Wow What a Ski Season in the West

Wow, what a winter it was! 

Spring Skiing at Purgatory in Durango

Wow, what a ski season!

First of all, I have to say I’m sorry I dropped out of posting at my blog all these months. I was busy with lots of projects in the fall, then boom, winter hit. And what a winter it was! What a spring it has been! With skiing still going on (yes, even in May) here in the West, this one ranks as an epic season. (Today, in fact, Telluriders woke up to about a foot of fresh powder.)

The start of the ski season is always filled with a flurry of activity, dialing in equipment, sorting out big stacks of ski clothing and accessories, skiing into shape and training for what we always hope will be a promising season at the Telluride Ski Resort.

This year, expectations were low among my fellow instructors at the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School. All the forecasts predicted a not-so snowy winter. And indeed the start of the season was scant. But partway through the week between Christmas and New Year’s (our busiest week of the year), snow began to fall.

Top Ski Instructor John Balmain Shredding It in Telluride

We ended up being blessed with huge quantities of the fluffy white stuff. I’m not one to count snow totals but I can say that in the almost twenty years I’ve been in Telluride, I don’t remember quite so much snow. And the bluster! This part of southwestern Colorado is known for its sunshine and glorious weather. (The temps here typically range about 10 degrees higher than at resorts in Summit County.) But this year, we had a ton of grey days. Yet in addition to keeping the snow nice and creamy, all those cold and cloudy days preserved the snowpack like never before.

Lots of Work for Ski Patrol this Season

I was sick a lot–in typical ski instructor fashion–unfortunately. That was not surprising in view of the harsh weather but thankfully my health was restored with the arrival of the warmer, sunnier days. With so much outdoor activity in the relentless cold, many of us that worked on the mountain (at about 10,000 feet in elevation) were perpetually sick.

Big Snow Pillows
Moi

I did, however, have many terrific ski lessons that buoyed me up. It’s all about the people, or clients, when you’re a ski instructor in Telluride. We are the consummate cheerleaders, the lauded ambassadors of the mountain, the people that have the most contact with the guests. And we aim to please. Whether the client wants to work on the shaping phase of their turn or just wants a fabulous tour of the mountain (without having to wait in line, which people sometimes now have to do in T-ride except if you’re with an instructor), we know how to accommodate. From children to adults, first timers to advanced intermediates, I love teaching people with personalities and learning styles as diverse as the color of their ski outfits.

Each experience enriches me in a variety of ways. Plus, I’m out and about in beautiful Telluride, Colorado, skiing and enjoying the view. What could be better!?!

Revelation Bowl in Telluride

Here’s something that was new this year: We were constantly sold out at the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School. Our demand has been building these past years but now it’s ridiculous. People have to book months and months in advance if they want private or group lessons for kids or adults. Yep, no more downtime. So, if you’re considering a ski vacation in Telluride for next season, start making your plans this summer and reach out to your instructor to check on availability. 

Family Fun

We must be worth it because people keep coming back. Most of us have repeat clients for years and years. It’s about creating relationships. The beauty of Telluride is awe-inspiring, the terrain is extraordinary and it’s the instructor’s job to showcase that for a client whether they are a first-time skier or a seasoned expert. We also add that certain je ne sais quoi that makes the lesson all the more memorable.

Happy Client
Little Ripper
End of the Ski Season: Such a Colorful Time of the Year

So have I hung up my skis for the season? Most likely, but you never know, especially with this week’s fresh snowfall. There’s still so much snow to ski on and the spring skiing has been primo. Kudos to Purgatory in Durango for remaining open through this Sunday, May 14. My guy and I have been having lots of fun there, since it’s a great little mountain with a fun vibe. Staying Saturday nights in the charming western town of Durango has been super special, too.

Arapahoe Basin is slated to close early June, and at Mammoth Mountain in California they have already announced that they will remain open at least until July. I actually heard a rumor that they were going to try to do a big first and remain open year-round until next ski season. Hey, with their record-breaking snow totals of close to 700 inches, anything is possible.

Spring Skiing in Durango
Feeling Spring-y in Durango

As our robust snowpack melts, let’s give thanks to the snow gods that blessed us with this tremendous ski season and an abundance of much-needed moisture. Our rushing rivers are filling lakes and reservoirs within and beyond Colorado, providing water that will sustain us more than anyone had hoped going into this past season. Water is a precious commodity in the American West and thanks to our winter and spring snows, we have been graced with enough that will make a difference throughout, particularly in areas that have been in drought. 

Plus, recreating on all this water is fun.

Happy spring, happy snowmelt!

Spring Skiing in Durango: Almost Like Summer

To see more photos and videos from this past winter and spring, including restaurant and lodging recommendations in Durango, go to my Facebook and Instagram @maribeth-clemente pages.

Discovery Map Is Coming to Telluride

Me with Peter Hans and Laura Potter from Discovery Map

I love being a travel writer and sometimes I really love being a travel writer. As much as I like to write, the sitting on my butt part (whether in a desk chair or on my couch) can be rough. (Yes, I do stand sometimes but I don’t have a stand up desk per se.) 

So often the travel writing part I like the most is the research phase. That aspect of my job is even better when it involves lots of good connecting with people, great skiing and memorable food. Such was the case this winter when Discovery Map International came to Telluride to carry out an important phase of their map-making process. Yes, they came to Telluride because as of next fall, there will be a Telluride Discovery Map added to their community of over 150 maps within the United States and beyond.

Loving Raclette with Laura and My Boyfriend Steve

I’m happy to be involved in writing web content for this dynamic company. Read Fun Times in Map Making, a Map Geek story I wrote for them, to find out more of the back story that goes into the Discovery Map process and most especially how it all went down in Telluride.

Brian Lewis of Discovery Map Telluride

January 2017: One of the Snowiest on Record for Colorado

Spectacular Telluride Weather

Spectacular Telluride Weather

Our Cold and Snowy Mountain Town

Our Cold and Snowy Mountain Town

Cold and Snow Make for Great Skiing

Cold and Snow Make for Great Skiing

Brrrrr

Brrrrr

Into the Mist

Into the Mist

Whoa! What a month it has been. With over eight feet of snow that fell in Telluride–as well as tons in other mountain towns of Colorado–the skiing and riding have been epic. It seems as though visitors and locals have been alternatively stoked and exhausted. It takes a lot of energy to plow through all that fresh powder whether it’s on the slopes, in your driveway, on your deck or on the snow-packed roads you travel on to go to work. (I’m an exceptional driver on our windy, mountain roads, especially with the help of my Arctic Claw snow tires, however, many aren’t, so it takes an infinite amount of patience to putz behind slow-moving vehicles when driving to work in such wintry conditions. That’s after the morning departure has already been greatly delayed by having to defrost and clean off the car. No, the start-of-the-day routine in the dead of winter in the Rockies is not for sissies.)

My Windshield

My Windshield

January: A Big Month for Ongoing Ski Instructor Training

January: A Big Month for Ongoing Ski Instructor Training

Avalanche Control Work on Ajax

Avalanche Control Work on Ajax Mountain

But we made it! The past few days have almost felt like spring. Sure, there will still be a lot of cold and snow left to this winter–let’s hope so at least–but I doubt we’ll see a string of days like the many we just endured in January. It must have been one of the greyest months on record, too. And as much as I like the cold and snow, there was many a morning when I felt a sense of dread about going out and freezing my butt off yet again. No matter how many layers I wore and despite electric boot warmers, boot gloves and hand warmers, it was hard most days to shake off the chill. When the sun doesn’t shine here in Colorado, it can feel mighty cold indeed. more »

Goodbye to Dad

Dad Taking His First Look at the Grand Canyon in 2010

Dad Taking His First Look at the Grand Canyon in 2010

Yesterday was a tough day. From the first look at the notifications on my phone, I woke up sad about the news of the terrorist attacks in Belgium. My heart goes out to Belgium, my Belgian friends, Europe and to all of humanity in general. It’s hard not to feel down about the state of world affairs today.

I headed out to ski–to teach a lesson to a little boy I had been with the past few days–and experienced the worst day on the mountain of this season. It was windy, icy and horribly bleak. Fortunately I was skiing with a joyful six-year-old who was thrilled to be on the hill, no matter the conditions.

We stopped for a hot chocolate break. I settled my little guy into his seat at the table with another instructor and his young charge. Just as I was plopping the marshmallows into the chocolate at the beverage counter, I got the call. Yes, THE CALL. The one I had always dreaded, the one that informed me of the passing of my father. It was, of course, from Mom. We spoke no more than a couple of minutes and although this was unexpected news, I got it right away. Mom and I connected on this and then we let each other go.

I almost passed my boy off to another instructor but I decided to keep him; I chose to complete my assignment, largely because we had done some serious bonding and I didn’t want the last part of his Telluride Ski School experience to be with someone new. I shed some tears with other members of my Ski School family while my little dude twirled ice cubes in his frothy drink. We then headed out to ski.

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Adventure Travel Love for You and KOTO

Hiking Mt. Wilson:  Adventure Travel at Its Best in Colorado

Hiking Mt. Wilson, a 14er: Adventure Travel at Its Best in Colorado

I think it’s so cool that we have some of the best adventure specialists based right here in Telluride, Colorado. It makes sense, since Telluride and the outlying region provide the perfect terrain for heading out and exploring the great outdoors whether you’re cycling, hiking, skiing, fishing, climbing or jeeping. Some of these guiding greats have done so well in the region that they also conduct tours beyond southwestern Colorado, as far away as the other side of the globe, in fact.

A few of these companies have generously offered tours to KOTO’s current fundraising campaign. I’ll be chatting more about these adventure specialists on tomorrow night’s Travel Fun, a special live edition of my talk show on travel, which airs Thursday, September 17, A LITTLE EARLIER THAN USUAL at 6:20 pm mountain time.

I have been doing this show for almost eleven years and you can find many of my interviews posted on my blog as podcasts. If you have enjoyed Travel Fun, I encourage you to contact me to make a pledge or a donation. You can also show your love by snatching up one of the below tours at a deeply-discounted price. Thanks to Lizard Head Cycling Guides, Telluride Mountain Guides, Telluride Adventures/San Juan Outdoor Adventures and Telluride Offroad, here’s what I have to offer:

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14 Aug 2014, 1:45pm
Colorado France Paris Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books:
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Comments Off on Marking Eleven Years in Paris and Telluride with Mom

Marking Eleven Years in Paris and Telluride with Mom

Me and Mom Early Spring 1990ish Having Tea in the Garden at the Normandy Country House

Me and Mom Early Spring 1990ish Having Tea in the Garden at the Normandy Country House

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Closing the Ski Season in Aspen

Relaaax...It's Aspen

Relaaax…It’s Aspen

Smooth, silky, soothing, sultry, relaxing—that’s Aspen. And that’s how my ski season ended this year, and it was lovely. Just what I needed, too.

All kinds of celebrating from pond skimming in bikinis to dancing in ski boots typically take place on closing day at most ski resorts. Skiers and boarders in fun and crazy outfits cut loose as a way of toasting the end of a long ski season marked by few or many turns and often lots of hard work (in the case of those that work in ski towns). I celebrated Telluride’s closing day a month ago and enjoyed closing week festivities on the Front Range mid-April, so I had my share of end-of-the-season partying.

With the closing of its four mountains (Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk, Highlands and Snowmass), Aspen has certainly seen a lot of colorful merrymaking these past weeks. So it wasn’t surprising that this bonus weekend of skiing on Ajax was marked by a bunch of folks—mostly locals—primarily interested in cruising the slopes of their beloved mountain for the last time. Sure there was a smattering of tutus, tiger costumes and wacky wigs along with a vibrant assortment of flowered shirts and shorts, yet the scene was pretty tame. The emphasis was on the skiing; in this case beneath azure blue skies on what were surely the warmest days of the year thus far. (It hit 70 degrees in the town of Aspen on Sunday.) more »

Reflections on My Ten Years as a Ski Instructor

Celebrating My Tenth Anniversary with Ski School Top Dogs

Celebrating My Tenth Anniversary with Ski School Top Dogs

As I ease back into my writer’s life, I’ve been considering my other life:  that of a Telluride Ski & Snowboard School instructor. The mountain closed just over two weeks ago and I again turned in my uniform with a big sigh of relief. I’m always grateful when I finish the season without having had an injured student or client on my watch. And I’m always relieved when I wind up unscathed myself (except for a variety of aches and pains and gross fatigue). I’m grateful that this has been the case for the past ten seasons:  My sterling record of safety has remained intact.

That’s not to say I don’t challenge my charges and sure, I’ve had some tricky moments of over-terraining just like all the other instructors on our mountain and elsewhere. But fortunately, everyone has come “back to the barn” safe and sound and seemingly happy from their ski experience with me.

But way beyond my actual job as a ski instructor, I can’t help pondering what this newly adopted profession means to me, especially after a decade of working day after day on the mountain with children and adults beneath sunny skies, bitter cold, balmy weather and blustery snowstorms. It has made me a better person; it has made me more whole. I was never very athletic and the physicality of this job has given me strength and confidence that spills over to other areas of my life. I have embraced the notion of self empowerment through sports, a concept that I came to know late in life, one of the themes of my travel memoir/love story A Tour of the Heart:  A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France.

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    This blog is a personal blog written and edited by Maribeth Clemente. This blog sometimes accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content. The owner of this blog is sometimes compensated to provide opinion on products, services, Web sites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for certain posts or advertisements, she always gives her honest opinions, findings, beliefs or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blogger's own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
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