Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books: Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books
by maribeth
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Reflections on My Ten Years as a Ski Instructor
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.
Colorado Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on The Joy of Nordic Skiing
The Joy of Nordic Skiing
Steve Hindman on His Skinny Skis
I sat down with DeAnne Gabriel and Steve Hindman, two professional nordic ski instructors, back in February to do a Travel Fun interview. They shared a wagonload of tips about cross country skiing from how and where to do it in and around Telluride, Colorado to recommendations for first timers.
As we approach the end of the alpine ski season here in Telluride, I thought I’d post the interview below as a podcast since April and May provide many great opportunities for heading out to embrace the glide.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Aspen Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Aspen Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
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Skiing with Rock Stars: Schussing with Telluride’s Synchronized Ski Teams
Southern Synchro Skiers Practicing in Telluride, Colorado
My View of the Ghostriders’s Last Run Just as the Sun Was Peeking Over the Mountain
OK, well I wasn’t exactly skiing with these elite snowsports professionals. I was actually tagging along to watch them perform. I’ve been telling many of my fellow Telluride Ski and Snowboard School friends these past couple of months that I’d come out and watch them do their stuff. But I admit that the idea of getting on the slopes before the sun rises over the mountain hasn’t thrilled me, especially since I’ve been working as a ski instructor myself almost nonstop since mid-February. But I set my alarm earlier yesterday and greeted members from theses two teams—Telluride Ghostriders and Southern Synchro Skiers—in the locker room and at the top of the gondola before I had time to have my second cup of coffee. A few warm exchanges were shared but from the get-go, I could tell they were all business. The task at hand was to charge down the mountain three times, accomplishing a total of six expertly coordinated formations, within a half hour before Telluride Ski Resort officially opened for the day and before they had to go to work as ski instructors potentially teaching every level of student from first-time beginners to level eight all-mountain skiers. Wow, what a way to kickstart your morning.
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Trip Planning Writing & Books: Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Trip Planning Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on KOTO Fundraising: Fun and Great Giveaways
KOTO Fundraising: Fun and Great Giveaways
KOTO Radio: The Soul of Telluride, Colorado
Join me today, Thursday, March 20, A LITTLE EARLIER at about 6:20 pm (through 7pm) in Telluride, Colorado and within the outlying area and on the internet for my Travel Fun talk radio show. This will be a special live show for KOTO fundraising featuring a variety of movers and shakers from Telluride’s hospitality/tourism world. I will be giving away lots of great premiums including lodging stays, restaurant and retail gift certificates, books and even ski lift tickets in exchange for a donation to KOTO.
KOTO is a local NPR station and one of the few entirely community supported radio stations in the country. Please consider making a contribution to KOTO, so that we can keep community radio alive and well in America. That’s also a way of showing your support for Travel Fun! Please email me from my Contacts Page with your pledge or donation. Many of my Travel Fun interviews are posted on this blog as podcasts here.
Colorado Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on Finding Happy Feet at Bootdoctors
Finding Happy Feet at Bootdoctors
Standing Comfortably in My Cozy Boots Awaiting My Clients at Telluride Ski Resort
Ouch, with almost a hundred days a year in my ski boots, I often feel the need for a foot massage. Sadly that’s not part of my regular routine and I’ve yet to hear my boyfriend volunteer for that job. I am, however, careful to have a proper fit with my ski boots in order to assure the best performance on the slopes and to stop any potential irritation at the source.
It’s been a busy winter and I’ve been in my ski boots most days since mid December instructing with the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School. A podiatrist once told me that stilettos spurred the invention of podiatry. I’d guess that ski boots have also played a part in the need for treatment of disorders of the foot and ankle although fortunately most ski boot issues can be remedied with the right help before real problems begin.
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Skiing & Snowboarding Steamboat Springs Telluride The Rockies: Colorado Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Skiing & Snowboarding Steamboat Springs Telluride The Rockies
by maribeth
Comments Off on Skiing Steamboat Powder
Skiing Steamboat Powder
Skiing Fresh Pow in Steamboat
My Powder Hound
Woo-hoo! There’s nothing like skiing fresh powder, especially when it’s the nice champagne powder we have here in Colorado, the dry, glittering fluff you float through like a glider rollicking on air drafts above a mountain peak. We’ve been having wonderful winter snowstorms here in our Rocky Mountain state with snow totals reaching over two feet at most resorts within a twenty-four hour period at the end of last week and then another biggie that hit just yesterday. I was teaching skiing here in Telluride throughout the biggest pow period and although I wasn’t able to have the fun I’d have on my own, I did enjoy introducing some intermediate skiers to their first powder day—a whole different experience from skiing groomers.
I had the biggest powder day of my life almost a month ago in Steamboat Springs, a resort that’s been particularly well served in the fluffy white stuff this year. My boyfriend, Steve, and I hit it right and managed to arrive just ahead of road closures and other inconveniences caused by a very big dump. They had such a snow event in the area that people had a hard time finding their way to the slopes (especially if they had to cross Rabbit Ears Pass). Fortunately we were staying slopeside in the newly renovated Sheraton Steamboat Resort, the best property of its kind at this popular mountain destination both due to its superb location and the quality of the establishment and services provided. We were thrilled to find ourselves in a contemporary-styled, one-bedroom condo hotel unit where we were able to sprawl out for three days. (A ski trip always involves a lot of clothing and gear even if you’re a seasoned traveler staying for a short while.)
Colorado Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on More Expert Ski and Snowboard Instruction and Fun in Telluride
More Expert Ski and Snowboard Instruction and Fun in Telluride
André Koslowski: Ski Instructor/Yoga Teacher Extraordinaire
Annie Vareille-Savath with Her Women’s Week Ladies
Instructor Patty Lowe and Her Lady on Top of the Telluride World During Women’s Week
Telluride Ski Instructor Vince Boelema Skiing Fresh Pow (photo credit: Tommy Pyatt)
There hasn’t been much of a January lull this year—at least not for me—and it’s been hard carving out time at my desk. I’ve been busy teaching and training with the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School and have also managed to eke out some “free” ski days to enjoy the wonderful snow we received mid month. Lately we’ve been blessed with super sunny days, glorious, near March-like weather which has left visitors and locals grinning.
People lucky enough to travel to Telluride Ski Resort outside of the busy vacation weeks feel like they have the mountain to themselves and, of course, never wait in a lift line (a rarity at this ski resort even during busy times). Now with Telluride Ski & Snowboard School’s new Multi-Day Camps, there are new benefits to coming outside of peak times. These clinics offer several days of instruction on a variety of themes including Ski Biomechanics, Nastar Race Camp, Ski, Ride, Yoga!, Intermediate Breakthrough, Heli Ski Camp and Women’s Week, a long-standing program that has existed for over three decades. The others are new yet hopefully they’ll become part of the regular lineup in Telluride as word gets out about all there is to learn and experience on the mountain with the assistance of T-ride’s professional ski and snowboard instructors. (Some of these camps include fun and relaxation off the slopes, too.)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
Comments Off on Teaching, Training and Torchlighting with the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School
Teaching, Training and Torchlighting with the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School
A Chairlift Selfie with One of My Charges
Phew! What an incredibly busy few weeks it has been. Today is my first real day off in almost fourteen days and I’m happy to be relaxing with my feet up while sipping a coffee and balancing my MacAir on my lap. It’s nice not to put ski boots on or bomb around in my big, puffy ski school uniform layered up and prepared for teaching people all day long out on the hill no matter the weather. I’m saving my sunny attitude for myself today and enjoying the fact that I can sit here quietly without having to flick the switch ON.
Indeed, we all do a tremendous amount of outputting at the Telluride Ski Resort all season long, however, most especially during the holiday period, our busiest time of the year. The pace quickens dramatically from zero to a hundred and fifty by the time December 20th hits and most of us go full-on until right about now. Building up to the season, most at the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School train, train, train, perfecting our own skiing and teaching skills, so that we can be ready for our guests. Come the first week in January, instructing continues at a slower pace while training resumes and we’re back out there perfecting our turns, working on rotary, edging and pressure skills so that we can convey the right technique to our clients if they so desire. (Sometimes—whether they’re kids or adults—they just want to play and ski or ride the day away with us as guides.)
