There isn’t much suspense surrounding the first pick of this year’s NFL Draft. It’s reportedly a done deal: the Indianapolis Colts will select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck as its No. 1 overall pick Thursday evening.

And when the young, record-breaking gunslinger needs to “get away” from the flashbulbs and pressure of being the heir apparent to Peyton Manning in Indy, he and his family will holiday in Summit County, as they have for more than two decades.

“Over the course of the past 20 years, I have enjoyed countless trips with family and friends to Summit County,” Luck told the SDN Tuesday. “It is one of my favorite places to get away, and I’ll continue to do that going forward. It’s one of my favorite places.”

The Luck-family ties to Colorado go way back to when Andrew was a baby, and as homeowners, it’s been their relaxation destination, both winter and summer, for the QB’s whole life.

Andrew’s father, Oliver Luck, who now serves as the athletic director at West Virginia University, and mother Kathy Wilson have been hitting the slopes in Summit County since the early ’80s.

The family lived in Europe from 1990 to 2000, as Oliver (a former NFL quarterback, who started one season before backing up Warren Moon in Houston) was working as general manager of the Frankfurt Galaxy, part of the World League of American Football.

In 2001, the family relocated stateside, as Oliver was sworn in as chief executive officer of the Houston Sports Authority. He went on to serve as president of the Houston Dynamo MLS team and, in 2010, was named AD for the Mountaineers.

His career amounted to a great deal of moving around for the Luck family, but Dillon, Oliver said, was the one constant for “the kids.”

“Quite honestly, I don’t know if he and the other kids would consider Houston home, because they spent a good 10 years there. Ultimately, the one place they’ve been going more than anywhere has been Dillon,” Oliver said.

When they were living in Europe, the Lucks would typically take two trips per year back to the U.S., for Christmas and an extended summer stay. More often than not, they would come to Dillon.

“Andrew is our oldest – he was born in 1989 – so since he was an infant, he and the three other kids have been doing a week or two over Christmas and really long summers,” Oliver said.

The family generally purchased season passes to A-Basin, and it continues to be their favorite mountain in the area, but they enjoy skiing all over the High County.

“We liked it because it was a little bit smaller. When the kids were learning to ski, they wouldn’t get lost. Everything funnels down to the bottom,” Oliver said. “But we’d take them over to Keystone or Copper for the day. … We figured out pretty quickly that the best time to go skiing was when the Broncos were playing – because everyone is in the bar watching the game.”

Since they moved back to the states, the Lucks have added a bonus trip or two: Presidents Weekend or Spring Break, in addition to their Christmas and summer stints.

Last week, Oliver was boasting that he was still sporting a tan from early April skiing and “the crazy party” at The Legend.

Like many kids his age, Andrew started as a skier and then switched over to snowboarding. Asked if skiing and riding might have aided in his athletic development, Oliver said, “Skiing and snowboarding is all about balance. It’s certainly every bit as athletic as any other sport. Ultimately, I think it helped him. More importantly, it was a fun, family time when we were up there.”

But there probably isn’t much snowboarding in Andrew’s immediate future, as wrist injury-prone, head-knocking sports, such as snowboarding, are presumably discouraged in a franchise quarterback’s contract with an NFL football team.

“I’m not sure what’s in the NFL players’ contract, but I can tell you, he won’t be boarding while he’s playing,” Oliver said. “It’s one of those things that you push off to the side, but once he’s done playing, I’m sure he’ll get back out there. But we still have the house, so I think he’ll be out there winter and summer.”

In the summertime, the Lucks, like most county residents, go hiking and biking; last summer they climbed Quandary Peak, and they topped Greys and Torreys a couple years ago. They’ll canoe around Dillon Reservoir and head down to Denver to catch a Rockies’ game or two. As a child, Andrew would participate in various sports camps at the Silverthorne Recreation Center, playing soccer and baseball, Oliver recalls.

Oliver couldn’t confirm or deny anything regarding the draft, as of late last week, but on Tuesday the Colts made it official and announced they would select the Summit County part-timer No. 1.

“Whether he goes one or two – or 20 for that matter – we’re all very proud of him,” Oliver said. “It’s a great honor to be picked high in draft, and it’s a tribute to his work ethic and his coaches.”

A pro-style pocket quarterback, Andrew threw for 35 touchdowns last season – breaking his school record of 32 a year ago and eclipsed John Elway’s career record (77) at Stanford with 80 touchdown passes in only three years.

He finished with 3,170 yards passing, a 70 percent completion percentage and only nine interceptions without the benefit of an elite wide receiver. In a 41-38 Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State, Andrew was brilliant again, going 27 of 31 passing for 347 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

The entire family will be in New York on draft night. Luck will fly to Indianapolis on Friday, where he will take questions from local reporters and then meet fans at Lucas Oil Stadium, his new home field.