Vail Valley news briefs

Christmas light winners announced in Avon

AVON - Here are the winners and the order they finished in the nine categories in Avon's Christmas lighting contest:

Commercial: Comfort Inn, Mountain Man Nut and Fruit, Christie Lodge.

Avon core: Dave and Kathy Martinez, 0901 West Beaver Creek Blvd., Roger and Laurel Wilkinson, 4420 Eaglebend Drive, Guy Erickson, 5380 Eaglebend Drive.

Wildridge/Wildwood/Mountain Star: Pat, Patty, and Faye McKenney 2643 Bear Trap, Chris and Michele Evans 2365 Fox Lane, Greg and Susan Johnson, 3150 E. Wildridge Road.

Best apartment complex: City Market Employee Housing

Best animation: Chris and Michele Evans 2365 Fox Lane, Pat, Patty, and Faye McKenney 2643 Bear Trap, Comfort Inn.

Best multi-media: Pat, Patty, and Faye McKenney 2643 Bear Trap, Buz Didier, 5010 Eaglebend Drive.

Best meaning of the holidays: Kathy and Dave Martinez, 0901 West Beaver Creek Blvd.

Best team: Mobile homes spaces 63 & 62 - Efraim and Teresa Chavez, 901 W. Beaver Creek Blvd. #63, Luz Vasques, 901 W. Beaver Creek Blvd. #62

Good Neighbor: Beaver Creek Resort Company

Restrictions lifted for snowshoers

BEAVER CREEK - Beaver Creek season pass holders can snowshoe and cross-country ski in mountain-top McCoy Park Tuesday through Saturday. Pass restrictions have been lifted during this time for foot passengers only.

Snowshoers and cross-country skiers must visit the Beaver Creek Lift Ticket Office to obtain a special foot passenger pass and then ride Strawberry Park Express Lift (#12) to McCoy Park.

All other season pass restrictions remain in place. For more information, call the Beaver Creek Lift Ticket Office at 845-5200.

Christmas trees can be recycled

EAGLE COUNTY - Resident can recycle Christmas trees in several locations.

Vail and Avon will pick up trees from homes while Eagle and Gypsum will set a bonfire during its Twelfth Night celebration, Jan. 6.

Trees can be dropped off at the Eagle-Vail Metro Fire Station in Eagle-Vail and the recycling site at the Edwards rest area. Trees can also be dropped off at the Eagle County landfill free of charge.

Lights, ornaments, stands, nails and wire should be removed from trees before they are dropped off. Recycled trees will be chipped up for mulch.

For more information, visit the Eagle County Landfill Web site at www.eaglecounty.us/landfill.

County treasurer to run for reelection

Eagle County Treasurer Karen Sheaffer says she will run for reelection in 2006.

"I have worked in the Treasurer's Office for almost 20 years, serving as deputy treasurer for 10 years and treasurer the last 10 years," Sheaffer said.

"The Treasurer's Office has made customer service their priority and has maintained a tax collection record of almost 100 percent," she said. "I would like to continue to serve the people of Eagle County as their treasurer."

Sheaffer can be reached at karen.sheaffer@eaglecounty.us or 328-8868.

Forest Service studying avalanches

SUMMIT COUNTY - Forest Service avalanche personnel are setting up a comprehensive stud that could give ski resorts more tools to evaluate and forecast dangerous conditions.

The study, involving ski areas and Forest Service facilities across the western United States, was spurred by the fatal avalanche at Arapahoe Basin last spring, when a wet slab released near the top of a steep slope run and swept a skier to his death.

"The premise behind the study is that wet slabs are the most poorly understood avalanches," said Doug Abromeit, director of the agency's Idaho-based national avalanche center.

The research is geared toward understanding the dynamics between snow structure and warming spring temperatures, Abromeit said.

"We know about crusts sitting on top of faceted snow, but the behavior is unpredictable in the spring," Abromeit said.

Abromeit said one reason little is known about wet slab behavior is because most ski areas close in the spring before those conditions exist.



Vail, Colorado