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New San Juan hut higher and harder

SILVERTON, Colo. - Most backcountry ski huts built in Colorado during the last 30 years have been geared toward skiers of intermediate ability. The new Opus Hut, located between the towns of Silverton and Ophir, aims for higher and harder.

SILVERTON, Colo. - Most backcountry ski huts built in Colorado during the last 30 years have been geared toward skiers of intermediate ability. The new Opus Hut, located between the towns of Silverton and Ophir, aims for higher and harder.

Bob Kingsley, the owner and developer, says the name Opus is an acronym for Ophir Pass Ultimate Ski. He believes he offers something that a small but ardent group of skiers wants: a hut that is readily accessible but with more challenging ski terrain. It's ideally situated, he says, for above-timberline ski tours on 4,164 metre Lookout Peak and the companion South Lookout Peak.

The hut is just 90 minutes from Highway 550, between Silverton and Ouray, or two hours from Ophir. The avalanche danger on the two routes is about equal, he says, although it looks much more severe from the Ophir side.

Kingsley began thinking about backcountry huts in the 1980s, soon after he moved to Steamboat Springs. He worked as a ski touring guide at the Home Ranch, located about 20 miles north of Steamboat. Later, he worked for a decade as a guide on the 10 th Mountain Trail, in the Aspen-Vail-Breckenridge area.

At some point, he began thinking about building his own hut. He went to courthouses around Colorado to study land records. Moving to the Telluride area, he began scouting old mining parcels. The site he chose, an old mining claim on Mineral Creek, met his every expectation.

But despite his many years in thin air, he found that building a hut at3, 586 metres - a little higher than most huts, and just a whisk below treeline - was a much more difficult proposition than he expected.

"You think you know the mountains. It's different when you're building things. It hits you in the face. You constantly have to do damage control," says Kingsley.

"There's so much you have to learn about yourself. I really learned to appreciate the endeavors of those miners, their endurance. It has changed my whole outlook, and I have spent plenty of time in mountains all over the world."

The 167- square metre hut sleeps 13 people and will be equipped with blankets and pillows, as in European huts, so visitors need only take sheets and covers. It is heated with solar thermal and electrified with photovoltaic panels.

For more particulars, see http://opushut.com/

 

Canadian parks explore renewable fuel for huts

GOLDEN, B.C. - Potential for erecting 10-metre wind turbines near backcountry huts will be tested at a temporary weather station in Yoho National Park this winter.

The Backcountry Energy Environmental Solutions wants to see whether alternative energy can replace wood burning and propane at some of the huts.

"Both of those have pros and cons, and our overall objective is to make it more ecologically sensitive by looking at alternative energy for the huts," said Brad Romaniuk, wilderness co-coordinator for Parks Canada.

The Rocky Mountain Outlook notes the mountain national parks have 17 backcountry huts.

 

Breck solar array on line?

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Such a deal: Breckenridge now has photovoltaic panels at seven locations with a collective capacity of 468 kilowatt hours, or enough to offset 10 per cent of electrical consumption by the municipal government.

Best of all, Breckenridge paid nothing upfront and will get electricity at rates significantly discounted from current costs, saving $900,000 during the next 20 years.

Breckenridge arranged the deal with a company called RSB Funds, taking advantage of now reduced rebates offered by electrical provider Xcel Energy and third party financing.

"This plan includes an innovative financing arrangement, environmental and other benefits, as well as novel structure designs for solar in our high alpine environment," said Mayor John Warner. "I am immensely proud of my community in pioneering this project."

The Summit Daily News reports that Breckenridge is likely to invest more heavily in solar. Both projects would involve solar gardens, an idea gaining momentum in Colorado and many other states. In one case, Breckenridge will buy into a 500-kilowatt solar garden planned for a three-acre parcel near the Summit County Landfill.

The municipality has also committed to be the anchor tenant in a community solar garden within Breckenridge. Community members could buy into the garden, instead of going to the trouble of installing photovoltaic panels on their own roofs. The idea is seen as ideal for condominium dwellers.

 

More yapping dogs than yowling kids

CANMORE, Alberta - This year, dogs exceed children in Canmore. City officials say that the trends have been in place firmly for at least a decade.

"The truth is, the number of young people is on a steady decline," Mayor Ron Casey told the Rocky Mountain Outlook . The number of retired, semi-retired and empty nesters are rising.

Canmore always has been a pet-friendly community. "There is no question that dogs are certainly a way of life in Canmore," the mayor said. The municipal census showed a 24 per cent increase in dogs, and a 30 per cent increase in cats during the last three years.

 

Gutter talk common in election

PARK CITY, Utah - Main Street in Park City is steep year round and, it can only be hoped, snowy during winter. Should the sidewalks, curbs and gutters also be heated?

That question was put to candidates for city council, and The Park Record says they tended to express reservations, more about sidewalks than heated gutters. Their concerns: both costs and environmental impacts. Presumably, the heat will come from burning fossil fuels, and Park City is among those that have resolved to cut its role in greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Goldie Hawn talks up brain research

ASPEN, COLO.-The actress and comedian Goldie Hawn, a part-time resident of the Aspen area, was scheduled to give a talk last week on the topic of "Mindful Learning, Resilient Students."

Her non-profit group, the Hawn Foundation, started the educational initiative called MindUp Curriculum, and she told The Aspen Times that it's catching on with schools in United States, Canada and the UK.

MindUp, she said, teaches children about the brain, gives them an understanding of stress and how to manage it, and helps them improve their focus and social skills.

"All of these things are centered around neurobiology," she said. "Everything that a child may think or do or feel has a neurological correlate. It kind of puts the child in the driver's seat; it gives them information they need to navigate."

Hawn's new book, "10 Mindful Minutes," was due out this week. It is, she said, aimed at parents.

 

Snowmass finally gets Westin brand

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo. - At last, Snowmass has a hotel brand with broad name recognition. The former Silvertree Hotel will be renamed the Westin Snowmass Resort.

David Wasserman told The Aspen Times he expects the new brand to drive improved convention business at Snowmass Village and draw more tourists. He is principal of the ownership group that bought the Silvertree, the Wildwood Lodge and the Snowmass Conference Center for $42 million.

Under the Westin flag, the hotel is expected to have a ranking of 3.5 stars.

 

Ski company speaks out for tax increases

ASPEN, Colo. - The Aspen Skiing Co. continues to become more engaged in community issues. The company, which operates four ski areas in the Aspen area, has now gone on record endorsing two tax increases, one for schools and the second for health and social services.

"From a company standpoint, it's about helping create a healthy community for our employees and our guests and everyone else in this valley," chief executive Mike Kaplan told the Aspen Daily News . "It all ties together. A healthy school system is at the center of that."

Other community leaders are also standing up for the two tax increases, including hotelier Warren Klug, chair of the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, County Commissioner Rachael Richards, and Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland.

"We are one of the wealthiest communities in the world, and I think we have a responsibility to help our neighbors," Ireland said.

The social services initiative seeks to boost funding for senior and youth programs support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, care for the terminally ill and their families, and drug and alcohol-abuse prevention and treatment.

 

Stories of changing climates

JACKSON, Wyo. - Radiocarbon testing of charcoal at an archaeological site near Jackson has provided new understanding of human habitation since the glaciers retreated about 12,000 years ago.

The dating shows human habitation 10,100 years ago, roughly the same as that found in mountain valleys of Colorado. Scientists have been able to confirm human presence in the Americas only at about 14,000 years ago, although some think people had arrived thousands of years earlier, even before the last ice age.

The archaeological site also yielded evidence of year-round habitation 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Summers were warmer and wetter then, producing more forage for wild animals. Winters were colder, but less snowy. That meant the animals could browse more easily. The result, a highway archaeologist told the Jackson Hole News , was more food sources for people - and probably more people.

 

Economic choppiness doesn't slow high end

BROOMFIELD, Colo. - Vail Resorts ended its fiscal year in relatively good shape. Chief executive Rob Katz told analysts that despite a "choppy economic environment," the upper part of the market continues to have "more confidence."

International business has been strong, and there are "good trends" in international bookings already for next winter, said Katz, according to a Vail Daily report.

Business from the United Kingdom has declined dramatically, he said, but has been more than offset by growth from Canada, Mexico and Brazil. Vail Resorts operates four major ski areas in Colorado, two in California, plus a lodge in Wyoming.

"Barring a real decline in economic confidence, we should see continued (growth)," he said.