When City Manager Gary Suiter said he was “pumped up” about the latest conceptual plan for historic Howelsen Hill, we found ourselves sharing his enthusiasm.

The thought of Howelsen becoming home to zip lines, a tubing hill and even a 200-seat restaurant with an outdoor deck is an exciting prospect. We think adding those kind of amenities at the iconic ski hill is a good way to increase its use, while also generating revenue to support operations there, which have historically been a drain on city resources.

In our opinion, Howelsen is Steamboat’s underutilized and under-marketed jewel, and in order to ensure its future, the city must find a way to make the hill cash flow positive, or at least find a way to generate revenue to break even. The latest conceptual plan for Howelsen is a promising one, and we hope it doesn’t suffer an early demise and end up sitting on a shelf in city hall.

Read more at Steamboat Today.