Now in its 4th year Ski Jam, has once again descended on Steamboat Springs with its attendant Texas flair; less the big hats and belt buckles, and more of that unique brand of Austin hospitality that makes the likes of ACL and SXSW so enjoyable for hardened festival fans. Perfectly orchestrated by Dickson Productions, Ski Jam is a growing force on the winter festival tour. If daily non-pressured, unbridled enjoyment of a 14,000 foot ski mountain, buttressed by nightly smorgasbords of jam, post-jam, Americana, bluegrass and all destinations betwixt is your thing, then why haven’t you booked your spots for next year??

It starts slowly and comes at you from unexpected directions. Waving down a random Alpine Taxi, the opened window gives up some jamming tunes and, wait a minute, is that the dulcet tones of the General Of Jam, Jonathan Schwartz on Sirius’ Jam On? Sure enough it’s Ryan, local guide, Relix reader, Steamboat native, and our ambassador for the evening—and the same driver who gave us a lift last year. Friendly isn’t a state of mind up here, it’s a state of being, coming as naturally as breathing. 

While waiting for the snow to fall and the music to start, we find ourselves passing the hours, well, eating. In addition to being a good ski, snowboard, snowshoe, what-have-you destination, Steamboat Springs offers some pretty good grub, especially if your tastes run towards steaks and the like. A quick trip downtown and we hit the 8th St. Steakhouse, where you pick your cut and then grill your meat or seafood yourself, around a communal grill. Another local institution, The Ore House, takes care of the cooking for you but offers similar fare, including a fabulous smoked trout so generously sized, that it’s going to be our breakfast again today.

There’s only one thing missing so far: Where in the world is the fresh powder?

The locals here say Steamboat Springs and its environs are beautiful all year round, be it in high summer, during the spring and fall wildflower seasons, or now in early January, with the temp in the mid 30s, not a cloud in sight and the sun beaming bright. We’re just going to have to take their word for it, because we haven’t yet found a reason to come any other time except in winter, coz face it, if it’s a choice between sludgy grey snow in NYC, or pristine untracked powder high in the Colorado Rockies, where’s the choice?

Having sustained a moderately serious concussion on the third run of the day, which had this reporter unable to remember his name, where he was, or even what day it was, the attractions of the main music tent loomed large, but just out of reach. With South Austin Jug Band and the fresh-off-the-boat Hot Buttered Rum (they literally landed at Hayden Airport direct from Florida after their inaugural Jam Cruise appearance) set to make a welcome return to the main stage, I wasn’t able to muster up the mental acuity to walk the 150 yards required. Plus, doctor’s orders and all that.

Reports have it that Bill Nershi sat in with both bands for a multi-stringed fiddle-mandolin-bass-banjo jam-triffic blast that set off Ski Jam IV in fine form. South Austin Jug Band has been building its song craft and following with equal strength and it was obvious from the reported 800 strong crowd on the night, that the quintet from southern Texas is a favorite in these parts.  

Hot Buttered Rum followed with a set that included "Honey Be", "Guns or Butter", a cover of "I'll be your baby tonight"  and guest spots from Souleye rapping on "Desert Rat", Bill and Jilian Nershi on "Firefly" and an allstar medley for  the new compsoition "Black Clouds" and a fan favoured "Sweet Honey Fountain" (Thanks to Erik from HRB tribe .net) 

Not much else to report, except if you plan on hurting yourself on the mountain, then doing so within sight of the Ski Patrol is the way to do it—you may look like an ass going down, but at least they can get you off the slopes and into a hospital within 15 minutes…. And, oh yeah, Sharon, the number is 7.

Boo hoo, no fresh powder tracked in overnight and there is a scant dusting on the ground. Not enough to get excited about and besides, I’ve been given strict instructions not to hit the slopes with my head for seven days (what the hell is “Secondary Impact Syndrome ” anyways? It sounds like something that happens when ejecta from a comet strike comes back to ground. Sort of how the inside of my head feels today, and not for want of drinking.)

Since low impact is the way to go, we dial up the snowshoes and head out for a little hike. I always feel like a trip to somewhere called the Uranium Mine should be accompanied by security passes and pat downs, but out here the only laboring is the breath of our puny lung capacity at 8100 feet. Instinctively I know that the locals have a home field advantage, but as we lag further and further behind the octogenarians with their fanny pack Camelbaks and slick-looking micro fleece leggings, I feel pretty lame.

It’s okay, though; our nature geek guide Karen can readily identify 14 varieties of lichen, differentiate scrub and pin oak, and walk backwards on snowshoes—so hang the music for a while and breathe in the local knowledge. I don’t know how this would go down at Bonnaroo, but nature hikes with an informed guide may just be one of the overlooked niche activities that could be on offer for festivals of the future.

A quick dinner downtown and we hit the tent for the night. Vince Herman and Great American Taxi open up the proceedings, and the former Leftover Salmon frontman is in fine form. Grizzled and gray, mandolin in hand and eyes shut to the world, it’s easy to see why Vince is at home around a campfire or up onstage performing with wit and verve. Rolling through a selection of set pieces and free-form jamming, Herman warmed up a welcoming crowd. It’s not easy to forget that this is a ski town—sartorial style leans toward triple layers—but a few hoopers took up the challenge and injected a bit of free-footed hooping at the back of the tent.

Hailing from San Francisco, New Monsoon has been putting together solid sets wherever they set up stage—and this show was no exception. Kicking off with “On the Sun,” the band first thawed then melted any remaining tightness in the crowd. Moving through some awesome ambient soundscapes, the band set out to massage and then rock the audience. Jeff Miller’s rock guitar licks, tweaked out and framed by Phil Ferlino’s spaced and splayed synth, lift the weight off of some of Bo Carper’s sonically heavy banjo. A reggae-chopped “Greenhouse” gave bassist Ron Johnson some room to groove. And proving that he may well be the hardest working man in the Colorado music scene, Nershi joined the band along with wife Jillian and friend Scott Law (collectively Honkytonk Homeslice ) to guest on a rollicking cover of “The Mighty Quinn” and a rapturous encore cover of “I Shall Be Released.” Indeed.

Snow, snow, snow, high of 28, 4 to 6 inches of powder

Not the 12 inches we were expecting but a solid draft of powder gave the boarders and skiers what they had been wanting. Still inactivated by the doctor and his damn CT scan, ‘twas more snowshoeing on the menu for me.

Steamboat Springs incorporated in the late 1800s and is one of the first Colorado towns to actively promote skiing as a pastime as opposed to simply a way to get from point A to point B. The Howelsen Ski Area was first founded just outside of the downtown area in 1915, and has been in operation ever since. Whilst it doesn’t boast the glitzy grooming and amenities of Mt. Werner’s main ski area, this little hill has been the breeding ground for 54 winter Olympians, the largest single number of attendees than from any other town in the U.S. --Geek Alert!!--In 2002, Steamboat sent more athletes to Salt Lake City than some countries, though admittedly Cameroon, Fiji and Kenya are included in those ranks.

With five active ski jumps, including the granddaddy  at 90 meters, but a distinct family and kids feel to it, Howelsen is a welcome retreat from the massed hordes on the main mountain, and indeed it seems Friday is D-day for families and groups descending on Steamboat for the MLK weekend. Our guide once again is the inimitable Karen from Yampatika.org , a local non-profit environmental awareness foundation. Ascending through the sometimes knee-deep powder, we take a crisscrossing backwoods route around Emerald Mountain, stopping when the fancy strikes to take in the Yampa Valley and surrounds.  Mountains sure are beautiful things and it won’t be until we are back, speeding through the concrete canyons of New York, that it sinks in just how lucky these folk are out here.

  Friday night has always been my favorite night to get my drink on, and with good reason: tonight sees the young rockers Rose Hill Drive take the main stage in the tent. But before the brothers Sproul and bandmate Barnes rip up the stage, the Austin band The Gourds’ blend of hillbilly Americana gathered up the crowd for some foot-stomping, good ol’ Texas round-up. Melding blue/newgrass, Zydeco and alt-country, the five-piece features comedic lead man Kevin Russell, taciturn guitarist Jimmy Smith, drummer Keith Langford, Claude Bernard doing for the accordion what NMA’s Cody Dickinson does for the washboard, and former string master for Uncle Tupelo and Wilco, Max Johnston. Their signature sign-off is their perfectly appropriate “Gin and Juice”—a raucous and fitting cover of the Snoop Dogg track.

Rose Hill Drive is a grinding young band able to channel some serious rock weight. Bluesy, ballsy and just the right balance of cocksure rock and intelligent lyrics, the band ripped through a fast and furious set. Bassist/singer Jake Sproul (you have to love a guy who has LOVE and BASS tattooed on his knuckles) lead the vocals, brother Daniel lending shredding support on the guitar, and school friend and drummer Nathan Barnes picking up the sticks, Rose Hill Drive played an intense bracket including the ripping “Cross the Line,” a sweet rendition of “Cool Cody” and the climatic “Raise Your Hands.” For their unabashed rock form, they were rewarded with an appreciative younger crowd out front of the stage, and to my mind some new, slightly older and weightier fans backstage.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow—nope, it’s chilly instead, highs in the teens

No snow action but overnight the mercury dropped to -29. Doing a quick check and calculation, I discover that back home in OZ the temperature in my hometown is 115 at noon. So in this given space and time, historically I have experienced a 144 degree temperature differential… man, is it late or am I experiencing some latent effects from the concussion?

Taking it easy and taking in some sports-bar action (GO COLTS!!) we wend our way through the day with Bloody Marias and Steamboat Pales Ales. I’ve always appreciated a good microdraft and the offerings around here are pretty sweet. Carley Wolf  , who we met last year and profiled in Relix’s On the Verge section, lights up the stage in the Bear Creek Bar with her clean picking and fun lyrical trips. I love that fact that so many singers from southern Texas can sing in Spanish so comfortably. Following Wolf was  Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses , a three-piece out of New Braunfels, Texas. Lyrically adept and seemingly aged beyond his short 26 years, Bingham weaves together rich southern tapestries of cowboys, cactus junkies, hippie miners, bikers, drifters, hustlers, coke-dealing-guitar-slinging truckers, desert runners and everybody else in between. Look out for this guy and his bandmates Corby Shaub and Matt Smith; they may well be helping you get through hour ten of that cross-country drive some day soon.

The final night’s festivities kicked off early at 4PM with Honkytonk Homeslice kicking up an acoustic storm back in the main tent. With reciprocating sit-ins from Bo Carper and Jeff Miller (New Monsoon), Bill Nershi, wife Jillian and friend Scott Law rolled through beautiful three-part harmonies and sweet pickin’ on mandolin and resonator. Nershi is impish in his demeanor and it’s hard to resist the infectiousness of his grin at times; the crowd was swept up in the emotionally-charged set and it is a small wonder that  Honkytonk Homeslice’s band of fans grows firmer each show. What was born out of a fireside jam had Ski Jam organizer John Dickson offering to let Nershi take over the tent next year for a whole day of walk-up jamming—not a bad idea, methinks.

With his SCI bandmate taking a rest after appearing on three out of the four nights at Ski Jam—I told you Bill is the hardest working man in Colorado—keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth took the stage with his Friends for a jazz-fused sonic meltdown. Looping snyth, roiling Hammond and Korg feedback backed by Dominic Lalli on sax gave rise to some driving solo flairs. This is a man who LIVES to play. Scooping through tracks from his just-released solo album Never Odd or Even, Hollingsworth was in fine form, trying out new and old tracks with abandon. With a couple of covers, “Crosseyed and Painless”(Talking Heads) and Femi Kuti’s ”Expensive Shit,” Hollingsworth was obviously enjoying himself. I’d bet both ways that this evolution has only just begun—keep posted.

Zilla closed out the now-packed main tent. With plummeting temperatures no one was game to leave and they were accordingly treated to a solid, power-packed set from the Boulder three-piece of Jamie Janover, Aron Holstein and Michael Travis. Weaving organic bass, beats and funk together, the crowd grew more appreciative the deeper into the set the band dove. Stepping on its roots and setting forth to drive the crowd into a whirling frenzy, Zilla poured out energy to complement the rawness of Rose Hill Drive from the previous night. Kyle and Billy sat in for the last couple of songs to give the crowd a three-fifths SCI closeout which all in all was the way that it needed to go. After all, this is Colorado, and cowboys, whether musical or literal, got to get some chops and show those pesky Texans a thing or two about jamming in all the good spots.

Ultimately, Ski Jam is about the casual and crafted, the organized chatter and sweep of post and pre show jams—more than one condo played host to the sort of improv that provides a ripe proving ground and comfortable space for musicians to relax and weave some magic. Whether you’re coming to Ski Jam for a vacation, to ski, or to tune out, treat your body, mind and music with some fun work and hard play, coz after all it’s all about balance, right?

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All Photos by Alex Anderssen 

Taking a note (well, stealing it, actually) from the classic Bon or Oo questions posed in each Bonnaroo Beacon, we ask our fellow Ski Jammers which it will be: Ski or Jam?  

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Kyle Hollingsworth 

__ is much better at high altitude.
Flying.

Slopeside has fewer sharks.

Fortunately, I have never worn a badge.

 5 things you'd take on a one-way trip to Mars, and why?

Oxygen, suntan lotion, a lawn chair, a good book and my xbox.

Besides work… I would not like to get any older (maybe wiser, though).

What an interesting question… in 5th grade I got a 99 out of 100 in my astronomy class.  I was so proud but now all the answers would have been wrong. I feel for the current preschoolers who have to re-learn everything. And imagine all the books that have to be rewritten? I say for the sake of the children’s minds and to save paper, Pluto should stay a planet.

I prefer peanut butter with my jam…thank you very much.

 
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Nathan Barnes, Rose Hill Drive

____ is much better at high altitude.
Everything

Beachside or slopeside?
Beachside. 

What was the last job where you had to wear a name badge?
AA meetings. Just kidding—I’ve never had a name-tag job.
  
5 things you'd take on a one-way trip to Mars, and why?
iPod, drums, oxygen, warm clothes, a HUGE sack, a dune buggy.  
  
Given unlimited wealth, what WOULDN'T you do?
Go on MTV Cribs.
  
Pluto: Planet or not?
Just a cartoon dog.

Ski or Jam?
Jam, baby, jam.

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Jamie Janover, Zilla 

___ is much better at high altitude.
Scuba diving.

Beachside or slopeside?

Wherever you can get both in a single day...

What was the last job where you had to wear a name badge?
Demonstrating Dusty Strings Hammered Dulcimers in their booth at the NAMM show in LA.

5 things you'd take on a one-way trip to Mars, and why?

An iPod with every album ever recorded in it, because music is life...
The entire High Sierra Music Festival, because it’s jamming fun forever with that whole gang and related crew...
A sushi restaurant, because sushi is like music to my body...
Love... (obvious reasons)

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Vince Herman 

__ is much better at high altitude.
Beer is much better at high altitude, come to think of it just about everything is,except snorkling.......

Beachside or slopeside?
Beachside is slopeside in the spring.....

What was the last job where you had to wear a name badge?
The last time i wore a name tag was selling seafood at a grocery store in Boulder, I sometimes wore a hair and beardnet to boot...........

5 things you'd take on a one-way trip to Mars, and why?
On a trip to mars I would take
1.A greenhouse with a portable gravity and oxygen generator
2.Solar panels and batteries
3.Instruments
4.Friends and family
5.Some great seeds......

Given unlimited wealth, what WOULDN'T you do?
I would not contibute a great deal of money to the Republicans in exchange for tax loopholes which would allow me to gather even more wealth......

Pluto: Planet or not?
Pluto is a dog created by walt disney. whether he is fictional or real is beyond my sphere.......  

Ski or Jam?
At skijam we came from the studio and drove to Jackson Hole the next morning, so there wasn't any non-automotive surface sliding for us. Back in the days of my youth I could ski and play the same day, but these days its an either/or proposition.

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Jeff Miller, New Monsoon

 _____ is much better at high altitude?
Red wine.. 

Beachside or slopeside?
Beachside. 

What was the last job where you had to wear a name badge?
When I was in high school I worked at Phar-mor (the Wal-Mart ofover-the-counter drugs). 

5 things you’d take on a one-way trip to Mars, and why?
1. Oxygen: to breathe

2. Sunglasses: I do believe it’s very bright there

3. Lounge chair: too hot to do anything but relax

4. Water bottle with filter: just got one and I want to test it in adverse environments

5. Dark Side of the Moon: The obvious interplanetary album 

Given unlimited wealth, what WOULDN'T you do?
Buy the Tower Records chain 

Pluto: Planet or not?
Neither. Always a Dog to me. 

Ski or Jam?
Ski, then Jam!

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For more info on Ski Jam click here!

For Photos of Ski Jam and Steamboat Springs click here!