Steamboat is a fun ski town with a Wild West flavour which comes from the town's ranching heritage. It is the home of champagne powder and Steamboat prides itself on being a real town rather than a manufactured ski resort.

The skiing is diverse with lovely rolling groomers through the trees on the front side of the mountain and some steeper runs in the bowls on the back of the mountain. It makes an excellent destination to learn to ski and snowboard - there is a special area just for beginners, and once you have mastered the basics, the rest of the mountain is easily accessible by chairlifts and the gondola.

There is a choice of accommodation at the base of the ski area and in the town of Steamboat which is a few miles away - the two are linked by a free shuttle bus. Steamboat town is the livelier of the two locations and has affordable hotel type accommodation, whereas the self-catering condo accommodation and higher-end hotels tend to be around the base of the ski area. One Steamboat Place was added at the base of the mountain in Dec 2009, a very attractive new addition housing new retail outlets, a restaurant and ski school ticket office.

If at the end of the ski day you are still raring to go there are plenty of other activities on offer including snowmobiling, dog sledding, riding, and skating - more relaxing is a trip to the natural hot springs. Also, new for 2009 was the Ghost Ranch Saloon, a gorgeous new pub and music venue downtown.