Steamboat
Epic! That word is spoken enthusiastically on powder days in Steamboat. My backcountry companions say it often; we can be a bit smug about our tele excursions into unofficial terrain like Way Right, Drunken Indian, Storm King and North Woods. But the truth is, Back in the Day, Loris and Buddy Werner and their friends had truly epic ski adventures. In the 1950s, they’d drive up Rabbit Ears to the top of Hogan Park Trail… before it was a marked Forest Service route. They’d put skins over their alpine skis and break trail all the way to what is now Morningside. That’s seven miles. Once there, they’d build a snow cave, light a fire and settle in for the night.
Epic! That word is spoken enthusiastically on powder days in Steamboat. My backcountry companions say it often; we can be a bit smug about our tele excursions into unofficial terrain like Way Right, Drunken Indian, Storm King and North Woods. But the truth is, Back in the Day, Loris and Buddy Werner and their friends had truly epic ski adventures. In the 1950s, they’d drive up Rabbit Ears to the top of Hogan Park Trail… before it was a marked Forest Service route. They’d put skins over their alpine skis and break trail all the way to what is now Morningside. That’s seven miles. Once there, they’d build a snow cave, light a fire and settle in for the night.
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it and look at it, it’s probably perfect. if you go back later, you may ruin<br />
it. Put the paint on and leave it.”<br />
why does Perry subject herself to long hikes to a painting spot<br />
when rain or wind may interfere? “outside, you’re standing there<br />
witnessing things,” she explains. “The excitement comes out of your<br />
brain, down your arm and onto the canvas.”<br />
she sums it up when she says, “it’s really just a kick in the pants to do<br />
it. even if someone didn’t buy it, i’d still do it. lucky us.”<br />
The two artists have been showing together for 30 years, since<br />
Zabel invited Perry to be in one of his shows. for that start she is still<br />
grateful.<br />
Zabel is a warm, shy man, preferring raw nature and his studio to<br />
a crowd of adoring collectors. his exhibit will contain upwards of 50<br />
pieces, including his first, an elk, cast in 1972.<br />
Put that original piece next to a recent one, and it’s evident how<br />
much he has grown, not just as an artist but also in his understanding of<br />
the fastidious work that makes a sculpture great.<br />
in his 40-year career, Zabel has sculpted 160 originals, with 3,000-<br />
4,000 being cast in limited edition series, as well as one-of-a-kind<br />
monumental sculptures like “autumn majesty,” the 17-foot bronze bull<br />
elk in lincoln Park at the west entrance to town.<br />
raised on a farm, Zabel loves animals, especially horses. “if i’m<br />
working on the leg of a horse, i’ve felt them so much that i just think<br />
about how it should feel.” his understanding of animals comes from<br />
“The Intimidator,” bronze sculpture by Curtis Zabel<br />
<strong>Steamboat</strong> maGaZine | SKI SEASON 2012/13 | 43<br />
Courtesy <strong>Steamboat</strong> Art Museum
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