2022 Photo Contest Winners

Kevin Kopischke (shot by Jerry Hillard)

At the top of Storm Peak, Kevin handed his phone to Jerry to snap this shot mid-day with the resort closed. Normally, Kevin is more of an early bird – he loves riding before or during sunrise most of the year. The local trails have all become quite popular, so dawn is his choice time of day for a bit of solitude – “more moose than people”, as he says. He also enjoys a good fall ride, with the colors changing – “Buff Pass this year was truly amazing, even compared to many other years,” he says. “I super enjoy sharing the experience with my family. I really miss the trails on the ski area, but I’m hoping that with patience we’ll be shredding them again eventually and they’ll be better than ever.” Thanks for the photo, Kevin!

Kirsten Wilson (riders: Khristin Degli, Betsy Wood and Natasha Allison)

Kirsten Wilson captured this sunset shot (on an “old ass iPhone”, no less) of her weekly girls night ride in October 2022 dropping into NPR-4 during “one of those prime fall evenings in the ‘Boat”, as she says. It was followed up by parking lot drinks for a “cheers to one helluva fall!” Kirsten mentions how biking has connected her to many wonderful people in the local community, and she has met some of her closest friends through events like the Town Challenge. She loves the quantity and variety of trails that Steamboat offers so close to town. Kirsten fell in love with Steamboat riding XC trails, but has enjoyed branching out into some more “techy options”, such as those offered on Buff Pass, over the past few years. Thanks for the beautiful shot, Kirsten!

Anthony Tucciarone (rider: Keegan Millen)

When Jump Doctors came to do a bit of rebuilding work at the Bear River Bike Park last spring, Anthony and his friends were super stoked about the improvements to the jump lines – they were getting lots of air time around then. One evening Anthony noticed the golden alpenglow hitting snow-covered Steamboat Resort, and knew it would make a great shot. He picked up his Nikon Z6 and told his buddy Keegan to “do something cool and I’ll get a picture”. As soon as he reviewed the image on the back of his camera, he knew it was one of his favorite riding shots he’d ever taken. Anthony is a seasoned local who can be found riding all types of trails, but his favorite is Grouse into Spring Roll – “I love the mix of technical riding on Grouse, with flowy jumps on Spring Roll.” Thanks for the incredible photo, Anthony!

Mara Rhodes

1 month after Chris Rhodes passed, Mara rode up Flash of Gold with three of their mutual friends to set up a memorial at his favorite view. The teepee spot was a favorite of theirs – for lunch on a big day, peace on a short ride, and even a nap in the midday sunshine. It is Mara’s memory that Chris built the teepee years ago and maintained it (like many others have) throughout the years. “It has served as a special place where we could look over the valley, reflect on its gifts, our years, our lives, and so much love,” says Mara.

On the day photographed, on top of one another’s shoulders, Mara and her friends hung a picture of Chris along with a tattered Soda Mountain hat using a couple of Chris’ ski straps. They strung 4 prayer flag strands from aspen to aspen. “As he would have requested,” says Mara, “we gave Chris only the best sunset view in all of Routt County, and we watched it with him on that perfect night. We howled all the way down, guided by headlamps and laughter. We will visit him again when spring returns, with his children this time… for snacks, prayers, and sunsets. He hopes to see you too.”