Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Paris Spas: Colorado Denver Denver spas Hotels & Lodging luxurious Paris spas Paris Spa George V Four Seasons Paris Spas The Oxford Club Spa The Oxford Hotel Spa
by maribeth
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Spa Going: The Perfect Antidote to the Winter Blues
The Sitting Room of the Spa George V at the Four Seasons in Paris
Ho hum. If you’re not an avid outdoor enthusiast, you might be growing tired of winter by now. The Northeast has been in the grip of mighty cold and snow for the past couple of months and as I write this, half the U.S. is bracing itself for another arctic wallop. Europe has experienced quite the winter as well, particularly in Paris where I hear many fashionistas have gone so far as to trade in their stylish châpeaux for more practical knit hats—mon dieu!
Aside from cozying up on my couch with my kitties, an excellent cup of tea and a good book, I’ve found a trip to a spa to be the best therapy for curing mid-winter doldrums. (That’s, of course, after I’ve had fun in the mountain air.) Pampering and intense relaxation always warm my body and soul, leaving me to feel newly restored and ready to affront the cold or whatever else is thrown my way.
I love how almost no matter where we find ourselves, we can chose a spa experience that will transport us to a new and different healing space sure to transform us on many levels. There’s a spa out there for seemingly every mood and budget; it’s just up to us to seek it out.
Colorado Denver Outdoor Adventures Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Denver Outdoor Adventures Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on Gotta Love Colorado
Gotta Love Colorado
Ready, Get Set, Go!
It’s not every day you see the above scene in a major city. Indeed, Denver’s Big Air event marked the first city-based World Cup big air happening in the U.S. Leave it to Denver, the mile-high city and gateway to the Rockies. Dutch rider Rocco Van Straten wooed a crowd of 14,000, taking leap after leap on this giant course to win the Snowboard FIS World Cup last night. You can view coverage of the competition this weekend on NBC.
Denver's Towering 106-Foot High Slope---Why Not?
Colorado boasts a lot of firsts, in fact, especially when it comes to snowsports. This year’s X Games, which began today in Aspen, showcase three events—ski halfpipe and snowboard and ski slopestyle—that will likely become added to the 2014 Winter Olympics. Check out the story in Tuesday’s New York Times. It’s not the first time this has happened and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
I better tell my ski instructor/snowbiking buddy, Dave Valentine, to perfect his skills. Heck, both skiing and cycling are Olympic sports—why not snowbiking?
You can snowbike in Telluride with an instructor—or go out on your own once you’ve gone with an instructor. Contact Telluride Ski & Snowboard School to line up a lesson. I’ve actually taught many snowbike lessons myself; they’re terrific fun and a great equalizer if you have people of different (ski or snowboard) abilities looking to go out and play on the mountain together for a few hours.
Thank you to Oliver Kraus and Tom Kelly, from FIS and U.S. Snowboarding, for the use of the above images.
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Spas Telluride: Hotels & Lodging Spas Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on Camel’s Garden Hotel: A Telluride Favorite
Camel’s Garden Hotel: A Telluride Favorite
The Gondola and Camel’s Garden Hotel Backdropped by Telluride’s Majestic Peaks
I love boutique hotels. Our Colorado mountain towns are blessed with a number of them and in Telluride, Camel’s Garden Hotel is one of my favorites. It offers the whole package for assuring a heartwarming stay in our beautiful Victorian town: great location at the base of the gondola, large, brightly-colored rooms and condos, personalized service and a variety of amenities. The breakfast room is so pleasant and welcoming that you’ll want to hang around for a second cup of coffee. No problem since there are two lifts to chose from (including the gondola) right outside your door. As for après ski or late-night stargazing, guests at Camel’s Garden enjoy the privilege of experiencing one of the best hot tubs in town, one of the best in the West, in fact. Frankly I’d stay here just for the use of the tub which is really more of a small pool from which you can take in killer views.
Colorado Mountain Living Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Colorado Mountain Living Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies
by maribeth
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Baby It’s Cold Outside
Columbia’s Reach the Peak Omni-Heat Down Jacket
Brrrrrrr. There’s no doubt about it—it’s January here in the Rockies. We had brutally cold weather over New Year’s, then a bit of a reprieve, and now the thermometer has dipped way low again the past couple of days and nights. And I love it! These frigid temperatures are ideal for preserving our snow as well as our hearty mountain-dweller spirit. (Chilly days on the hill make for even more cozy nights at home.)
You must, however, be prepared for such frosty weather since there’s no fooling around with mother nature. I had my coldest day on the mountain (ever!) in Telluride over New Year’s, yet I more than endured it by dressing properly and taking lots of hot chocolate breaks. Temperatures hovered around zero much of the time, creating a misty, ethereal effect unlike anything I had ever experienced on the slopes. I never would have ventured out on such glacial days on my own, but since I was booked for private lessons with familiar clients, my ski instructor duties kicked in. (And boy, was I glad it did or else I would have missed a very magical moment on the mountain.)
Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Santa Skis Telluride
The weather outside is not exactly frightful. At least not in Telluride today. In fact, temperatures here over the weekend rose to spring-like conditions, prompting people to peel off layers throughout Christmas Day. Although we didn’t get as much of the fluffy white stuff as was forecasted, Santa was still able to find some nice powder stashes on the mountain during his annual visit.
Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Travel: Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on Travel Lightly: Something to Remember During the Busy Holiday Season and Always
Travel Lightly: Something to Remember During the Busy Holiday Season and Always
CME: My Ticket to Ride
“Travel lightly,” said my dear friend Jane over the phone.
“Oh, I will,” I quickly replied. “I’m not packing much for New York.”
“I’m not talking about traveling lightly in that sense,” she insisted. “I mean be light, as in light of spirit.”
“Oh, of course,” I answered as I pondered the full meaning of her words. “Yes, I will––-I must. Yes, I have to remember to take that approach,” I emphasized as we ended our conversation.
I can’t tell you how much I’ve thought about those two simple words these past ten days. Travel lightly. Travel lightly. This has become my mantra of late. I know that everything begins with intention and how you ease into (or respond to) a situation dictates its outcome. But it’s nice to be reminded of this sort of thing.
Colorado Pot Pourri Skiing & Snowboarding: Pot Pourri Skiing & Snowboarding
by maribeth
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SKI Magazine and Me
Posing for SKI Magazine in T-ride
I’m in upstate New York now where it snowed on Monday. I was happy to see that it has started snowing in Colorado this week as well—indeed, it’s time the fluffy white stuff starts to accumulate. I’m not thinking much about skiing these days, however, since I’m still in writer’s mode. I’m actually headed to New York City to stir up some publishing contacts for “A Tour of the Heart,” a travel memoir/love story I’ve been working on. (This work, which is not surprisingly set in France, explores the juxtaposition of two major themes in my life: European sophistication and self empowerment through sports.) Right now I’m keeping my bags light and am mostly packing accessories (scarves, baubles and tops) along with my MacAir and a handful of papers—it promises to be a busy few days. I feel eons away from the mid-winter days in Telluride when lots of layering and a backpack stuffed to capacity are the norm.
Schussing for SKI Magazine
Yet skiing is never far from my thoughts. And I’ve had so many people comment on a recent SKI Magazine article that I have to fess up. Yes, that’s me featured in the October issue of SKI Magazine. It’s the gear issue and the story emphasizes how you can improve your technique with the right boot fit, foot beds, canting and other essential equipment adjustments. The piece mentions that I’m a travel writer, ski instructor and shopping consultant, something that might raise eyebrows in anything but a ski publication. (How I love the eclectic lives most of us live in the mountains!) Anyway, if you have this issue in a stack on your coffee table, you may want to check it out. If not, know that I’ll be providing my own tips this season on how to outfit yourself on and off the slopes with both European styling and American know-how. Don’t you think it’s great to mix up your life? As always, I welcome any comments and/or tips you may want to share.
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies
by maribeth
Comments Off on Fall in the Rockies: Pick the Day, Pick the Season
Fall in the Rockies: Pick the Day, Pick the Season
Gondyleaves at Snowmass
We were walloped with our first big snowstorm of the season earlier this week. It happened as usual––albeit a little behind schedule––and within twenty-four hours we were catapulted from glorious fall days into the depths of winter. Either way, it looks beautiful here in the Rockies and it seems as though we’ll be spared the bleak, grey days that sometimes occur between falling leaves and snowfall. Hopefully it was just enough to inspire folks around the country to think about booking their ski vacations in Colorado. (The best deals are offered now, so don’t wait.)
