Steamboat Square - Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA

Steamboat got its name by mistake. French trappers heard a chugging sound by the river and thought a steamboat was coming, in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. It turned out to be a bubbling hot spring. It kept chugging until 1908, when the railroad was built right over it and silenced it for good.

At Christmas, Santa rides down the slopes into Steamboat Square, at the base of the resort, with two local legends as his escort. On New Year’s Eve, snowcats covered in lights parade down the mountain before fireworks go off over the resort. The rest of the winter, après-ski happens around the cowboy cauldron.

Right next to the square is the bottom of Wild Blue, the longest and fastest 10-person gondola in North America. It runs 3.16 miles to the top of Sunshine Peak in 13 minutes. Steamboat even trademarked the name of its snow: Champagne Powder.

Did You Know? Steamboat has sent more athletes to the Winter Olympics than any other town in North America. That’s why it calls itself Ski Town USA, and it trademarked that name too.

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