Home of the Olympians
01/05/2026 10:24AM ● By Ski Town Media Staff
Flags hang in Howelsen Hill's Olympian Hall, honoring Winter Olympic athletes with ties to Steamboat. Photo by Deborah Olsen.
Steamboat Springs is built in the shadow of Howelsen Hill, the oldest operating ski area in the United States, and is home to the city’s 100-plus Olympians.
Compared to Steamboat Resort, Howelsen Hill may be small, but it is mighty. Its steep, north-facing headwall has been credited by more than one Olympian as having prepared them to face expert terrain throughout the world. A mogul course runs down one side of the face; one of the largest natural ski jumping complexes in North America is on the other side. The complex is ringed with cross-country ski trails, and it also includes a terrain park and halfpipe.
Howelsen’s main claim to fame is that it is home to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, renowned internationally for its youth sports programming. More than 1,200 athletes train on the hill each winter. The club has served tens of thousands of young people since its inception in 1914. Its 100 Olympians have made 180 Olympic appearances representing 12 countries and have brought home 19 Olympic medals. Not surprisingly, most of the U.S. Nordic combined team hails from Steamboat. The sport combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
The hill is named in honor of Carl Howelsen, “the Flying Norseman,” a Norwegian ski jumper who is said to have introduced Steamboat to the sport in the early 1900s. He saw potential in the shadowy hillside across the river from Old Town Steamboat and oversaw the erection of the hill’s first jump in 1915. He was also integral in the development of Steamboat’s annual Winter Carnival, which is headquartered at Howelsen Hill.
Howelsen Hill is open to the public for skiing Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. (the hill is lighted), and Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Ski Free Sundays return this year; stop by the ticket office to pick up a free ski pass and hit the hill. The area is open December-March, depending on snow conditions. Skiing is serviced by one chairlift, a poma lift and magic carpet. Locals’ tip: The poma lift is steep, bumpy and has been known to lift riders of their feet. An adjacent tubing hill is open Monday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (closed daily for one hour for grooming).
For more information about Howelsen Hill, visit www.steamboatsprings.net/131/Howelsen-Hill-Ski-Area.
Steamboat Springs is built in the shadow of Howelsen Hill, the oldest operating ski area in the United States, and is home to the city’s 100-plus Olympians.
Compared to Steamboat Resort, Howelsen Hill may be small, but it is mighty. Its steep, north-facing headwall has been credited by more than one Olympian as having prepared them to face expert terrain throughout the world. A mogul course runs down one side of the face; one of the largest natural ski jumping complexes in North America is on the other side. The complex is ringed with cross-country ski trails, and it also includes a terrain park and halfpipe.
Howelsen’s main claim to fame is that it is home to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, renowned internationally for its youth sports programming. More than 1,200 athletes train on the hill each winter. The club has served tens of thousands of young people since its inception in 1914. Its 100 Olympians have made 180 Olympic appearances representing 12 countries and have brought home 19 Olympic medals. Not surprisingly, most of the U.S. Nordic combined team hails from Steamboat. The sport combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
The hill is named in honor of Carl Howelsen, “the Flying Norseman,” a Norwegian ski jumper who is said to have introduced Steamboat to the sport in the early 1900s. He saw potential in the shadowy hillside across the river from Old Town Steamboat and oversaw the erection of the hill’s first jump in 1915. He was also integral in the development of Steamboat’s annual Winter Carnival, which is headquartered at Howelsen Hill.
Howelsen Hill is open to the public for skiing Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. (the hill is lighted), and Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Ski Free Sundays return this year; stop by the ticket office to pick up a free ski pass and hit the hill. The area is open December-March, depending on snow conditions. Skiing is serviced by one chairlift, a poma lift and magic carpet. Locals’ tip: The poma lift is steep, bumpy and has been known to lift riders of their feet. An adjacent tubing hill is open Monday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (closed daily for one hour for grooming).
For more information about Howelsen Hill, visit www.steamboatsprings.net/131/Howelsen-Hill-Ski-Area.