Mount Werner
Encyclopedia
Mount Werner is a mountain
in the Park Range
of the Rocky Mountains
in Colorado
, four miles southeast of Steamboat Springs
, the county seat
of Routt County
. It is 150 miles (241.4 km) northwest of Denver
. The mountain reaches a height of 10565 feet (3,220.2 m) above sea level and has a base elevation of 6,900 ft (2,100 m). It has a vertical rise of 3,668 ft (1,120 m). It has five peaks (from lowest to highest), Christie Peak, Thunderhead Peak, Sunshine Peak, Storm Peak, and Mt. Werner.
Formerly known as Storm Mountain, it was renamed in 1965 in honor of Buddy Werner
, an Olympian
from Steamboat Springs who was killed in an avalanche
in Switzerland
in April 1964.
Mount Werner stands within the watershed
of the Yampa River
, which drains into the Green River
, the Colorado River
, and thence into the Gulf of California
in Mexico
.
The Steamboat Ski Resort
operates on 2965 acres (12 km²) of the mountain. It is serviced by the Silver Bullet gondola lift
and several chairlift
s. It regularly receives some of the highest levels of snow
in Colorado. The most recent ten year snowfall average was 334 in (848 cm) a year. Much of the mountain and the resort are contained within the Routt National Forest.
Mountain
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in the Park Range
Park Range (Colorado)
The Park Range, elevation approximately , is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Colorado in the United States. The range forms a relatively isolated part of the continental divide, extending north-to-south for approximately along the boundary between Jackson and Routt counties...
of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, four miles southeast of Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
The city of Steamboat Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Routt County, Colorado, United States. The city is also known as "Steamboat," "The Boat," or "Ski Town USA". As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,088.The city is an...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Routt County
Routt County, Colorado
Routt County is the 15th most extensive of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 19,690 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Steamboat Springs.- History :...
. It is 150 miles (241.4 km) northwest of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The mountain reaches a height of 10565 feet (3,220.2 m) above sea level and has a base elevation of 6,900 ft (2,100 m). It has a vertical rise of 3,668 ft (1,120 m). It has five peaks (from lowest to highest), Christie Peak, Thunderhead Peak, Sunshine Peak, Storm Peak, and Mt. Werner.
Formerly known as Storm Mountain, it was renamed in 1965 in honor of Buddy Werner
Buddy Werner
Wallace "Buddy" Werner was an American ski racer in the 1950s and early 1960s. Born and raised in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Werner and his siblings were accomplished skiers, and competed in both alpine and Nordic events on Howelsen Hill...
, an Olympian
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
from Steamboat Springs who was killed in an avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in April 1964.
Mount Werner stands within the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Yampa River
Yampa River
The Yampa River is a tributary of the Green River, approximately 250 mi long, in the U.S. state of Colorado. It's located in the Southwestern United States...
, which drains into the Green River
Green River (Utah)
The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The watershed of the river, known as the Green River Basin, covers parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The Green River is long, beginning in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and flowing...
, the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, and thence into the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The Steamboat Ski Resort
Steamboat Ski Resort
Steamboat Ski Area is a major ski area in northwestern Colorado, operated by the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation in Steamboat Springs. It is located on Mount Werner, a mountain in the Park Range in the Routt National Forest. The ski area first opened on January 12, 1963.The ski area has 165...
operates on 2965 acres (12 km²) of the mountain. It is serviced by the Silver Bullet gondola lift
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
and several chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
s. It regularly receives some of the highest levels of snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
in Colorado. The most recent ten year snowfall average was 334 in (848 cm) a year. Much of the mountain and the resort are contained within the Routt National Forest.