Skateboarders tear it up for Tyler
It’s been more than five years since Tyler Valencia’s untimely death, but the memory of the local teen skates on.

This Sat., June 12, marks the fifth annual Tear it Up for Tyler skateboard competition, which will take place at the Durango Skate Park. The event commemorates Valencia, a local skateboarder who died in 2006 in a car accident at the age of 16. While alive, Valencia was a strong advocate for a new skate park, and his dream was to see a new park built in Durango. He died in the winter of 2006, mere months before the new park opened. He survived by his parents, sister and brother, all organizers of the Tear it Up event.

According to Tyler’s mother, Charlett Warren, he and his friends fought for several years to have a new skate park built. While pushing for the new facility, they also worked to foster a positive view of skateboarders. “They fought the typical stereotypical beliefs that skaters are just bad news,” Charlett said.

Eventually, in the summer of 2006, Tyler and his friends succeeded in convincing the city to build a new skate . The new $1.2 million facility added 17,000 square feet to the existing 3,000-square-foot park including new bowls; an urban street course with rails, steps and ramps; and an integrated trail, with viewing areas.

With its opening in the spring of 2007, the city dedicated the park to Tyler, with a bench reading “Skate His Dream.” Tyler’s Dream is skated daily by many local athletes, including his younger brother Tanner, and many friends, said his mother.

In May 2008, Tyler’s family hosted the first ever Tear it Up for Tyler competition, which honored and celebrated Tyler’s love of the sport. Since then, his family has held the event annually, garnering interest from both skaters and the City of Durango, which in 2009 partnered to become an official co-sponsor of the event.

Synonymous with the event’s purpose, the $7 entry fee will be waived for those who cannot afford it. “It has been my goal to allow any boy or girl to compete, even if they do not have the entrance fees,” said Charlett. “It has been my experience that many parents do not support skateboarding and often times, the kids do not have the $7 to enter.”

The event relies heavily on local sponsorship and donations from skate companies, bands and local businesses who donate time and prizes. “We are very proud of this competition but every year we rely on donations to keep the event going and to keep the costs down for competitors,” said Charlett.

Tear it Up for Tyler registration begins at 10 a.m. at the Skate Park, and entry fees includes a T-shirt. The event begins at 11 a.m. and features competitions in bowls, street and vert. Prizes go to winners in each category. For information, contact Charlett Warren, 946-7799.
– Hank Stowers

City celebrates Clean Commute Week
Durango might be a biking Mecca, but that’s not the only way to get around. Following the success of Bike to Work Day, the city expanded the idea of clean commuting to all modes of transportation. The result was Clean Commute Week, which returns for a third year with daily events starting Sat., June 16.

“Not everyone has the ability to bike to work,” said Multi-Modal Administrator Amber Blake. “It really opens up the program to all users.”

The city promotes biking, walking, carpooling and public transportation during the week with events like Pedal Vs. Metal and the Pedometer Challenge.

Things kick-off with a Bike Maintenance Clinic from 9 a.m. - noon Sat., June 16, in the parking lot of the Transit Center, featuring basic bike skills like how to fix a flat or check the brakes. Mechanics from Velorution Cycles will be on hand to help.

Residents can also enjoy free public transit rides Monday - Sunday. Mercy Regional Medical Center, Ska Brewing, Zia Taqueria, 4CORE and Mercury Payment Systems are sponsoring the Free Transit Days by picking up the tab each day.

Blake said the idea is to encourage everyone to give the transit system a try and find out if it works for them. She added that if residents need assistance figuring which route works best, they are there to offer assistance.

The week’s signature event Pedal Vs. Metal returns for its third installment at noon Tuesday, and anyone is welcome to enter.

Bikers, solo drivers, carpoolers and fast walkers battle to see which mode of transportation can get the in-town errands completed first. So far, it’s a tie between cars and bikes. Carpoolers won the first year, and a bicyclist won the second.

A few new events dotting the calendar this year are the Pedometer Challenge and Love Your Commute Party.

The challenge is open to everyone. Pedometers are available Monday through Thursday at the Transit Center. Participants log their steps between Monday morning and Thursday at noon, and can win prizes at the Love Your Commute Party.

The party, hosted by Ska Brewing from 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday, features live music from Robby Overfield and food from Zia Taqueria. The Commuter of the Year Award also will be given out at the party. Blake said nominees can include residents who overcome obstacles to commute, or are already commuting to work and dedicated to continuing that mission.

Other events include the Community Forum and Celebration, where the city plans to walk through the Multi Modal Draft Plan, 5 - 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the D&SNGRR museum, and the Trails 2000 Corporate Commuter Challenge Awards Ceremony, when the city receives its Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Community designation from the League of American Bicyclists.

For more information about Clean Commute Week or to get a schedule of events, visit www.getarounddurango.com. To nominate someone for Commuter of the Year, email blakeak@durangogov.org.
– Tracy Chamberlin

Resort numbers tumble in 2011-12
It’s official – the ski season of 2011-12 was a bit of a downer. According to numbers released last week at Colorado Ski Country USA’s (CSCUSA) annual meeting, its 22 member resorts saw a decrease of 11.4 percent compared to last season, which was the fourth best on record. This equates to 6.16 million skier visits in 2011-12 compared to about 790,000 skier visits in 2010-11. Compared to the five year average, CSCUSA member resort skier visits were down 11.9 percent, interrupting the recovery resorts had been building since 2008-09.

Of course the culprit is the weather, or lack thereof. The Western Slope experienced its third driest and seventh warmest winter on record going back to 1895, with 43 percent below average. Across the state, March 2012 was the driest in more than 100 years and the second warmest March on record.

Despite this, SCUSA is trying to look at the brown lining. “Fortunately, seasons such as the one that just ended have proved to be historically rare and the ski industry has exhibited a remarkable ability to bounce back after poor snow years in the past,” President and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA Melanie Mills said.

Mills added that several Colorado resorts showed signs of resilience during what was clearly an “uninspiring winter.” In fact, some Colorado areas posted increases and even records in visitation. SCUSA resorts also saw strength in both domestic and international destination visitors, which helped soften the economic blow.

Furthermore, Colorado is better positioned for dry spells given its higher elevations and colder climate, which allows snow to stay around longer and also facilitates snow-making.

Optimism going into the season was strong, with some resorts, including Wolf Creek, opening earlier than planned. Snow came again in the middle of the season and several resorts broke single day snowfall totals, but perception of an underperforming winter was already set in skiers’ minds, according to Mills. “We’ve had dry years in the past, and we’ll have dry years again,” she said. “Not every year can be a record breaking year, and with nary a snowflake in what is normally our snowiest month in Colorado, season visitation numbers are disappointing, but not unexpected.”

On a national level, skier visits are down 15.7 percent with the Rocky Mountain region seeing a decrease of 7.2 percent. Skier visits are the metric used to track participation in skiing and snowboarding. A skier visit represents a person participating in the sport of skiing or snowboarding for any part of one day at a resort.

– Missy Votel