About Us
About
NeverSummer Alpacas
We maintain a diverse herd of around 30 huacayas at our, 36 acre, Spindrift Ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
As a handspinner I was drawn to the luxurious fiber of alpacas
and especially enjoy their wide range of natural colors.
I have a passion for fleece and am always excited when I
get a chance to spin some up. I find that it's a great way
to assess the progress of our breeding program.
While I didn't have a livestock background, it didn't take
long to realize the importance of reproductive strength in
both our dams and sires. We value our older, "golden" females
who breed easily each year and are great milkers and mothers
and pass this trait on to their offspring. NeverSummer Alpacas'
herd sires are chosen on the basis of several different qualities
including fleece, conformation, temperament and reproductive
background.
Our bloodlines include some of the most highly sought after
names in the industry, both old and new, as well as some
lesser-knowns. We are great believers in genetic diversity
and hybrid vigor.
There are many benefits to dealing with a small breeder,
especially one that is fairly remote as we are. Our commitment
to both our alpacas and clients has to be exceptionally strong.
Affiliations
NeverSummer Alpacas is a member of the Alpaca Owners
and Breeders Association, Alpaca Breeders
of the Rockies and
the Alpaca Fiber Cooperative. We are also supporters of the
Quechua Benefit and Alpaca
Research Foundation. All our alpacas
are registered with the Alpaca Registry, Inc.
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About Alpacas
Alpacas were bred in South America for their fabulous fleece
before the time of the Incas. (Their close cousin, the larger
llama, was bred as a beast of burden.) Although an ancient
fiber, alpaca is a fiber for the future – warmer than wool,
soft as cashmere, it also comes in a glorious assortment of
natural colors. As our North American herd grows it will become
more affordable as well.
These
gentle, intelligent creatures are a joy to own. They are "easy
keepers" - extremely efficient, economical to care for
and very adaptable. Alpacas are herd animals and have quite
a complex social structure. They also have distinctive
personalities and are interesting to observe and interact
with. In South America all of the alpacas' by-products
are used. In fact, they eat them when their fiber quality
dwindles around middle age and they use their dung for
fuel. I've found that their dung makes superb fertilizer
and the fact that they use a common pile makes poop-scooping
a fairly easy task.
We shear our herd each year in early
summer and as the happy, cool critters cavort back out
to their pastures I'm left with mountains of beautiful fleece.
This all has to be sorted and graded for appropriate end product uses - yarn for weaving or knitting, roving for rugs and batting for spinning or felting are just a few possibilities.
Farm
visitors are always welcome – just give us a call!
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About
Steamboat Springs
The Steamboat Springs area of Routt county offers many recreational opportunities
year round with western flavor. Whether you prefer to ski, hike, mountain bike,
kayak, fly fish, ride, rope or rodeo, thermal hot springs offer blissful recovery
and the town boasts fine shopping, dining and night life.
Steamboat
Springs Chamber Resort Association
P.O. Box 774408
Steamboat Springs, Co. 80477
970-879-0880
www.steamboat-chamber.com
Steamboat Central Reservations
800-922-2722
Inquiries and visitors are always welcome!
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