Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Utah: Alta closing days Easter KOTO street dance Mountain Collective Smith ChromaPops Snowbird spring skiing Sunrise Service Telluride
by maribeth
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Closing My Ski Season at Telluride, Snowbird and Alta
Closing Day Celebration in Telluride
Parking Lot Closing Party at Alta
Alpine Views at Snowbird
Let me see here. Hmmm. I feel like I’ve forgotten how to write.
Although I’ve had mountains of stories crafted in my head these past months, I have not been able to sit down and write them. I’ve either been too tired or just too busy skiing–both for work and pleasure. (The former being a product of the latter of course.) And as much as I miraculously remained fairly healthy throughout much of the season, I was slammed with a horrific cold at the end of March, which turned into a sinus problem that’s been hard to shake. Ugh.
Celebrating the End of Ski Season is for All
Mary Ann and Mary Dawn at the KOTO End of Season Street Dance
But here I am now, slowly but surely transitioning into my writer’s life. I hate to make promises, although now that I’ve put my skis away, you should be hearing much more from me in the coming months.
What a Setting for a Party
Cheers to a Great Season
It was a super season here in Telluride topped off with a fun-filled closing weekend made even more merry by the visit of a dear friend, Margie, from Scottsdale. The snow gods blessed Telluride with a spectacular snowfall the last week of the season, so we closed with a base of mid-winter proportions. Sigh. I suppose all good things have to come to an end. Thank goodness Telluride Ski Resort and KOTO Radio know how to throw great parties to mark the end of the ski season. No matter how you look at it, we went out with a bang!
Closing Day Scene in Telluride
Margie and Me
Partytime
Oh Yeah
Striking a Pose in Vintage Ski Gear
Margie, the Llama and the Guys
After having logged a lot of much needed couch time–yes, there’s always a big accumulation of fatigue by the end of the ski season–I was thrilled to go on one last hurrah in Utah with my boyfriend, Steve. We always enjoy skiing at other resorts once Telluride closes and this time we decided to travel far–beyond our usual Aspen and Vail visits–to meet up with my brother Frank and some of his old friends in Snowbird. It’s a six-hour drive from Telluride but boy, is it worth it.
Beauty Colorado Health & Fitness Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Spas Telluride
by maribeth
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Starting the Year Off Right: Taking Care from Head to Toe
One of My New Year’s Resolutions: Go More to the Pool at The Peaks Resort & Spa
Phew, these have been the busiest mid-winter weeks of any ski season I’ve experienced. As I wrote in my story, January 2017: One of the Snowiest on Record for Colorado, the snow totals from the past month have been ridiculous! The fluffy white stuff just kept coming down.
And Telluride Ski Resort has remained busy–at least by our standards. But don’t worry, lift lines are still a rarity. There were surely a few records broken during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, characteristically our busiest week of the season. I know that private ski lessons sold out during that period and I was grateful to have been blessed with some lovely clients. It was rewarding to see that I helped them to improve their turns and, of course, we had lots of fun and good chats, too. (Take that as a heads up in case you want to book a private lesson in Telluride during the upcoming busy vacation weeks.)
It looks like the days of a January lull are over. In addition to Americans, more and more international skiers have discovered Telluride. I had a Russian lady and a Brazilian in my class the other day and then offered some assistance to Chinese people looking for directions as I left the mountain. No sir, Telluride is no longer a best-kept secret.
As usual, after the holiday rush, resort workers were falling ill like clumps of snow off the pines on a sunny day, however, I have not been slammed with sickness this year. I have been weakened these past weeks but have fortunately been winning the battle. So instead of keeping up with my writer’s life, I’ve been focused on catching up on my rest and taking care of my body when not on the mountain.
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Ajax Avalanche Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Snow Removal Telluride Telluride Ski Resort The Rockies
by maribeth
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January 2017: One of the Snowiest on Record for Colorado
Spectacular Telluride Weather
Our Cold and Snowy Mountain Town
Cold and Snow Make for Great Skiing
Brrrrr
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
January: A Big Month for Ongoing Ski Instructor Training
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 »
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Telluride The Rockies: Chop House Restaurant destination hotel Colorado fine dining Telluride New Sheridan night life Telluride spring in Telluride
by maribeth
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June in the Rockies: A Gorgeous Time of Year
The View of the Beautiful Funky Town of Telluride from Our Room at the New Sheridan
Telluride Green and White
Last Week in T-ride
I’m on Lake George in the Adirondacks now where I’ve been plunged into the luscious heat and humidity of an upstate New York summer. It feels glorious, especially as I sit here on the porch in a bathing suit and sarong typing away on my laptop. It has been quite the spring in Telluride, chilly and snowy all the way up through last Thursday. Of course you can never entirely put winter clothes away in the Rockies, but this year I needed good, sturdy boots right up to Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer.
Views from the Neighborhood
Spring View from the House
As much as I’m happy to be sitting here in bare feet wiggling my toes, I was thrilled to experience that extraordinary time of the year when the mountains emerge from their deep winter slumber before I left. I witnessed the fuzzy buds of the aspens pop into bright leaves as the crystalline snows melted on their branches. The play of spring light against the fresh yellow-green of the season and the pure white snow made for a dazzling display of nature. I was happy this all happened during a time when I was busy running about to do errands because the panoramic views on my drives were beyond breathtaking. Changes in the leaves occurred seemingly by the minute. Indeed, it’s a wonderful time of the year for the earth to reawaken, especially in the mountains of Colorado.
Telluride
I thought I’d share with you here some images from this time of year taken this year and last. I also wanted to tell you about a little-known secret: June is one of the best times of the year in the Rockies. In Telluride, it’s when Bluegrass happens (the third week in June), but first and foremost, it’s the month of some of the best weather of the year. The hills are truly coming alive during this time and although it might rain some in June, we’re not yet soaked with the monsoonal flows that hit the mountains in July and August. Yes, it’s a splendiferous time of the year. And the summer crowds have not yet arrived. (Not that it ever becomes very crowded in Telluride.)
Nightcap at the New Sheridan
Our Room at the New Sheridan
Feeling Cozy at the New Sheridan
My Hotel and Dining Recommendation
Truly a destination hotel, the historic New Sheridan has long served as the hub of Telluride. And as much as I don’t like to play favorites, I would go so far as to say that this glittering establishment stands out as my all-time favorite place to be in Telluride. It’s the place to go to dine, drink, savor an elegant hotel stay and just while away some time as you watch the fun and playful doings of our beautiful mountain town unfold before you. I stayed here for a night almost year ago with my boyfriend, Steve, and it was one of the best staycations you could imagine. Highlights included late-night drinks at the bar, luxurious accommodations and a superb brunch in the Chop House Restaurant. So many of the sights, sounds and smells from that stay still tingle my senses; the pop, pop, pop of the opening of bubbly for the Sunday brunch still echo in my mind along with the stillness of the night as seen, heard and experienced from our beautiful room. A true bastion of tradition and refinement, the New Sheridan perfectly embodies the spirit of Old World grandeur and old mining town charm.
Beautiful Bathroom at the New Sheridan
Heading to Brunch
Mimosas
Brunch
Old Time-y Photos Line the Walls at the New Sheridan
Beau: A Fixture at this Fine Establishment
The Town of Telluride Early June
When in Telluride, be sure to make your way to the recently opened New Sheridan rooftop bar, last summer’s talk of the town. Here are a couple of photos from a fun time I shared there last September with a good friend.
Enjoying Drinks at the New Sheridan Rooftop Bar
Here’s to a Fun Summer Scene
For more on the New Sheridan, read New Sheridan Hotel: Telluride’s Historic Gem.
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Telluride Ski Resort Telluride Ski School the 70s in Telluride the old days in a Colorado mountain town
by maribeth
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Telluride Ski School History: A Rich and Storied Tale
Instructors Lined Up at the Gorrono Meeting Place
Teaching a Student on Skinny Straight Skies
The Early Days
Originally published in Masters of the Mountain 2015-2016, the new Telluride Ski & Snowboard School magazine, I’m posting my expanded version of my Telluride Ski School History story below along with photos from days gone by and shots from this season.
“The mountain was raw. We were into steep skiing. The town was wild. We never knew it was going to go this far,” says longtime Telluride ski instructor Cindy Smith about the early days of Telluride. “There was a lot of craziness,” she adds, “but boy, was it fun.”
From people riding horses into the New Sheridan Bar to lines of cocaine laid out on the tables of certain establishments, there was some outrageous behavior going on in T-ride during the old days (the seventies through early eighties) and indeed some blatant lawlessness. “Some people even say that firemen would come in and hose people down in the the bars on really rowdy nights,” Cindy continues.
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Bootdoctors early season skiing holiday festivities Mountain Lodge New Sheridan opening day Telluride Telluride Ski & Snowboard School Telluride Ski Resort
by maribeth
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Grateful for Telluride and the Telluride Ski Resort
The Town of Telluride, Colorado After the Storm
With all that’s happening in the world, most of us are feeling extra stressed these days. This is true even in Telluride, Colorado, one of the safest and most beautiful places on earth. No one is immune to feeling reverberations from all these horrific terrorist acts. As I wrote in my story, Paris Attacks Hit Home, we are one.
The Telluride Scene
Still though, we are so privileged in this sweet little ski town. Few people lock the doors to their cars and houses except during bear season, since our local bruin population has become pretty savvy about entering spaces redolent with lingering pizza, berry and pie smells. We live in a bubble of sorts where our biggest threats come from pushing it too hard on the slopes or getting caught in an avalanche during a backcountry ski.
Colorado Mountain Living Telluride: best fall foliage tour Colorado fall foliage season Colorado peak leaf-peeping SW Colorado Telluride gondola Telluride Photo Festival
by maribeth
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Fall in Colorado: A Most Colorful Time of Year
View from My Deck: First Day of Fall
Heading Out on My Walk
Along the Galloping Goose
Happy fall to all!
I am so excited about the beauty that surrounds me right now–the colors are really going off. As usual, it came upon us very fast and I see a change in the foliage every day. We’ve been spoiled with summertime temperatures the past week so in some ways, fall has taken us by surprise. At least that’s the case for me.
Good news is that according to the forecast, glorious Indian summer weather will continue to light up the leaves and our spirits for the upcoming ten days or so as we inch toward peak viewing times. (In truth, it’s typically gorgeous around here in southwest Colorado through mid October, especially if the mountains are frosted with fresh fallen snow.)
Colorado Durango Four Corners Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living: Blue Lake Ranch charming country inn Colorado lodging Durango lodging Mesa Verde
by maribeth
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Blue Lake Ranch: A Hidden Gem in Southwest Colorado
Blue Lake Ranch
The Iconic Sleeping Ute Mountain in Southwest Colorado
I Love Sunflowers
I love living in southwest Colorado. Here in Telluride we’re in a high alpine world surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks, yet within an hour’s drive you find yourself in more arid, Western-looking landscapes sporting temperatures almost twenty degrees warmer. That’s a welcome relief this time of year when most people want to extend summer as much as possible.
Blue Lake Ranch
About this time last year I discovered a wonderful guest ranch that I didn’t know existed: Blue Lake Ranch. And what a discovery it was!
