FRISCO, Colo. — In the heart of Colorado's high country, the Summit County communities of Dillon, Keystone, Silverthorne and Breckenridge are incredibly popular for outdoor enthusiasts in both the dead of winter and the dog days of summer.
The same is true for the charming mountain town of Frisco, where Denver7 | Your Voice took reporter Ryan Fish to hear from locals about living in such a unique community, where nature and outdoor recreation are everywhere you look.
"I think the mountain community has its own flavor," Max Smolkin, who has lived in the area for eight years, told us. "If you embrace the winter and you're a winter person, this is heaven. Summers, as you can see, are amazing. A lot of mountain biking, hiking, climbing, and, you know, being able to raise a family in a small community that loves the nature, it's unbelievable."
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A beautiful place with the challenges of altitude
We also took some time to sit down with Roberto Santos, who went to Summit High School in Breckenridge, moved to the Mariana Islands in the Pacific, and then moved back to Frisco this month.
"My appreciation for it just grows the older I get, each time I come back," he said. "I think the place to be in Colorado is the mountains... The outdoors and open space nature is so much more accessible. It's right at your doorstep. It's right off the highway."
Santos admitted there is an altitude adjustment that comes with living at roughly 9,000 feet above sea level.
"I just did a hot yoga class this morning, and it just took everything out of me," he said with a laugh.
The low-oxygen environment is something Dr. Christine Ebert-Santos, a 25-year Frisco resident, studies at her clinic.
"Very few people know that living here is not a guarantee that you will not be affected by altitude. You can still be affected," she said. "And the research that I'm doing is to find the things that are good and bad about altitude and low oxygen, because we have fewer heart attacks, fewer strokes, less cancer."
She also points out that low oxygen can cause high blood pressure, and many people in the community sleep on oxygen. She recommends residents and even visitors invest in a pulse oximeter to track oxygen levels to catch more serious health issues before they happen.
"You need to have that little $12 device that goes on your finger and tells you what your oxygen is," she said. "Because these conditions are rare, but they're very dangerous, and are very easy to prevent."
The altitude combined with long, snowy winters can take a toll on those living in the community year-round.
"Living here is very physically demanding," said James Hayes, a Frisco resident who recently moved away but is back this summer.
Smolkin agrees.
"It takes a certain personality to live in a small community with harsh winters, where, if you don't embrace that, it's not easy," he said. "I think you need to be friendly, you need to be open-minded, you need to care for your neighbor and you need to take care of the workforce that live here."
Developments and tourism growth over the years
Ebert-Santos said the community has seen big developments since her family first arrived to the area.
"When my brother came here, the streets weren't even paved," she said. "In 2000, we did not have any buildings more than three stories, and there were still some trailer parks off Main Street here, and open spaces, some empty lots, and now it's pretty much all been built up... It's good for, you know, more variety of restaurants and things to do, concerts, wonderful concerts."
When it comes to tourism, most of the locals Denver7 spoke to said the large crowds in winter and summer can cause issues, but are crucial for the local economy.
"Of course, I welcome it," said Smolkin. "This is what brings, you know, support to all the families that live here. We love responsible tourism, though, we love our place. We take care of our places and nature. So, we welcome everybody that wants to, you know, live the experience, but also take care of the place."
"The mass tourism, you know, creates problems and it's a double-edged sword, because all the economy around here is tourism based," Hayes added.
"You kind of resent them for slowing down traffic and for the accidents they cause, and for making lines at restaurants longer and at the ski lifts longer," Santos reflected, while also saying he wants to welcome visitors to the community. "These days, I love and fully appreciate seeing guests come up to the mountains and fall in love with everything that we're in love with up here as mountain residents."
Ebert-Santos said tourism in the area leads to a "wonderful, comfortable life cycle."
"We're very busy for the winter months," she said. "Then we have a lull in the spring where we can kind of kick back and the streets are empty, no lines anywhere. And then summer gets busy for the hot time, and then in the fall, it slows down again, and we catch up on all the things we need to catch up on... It's a beautiful, balanced lifestyle."
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