Colorado Restaurants Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Restaurants Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
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Playing Tourist in T-ride
Telluride's Famous Steeps
I read somewhere a week ago that we’re beyond the halfway point of the ski season. My heart sunk. Why do all good things have to go by so fast? The good news is that our snow is piling up (even beyond some of our wildest expectations!) and the best of the season lies before us.
I had been taking my own personal ski inventory these past few weeks and although my number of skier days on the mountain is significant, I still hadn’t had one complete “free ski” day yet this year. Between my ski instructing and training and hours at my desk, I hadn’t been able to block a whole day on the mountain to myself. Sure, I had snatched a couple hours here and there when I wasn’t teaching the skills of a wedge christie or fine tuning my own basic and dynamic parallel, but I hadn’t yet enjoyed a whole day at Telluride Ski Resort for myself. It was time to play tourist on my neighborhood hill.
Plus there was Alpino Vino, a new restaurant on the mountain (which had actually opened last year), that everyone was buzzing about and I hadn’t even poked my head in to check it out. I was way overdue for Bushwacker and Plunge, super long groomed blacks synonymous with Telluride, two of the most epic ski runs in the country. And the idea of delighting in a leisurely mountaintop lunch in a new, happening restaurant made me feel like I was embarking upon a trip to a whole other destination. (Not that I ever tire of T-ride, mind you.)
Certainly the best part of this was that my boyfriend, Steve, was to join me for the whole day. We love skiing a few runs here and there together, but for me to “get him” for an entire day is a real treat. (Not only am I busy, but it’s not every weekend that he wants to dial it down to be content skiing with me. As a Telluride ski instructor, I can hold my own, yet I’m still not the hotshot he is on T-ride’s multitude of black and double black diamond runs.)
We headed straight for Chair 9, a local’s favorite, where virtually every run—black or double black—plummets into town. My first turns felt great but as I approached the super steep pitch of the Plunge, I had a few oh-shit moments that enabled me to better identify with the fear that hits my students as they test their skills on everything from the Magic Carpet to a blue run. Forever the ski instructor, I pushed the play button in my head which told me to maintain a balanced stance, GET FORWARD, tip and turn, flex and extend, angulate and GET FORWARD.
Steve bombed ahead of me, obviously forgetting that I had only skied about two blacks so far this season. “How did I do?” I dared to ask once I caught up to him.
“You can ski better than that,” he answered. So much for positive reinforcement. Then as if in an attempt to make things better he added “you need to get out and free ski more.”
I skied off without comment, highly unusual behavior for me which in itself told him a lot.
He picked up the conversation on the next chairlift ride, in an effort to smooth things over. “Really, hun, all you need to do is ski the tough stuff more.”
“Yes and I also need to write more, read more, stretch more, sleep more, there’s a lot more I need to be doing in my life.” I was almost wishing I had my own ski instructor with me to give me kudos, something most of us are really good at at Telluride Ski and Snowboard School. But I gave Steve a nudge on the chair and a wry smile, determined not to let it ruin our day.
Alpino Vino: My Refuge
We skied Bushwacker, another Plunge and a few other favorites before taking the Gold Hill lift up to See Forever and skiing down to Alpino Vino. It was 1:30 p.m. by now and the restaurant was hopping. And even though it was a snowy day, people were even seated outside on the front deck, clearly having a festive time, warmed by heaters and fine wine. We were lucky to score a table inside right by the window; although after having looked around a bit I realized that every table within this cozy enclave offered spectacular views.
Cathy, the bubbly maîtresse d’hôtel, greeted us warmly. Dressed in elegant alpine attire from Alpen Schatz, Telluride’s exclusive alpine boutique, she proceeded to tell us about the house specialties which include a selection of fine cured meats and cheeses, panini, insalata caprasi and antipasto side accompaniments such as oven roasted yellow tomatoes and garlic and herb marinated Tuscan olives. She also recommended we chose a tasting flight so that we could sample a few different wines. Our day was already looking up!
Andrew, Alpino Vino’s sommelier, quickly presented us with our selection of nectars, Italian Whites for me, Tuscan Reds for Steve. I felt giddy by now, not yet from the wine but simply by just sitting within this tony mountainside nook, complete with white linen napkins and waiters donned in alpine garb, while I watched the snow falling gently outside and skiers powering down the narrow descent at the top of See Forever. Also Steve was finally beginning to let go and it was clear that he was adapting nicely to the idea of taking a hedonistic lunch in the middle of a super ski day. (He usually just grabs a hotdog, coke and a chocolate bar between double black diamond runs.)
A High-Mountain Feast
My Italian (the real deal, with family origins in the Dolomites—no wonder he’s such a damn good skier!) sweetheart really perked up when we were served an array of appetizing-looking plates. Our picture-perfect antipasto consisted of fine cheeses and cured meats, fresh bread, grissini, virgin olive oil, dried fruits and nuts, truffle honey, sherry mustard and rosemary chips. We weren’t sure what was wooing us more: the antipasto, the gorgonzola and tomato soup or the gigandes white beans, prepared with garlic and olive oil that we spread on toast like butter. Steve commented that he hadn’t tasted such fine meats since his last trip to the Italian Alps.
Our flight of wines accompanied each dish belllismo. And even though we rarely drink at lunch, we were enjoying all so much that we asked Andrew to serve us up another couple of ounces to finish off the cheese. He presented us with a taste of a thirty-year old Port and a Sauternes. By now we had slipped into full-on Euro mode and Steve and I commented to each other that this sort of wining and dining is standard practice in Europe.
We left an hour and a half later, high on having enjoyed superlative food and drink in the highest restaurant in the United States (elevation: 11,966 feet). Truly one of the best dining experiences offered in Telluride, we expressed great contentment at finally having had the chance to share such a moment together.
We skied off much more relaxed than how we had started our day. My turns felt better than ever, the tapes calmed in my head and we zipped down a half a dozen more favorite trails in the remaining hour of the day. We popped our skis off at 4:10 p.m. at the base of Lift 4 and gave each other a frozen, runny-nosed kiss.
Our last burst of energy warmed us enough to sit outside at the Hop Garden and enjoy a PBR in a plastic up. Steve had moved two of the standing space heaters close to our table and we sat closely together grooving to the musicians that strummed Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd tunes to the delight of the après-ski crowd. We giggled over the contrast between this near festival-like scene and the high-brow presentation of Alpino Vino. Clearly we enjoyed both worlds and all the rest that our glorious mountain provides.
It was fun to play tourist for a day in Telluride. Now I can approach my wedge turning with renewed enthusiasm. And, of course, eagerly await my next opportunity to steal a free ski day. And as always, work on my turns.
Alpino Vino, open daily for lunch and high-end snacks; it’s pricey but worth it.
Alpen Schatz, 307 E. Colorado Avenue; 970-728-4433, www.alpenschatz.com; visit my Shopping Page to find out about the special discount you can receive from Alpen Schatz.
Hop Garden, open daily for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; 970-728-7467.
Thank you to Randy Barnes and Brett Schreckengost for the above images.
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Podcasts Restaurants Telluride: Colorado Hotels & Lodging Podcasts Restaurants Telluride
by maribeth
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New Sheridan Hotel: Telluride’s Historic Gem
The New Sheridan Forever Backdropped by Our Majestic Peaks
Most towns and cities boast at least one landmark hotel that embodies the spirit of that destination. Think of Claridge’s in London, Le Meurice in Paris, The Drake in Chicago and in Colorado, The Brown Palace in Denver, Hotel Jerome in Aspen, well you get the picture. Here in Telluride, we’re blessed with the New Sheridan Hotel, a most historic property whose orgins date back to 1891, the beginning of the boom time in mining for this Rocky Mountain town.
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Beauty Colorado Shopping Spas Telluride: Beauty Colorado Shopping Spas Telluride
by maribeth
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Telluride’s Ultra Luxe Mountain Spas
Capella Spa Telluride: Better Than What the Romans Could Imagine
Hmmmm. There’s nothing like spa-going after a day in the mountains. Whether you’ve been out skiing, hiking or just wandering around taking in the sites, a visit to a spa in the mountains seems so much more deserved, so much more of a must. Maybe it’s the contrast of the rugged scenery and the high altitude sun with the soothing interiors of such cosseted spaces. At elevations of close to 10,000 feet, the spa experience is indisputably enhanced tenfold. And if you’re lucky enough to find yourself sitting in a heated pool or a hot tub with snowflakes falling gently down around you, you’ll truly understand why spas and mountain destinations go together like robes and slippers. (My favorite visual is one of steam billowing up from outdoor heated pools and tubs, a common occurrence throughout winter and most summer evenings at spas in the mountains. When you’re in the middle of that misty scene, you can’t help feeling otherworldly.)
In Telluride, we’re truly spoiled. Maybe it’s because our mountains are so mighty that we boast such heavenly spas, super luxurious enclaves housed within the finest hotels of Telluride Mountain Village, the heart of the ski area. The little known secret is that you can enjoy these superlative spas for the price of a treatment or in some cases a day pass: Access to them is not reserved exclusively for their hotel guests.
Art & Culture Colorado France French Life Music & Dance Restaurants Telluride Travel: Art & Culture Colorado France French Life Music & Dance Restaurants Telluride Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on This is It: MJ and The Black Legend
This is It: MJ and The Black Legend
No Words Can Describe this Black Legend
Leave it to the French. They’re always on the cutting edge of what’s hot. They’re usually the harbingers of the next big happening, the next thing with which we should be consumed. Just think of Louis XIV and the role he played in ballet—it’s largely thanks to his interest in this dance that ballet gained such prominence in eighteenth century France, a notoriety that has grown throughout the centuries. He did the same for hairdressing. And how about American jazz? Nowhere has jazz been so revered as in Paris.
So I should have intuitively sensed something last spring when I received a press release announcing the creation of The Black Legend Monaco, a new nightspot on the French Riviera that pays tribute to Motown Music. It captured my attention since it’s part of Groupe Floirat, the same family-owned company that’s behind the celebrated Hotel Byblos in Saint-Tropez and its legendary nightclub, Les Caves du Roy. Oddly enough Michael Jackson died tragically as the finishing touches were applied to this ultra swanky hotspot in the tiny Principality of Monaco. Was it providential for the French to place such a heavy accent on Motown Music or was it just a sure bet?
Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies
by maribeth
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Wonderful Wolf Creek
Wolf Creek: The Snowiest Ski Area in Colorado
It’s terrific how quickly you can throw yourself into another season. It’s been feeling like winter here in Colorado for nearly two weeks, every since a big November storm dumped two and a half feet of snow on a good part of the Rockies. That’s just how I like it: sunny and warm until mid November, then boom, hello snow.
I have much to write about my stay at The Broadmoor, but I’ll save that for later since right now I’m too excited about the start of ski season. Our mountain, Telluride Ski Resort, opens tomorrow and I can hardly wait. I already have the ski bug, especially after having whetted my appetite last week at Wolf Creek, a low key, family owned and operated ski area, known to be consistently endowed with the most snow in Colorado. Tucked up against the Continental Divide, our nation’s backbone, Wolf Creek typically opens early November (sometimes even by Halloween) with a more than respectable base made up almost entirely of natural snow.
By the time we left Colorado Springs, Steve and I were eager to hit the slopes. I had located my equipment in my secondary storage unit (read about my packing dramas here) and aside for the need of a good ski waxing, I was good to go. (The bikini wax had, of course, been taken care of before heading out on our trip.) Since we were approaching Wolf Creek from the northeast, we decided to locate a nice place to stay in South Fork, a quaint and quiet little town, probably best known for its fly fishing during the summer months. My Internet research pulled up Arbor House Inn, an elegant bed and breakfast on the Rio Grande river (which actually begins just a short drive up the mountain at the top of the Divide).
One of Several Well-Dressed Tables at Arbor House Inn
Hosts Keith and Laurie and Their Pups
Steve and I could not have been more enchanted with our choice. I do think you can judge a book by its cover—at least most of the time—and you can also confidently select a place of lodging by its Web site. Sure, there’s always a chance for surprises but seasoned travel researchers generally know how to separate the good from the bad. We had nothing but delightful surprises at Arbor House Inn. In fact we were amazed to find such a polished establishment in the middle-of-nowhere-town of South Fork. Plush robes, candles in our room, well-stocked coffee and tea stations both in our room and in the inn’s dining room, candles at breakfast—there isn’t a detail passed over in this delightful inn. A sumptuous breakfast, overlooking a bucolic river scene, completes the romantic tableau that innkeepers Keith and Laurie Bratton have created in this little haven of peace in southwestern Colorado. Indeed these fine hosts are as gracious as their surroundings. And if you’re a dog lover, you’ll enjoy their two adorable Dachshunds as well as Chloe’s Corner, a charming room decorated with portraits of all our favorite canine ancestors. I love a place with a sense of humor and whimsy!
Chalet Swiss in South Fork
Second big discovery: Chalet Swiss, a lovely restaurant and bar, located just across the street from Arbor House Inn. In truth, I had been to this Euro-owned and operated bastion of tradition a couple of times before but it was fun to re-discover it with Steve, an Italian, who greatly appreciates fine dining without a bunch of fanfare. (This is actually very European.) Owner and Chef Fredi Brechbuehler presents specialties from his native Switzerland including Cheese Fondue, Raclette and Schitzel along with more traditional dishes such as Colorado Lamb Chops Provençale and Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine. It’s all perfect fare for pre or post recreating on the mountain.
It was tough pulling ourselves away from Arbor House Inn, even with the excitement of heading out for our first day on the slopes. Our enthusiasm mounted, however, as we embarked upon the climb to Wolf Creek Pass, a mere twenty-minute ascent that would take us to an elevation of 10,857 feet. In some respects it felt like I was coming home since I skied Wolf Creek a whole season when I first moved to Colorado—Pagosa Springs, Colorado to be exact—nearly eight years ago. (I can’t believe it has been that long.)
Celebrating its seventieth year, Wolf Creek epitomizes the sort of ski resort that many of us remember from childhood, the kind of mountain where lunch and lift tickets remain affordable and pretension of any kind feels out of place. Steve and I were thrilled. It took me a bit of doing to get going but once I heated up my boots beneath the blow dryer of the Ladies’ Room, I was ready to start my ski day. (Hint: Don’t ever leave your ski boots in a frozen car overnight, something I know better than to do but hey, we’re all rusty at the start of the season. Also, it’s best to cover your boots or put them in a boot bag in storage since I found mine to be loaded—well maybe not loaded but bad enough—with mouse turds!)
Wolf Creek Powder Day
We hopped on the Raven Chair, Wolf Creek’s high-speed quad, an addition since I was last here, and began our day of skiing. Our choice of cruisers felt limitless since the whole mountain was open and coverage throughout was excellent. My ski conditioning workouts had paid off and Steve and I were able to ski run after run until we finally decided to stop for a bite to eat (I recommend the green chili stew here) and gulps of much-needed water. I let Steve ski the Alberta Lift—the part of the mountain where you find the most challenging terrain—the rest of the afternoon while I did more laps on the blues. It’s best to break yourself in slowly early season, at least for a cream puff like me.
Tomorrow I get to test my legs again on the slopes. But this time, it’s here in T-ride, on the very slopes I can spot right out my window.
Thank you, Wolf Creek, for the primer. Now it’s time for the big league.
Wolf Creek Ski Area, Pagosa Springs, CO, 800-SKI-WOLF (754-9653) and 970-264-5639, www.wolfcreekski.com
Wolf Creek offers a dozen or So Locals’ Appreciation Days on Wednesdays throughout the season. All-day adult lift tickets are priced at $31. and no special I.D. is required. The regular price is $52. most other days.
Arbor House Inn, 31358 West Highway 160, South Fork, 888-830-4642 and 719-873-5012, www.arborhouseinnco.com
Chalet Swiss, West Highway 160 across from Arbor House Inn, 719- 873-1100
Beauty Colorado Mountain Living Spas Telluride: Beauty Colorado Mountain Living Spas Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on Telluride’s Beauty Boutiques
Telluride’s Beauty Boutiques
Mountain Therapy at Mountain Lodge Telluride
I love the notion of a beauty boutique. I frequented Beauté Boutique in the seventeenth arrondissement of Paris for many years. It consisted of a sectioned off little space where (mostly) women had a variety of body parts attended to with the efficacy and regularity of a man’s visit to the barber shop. It was a totally no frills operation but women maintained their monthly appointments for a short menu of treatments that included waxings, pedicures and facials. “In France, all this is part of la hygiene personnelle,” la directrice once explained to me.
The approach in Telluride is not too unlike what I encountered in Paris. Here the salons and spas are considerably more inviting than my neighborhood beauty boutique in Paris but these purveyors of poufing and pampering are indeed accustomed to meeting the needs of an equally demanding clientele. In Telluride, many women remain just as committed to maintaining their beauté as the French. This sort of fervent dedication to spas and salons is somewhat unusual in America but in my Rocky Mountain town where the air is often single-digit-humidity dry and the sun beams hard and bright most days of the year, personal upkeep is more of a necessity than a luxury.
Colorado Crested Butte Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Restaurants The Rockies: Colorado Crested Butte Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Restaurants The Rockies
by maribeth
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Testing My Mettle in Crested Butte
Steve and Me Feeling on Top of the World at the Summit of Mount Crested Butte
Sometimes it’s hard being a girly-girl in the Rocky Mountains. No matter how thin, how blond, how tanned, it seems as though these Colorado women are made of tough stuff. Some have their nails done on a regular basis and their hair colored with even greater frequency, but beneath their fresh-as-an-alpine-morning allure, they’re able to keep up with the most competitive men, the super fit guys that think nothing of powering up a stretch of singletrack at nosebleed elevations and then charging down the slope at near breakneck speed. These dudes are typically the husbands, boyfriends and partners of the aforementioned Colorado mountain girls and I’ve come to observe that most everything that the men take on, the women do nearly as well (and in some cases, even better). Their approach might be a tad less aggro but none seem to hesitate much. It’s kind of what’s expected out here.
And then there’s me. My life’s now a far cry from the Parisian Princess posturing I maintained for more than a decade in the French capital. Yes, I even became a ski instructor in an attempt to break out of such a pampered modus operandi. But still, my softness prevails and sometimes it just gets in my way, preventing me from engaging full-on in real mountain activities with the rest of the men and women I encounter here in the West.
This monster of girliness reared its ugly head last weekend during a special gathering of friends in Crested Butte, a mecca of mountain bike riding in America. As much as I’ve had a big passion for road riding in recent years, I’ve done very little mountain bike riding, mostly because I haven’t had my own bike. (O.K., I admit I’ve had a few nervous moments on singletrack when I feared I’d topple off my bike and fall down a cliff.) But I knew one of the main events of the weekend was going to involve a group bike ride, so I packed my chamois-bottomed shorts and cycling jersey and began to psyche myself up for the expedition. When D-day arrived, however, I choked, especially when I heard the ride would traverse some of CB’s most pristine stretches of singletrack, one and a half-foot wide swathes of trails that would normally be the envy of any respectable rider. But I couldn’t help thinking about the wobbling and eventual toppling over that might likely occur out on some precipitous ledge.
Aspen Colorado Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Shopping Spas The Rockies: Aspen Colorado Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Shopping Spas The Rockies
by maribeth
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Aspen Highlights
Best Summer Program in Aspen: Hike First Then Leave Lots of Time to Shop, Spa Go and Wine and Dine in the Chi-Chi Capital of The Rockies
Going to Aspen for a Tellurider is like going to the big city. Actually the level of sophistication one can experience in Aspen is more than what most cosmopolitan cities offer. I love checking out the shops, spas, restaurants and hotels and prefer to chince on my outdoor activities here in order to take in all the happening spots in this chic Rocky Mountain resort town.
Limelight’s New Look
I was holed up in Aspen for nearly six weeks this past off-season, ample time to return to some of my favorite haunts and discover new ones. I walked the streets some with my dad which is how I came to discover Limelight Lodge. He had stayed at this family-owned long-established hotel eons ago but now it touts an entirely new look. The original lodge was actually torn down and replaced by a sleek, new building that houses an expansive modern lobby/lounge area and style-y rooms outfitted with mini kitchenettes (fridge, microwave, coffee maker, silverware and plates). Aspen has never looked so cool, comfy and contemporary. I’m sure it’s quickly becoming the hotspot to stay in town.
