Olympic Heritage
WHEN WINTER ATHLETES GATHERED IN PYEONGCHANG IN 2018, IT WAS CALLED THE WINTER GAMES. WHEN OLYMPIANS GATHER IN STEAMBOAT, IT’S SIMPLY CALLED FRIDAY.
Steamboat, known around the globe as Ski Town, U.S.A.®, has produced more winter Olympians, a record 98 and counting, than any other town in North America. In fact, Steamboat sent more athletes (15) to the 2018 Games than many small countries. This statement has grown out of a more than 80-year Olympic tradition unmatched in the world. Imagine a town where one out of every 136 individuals is an Olympian! In Steamboat, you’re just as likely to share the gondola with an Olympian as you are to be in the checkout line at the local market next to one or enjoying one of the free concerts with an Olympian.
the history of howelsen hill
Steamboat’s skiing heritage began back in the early 1900s, when high-flying Norwegian Carl Howelsen showed locals that skis could be used for fun as well as work at the local ski hill in downtown Steamboat Springs. Today, that local hill, Howelsen Hill, is the oldest ski area in continuous use in Colorado and has the largest and most complete natural ski jumping complex in North America. It's where the likes of six-time Olympian and World Champion Todd Lodwick, the most successful U.S. Nordic combined skier, first snapped on his skis at age 7. It's the training ground of World Champion and four-time Olympian Johnny Spillane, who made history by becoming the first American to win a medal in Nordic combined at the Winter Games and World Championships. It's where Steamboat’s first family of skiing, the Werners, first learned the craft every afternoon after school. And it's the home of the first freestyle camps, The Great Western Freestyle Center, which produced many of the nation’s first freestyle athletes.
total olympians
and counting
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Olympians in 2018 rich-text
Olympic medals rich-text
countries represented
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- Steamboat’s Olympic tradition started in 1932 with John Steele.
- The U.S. Nordic combined team (Bill Demong, Johnny Spillane, Todd Lodwick and Brett Camerota) ended an unprecedented 2010 run at the Olympics in Vancouver with a silver medal in the team event. Even more impressive, a member of the U.S. team medaled in every event entered.
- The U.S. Olympic freestyle mogul team made final preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Steamboat Springs in January 2014. This was the fourth time the team has held its pre-Olympic camp on the slopes of Steamboat.
- Steamboat Olympian Jim “Moose” Barrows’ spectacular Alpine downhill crash was the featured agony of defeat on ABC’s Wide World of Sports for many years.
- Three Steamboat Olympians — Buddy Werner, Skeeter Werner Walker and Billy Kidd — have been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
- Ski Town, U.S.A.® has hosted the 2010 U.S. Olympic Trials in freestyle and Nordic combined, the 2006 U.S. Olympic Trials in freestyle and the 2002 Gold Cup in Nordic combined.
events & activities
Learn from an Olympian rich-text
Ski with an Olympian - for groups rich-text
Ski the slopes with an Olympian rich-text
Olympian Interviews
steamboat olympians
A full list of the Olympians who came out of SteamboatBobby Aldighieri
Jim “Moose” Barrows
Deb Armstrong
Anne Battelle Ayad
Martin Bayer
Manuela Berchtold
Ben Berend
Scott Berry
Philippe Berube
Belle Brockhoff
Jan Bucher
Caroline Calve
Brett Camerota
Eric Camerota
Van Card
Nelson Carmichael
Callan Chythlook-Sifsof
Nick Cleaver
Annelsie Corberger
Gary Crawford
Marvin Crawford
Jeff Davis
Matt Dayton
Bill Demong
Patrick Deneen
Maria Despas St. Pierre
Mick Dierdorff
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Shannon Dunn-Downing
Tarsha Ebbern
Jere Elliot
Jon Elliot
Nita Englund
Kris Erichsen
Ted Farwell
Kris Fedderson
Chad Fleischer
Bryan Fletcher
Taylor Fletcher
Kylie Gill
Arielle Gold
Taylor Gold
Jasper Good
Michelle Gorgone
Sacha Gros
Matt Grosjean
Ryan Heckman
Jarle Halsnes
Corky Heid
Ray Heid
Jed Hinkley
Jarryd Hughes
Dave Jarrett
Tyler Jewell
Clint Jones
Hank Kashiwa
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Billy Kidd
Ellie Koyander
Ally Kunkel
Caroline Lalive
Ester Ledecká
Andy LeRoy
Jana Lindsey
Todd Lodwick
Kerry Lynch
RosieMancari
Travis Mayer
Ron McMorris
Adam McLeish
Chris McNeil
Rick Mewborn
Jack Miller
Mike Morse
Aaron Muss
Eliza Outtrim
Chris Pucket
Crosby Perry-Smith
Maria Quintana
Ivana Radlova
Justin Reiter
Thedo Remmelink
Katy Rudolph-Wyatt
Ansten Samuelstuen
Tommy Schwall
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Erin Simmons Nemec
Jason Smith
Johnny Spillane
Ryan St. Onge
John Steele
Richard Stithem
Tim Tetreault
Craig Thrasher
Jorge Torella
Mike Trapp
Linas Vaitkus
Carl Van Loan
Randy Weber
Keith Wegeman
Paul Wegeman
Buddy Werner
Loris Werner
Skeeter Werner
Sue White
Vic Wild
Todd Wilson
Gordy Wren
Kimiko Zakreski
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