Summit County year in review: Ups and downs, Part 1

Editor’s note: Well, 2008 has been a memorable year for many reasons, some good, some bad here in Summit County. Ullr, the snow god, blessed us with a great winter last year and a promising one again this season. The credit crunch and economic crash hit home, taking the steam out of the area’s red-hot real estate and slowing the stream of tourists. The Summit Tigers thrilled us with a remarkable football season that took them deep into the playoffs. Denver Water unwittingly sparked a new skirmish with locals by abruptly closing the Dillon Dam Road before partially recanting amid unified public outcry. The ravages of the pine beetle became fully apparent with entire hillsides turning brown. The Dew Tour lit up Breckenridge with the top park riders in the world. And Summit County joined the rest of the country in electing a new president who promises change and hope. The end of the year is always a time of reflection on accomplishments and disappointments; here is the first of a three-part series of our most memorable moments.

Jan. 1

The new year got off to a rocky start when more than 2,000 travelers were stranded at Red Cross shelters in Summit County, as the threat of avalanches kept more than 60 miles of Interstate 70 closed west of Denver.

Jan. 11

The Summit School District announces it will cut about $2 million from its budget during the next couple years to wean itself from repeatedly asking taxpayers for more money.

The Denver Water Board and Summit County officials closed the Dillon Dam Road after police found two men on the dam who said they were filming a music video in the middle of a snowstorm.

And despite blizzard-like conditions at the top of Arapahoe Basin, hundreds of people turned out for the opening of the highly anticipated Montezuma Bowl expansion as ski area CEO Alan Henceroth dropped the rope.

Feb. 16

After Breckenridge pro snowboarder Jesse Csincsak taught the MTV “Made” casting director to ride, he was in. Csincsak was recommended by folks at the Breckenridge Ski Resort to be the coach for 15-year-old Colorado Springs resident Tara Weldon, who would be filmed on her snowboard journey from “clumsy to kick-ass” on the program that helps kids to realize goals with the help of a personal trainer.

Feb. 23

The Summit High School ski teams swept the state titles. With the help of several top-15 finishes, the girls finished 26 points ahead of Aspen in the overall competition. The boys, meanwhile, virtually tied Aspen once again in the alpine competition, but the Nordic team, led by a second-place finish by Kyle Ahern, pulled ahead of Aspen to seal the overall title.

March 26

After 12 years with Summit School District, teaching, coaching and preparing students for the future, Drew Adkins was named to lead Summit High School. An assistant principal for the past three years, he replaced retiring principal Jim Hesse.

March 31

A 42-year old Kansas man was pronounced dead at the Keystone Medical Center on Sunday morning, setting a dubious single-season record for the county of eight fatalities on the slopes.

April 2

Frisco selects Bill Pelham as mayor, while Breckenridge picks John Warner to lead its town council. Pelham, who ran unopposed for the position previously held by Bernie Zurbriggen, named affordable housing for the Peak One parcel and addressing an impending budget crunch at the top of his list of priorities. Warner, who also was unoppposed, was billed as a steady hand at the helm of town business.

April 6

Searchers found the body of Michael Barbiere in a field behind the Stephen C. West Ice Arena in Breckenridge. Barbiere, 23, a tourist from New Jersey, had disappeared after leaving Cecilia’s Bar alone early on the morning of Feb. 8, and large-scale ground searches had turned up nothing for weeks.

April 15

After a 75-year ban on Sunday liquor sales, Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill allowing consumers to peruse liquor stores in Colorado seven days a week.

April 19

A natural-gas explosion leveled a building at Good Times Adventures, severely injuring van driver Brian Mislanski and burying Lulu, a Springer spaniel, under the debris for eight days before she was found, miraculously alive and unscathed.

April 20

The Kinderhut daycare center at Breckenridge, which catered to dozens of local families as well as vacationers who took advantage of a drop-in service, closed its doors.

April 25

Mother Nature was kind to Summit County and the rest of the state, blessing the mountains with near-record snowfall in places like Copper Mountain and Keystone. In all, eight of Colorado Ski Country USA’s 26 member resorts received record snowfall accumulations and many more recorded above average snowfall.