Chamber Mixer

The party deck was packed at the Old Town Hot Springs, as the facility hosted the July Chamber Mixer, on the upper deck. Over 250 Steamboat Chamber members and their guests joined in the fun and the raffle for over 50 prizes from the Chamber, the OTHS, SmartWool, Mountain Hardwear and Northern Lights. The hottest (and skimpiest) item in the auction was the mens large bikini Speedo, which was turquoise and decorated with pink flowers.

Sponsors such as Backcountry Provisions and the Dreamboat Café also put in gift certificates. Pioneer Spirits provided the refreshments. Other sponsors were the Rabbit Ears Motel, Wells Fargo Bank and Northwest Data Services. Web designer for the OTHS as well as local musician, David Harlan, provided the musical entertainment.

Child Care Toy Sale

The Child Care room at the Old Town Hot Springs is having a toy sale, as a fundraiser to update the current toys and equipment. Gather together any baby or child gear that you would like to donate, such as strollers, play structures, backpacks, saucers, toys, bikes and bouncy chairs. Drop it off in the child care room on Saturday, Aug. 8, from noon to 5:00 p.m. The sale is Sunday morning, Aug. 9, from 8:00-12:00. All proceeds go to the child care room. Do not mark your items; staff will mark everything. No clothes, please. You may pick up your leftover items after the sale, or everything will be donated to Lift-Up of Routt County. Questions? Contact Child Care Manager Stephanie Orozco at sorozco@sshra.org Also, child care punch cards will be on sale the week of August 10-16, for a discounted price.

Mom & Me Luau Night

Aloha! Hula on down to the Old Town Hot Springs on Sunday, August 16, for the Mom & Me Luau Night. The party on the upper deck is for moms and their sons, from 5:00-7:00. Should Mom not be available, grandmas, aunts and appropriate stand-ins are welcome. The age range is for boys in elementary school, or younger. There will be dancing, hula hoops, and lots of food. The $10 cover charge (per couple or family) includes unlimited slide rides. Wear Hawaiian and we'll see you there. Mahalo!

Member of the Month

The Nibbelin family of Steamboat are the August Members of the Month. Many know Theresa, as she is the assistant manager of the child care room. She says her three-year-old, Logan, loves coming to the Old Town Hot Springs, even on her days off. "I love watching the boys play and interact with their friends. We do the swim lessons, which are awesome." Theresa's favorite is the Total Fitness aerobics class. Dad Chad, who is a superintendent with Haselden Construction at One Steamboat Place does the free weights and plays with the kids in the pool. He loves the family atmosphere." Haydn is the youngest, at five months. The Nibbelins moved to Steamboat from Gunnison about two and a half years ago.

From The Fitness Center

JAZZERCISE is coming to the Old Town Hot Springs, for the month of August. Jazzercise is a 60-minute, routine-based class combining cardio, strength and stretch moves.  Jazzercise takes moves from Hip Hop, Yoga, Pilates, Jazz Dance, Kickboxing, and resistance training. All ages, levels, and sizes are welcome.  Class will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m.  The classes start August 4. Cost for eight classes in August is $56 for members and $72 for non-members. You may also pay per class ($8/members and $10/non-members). The certified Jazzercise instructor is Courtney Murrell. Sign-up and payment can be made at the front desk.

Wet And Wild On The Waterslides

If you're feeling the need for speed, try out the waterslides at the Old Town Hot Springs. The waterslides are open every day through the month of August, from noon until 6:00 p.m. The summer schedule runs through Labor Day. You must be 48 inches tall to ride the waterslides, and children must pass the swim test.


Slide pass prices are:
$1 each
$5 for five rides
$8 for 10 rides
$12 for unlimited rides

Where The Water Goes  

The waters used in all of the pools at the Old Town Hot Springs bubble up from the ground into the heart spring, at 240 gallons per minute. This water feeds into all of the other pools at the facility and is eventually discharged into the Yampa River. You can see the pipe where it travels under the highway, and comes out into the Kayak Park behind the Rabbit Ears Motel, along Highway 40.


The Old Town Hot Springs operates under a discharge permit managed by the Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Facilities Director Matt Enochs is required to hold a Colorado State Industrial Wastewater Operator's certificate. The wastewater is sampled monthly and tested by an independent agency (City of Steamboat Springs wastewater plant) with quarterly reports sent to the state. The parameters that are monitored are pH, total suspended solids, oil and grease, total dissolved solids, fecal coli form, as well as total chlorine. The allowable limit on chlorine is .5 parts per million (ppm) or less. According to Enochs, "The OTHS usually averages less than .3 ppm. We utilize a dechlorination system to neutralize any high amounts of chlorine. There is actually less chlorine in our wastewater than you will find in the water coming from city tap water." Thanks to a state-of-the-art pump room installed during the recent renovation, each pool uses automatic disinfection systems that utilize Calcium Hypochlorite, which is a form of chlorine. 

Lap Lane Availability

The swim team season is over for the summer and more lap lanes are now available. As of August 1, eight lap lanes will be available Monday through Friday, from 5:30 to 10:00 each morning. After 10:00 a.m. (M-F), four lanes will be available for lap swim. On Saturdays, eight lanes will be available from 7:00-10:00 a.m. After that, four lanes are available for lap swim until closing. On Sundays, eight lanes are available from 8:00-10:00 in the morning, and then four lanes available from 10:00 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Aquatics Director Jill Ruppel says, "I want to express my appreciation to all lap swimmers who adjusted their workout time so that Team Lightning could practice all together this summer.  As you have probably read in the Steamboat Pilot & Today, the team is experiencing great success.  More swimmers than ever are qualifying for championship meets.  More children are developing a lifelong love for the sport.  To all adult lap swimmers, thank you for supporting the youth of our community."

There is also a free Masters workout for members several days a week. Masters swims are Mondays, 5:15-6:15 p.m., and Tuesday/Thursdays, noon to 1:00 p.m. Lanes five through eight are reserved for the class. Please know that if you are in those lanes during the Masters swim time, you will be asked to join the class, or move to lanes one through four.

Masters Workout Of The Month

Lexi Ruppel grew up swimming in Florida, Virginia and Georgia, breaking pool records across each state. When her family moved to Steamboat three years ago, she continued swimming both in and out of the pool. She is a coach for Team Lightning, the local swim team. Lexi is a 2009 graduate from Steamboat High School and is now off to the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her workout is a lot of interval swimming on the clock. You can find Lexi's workout and that of other Masters swimmers on the Masters Swim link on the website. Click Here. Other suggested workouts are on the door of the Aquatics office.

The New Dreamboat Baby

Congratulations to Michael and Annie Stoyanova, owners of the Dreamboat Café, on the birth of their daughter. Alexandra was born the afternoon of June 29, weighing in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and just over 20 inches long. Michael says his motto will be, "Have no fear, Daddy's here."

The Dreamboat Café snack bar, which is in the lobby of the Old Town Hot Springs, is for sale. For more information on buying this popular Steamboat business, call Michael at 970-691-0251, or email dreamboatCafe@abv.bg.