Steamboat's mountain boutique hotel is an accessible-friendly one

Last weekend we had the utmost pleasure to stay at the Inn at Steamboat, and back in the early spring we paid the property a visit to make sure the unit would be accessible for us.

A recently renovated boutique hotel tucked in the residential neighborhoods of the Steamboat mountain area, the Inn at Steamboat has new owners and a new face. Numerous upgrades proved beneficial to wheelchair users; spacious rooms with wider doors, this split-level 34-room lodge is much improved since Andy first toured it as a travel agent in 2002.

When we toured in the spring we asked owner Todd to make very few changes for those needing wheelchair access - remove the bathroom door (replace with temporary curtain if needed), get a shower chair with a back, and put in 1"per1' rise ramps to the front two doors, and that's about it! We were pleased to see that they took the initiative to make every effort to provide the best experience for Craig upon our arrival on Saturday.

Ramp images

Bathroom images

The rest of the property is very accessible - despite the split level. The driveway encompasses the building, so while check-in is at the upper level, one would simply park there and roll-in to check in, then drive back down to the ground floor to stay in one of the two "deluxe rooms with valley view" that are accessible and  nearest to the entry, ice, pool and the breakfast hall. Another added bonus for people with disabilities who need to keep medications cool, each room offers a small fridge.

In addition to the accessible efforts, the new owners have also won some awards of excellence and made green improvements (which as always, pleases us both!) including the 2013 Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor and the 2013 Green Leaders award from the same for using eco-friendly products and offsetting their carbon footprint with solar panels on the very steep south facing entry roof.

In addition, the rooms are gorgeous, the beds are plush, and the breakfast is hearty. What more can you ask?  When booking you next trip to Steamboat, fellow wheelies, think about this quaint little gem off the beaten path!

If you can't beat em', cycle beside 'em

On August 26^th forty of the top Paracycling riders will descend on Steamboat Springs, CO to participate in one of the premier Paracycling races.  The race will be a fast 4.07 mile time-trial. Racers will compete in front of thousands of bicycle enthusiasts just prior to the finish of the USA Pro Challenge. These athletes come from all over the US, but they all have one thing in common…sheer determination.  These athletes, many wounded veterans, make it a practice to focus on their “abilities” rather than their “disabilities” and they don’t leave anything on the course. This is a must see event for the whole family.

Race begins at 1:30 on 6^th street at the US Pro riders finish bay..... But that's not all:

Following that is the STARS Biking the Boat Charity Ride on Saturday August 27th....

Join STARS to participate in your own biking experience after experiencing the US Pro Tour Steamboat Stage Race. Choose the 26 mile ride (click HERE for map) through the scenic back roads of Routt County or participate in our 5 mile All Abilities ride (click HERE for map)to raise money for people with disabilities. Participants will ride alongside 40 of the top handcyclists and Paralympians in the country. Monies raised will stay in Routt County to benefit ‘STARS’ Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports. Sign up to ride and challenge your friends to sponsor you or to ride with you! Start time: Long Ride 11:45, Short ride 12:00 Registration: All Ability ride - $25.00 per person Challenge Ride - $50.00 per person Riders raising $500 or more receive a jersey and a ticket to the USA Pro Challenge Steamboat VIP tent at the finish of the race on August 26th. Great prizes for top fundraisers! Registration includes a t-shirt, goody bag, after ride party with food and drink. Volunteers and limited adaptive equipment will be available for riders needing extra assistance. Registration now open.

Construction in Steamboat means better access downtown

Since mid-April Steamboat Springs' downtown section of CO Hwy 40 has been under construction in a $4.5million project to repave the 10-block stretch with a more durable surface - concrete. Due to a wetter spring than average, the project started slow and made for a tough spring, but now that summer has hit the vacation resort town with thousands of tourists, the construction traffic, which at times can be backed up for over an hour to go three miles, has made most locals frustrated at best.

But where most see a nuisance to their daily routine, Steamboat visitors and locals who use mobility devices will (eventually) appreciate the new downtown in ways most won't even notice.

Scott Construction is not just repaving the five lanes with concrete, on many blocks they have ripped up 100 feet of connecting side streets as well to improve the crosswalks with a red concrete cross walk and wider, smoother curb-cut transitions.

In mountain towns like Steamboat, the curbs take the brunt of the winter plows and have needed an overhaul for many years. Many curbs were crumbled and on some blocks they were nearly too small for a wheelchair or non existent at all. Several streets didn't have striped cross walks, although tourists and locals alike disregarded this and crossed against fast, oncoming traffic; nor did these streets have stop lights.

The improvements have also included several new traffic lights (such as at 11th), some with turn-lane signals to help keep traffic from backing up behind cars turning left across traffic. But many new crosswalks and crossing signals have been added to help smooth the downtown foot traffic as well.

All these new additions mean better accessibility for wheelchairs, strollers, and slow walkers through downtown, and will prove to freshen up the look of the downtown as well.

Although Scott Construction was under contract to finish the job by June 30th, the uncooperative spring weather has made sure that Steamboat will be seeing more of this crew's equipment in the fall months as well, much to Steamboat's chagrin.

DAYS 3-4: More Sun and a Little Powder

Day 3 is always the hardest to fit some writing in, between skiing one last day on the mountain, finishing touches for our final banquet and cat-planning for the Powdercats Trip, Wednesday always zooms by, and then Thursday we spent in the backcountry with Steamboat Powdercats.

But we had another rare January Bluebird day on Wednesday and then a gorgeous day up on Buffalo Pass. Thursday we had 3 cats full of happy campers and volunteers; unfortunately we can't fit everyone from the camp on the trip, so we also had about 10-15 campers on the hill that day for one final lesson with Adaptive Adventures.





Thanks to everyone who helps to sponsor this amazing event- and those who've helped promote it. The Steamboat Pilot has been an amazing supporter this year, printing several articles on the camp both in the paper and online, including a cover/feature article today. A huge thanks to Joel at the Pilot for all of those, he's among the best sports reporters they've had in the last decade, and we're very thankful he's given us some amazing press.

Adaptive Camp Opens Doors for Wounded Warriors
5th Annual All Mountain Ski Camp
Open Town to Disabilities

Facebook Photo Album

Huge Thanks to all our sponsors!

Steamboat Powdercats, Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation, Boeing, Sharpshooter Photography, Wounded Warrior Project, NRC Broadcasting, Resort Quest, Resort Group, Steamboat Grand, Sheraton Steamboat Resort, Boyd & Barbara Bass, Christopher and Mary Ellen Jehn, Smartwool, Hampton Inn & Suites, Ptarmigan Inn, Holiday Inn of Steamboat, Jan Levy, Sportstalker, Colorado Event Rentals, Native Excavating, Custom Color, TIC, Wells Fargo, B & K Distributing, Shively Construction, Millennium Bank, Mountain Valley Bank, ML Enterprises, Steve Green Company, Home on the Range, Dax Mattox State Farm, Alpine Taxi, Little Moon Essentials, US Foodservice, Back Country Provisions, Central Park Liquor, City Market, Steamboat Snowmobile Tours, VFW, Freshies, The Egg & I, Creekside Caf, Brooklyn’s Pizzeria, Blue Sage Pizza, Mazzola’s Majestic Italian, Dominos, Beau Jo’s, Cugino’s, The Sanctuary Camp

And a special thanks to all our volunteers and crock pot chefs!