Paul, it was very cool meeting you. Your landing at SBS looked good from the ramp! Your timing was impecable for the aspens turning. Here is a picture I took that same morning on a flight from Durango to Steamboat.
What I've tended to do is to come in over the town so the pilot can see some of the real-world "choices" in the case of a need for a go-around but then extend the downwind far enough to show the blind approach, but in the context of better knowledge of the terrain.Most of their CFIs are doing the "round the mountain" into GWS, so it kind'a breaks the "medium canyon" airport thought and makes it a touch harder... you go from super-easy at 20V to "don't hit the wingtip into the mountain, make a right, and there's the runway" at KGWS now...
But the idea was good when most folks went down-valley over the town to get into GWS. With the complaints of noise from the town, it's probably better to go around and make the right-base behind the hill.
Folks do still go both ways though, as you've pointed out.
Really - put it on youtube and post it.
