Colorado Food & Wine Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Music & Dance Restaurants Telluride Travel Fun: 20 Years Colorado Hospitality Industry Hotels & Lodging Mountain Lodge Telluride Mountain Village Restaurants Steve Togni
by maribeth
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Celebrating Twenty Extraordinary Years at Mountain Lodge Telluride
In the winter of 2002, I visited Telluride for the first time. I was living in Pagosa Springs, Colorado then and although I was familiar with the grandeur of Aspen and Vail, I was awestruck by the massive log structures of Telluride Mountain Village. I checked into Mountain Lodge Telluride where I was immediately enraptured by its rustic mountain elegance. When I stepped into their Great Room, situated across from their front desk, my jaw dropped.
Reminiscent of the big gathering places of the celebrated lodges within our National Parks and also of the most renowned Great Camps of the Adirondack Mountains, the Mountain Lodge Great Room mirrors the majesty of our magnificent Rocky Mountains. The Great Room at Mountain Lodge Telluride comes with a spectacular panoramic view, one of the best in all of the Rockies.
Despite this striking beauty, the expansive space at that time was dead, completely soulless. There was a bar but it took some doing for the front desk clerk to rustle up someone to serve a couple of drinks. My travel companion and I were the only guests in this awe-inspiring space.
That was before Stefano (Steve) Togni arrived. He took over as general manager at Mountain Lodge Telluride in 2004, fresh off his position of Hotel/Rooms Division Manager at The Peaks. And not long after that, Steve began to shape this property into the vibrant and exciting place of lodging and dining it is today.
Full disclosure: Steve and I have been partnered for almost sixteen of the twenty years he has been at the Lodge, so I have been privy to much of the happenings there. As a serious travel writer and published author, however, I will refrain from boasting too much about Steve. But his accomplishments at this stellar Telluride property are worth touting, especially since he has decided to move on and take a break from the rigorous demands of the hospitality world in our busy mountain town. It’s time for him to recharge; yet before he takes his final bow at Mountain Lodge, I hope that many of you will join me in paying homage to this leading force within Telluride, a man who has given much to our community over these past two decades.
Twenty years: that’s an eternity in the hospitality industry where most senior level managers stay at a property an average of two to three years before moving on to another job. Steve began managing Mountain Lodge Telluride before Telluride, Colorado became known throughout the world as an “it” place to be. Prospect Bowl had recently opened and there was no significant summer tourism up on the mountain. You could still find plenty of parking spaces in town and Mountain Village.
Tourism in Telluride exploded within this period and finding workers has become increasingly more difficult. “What we do isn’t rocket science; finding employee housing is quantum physics,” says Steve Togni.
Blogging was the only real form of social media that existed twenty years ago and even that was just taking off. (That’s partly how we met.) Since then, evolving technologies, social media and customer review sites such as Trip Advisor, Yelp and Open Table have changed much within the hospitality industry. “A critical component of any successful sales and marketing plan today revolves around the strategic implementation of technology. It’s important to continue providing the tools and resources necessary for our team in order to evolve with the new technology,” he says.
And how hard do you think it was to keep a six-acre, full service, 140-room resort afloat during the Covid pandemic? Plus, there were more than one hundred employees to consider. “It was a brutal time,” Steve says. “The Lodge was shut down and I spent three months up in the boardroom pushing numbers and dealing with government agencies trying to figure out how to have the property survive and how to take care of our employees. In truth, I was envious of all those people that were able to stay home for three months.”
He and his team shepherded Telluride Mountain Lodge through that near-disastrous time.
Big hotels require big renovations. At Mountain Lodge Telluride, there were many large capital projects that required attention over the past two decades. At most large properties, these types of major works are undertaken by a broad base of corporate support teams. But at Mountain Lodge Telluride, it has been all hands on deck, directed and managed by Steve Togni. Within the past year, for example, the Lodge had to take on a multi-million dollar roof project when it became challenging to obtain insurance for their shingled roof. That work went on for five months without disrupting the influx of travels that are now the norm of Telluride’s busy summer travel season.
And what about that Great Room? Well, not long after Steve took over, he decided that such a beautiful room deserved a nice restaurant and bar, a convivial place where people could enjoy fine food and drink in a superlative setting. Born in Milan, Steve naturally felt inclined to contact Paolo Canclini, of Rustico and La Piazza fame. Together they created a kitchen (built from scratch!), a bona fide food and beverage plan and launched The View restaurant and bar. This fabulous space has had many iterations since then, often serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and après ski to folks whether they are guests at the hotel or not.
Indeed, whether sipping drinks poolside or delighting in an elegant meal inside by the immense stone fireplace, The View has become a happening spot year round. Locals and visitors alike appreciate it for a vibe that reflects much of the fun and free-spiritedness of Telluride.
This flair might not be much on display during one of Mountain Lodge’s elegant wedding receptions but if you’re able to attend one of their special events such as their Snow Dance, Electric Luau, a Fourth of July barbecue and pool party or a drag brunch, you’re immersed in many of the more fun-loving aspects of life in T-ride. Steve, the driving force behind most of these events, likes to have fun.
It takes a tremendous amount of energy, smarts and dedication to run a noteworthy lodging and dining establishment within a world class resort community. Here he has had to answer to homeowners (each of the Mountain Lodge units are individually-owned) as well as hotel and restaurant guests, while managing over one hundred employees. So he needs to play hard. Fortunately for many of us within the Telluride community, Steve has infused Mountain Lodge with much of his idea of fun.
Local band favorite Joint Point has played at Mountain Lodge about twice a year for the past ten years, and these parties are among the best in Telluride. Like at any good concert, dazzling light shows, tasty bites and drink specials are often an integral part of these happenings.
Steve Togni has, in fact, created a culture at Mountain Lodge that has catapulted it from just another big mountain property to something that’s soulful for guests and his hotel and restaurant workers alike. Sure, he has left his mark with little touches such as tie dye flags, illuminated crossed skis on the exterior that can be viewed from the gondola (X marks the spot) as well as a proliferation of blue LED lights that adorn the property’s trees and pool. (They were among the first in Telluride.) Mountain Lodge was also ahead of the curve by providing stunning reusable shopping bags to their guests that feature winter and summer views of the Lodge. They’ve become killer keepsakes that have made it to every corner of the world. They were also among the first to wrap their shuttle in these same gorgeous winter and summer scenes of the Lodge. And get this: their employee shuttle even once sported a flower power motif–much like the Scooby-doo van.
Early on, Steve made sure that the employee break room was dialed in and freshened up, since he knew that that could serve as the hub for forging bonds within the Mountain Lodge team. What started as weekly lunches furnished to Lodge employees later expanded to daily lunches all year long. Served up by The View restaurant, these lunches are most surely part of the reason Mountain Lodge employees feel nurtured, nourished and valued within their Mountain Lodge family. (It’s also a good way to lure employees back in for their shift on powder days.)
“The most essential and indispensable resource to our operation is our employee base; we operate with that as a principle tenet,” Steve adds.
Yes, from the Great Room to the employee break room to the elegant condo units that make up Mountain Lodge to many spots in between, Mountain Lodge Telluride exudes heart and soul, much in the image of their leader in chief, Steve Togni.
For over ten years, there was even a mascot of sorts, a cat in residence, named Mario, that Steve took in from the cold when he clearly had nowhere else to go. Mario has recently settled into the home of one of his beloved Mountain Lodge moms where he can live out his retirement in an especially tranquil setting. He had a good run of it at the Lodge and was the meeter and greater par excellence to many throughout most of his life.
Mario’s exit was the final green light that lead Steve to the decision to leave the Lodge as well.
Our kitties and I will certainly enjoy having him around more. I doubt he’ll be curling up on the couch much but he likely will be doing some extra laps on Gold Hill, enjoying some well-deserved time off.
Steve invites the whole community to help him celebrate a good time in Telluride at his Fare Steve Well sendoff party at Mountain Lodge on Thursday, October 3 at 6pm. Joint Point will be jamming, so put on your dancing shoes. Steve may even join them for a riff or two. Drink and food specials guaranteed, very much along an Oktoberfest theme. In typical Togni fashion, a good time will surely be had by one and all.
Before that celebration, however, tune into Travel Fun, my talk radio show on KOTO just after noon on Thursday, September 26 for a live interview with Steve. Call up to say hi, ask questions and show support. Anyone who makes a $30. donation to KOTO will automatically be entered into my private drawing for a chance to win a very special prize. Just click on donate and be sure to choose Travel Fun as your favorite program.
For more stories that feature Steve Togni and Mountain Lodge Telluride, type in Steve or Mountain Lodge Telluride into the search in this blog and you’ll pull up all kinds of stories from the past fifteen plus years.
Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Travel Fun: Aspen Divas Palmyra Prowlers San Juan Sundancers Synchronized Riding Synchronized Skiing Telluride Benders Telluride Ghostriders Telluride Ski & Snowboard School Telluride Ski Resort Telluride Synchronized Ski Team Telluride Tempters Telluride World Synchro Championship Travel Fun
by maribeth
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Telluride Takes Synchronized Skiing and Riding to a New Level
Did you know that skiing and snowboarding can be team sports? And what a beautiful site it is to see skiers and snowboarders coming down the hill in synchronized formation.
That’s what happened last week at the Telluride World Synchro Championship, an event that has taken place at various ski resorts in North America for decades. Aspen hosted this event for nearly twenty years. And for the first time this synchronized championship found its home in Telluride. Thanks to the support and hard work from Telluride Ski Resort, Tim Williams, the director of Telluride Ski & Snowboard School, the participants of the synchronized ski and snowboard teams and many many more. The coaches, including Sarah (Sem) Walls, Rogan O’Herily, Neville Leel and Frankie Zampini also deserve major kudos. All spent long hours practicing on the slopes before the lifts started turning for the public throughout the season. The result was that his event was a big success and a fun addition to the animation found on the mountain.
It was a first to be hosted by Telluride, however, the Telluride Synchronized Ski Team has been around since the eighties. Telluride ski legends such as Annie Vareille Savath, Doug Morrison and Marty Wilcox helped to launch this nonprofit back in the day in an effort to make sure that Telluride’s finest ski instructors could compete in various elite events alongside talented ski professionals from Vail, Whistler and other resorts. The origins of it lie in the desire to demonstrate what ski instructors are capable of doing on the mountain. And that’s still the case today.
Sure, you can see lots of ski performance from instructors just by observing them on the mountain. But synchronized ski competitions take that skill to a different level. In addition to the choreographed presentations that dazzle onlookers lucky enough to take in these events, there’s also individual competitions in the moguls and on the racecourse.
I had the opportunity to do two different interviews on this subject on my Travel Fun radio show on KOTO. The first took place a few days before the competition and featured team captains and participants John Balmain (Ghostriders), Mike Griswold and Reid Schlack (Benders), Emma Johnson (Tempters), Rose Nadelhoffer (San Juan Sundancers), and Anna Sebree (Palmyra Prowlers).
You can listen to this interview through Thursday, April 11 on Spinitron.
The Telluride Ghostriders, an all-male team that has existed for quite some time, snagged first place in this year’s Telluride World Synchronized Ski Championships.
The Telluride Tempters, an all-female team in their second year, placed second.
And the Aspen Divas, an all-female team from Aspen, that has always garnered much attention, came in third.
The Telluride Benders, an all-male team dressed in black (with uniforms borrowed from the lifties) created quite the stir. So did the Palmyra Prowlers, the male and female riders that showed that snowboards can do fancy turns in sync as well. Special mention goest to the San Juan Sundancers, an all-female team of first-year Telluride ski instructors that gave a very strong showing.
Woo-hoo! Those fortunate to have viewed the presentations that took place on Comp Hill (and also Hermit for the bumps and the Nastar course for the racing) were indeed entertained and impressed.
I did a wrap up Travel Fun interview with Frankie Zampini and Logan Lanier, members of the Telluride Ghostriders and two of the driving forces behind the Telluride Synchronized Ski Team organization. That interview will air Thursday, April 11 at 6:30pm MST at KOTO.org. I will also be putting up that link within a few days after airing.
In this chat, Frankie and Logan further talked about the event, the organization and what’s in the works for next year. Whether you’re a skier, a rider or just a lover of athletic prowess and competition, these interviews will have you looking at snowsports differently.
So what’s next? I say synchronized skiing and riding should become an olympic sport. What do you think?
In the meantime, mark your calendars for the end of the season next year to take in this exciting two-day event to be held once again in Telluride. (The actual days will be announced at a later date.)
For a glimpse at synchronized skiing, check out the video posted by the Telluride Ski Resort on Instagram. I promise you’ll be hooked.
Uncategorized: Art & Culture Junction Music & Dance Music Festival Shopping Texas Texclipse
by maribeth
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Texclipse: A Music Festival with a Telluride Connection
Have you made plans for April 8 yet? You know, that’s the much talked about, much anticipated day when a big swath of the United States from Texas to Maine will experience a total solar eclipse. A once-in-a-lifetime event for many people, if you find yourself in the right place, you can experience over three minutes of darkness in the broad daylight. Huh?
Yes, it’s a super cool happening and a good reason to create even more of an event around it. That’s exactly what fellow Telluride ski instructor, Macy Brooks, has done with her planning of the Texclipse Music Festival. Macy did a dry run with this event back in October during the solar eclipse, so this gal has the days of April 6, 7 & 8 cued up for lots of fun and excitement.
Originally from Junction, Texas, the town where Texclipse is taking place, and experienced at organizing all kinds of events, including motorcycle rallies, Macy found it fitting to create added animation around this unique occasion in her hometown. Situated within the renowned Texas Hill Country, just over a hundred miles from San Antonio and a bit more from Austin, Junction is pegged to be one of the best places in the country to fully experience the eclipse. And, of course, the chances of having a clear, sunny day are far greater in Texas than in Maine. Translation: the extended weather outlook for the eclipse is terrific.
Macy has put together a lineup that showcases some of the best of Texas. In terms of music, there will be country, red dirt, rock and a bit of blues. Sunny Sweeney and Grammy-award winning Rick Trevino will be headlining along with a roundup of other top musicians. Since this is Texas, there will also be a chili cook-off, team roping, lots of Texas food and merch vendors as well as a Texas wine tasting. The Hill Country rates tops for the latter, so Macy has aligned herself with a top local vineyard that has produced a robust red with a sizzling label for the eclipse.
The art and science component of the festival promises to be stellar as well. There will be several family friendly presentations by Dr. Sky, the renowned National Space & Science Educator.
And to top it all off, Macy has put together Elope at the Eclipse where you and a handful of other couples can be married by an ordained minister during the actual total eclipse. What a way to create some magic between you and your beloved. I hear Bonnie Tyler singing “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in the background. Dang, those Texans know how to do it up right.
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by maribeth
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Twenty-Two Reasons Why I Love Being a Ski Instructor
In honor of my twentieth anniversary of teaching skiing at the Telluride Ski Resort, I thought I’d post some of the many reasons why I love being a ski instructor.
-I’m paid to ski in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
-I’m part of a big family that is the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School. The camaraderie we share among our fellow instructors, supervisors, managers and other mountain workers is tops.
-It’s wonderful to spread rainbows and sunshine everyday; we are truly the cheerleaders of the hill and the people who spend the most time with the guests.
-I love teaching.
-My job requires me to be playful, especially when teaching kids, however, I’ve found that adults respond well to play also.
-I love socializing. Instructors need to be very social; we are people people. We are often social planners, especially when it comes to facilitating a guest’s experience on the mountain.
-Teaching children to ski and spending time with them fills a big whole in my heart that was created when I was not able to have children of my own.
-It’s most convenient to have a locker right at the base of the slopes.
-Ski School provides us with many opportunities to work on our own skiing and I take advantage of as many training sessions as possible.
-I like being a part of PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) where the emphasis is on continuing education. They can be kind of nerdy but that’s part of what we do, particularly when it comes to technique.
-I think of my father most every day when I’m on the mountain and feel gratitude toward him for introducing me to skiing and Colorado.
-I do like wearing a uniform and red is my favorite color.
-There’s nothing like fresh air and exercise.
-I eat pretty much whatever I want during ski season since as instructors that are out in the cold many, many long days in a row, we burn a lot of calories.
-I like the perks we have, including pro discounts on lots of goods and services and free skiing at many resorts. It’s also nice to receive reduced price and complimentary lift tickets to Telluride that I can share with friends and family.
-It’s interesting to meet all kinds of people from all over the world and to turn them on to skiing.
-I like to play chairlift games.
-I feel that I’m pretty good at chairlift therapy i.e. convincing a woman why should she cultivate an interest in skiing when she’d rather be at the beach. (I like to say that families that ski together stay together and also that maybe you don’t want to send your partner away on one more guy’s trip to the slopes.)
-It’s a wonderful feeling to have worked out in the cold all day and go home to a cozy interior to thaw out.
-I like developing a side to myself that was not so apparent throughout my life, especially during my Paris days. Self empowerment through sport has become a theme for me these past two decades.
-It’s nice not to have to wait in lift lines when I’m teaching. (Although not nearly as busy as other big resorts, Telluride has become quite busy during the vacation weeks.)
-We are an eclectic group within the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School–young and old, from all kinds of backgrounds with all kinds of fortes that distinguish each and every one of us. It’s fun, for example, sitting on the bench (in the locker room) with a twenty-something and still feeling no ageism because our common language is the ski and riding experience that we all offer. Translation: this ‘ole gal has some good pearls of wisdom to offer to many of the youngins, even if they can ski circles around me.
Why twenty-two? It’s my favorite number.
Tune into KOTO.org tonight, Thursday, February 15 at 6:30pm MST to listen to my Travel Fun interview with Tim Williams, Director of the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School. Talking about sliding is almost as good as doing it.
Art & Culture Colorado Flowers & Gardens Mountain Living Telluride: Colorado farmers markets flowers harvest time joy therapy organic produce Telluride Zephryos
by maribeth
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Ode to Zephyros, Bravo to the Farmers
My, what a busy, sun-drenched summer it was! And with the first couple of weeks of fall being extra sunny, warm and dry, we are only slowly inching toward winter here in Colorado. This weather, which has been a boon to farmers, has resulted in bountiful harvests of fruit, vegetables and flowers that keep on coming. The big snows will be here soon enough, but right now we are enjoying an extended almost summer-like season.
Between the blistering heat and a good amount of travels, life has been pretty intense for me in these past months. Thankfully there was one constant that was a stabilizing force, one new activity that brought me much joy: working at the Zephyros flower stand at the Telluride Farmer’s Market on Fridays.
Most every Friday this summer was punctuated with bright pops of color, redolent starts to the day and cheerful interactions with clients and fellow market goers. Yes, I became a flower seller. Like anything new, I was a little jittery at first. Wrapping flowers properly is an art. Doing quick additions in my head of a large bouquet composed of some twenty different stems had me dialing up skills I hadn’t used since grade school math class. And lugging heavy buckets of water gave my upper body a workout unlike anything I’m able to achieve on the ski slopes.
But soon enough I was able to navigate my way within this bustling attraction that has ranked as one of the market’s top draws for almost fifteen years. Under the tutelage of Molly and Rachel, I learned the art of flower arranging, and after a few weeks I began to compose bouquets that embodied the Zephyros look. Their signature style evokes a poetic expression of beauty, one that the French would call champêtre. (That word loosely translates to country or pastoral.) How gratifying it was to see these little bouquets–which Zephyros refers to as ‘lil Miss–selected for purchase just minutes after I carefully assembled my interpretation of a country bouquet.
By then, I had hit my stride and I was even becoming more familiar with the vast variety of flowers and grasses showcased on the stand. Flowers such as godetia, stock and Armenian basket flower were becoming almost as familiar as peonies, marigolds and sunflowers. Sometimes I’d even learn the common names; euphorbia, for example, is known as snow on the mountain. So fresh and lovely.
Yes, I delighted in admiring the beauty in everything I sold. Nothing went unnoticed to me. Teaching skiing on creamy snow-packed slopes of Telluride on a bluebird day fills the mind, body and spirit. To me, handling such beautiful flowers and sharing them with others stirs the senses in the most glorious ways as well.
I call it joy therapy, a theme I have focused on for a good while now. After much sadness, loss and upset, I am once again witnessing friends and family affront death and dying. I’m also still dealing with an insanely litigious person that has brought more than twenty legal actions against the family since my father passed in 2016. The best response to all that is to shine more light and what better way to do it than with flowers.
My mom imparted her love of flowers to me at an early age. We always had little country bouquets in every room at our lake house. Growing cutting flowers in the garden, however, proved to be a more challenging task. I’d have to pick carefully in our flower beds to find just the right amount of blooms and greenery to fill our vases. I do the same thing now in my little garden in Colorado.
So you can imagine my wonder every Friday when I helped to unload the big Zephyros truck heaping with buckets of flowers, single stems and bouquets that had been carefully prepared the day before. The bounty, the glory and the freshness of it all has made me dizzy with pleasure. Displaying their array of flowers–and also some produce–was like laying out a feast.
I tell Molly and Rachel that their goods rival those from some of the most abundant markets of France. During a recent trip to Provence, in fact, lavender was the only flower sold at one of the big open-air markets.
The flower shops in Paris are magnifique yet I don’t know of a boutique that grows everything they sell. Such is the case with Zephyros Farm & Garden, a farm about two-and-a-half hours from Telluride in Paonia. These farmers grow indoors and out, from seed to dried bouquets, working the earth organically and with a passion that shows in all of their goods.
I will visit their farm and gardens some day. You can, too. Let’s keep the joy therapy coming. Thank you to all the farmers who work tirelessly to spread such goodness to us. During this harvest season where we find such abundance on farmers’ stands and markets, we have an added appreciation for what they do. For those of us that have tried our hand at growing, we know that little emerges from the earth easily. (Except, of course, weeds!)
You can visit the Zephyros flower stand at the Telluride Farmer’s Market, which typically goes from early June through early October. Today’s market will be the last one of the year. I’ve completed my work there but hope to return next year.
If you’re not able to check them out in person, visit their website for a hit of joy. And then pick up a bouquet of flowers for yourself somewhere to brighten your surroundings. Remember to change the water daily!
The darkest days of fall and winter will soon be upon us, so have your fill now of Mother Nature’s bounty. Your local farmers will thank you.
In September, I enjoyed a visit to The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, one of the world’s most resplendent resorts. I posted many pictures of their gardens on my Instagram and Facebook pages. In July, I had also posted on my social media photos of magnificent flower arrangements from a wedding I attended in Saint Tropez early in the summer. Do take a peek.
Art & Culture Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Music & Dance Restaurants Telluride: Colorado Hotels & Lodging Joint Point Mountain Living Mountain Lodge Telluride music nightlife parties Restaurants Telluride
by maribeth
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Groovy Times Guaranteed at Mountain Lodge Telluride
Imagine a handsome mountain lodge in a superlative setting with an extraordinary local vibe. Think of a place that puts on great parties for locals and visitors alike. That’s what you’ll find at Mountain Lodge Telluride, one of the top places of lodging in Telluride, Colorado.
As I wrote in my story, The View at Mountain Lodge: Telluride’s Best-Kept Secret, for Telluride Magazine, their restaurant is a favorite place for great food and drink and also a happening place for parties. The View hosts all kinds of events, including weddings. And they also put on some great bashes that embody the vibe of a good ‘ole Telluride party. Joint Point, a favorite local rock band with solid jamming chops, has been putting on shows twice a year here for a number of years. Their Snow Dance the Friday after Thanksgiving and their Electric Luau, a Friday night in the first part of June, have become traditions in Telluride’s roster of good times.
Music festival season is almost here. And there’s no better way to warm up for it than attending a fun evening of music and dance within a fabulous great room, a space surely designed with extraordinary gatherings in mind. Dig out your Aloha shirts, board shorts and flowered sarongs and put your bright on this Friday, June 9th to welcome the summer season.
With chilly temps still bringing in some fresh fallen snow (up high!), it has not felt very summery around this part of the Rockies so far. But we have had some spectacular rainbows and you’re sure to bask in your own kaleidoscopic array of light by attending Friday night’s Electric Luau at the Lodge. Reasonably-priced and super tasty food and drink will be served, so go hungry.
Full disclosure: my guy, Steve Togni, the general manager of Mountain Lodge Telluride for almost twenty years and my significant other for about fifteen of them, usually steps in and plays a song or two with the band. How cool is that? No wonder this elegant establishment can so easily take on a hippie vibe. Anyone in the know, knows that that’s part of the beauty of Telluride. It’s our way of keeping it real.
Know that even if you miss Friday’s party at the Lodge, there are plenty of other opportunities to enjoy this wonderful venue. Check out my story, The View at Mountain Lodge: Telluride’s Best-Kept Secret, to find out more about the restaurant and bar. Note that changes are afoot and there will be a whole new food and beverage team this summer. In keeping with the trajectory of The View since it’s conception in 2008, offerings here are sure to be better than ever.
Colorado Durango Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Durango Mountain Living Purgatory ski instructing Skiing & Snowboarding spring skiing Telluride Telluride Ski & Snowboard School Telluride Ski Resort
by maribeth
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Wow What a Ski Season in the West
Wow, what a winter it was!
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.
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.
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.
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!?!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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by maribeth
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Hilaree Nelson: Mountaineer, Adventurer, Skier and Tellurider
“We all need a little fear in our lives. If you don’t have it, you’re not overcoming anything.”
I heard those words on CPR (Colorado Public Radio) as a segment of an interview with Hilaree Nelson played the day after her body was found in the Himalayas. She perished on September 26, 2022 as she started to ski down Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world. After having summited this monolithic peak with her partner, Jim Morrison, she sadly triggered an avalanche that swept her away.
Her thoughts on fear have resonated in my head ever since. So this is how Hilaree Nelson became so fearless.
I first heard about her disappearance on NPR (National Public Radio) earlier in the week. Somehow I had missed the update on KOTO, our local NPR-affiliate here in Telluride. It didn’t take long for me to realize, however, that our small mountain community was steeped in grief.
“She was a regular Telluride local,” said Ben Kerr, Station Manager and Program Director at KOTO. “Anybody who can accomplish what she did and maintain that sense of humility is amazing.”
Ben and I talked about Hilaree as I sat down in the studio to listen to a Travel Fun interview she did with me on March 12, 2015. In the podcast we sound like two Telluride gals chatting about travel and adventure almost as though we had met up for an après ski. It was an après ski of sorts because we taped the interview fresh off the slopes during an extraordinary snow week.
We were especially happy to talk about women and skiing, since Hilaree (then O’Neill) had just participated in Telluride Women’s Week, a long-running ski camp for women (actually the first in the country) at Telluride Ski Resort.
For a big dose of inspiration on how to live your best life, listen to the half-hour podcast below.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY INTERVIEW WITH HILAREE NELSON
On Everest and Lhotse
Hilaree talks about her epic 2012 adventure when she linked two peaks: Everest and Lhotse. “It was sort of a never-ending day,” she says. Pringles washed down with instant coffee mixed with protein shakes fueled Hilaree as she went almost fifty hours without sleep. But it was mostly the exhilaration she felt around that expedition that enabled her to accomplish this remarkable feat.
The Zone You Get In Before a Big Adventure
“I can do it,” Hilaree says. She also emphasizes research and gaining as much confidence and knowledge about something before diving in.
About Butterflies
“I like being uncomfortable,” she says. “I like having a big dose of fear.”
Why Telluride
“I couldn’t get enough of the peaks around here,” Hilaree says as she refers to the Fourteeners in the area.
The Motivation
Hilaree and I talk about self empowerment through sport, a theme that has been a big part of my life the past two and a half decades. (It’s also underscored in my travel memoir, A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France.) “It’s really empowering to push beyond our own walls,” she says. “I get that through being uncomfortable.” You’ll also hear that Hilaree’s adventures offered her a certain level of silence…both externally and internally.
Regarding Chamonix, France
“It’s French but very international…it was very eye-opening for me.” In our interview, Hilaree talks about this whole new world where the commonality was the mountains. Chamonix is also where Hilaree honed many of her roping skills.
On the French
Hilaree came to appreciate their frankness but was also happy that although she learned French, her language skills were not quite strong enough to engage in conversations about la politique. This extraordinary athlete also loved indulging in many luscious aspects of French life, including les pâtisseries, other French foods and wine. She also very much enjoyed the French people’s appreciation for leisure time.
Advice for Someone that Wants to Have More Adventure in Life
“Figure our what your passion is,” says Hilaree. If you’re really into wine, for example, she recommends going to France in the fall–during les vendanges–to pick grapes.
Cheers to you Hilaree Nelson! Thank you for being such a force and for seizing the day.
