Slopeside Sounds

Ski-town Music Festivals Are Not Just Summertime Affairs Anymore: Four Melodic Events to Get You Dancing in Your Ski Boots.

- Stephen Sebestyen

The quiet was not meant to last. Ruffling its feathers, the Grey Jay perched above me seems perturbed by the sudden unmistakable twang it doesn’t recognize. The sound comes again, a fifth lower this time, and the Jay takes flight from what it (correctly) perceives to be a rapidly changing scene. It’s too bad: My feathered friend is about to miss a helluva show.

Moments later, random notes begin to ring out into the cold air. Adjustments are made as the mandolin, banjo, and guitar are all tuned to their players’ satisfaction. Halfway up Steamboat mountain seems a precarious and frigid place to bring such instruments, yet the musicians seem unfazed. A quick nod and wink passes among the bandmates and their instruments come to life. The warming sounds of bluegrass ring forth. Clad in ski gear, ale in hand, I grin from ear to ear as the annual Winter- WonderGrass bluegrass festival gets underway.