Steamboat Ski Town USA Winter Olympian Send-Off Celebration

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are only 10 days away! Steamboat - fondly known as Ski Town USA - has produced 69 winter Olympians and counting, more than any other town in North America, let alone the world!

It is not just one company or entity that has helped Steamboat Springs reach its status as Ski Town USA, it’s the entire community. That’s why it’s only appropriate that the entire town will host a send off for all of the Winter Olympians going to the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

The event will feature a video presentation of past and present Steamboat Olympians, big screen TV, fireworks, live music and the lighting of the town’s own 15-foot tall community Winter Games Caldron, which will burn on the lawn of the downtown Courthouse throughout the Olympics.

Join thousands, including numerous past Olympians, as the community celebrates its Olympic heritage that spans all skiing disciplines and send off Steamboat’s next generation of Winter Olympians.

Denver-area sports personality Drew Soicher will be the master of ceremonies for Steamboat’s planned Olympic bash. “Steamboat is my favorite place in Colorado,” Soicher said. “Every time I come up there, I like it even more.”

Soicher said that struck him the first time he came to Steamboat. “I thought they had to be phonies,” Soicher said. “They were so nice.” The sports anchor has returned to Steamboat about 15 times and said he found the people to be just as nice as the first time he came. “Nobody can be phony for that long,” Soicher said. “I finally realized that the people of Steamboat Springs really are that nice. It’s amazing to me, but nobody ever seems to be in a bad mood.”

Steamboat has hosted two other Olympic send-offs in recent memory.

In 2002, the event drew 5,000 people downtown before the Olympics in Salt Lake City, and in 2006 an estimated 10,000 people showed up at the rodeo grounds for a send-off for the Olympics in Turin, Italy. The event was anchored by a concert by Hootie & the Blowfish.

“The 2002 Olympic send-off was one of the proudest moments in my career,” said Andy Wirth, president of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s board of directors and senior vice president of sales and marketing for Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. He said that he was proud of how the community pulled together after 9/11 and that he was proud of the support Steamboat showed that year.

Steamboat Winter Olympics Send-Off Celebration Details 


Time: February 5, 2010 from 5pm to 7pm
Location: Steamboat Courthouse Lawn
Street: Lincoln Ave
City/Town: Steamboat

Steamboat Winter Carnival Weekend

The Winter Olympics Send-Off Celebration kicks off a weekend of events as part of the Steamboat Winter Carnival, the oldest winter carnival west of the Mississippi! Book your Steamboat lodging package with ResortQuest and save up to 45% off your vacation!

Weekend Window By ABC News, 2009