By Shannon Lukens.
The 2024 Winter Carnival Royalty has been announced for the 111th Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival.
This year’s Grand Marshals are John and Tammy Adams and their family. John passed away in August. He was a longtime resident of the Yampa Valley. SSWSC reports, “He and his wife Tammy were committed to continuing the legacy of SSWSC. John held a seat on the SSWSC Board and was instrumental in fundraising and finding new sources of revenue for the club in its greatest time of need. Board members describe John’s undying passion for SSWSC’s legacy and purpose. Former staff members remember him as a fierce supporter of their work and a relentless advocate for the organization. John was involved with upgrading the ski jumps at Howelsen Hill, including adding plastic for summer training, building the original Barrows chairlift, envisioning and bringing to reality the construction of the Howler Alpine Slide, and initiating SSWSC’s endowment. He recognized the positive impact SSWSC had on his boys and worked for decades to secure funding to provide scholarships and opportunities for hundreds of youth in our community so they could experience SSWSC programs.
This year’s Winter Carnival Queen is Alena Rossi who is on the Cross Country Ski Team. Rossi has been skiing with SSWSC for 14 years. Alena says she enjoys the hard work and training with her teammates; many are her best friends. She also loves all of the time spent adventuring in the outdoors. Alena is also a Semifinalist in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Alena’s attendants are junior Ellie Reynolds, who is on the Big Mountain Competitive Team, and sophomore Anouk Bradley, who is on the Freestyle Moguls Team. Ellie said what she loves about SSWSC is the community and support from all the other athletes she competes and trains with every day. She also loves being surrounded by people with the same passion and goals. Anouk said she loves the positive environment when training and the experiences the sport has brought her, including traveling to compete and meeting new people. She especially loves training in the summer on water ramps and strength and conditioning to prepare for the upcoming season. Moguls has also provided Anouk with a supportive environment after returning from injury.
This year’s princesses are Azalea Johnson, Magnolia Buchholz, Berkley Oamek, Arielle Vargas, Edith (Edie) Summers, Waylon Tlamka, Caroline Carey, and Valley Van Wyk.
Winter Carnival Opening Ceremonies are at 5:30 p.m. this Wednesday in Olympian Hall. The full schedule can be found at WinterCarnivalSteamboat.com and also at
111TH STEAMBOAT SPRINGS WINTER CARNIVAL – FEB. 7-11, 2024