Two Sides of Steamboat

This winter, two of the biggest residential projects to hit this small mountain resort will be coming to fruition.

Dana Butler

By the time you read this, both One Steamboat Place and Edgemont in Steamboat Springs will be well on their way to being finished and furnished; both have planned openings in January.

However, on a clear but windy day last spring, I arrived at the slopeside Edgemont construction site and yanked a pair of extra large yellow rubber boots over my Cole Haans. I donned an orange safety vest, a pair of glasses that could never be mistaken for Gucci, and topped my ensemble with a hard hat inexplicably shaped like a cowboy hat. All this for a down and dirty — very dirty — tour of what will soon be one of the top lifestyle options in town.

On the day of my visit, they were about a week away from pouring concrete on the eighth and final floor — and yes, we climbed ladders to the top to get a glimpse of the view. Even with only the steel framing to guide us, it was easy to see the residences tend toward the spacious. A couple of early buyers even snatched up adjoining units and then worked with Denver’s Oz Architecture to create even larger quarters.

The building’s exterior, nothing but a mockup hung on the wall 10 months ago, will be covered with stone to blend with the scenery — as much as an eight-story, 41-residence building can. Edgemont is whole ownership, and will feature a variety of community amenities such as a family game room, a mud room for easy access to the slopes (some homes are ski-in/ski-out), and “yards” with a pool, hot tub, and fire pit. Spending time with your neighbors is easy and comfortable, and this is also a perfect spot to cook a gourmet meal and enjoy a glass of wine with your family and friends.

I spent the rest of the week being entertained by the folks from One Steamboat Place. They put me up in their five-bedroom Victorian guesthouse (you’ve likely spied its duotone walls from the lift), where I was treated to breakfast every morning, and a glass of wine before bed.

As with Edgemont, the building itself was in the middle stages of construction although a model home was open for me to tour. The interiors reference the town’s ranching history — and present — with deep red touches, brushed iron accents, knotty alder wood doors, and Spanish hickory flooring.

One Steamboat Place is part of the Timbers Collection, which includes properties in such far-flung locales as Napa Valley, St. Thomas, and Northern Italy. Its 80 residences are located at the gondola in the heart of Mountain Village, close to the action. They are broken down into 38 whole ownership residences — of which only two were still available at press time — and 42 homes designated as one-eighth and one-twelfth interests that come with all the reciprocal membership pluses that you would expect from any fractional vacation deal.

But the real selling point is the town and the ski area itself. The town retains its authentic Western charm, and the Mountain Village is undergoing what some would call much-needed change. Some may mourn the loss of Ski Time Square — although the stalwart Tugboat Grill & Pub remains.

At this point, I have to admit to something of an embarrassing bias. Having lived and skied in another famed Colorado resort town for a number of years, I developed an affinity for the slopes I know. But — I’ll just say it — I never really “got” the appeal of powder skiing. Snow would begin falling sometime around midnight, and by early morning, the coffee shop would be abuzz with word of the dawning powder day. But in my experience, it was thick and heavy, and did little more than bog down my skis. But one day in Steamboat changed me forever.

Legend has it a rancher coined the term “Champagne Powder” sometime in the ’50s, and someone along the way had the good sense to trademark it on behalf of the town. It’s a descriptor that gets tossed around pretty loosely after a big snowfall anywhere, but you have not experienced it until you’ve been flying down Sunset or Longhorn on Steamboat Mountain the day after an epic snowfall with hip-deep fresh snow practically parting in front of you, fanning up into your face, and kissing your lips like the bubbles in a glass of Dom. I’m a convert.