By Shannon Lukens.
It is a holiday week, between Christmas and New Years Day on Sunday. It is always a busy time, especially in Steamboat Springs and at the ski area. One place that has been busy is Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden.
“It’s going well. And we’re busy. Lots of folks coming and going.”
That’s Airport Director Kevin Booth.
He says he thinks the busiest week will be next week, for the first week of January. Many travelers will be headed here for a ski vacation. Booth says numbers are showing that the busiest day of the year at the airport will be January 7, when folks are headed home.
“Yeah, I think people traveling after the holidays, or departing after the holidays, going home, It’s much more challenging when we have a lot of people leaving. People coming in process pretty quickly. They get their bags and they go. But when they’re coming in and waiting in the secure area, it becomes more congested.”
Booth recommends that you get to the airport two hours before your flight. And if it is an especially busy day for them, which is a Saturday, Sunday, or a Wednesday, get to the airport 2 and a half hours prior to your flight.
Check the weather conditions before you travel. The forecast calls for a chance of snow every day through Saturday, Jan. 7.
Also check avalanche conditions if you’re going in the backcountry. A snowboarder triggered an avalanche on Berthoud Pass last week, and was caught and killed. An Avalanche Watch is in effect through Thursday morning for the Park Range and Flat Tops Area. This includes the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests, north around Steamboat Springs and up to the Wyoming border.
The next DUI enforcement period is the New Year’s Eve weekend from Dec. 29 – Jan. 3. During enforcement periods, drivers may see sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and additional law enforcement on duty dedicated to impaired driving enforcement.
One thing happening for New Year’s Eve is at the base of the Steamboat Ski Area. The New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Light Up Snow Cat Parade starts at 5:30 p.m. Stop by to watch the fireworks and all of the fun Saturday night.
Local high school sports teams are enjoying a break during the holiday season. The next game for the Steamboat Sailors Basketball team is January 6. The Sailors have a motto this year. It’s a phrase that they are using to focus and play well out on the court. Daniel Partlow is a senior, and a student coach for the Sailors. He explains the phrase “Lock in.”
“’Lock in’ means we go into the locker room and we huddle up. After we huddle and break, we leave the room and tap the top of the door. Once we’re ‘locked in,’ we’re paying attention and we’re focused. We’re doing what the coach says. We’re following his instructions and so on.”
The Sailors have a home game Jan. 6 against Rifle.
Check out upcoming events in the Yampa Valley on the Community Calendar on our website.
For the KRAI Time, Temp, and Weather Hotline, call 970-824-1918.