2022 Winter Carnival — Dates and Details

February 3, 2022 Shannon Lukens

109th Winter Carnival 2022

February 9-13, 2022

A $10 Winter Carnival button or a $15 buff are required to participate. Buffs are at businesses around town. Buttons are at Howelsen Hill, FM Light & Sons, and Lyons Corner Drug store. Your commemorative button/buff will give you free skiing access to Howelsen Hill Feb. 9-13. You must obtain a physical lift ticket at the Howelsen Hill ticket office. steamboatsprings.net/ski

REGISTRATION LINK FOR STREET EVENTS at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 4

Wednesday, February 9

5:30 p.m. Opening Ceremonies in Olympian Hall at Howelsen Hill. This is a celebration honoring the Winter Carnival Queen, her Court of Attendants, Little Princesses, and the Grand Marshals.
5-8 p.m. is Nordic Excavating Hitchens Brothers Wednesday Night Jump night. This is for kids ages 8-13. Skis only; no snowboards. Register at SSWSC.org

Thursday, Feb. 10

2-6 p.m. Air Bag Jam Session at Howelsen Hill. Closed to the public but you can watch the athletes and take pictures.
4 p.m. Snow Sculpture Judging on LIncoln Ave. Vote on your favorite snow sculptures @Steamboat Creates on Facebook and Instagram. Voting closes Sunday night.
5 p.m. Cross Country Obstacle Race at Howelsen Hill for ages 5-12.
5:30-8:30 p.m. S’More Family Fun Party presented by Off the Beaten Path and Book trails, in the tent at Howelsen Hill. Get tickets in advance through WinterCarnivalSteamboat.com.
5-6 p.m. Powdertools Mid-Winter Terrain Park Jam Session for ages 14 and under at Howelsen Hill. Open to skiers and snowboarders. Pre-registration is required.
5-6:30 p.m. Family Duals at Howelsen Hill.
5:30-7 p.m. Ski Jumping Jamboree for ages 4-11 at Howelsen Hill.

Friday, February 11, 2022

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CHRISTY SPORTS SODA POP SLALOM for ages 11 and under at Howelsen Hill. Pre-registration is required.
4-6 p.m. Nordic Jumping Exhibition off the 20-meter, 30-meter, 45-meter, 75-meter, and 100-meter jumps at Howelsen Hill.
6-7 p.m. Amateur Ski Jumping under the lights. Register in the Fireplace room at Howelsen Hill Lodge.
6-8 p.m. Johnsie Memorial Dual Slalom Bicycle Race. Register between 5-5:30 p.m. in the Fireplace Room at Howelsen Hill Lodge. More info is at Wheels Bike Shop.
7-11 p.m. Tito’s Mountain Soiree for ages 21+ in the tent at Vanatta Field at Howelsen. Celebrate 109th Winter Carnival with an 80s themed dance party, with food, drive, and live music by the 6 Million Dollar Band. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Saturday, February 12, 2022

8 a.m. 100-meter Nordic Sprint down Lincoln Ave. Check in at 7:30 a.m. at 7th Street
9 am. To noon are the Street Events, presented by Yampa Valley Bank. Watch kids on skis and snowboards being pulled by horses down snow-covered Lincoln Ave.
1 p.m. Pro Alpine Ski Jumping Qualifications at Howelsen Hill.
6:45-7:15 p.m. SSWSC Athlete Exhibition at Howelsen Hill
7:30 p.m. Night Extravaganza at Howelsen Hill. Presented by Yampa Valley Bank. The light display with local athletes. The Lighted Man skis down shooting fireworks from his pyrotechnic suit. Ski Jumpers and FIREWORKS. Wear your Winter Carnival button.
Emerald Mountain – February 12, 2022

All trails that access Emerald Mountain including Blackmer Trail will be closed for public safety from 4-9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, as crews set up and launch fireworks for the Night Extravaganza. Please respect all closures and understand that additional trail closures may be required prior to Feb 12.

Howelsen Hill Traffic and Parking – Night Extravaganza, February 12

Howelsen Hill base area parking typically fills to capacity early for the Night Extravaganza and overflow parking will be available at the rodeo grounds as space permits. ADA parking is limited at the Howelsen Lodge and some ADA spaces will be set up at the tennis courts. Parking is not permitted along Howelsen Parkway or River Road and illegally parked vehicles will be towed.

Once the Howelsen parking lots are full, Howelsen Parkway will be CLOSED to incoming traffic except for ADA access and emergency vehicles. At that time, traffic may be diverted into the Rodeo Arena featuring a drop-off area as well as additional parking. Vehicles will exit the rodeo grounds via the Ice Complex. All traffic crossing the 5^th Street Bridge toward Howelsen Hill will be required to take River Road instead of returning to downtown.

After the fireworks, all vehicles departing Howelsen Hill will be directed down River Road to where it intersects with Mt. Werner Road. The 5^th Street Bridge will have intermittent closures and Howelsen Parkway will be closed westbound between the Ice Complex and the 5^th Street Bridge. There will be no left turns permitted out of the Howelsen Ice Complex parking lot. Motorists are asked to follow traffic directions and signals, yield to city buses and refrain from blocking intersections.

Due to the high volume of spectators, please be patient, alert and follow police directions. Designated routes, which may not be your preferred way home, will be used to aid in maintaining traffic flow and egress from the venue during this popular event. It is the city’s goal to get everyone on their way quickly and safely. It’s recommended that you bring a headlamp, flashlight and glow sticks to be visible by motorists.

Additional parking is available throughout the downtown area, at the Steamboat Springs High School and the Stockbridge Transit Center. Please respect residential access and do not block driveways. It is highly recommended that people walk, take the free SST bus or utilize drop off/pick up locations at the west end of Yampa and Oak Streets to access the venue.

Sunday, February 13, 2022

10 a.m.- 4 p.m. SUNDAY FREE SKI DAY AT HOWELSEN HILL — Provided by the City of Steamboat Springs at Howelsen Hill Ski Area, 845 Howelsen Parkway
9 am. to noon are the Street Events, presented by Yampa Valley Bank. Watch kids on skis and snowboards being pulled by horses down snow-covered Lincoln Ave.

11:30 a.m. is the Diamond Hitch Parade. A diamond hitch consists of at least four skiers pulled by a rope. Have fun and don’t miss this. Steamboat Radio’s Shannon Lukens will be announcing the parade.

Road Closures on Lincoln Avenue – February 9, 12 & 13, 2022

Beginning at 10 a.m. on Wed, Feb. 9, a rolling closure will occur on Lincoln Ave around the Routt County Courthouse as city crews and contractors haul and setup snow sculpture frames. The rolling closure is expected to last until about 2 p.m. City crews make the snow specifically for winter carnival including the snow blocks for the sculptures. Delays should be expected if traveling this route.

Early Saturday morning, Feb.12 at 2 a.m., city crews will close Lincoln from 5^th to 11^th Streets and move roughly 2,500 yards of snow into place for the street events. During the closure, traffic will detour along Oak Street. At the conclusion of the street events, crews will plow the snow to the parking lanes and reopen Lincoln Ave.

The Sunday morning Lincoln closure takes effect at 4 a.m. with detours again onto Oak Street. In addition, Yampa Street will be closed Sunday morning for parade staging. With the Diamond Hitch Parade taking place after the street events, these closures will remain in effect until around 2pm. At the conclusion of the parade, city crews will push snow to the side of Lincoln for removal early Monday morning when the last closure goes into place at 2 a.m.

SST Service – February 12 & 13, 2022

SST will operate additional service during the street events and Night Extravaganza on Saturday, February 12 and during the day on Sunday, February 13. Extra unscheduled buses will run during the day on Saturday as well as that night to transport people to and from the evening festivities. MASK REQUIRED TO RIDE THE FREE BUS.

While Lincoln Avenue is closed, buses will use the Oak Street detour. Temporary bus stops along Oak Street will be located at 5^th, 7^th and 9^th Streets. The Yellow Zone is available through the app. Once Lincoln reopens, buses will return to their normal routes. On both Saturday and Sunday nights, the last buses will operate:

From the Stockbridge toward the Mountain: 11:30 p.m.
From the Gondola Transit Center toward the Condominiums: 11:50 p.m.
From the Gondola Transit Center toward Downtown: 12:17 a.m.
From Downtown toward the west: 12:29 a.m. (3^rd Street)

From your smartphone, find out when the next bus is expected to arrive with the SST app available on iPhones and Androids. Download RouteShout 2.0 from the app store, so you never miss the bus. View buses in real-time via steamboatsprings.net/sst. Schedule information, bus stop locations and times can be obtained at steamboatsprings.net/transit or 970.879.3717.

Illegal Fireworks

The 109^th Winter Carnival Night Extravaganza takes place Saturday, Feb. 12, at historic Howelsen Hill, and is a pyrotechnics show unlike any other featuring the legendary Lighted Man and a professional display unmatched in the state. With a tradition like this, there’s no need to have your own personal fireworks show.

Remember, fireworks that leave the ground, explode or fragment, and similar more powerful fireworks are illegal in Colorado. Please leave the fireworks to the professionals – your neighbor will thank you and so does the City of Steamboat Springs. Please Respect Vets, Pets & Neighbors.

Pets

With loud noises and large gatherings, the shelter receives several stray animals. To help your pet get through the festivities or to be reunited quickly, the Routt County Humane Society suggests the following:

Take your pet for long walk during the morning/early afternoon. It helps them get exercise, tires them out and they take care of business. That evening, they can remain indoors where it’s calm and quite.
It’s best to leave your pet at home, especially during loud, crowded events like the parade, street events and night extravaganza show.
DO NOT leave pets in vehicles or unattended in town – that includes being tied up while you are inside a business/restaurant.
Never use fireworks around your pets
Ensure your pet is wearing an identification collar with current contact details. Many pets also get a microchip as an added step.
Report Animal Issues
- An animal complaint or animal emergency, contact Steamboat Springs Animal Control at 970.879.1144.
- For a lost or missing animal, call the Routt County Humane Society Animal Shelter at 970.879.7247 with a description of your pet, their name and your contact information.

The City of Steamboat Springs would like to thank residents and guests in advance for their cooperation during these closures and wishes everyone a safe and wonderful winter carnival celebration.