The Combover
Well, that was certainly a dud of a ski season. A true stinker. Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz called it “the most difficult weather environment in the Rockies we have ever seen.” And things were similar here. Instead of skiing Champagne powder, we were drinking it — and not to toast our runs or après, but in our mimosas instead of hitting the mountain.
I went out kayaking toward the end of March at a whopping 600 cfs on the 5th Street gauge, which, believe it or not, was the river’s peak this year. A paltry 600, in March no less. In like a lamb, out like a lamb. Looking up to Mt. Werner, I saw that the two brown spots on the Storm Peak face had already met, the wives’ tale marking the year’s highest flow. Sure, they disappeared briefly over the spring, getting what my hairstylist friend Jackie calls a combover: dustings of snow that covered the bald spot below. One came in early April, and another on tax day. But like any such smokescreen, they weren’t enough to really do the job and didn’t hide the fact that what lay beneath wasn’t all that appealing. Like perfecting those lone strand placements, they still left something to be desired, which in our case this year is snowpack. They were also subject to the season’s above-average wind, just like any other cover-up coiffure. Sure enough, invariably the bald spots would reappear, reminding us of how paltry the season was.
But what do we really have to complain about? While the mountain might not have had a full head of hair this season, at least we’re still all living in Steamboat, whose community far outweighs any seasonal challenges. And that’s what we try to celebrate each and every issue — the community that makes this place so special. Which brings up something else you may or may not have noticed about this issue (like any combovers your friends might try to pass off). We gave it somewhat of a makeover ourselves, changing the cover tagline from “Your Complete Guide to Weed, Bites, and Wine in the Yampa Valley,” which we loved for its reference to Little Feat’s “Willin’” song, to “Celebrating the Vibe of the Yampa Valley.” Because that’s what we’re really trying to do: commemorate the reason we all love living here, from the community to our food and libations and the great, hair-blowing outdoors.
You’ll also notice a handy-dandy bar code at the bottom of this missive (okay, okay, it’s actually a QR code; we used “bar” to get your attention). It leads straight to a survey we’re running to learn more about you, our illustrious reader, combovers or no. Scan it, fill out the form, and you’ll be registered to win a variety of prizes from our sponsor partners.
They say a Super Niño is on the way, replacing this year’s fickle La Niña. No matter what hairstyle he or she might be wearing as this next season rolls around — poofy pompadour to knotted chignon, or yes, even another attempt at a late spring combover — we’ll be here ready and waiting. After all, even on a bad hair day, it’s not a bad place to be hunkered down.
– Eugene Buchanan
