Ever since the TV was moved from the entrance vestibule, there is a big void at Colorado Ski Country USA, to say the least. Not just a physical void in that the giant screen which took up a lot of space is now gone, but there is an emotional void too.
Every time someone came by the office and looked into the window at the screen, it was as if they were looking
out the window of a gondola. Like children pressing their faces up to the glass and peering into a candy store at the taffy being pulled, passers by in downtown Denver would stop and watch, mesmerized by the beautiful wintery Colorado Rocky Mountain scenes shot in Telluride from the heli, stunned by the feats filmed at the Winter X Games in Aspen/Snowmass, curious about the scenes from Woodward at Copper training camp, amazed by the slow motion tree skiing shot in Steamboat, and blown away by the tricks and maneuvers of the park riders at Echo Mountain.
But the ski footage that played on the screen was more than just fast paced glamour powder shots. It was a view into the heart of Colorado Ski Country. It showed a little slice of everything that is Colorado skiing and is happening just over those mountains seen in the distance. People would stand on the street in Denver, look into the window at the scenes on the TV, and then look west as if trying to see the action on the slopes themselves.
Just as enticing as the ski footage, the TV showed what is one of the core foundations of Colorado Ski Country, the cherished Colorado Ski Country snow report. Updated twice daily by the resorts themselves, the snow report on the screen unveiled the powder stashes at Loveland, the endless base depth at Silverton, the non-stop freshies at Wolf Creek and the mounds of snow covered moguls at Winter Park. The snow report on the TV showed the weather that mattered. The numbers don’t lie but sometimes they made people wonder if they were reporting in feet or inches. Colorado’s always been known for consistent snowfall and places like Monarch, Crested Butte, Durango Mountain Resort and Arapahoe Basin put it all up there on the snow report for everyone to see.
Then there’s the evolution of the culture of skiing and snowboarding and its entanglement with the world of video production. But that’s a whole other story. For now, we’re just enjoying all the Colorado sunshine that comes in the window.
