, Colorado.

The town of Breckenridge will host at 9:30 p.m. Thursday its annual Fourth of July fireworks show.

The fireworks will be set off from the center of town and can be visible from all over Breckenridge, capping a day of live entertainment and free activities.

 

The Fourth of July kicks off a four-day, weekend-long celebration of America’s birthday. For complete details on all events and activities taking place this Thursday through Sunday, visit www.facebook.com/Breckenridge.

 

In addition to the festivities, Breckenridge Hospitality is offering 20 percent off lodging for reservations of three nights or more. Summer lodging deals may be viewed and booked online at www.Breckenridge.com.

 

Full details on all events taking place in Breck this summer, including new programs for kids, jeep tours and more, as well as Fun Park tickets may also be purchased online by visiting www.Breckenridge.com.

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News

Suburban farmers wanted in Summit

#Breckenridge, Colorado

If High Country Conservation Center’s Jen Santry has her way, a chicken could be coming to a backyard near you.

 

The nonprofit’s community programs director has been working with local governments and educating the public about the benefits of keeping chickens — along with goats and bees — in an “urban farm” environment.

 

“We’ve had a great turnout for a lot of our workshops and public forums,” Santry said. “The support is definitely there.”

 

Whether it’s gardens, goats, chickens or bees, people are finding ways to be more self-sufficient, to feed themselves and their families, Santry said. Farming doesn’t just have to take place in the middle of nowhere, she said. It’s taking place in cities around the country, and it can happen in Summit County, too.

 

Lance Miller signed up for the HC3-sponsored backyard chicken basics course held at Colorado Mountain College on Thursday last week.

 

“My wife and I have an overall enthusiasm for the sustainable living concept,” he said. “We really want to go in that direction.”

 

Miller wanted to learn more about the care involved with owning chickens to see if they were a good fit for him and his family.

 

“There is a definite intimidation when you are trying to do something that is unknown and enter uncharted territory,” he said.

 

But, Miller said, the backyard chicken course eased his concerns.

 

“You realize they are living animals and require a lot of care,” he said. “But if you set up your systems properly, it sounds very manageable.”

 

Sherie Sobke, who owns Alpine Gardens, has been raising chickens at her farm, in a zone where it’s allowed. She joined Santry at the backyard chicken course to share what she’s learned over the years about raising her chickens. Topics Sobke covered ranged from tips on feeding and housing chickens to hen anatomy and behavior.

 

Sobke has had some adventures and misadventures over the past few years, but said it has all been worth it.

 

“I love the connection to the earth I have with chickens and gardening,” she said. “You really feel like a farmer.”

 

Despite what most people assume, hens are almost always silent, the backyard chicken advocates said. They are prey species and find it safer to stay quiet. Roosters are the noisy ones, Santry said, and are generally not considered appropriate for urban farming.

 

Another myth about chickens is that they “smell bad and are filthy.” Santry said. When chickens have adequate space to roam and proper bedding. their manure does not build up or cause odor issues, she said. Chicken manure can be easily removed and composted with straw or dead leaves, she added.

The highlight of the course for many backyard chicken students was at the close of the class, when they got to meet one of Sobke’s feathered friends.

 

Participants took turns holding the chicken and got to witness chicken behavior firsthand.

 

“For her to bring in a chicken and see how social and easy it is to handle eliminates that intimidation,” Miller said after the class.

 

Santry said she’s been working with the county planning commission and the Board of County Commissioners to allow urban farming. Local towns will also have to amend their policies before urban farming will be permitted within town limits, she said.

 

If and when local governments allow urban farming, Santry said, she and HC3 will be an educational resource for community members looking to make good decisions and investments.

Although in some ways it will be a “learn as you go” experience, Santry said she’s confident that bringing urban farming methods to Summit County will be a good thing for the community.

 

“It’s going to be an experiment and experience,” she said. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.”

 

Courtesy of the Summit Daily News