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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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by maribeth
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Tuning into KOTO Now and Always
This is a big weekend in Telluride. It’s Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, more casually referred to as Blues & Brews. The air is crisp, there’s a dusting on the peaks, the aspens are changing and the town is poised to say goodbye to summer with its last big music festival of the season. For those like me who are currently not in T-ride, you can tune into this great big musical extravaganza at KOTO.org. Of course you can–because KOTO is the heart and soul of our beautiful mountain town known worldwide for its first-rate music festivals. In addition to broadcasting performances by talented artists such as Ceelo Green, Tab Benoit, John Hiatt and Samantha Fish, interviews with artists by our radio station besties will also be aired during set breaks. So thrown down your tarp, fire up the grill, serve yourself a cold one and party Telluride style. That’s exactly what I’ll be doing from my special beach destination here on the Outer Banks.
If you tune in this weekend or if you’ve listened to KOTO before, you know that our Telluride radio station is all about community. One of the best community-oriented events on KOTO is Guest DJ Day. I was honored to be a part of it this year and wow, I never thought it would be so much fun. But it was! It was one big love fest. And who doesn’t like love? I had an hour on Friday, August 19 to schmooze up the airwaves to raise money for our community radio station’s summer fundraising campaign. And it was all about sharing the love.
The timing of my Guest DJ Day was especially poignant since I had not been on the air in a long time. What a way to make a comeback! Plus, it was the eve of my birthday weekend, so it was a great way to kickoff my celebrations.
Thank you to our beloved Ben Kerr, the driving force behind KOTO, for engineering my show. Thank you to the whole KOTO staff for all your efforts all the time and for making me feel so welcome. I am so grateful to my guy, Steve Togni, for his support and his generous donation of the grand prize of a two-night stay at Mountain Lodge, the beautiful property he manages in Telluride Mountain Village. As usual, he was an interesting and articulate guest. He’s a radio natural, which is why I’ve been trying to convince him to have some fun spinning tunes at KOTO.
Merci mille fois to Johnny Gerona, owner of The Village Table. After Johnny closes his restaurant that we all love so much, he might infuse the KOTO airwaves with a different kind of global dish. It was lovely to have Noah Sheedy, Director of the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School, come by to show support and talk skiing with us. All those smiling faces! Peter Hans, the guy who makes most adventures happen at Discovery Map, called in from a beach in Rhode Island. He brought us some extra sunshine and also chatted about the world of travel.
Thank you also to everyone else that called in, texted and donated to KOTO and Travel Fun, my talk show on travel. You helped me raise a good amount of money for a good cause. Best of all, you’ve inspired me to get back on the air soon. I have the start of the winter season, perhaps just before Thanksgiving, in mind; so stay tuned.
I’d like to once again showcase all of those businesses that generously donated premiums that were used to incentivize donations to Travel Fun. Please patronize them and thank them for supporting KOTO.
Mountain Lodge Telluride and The View restaurant
Counter Culture Kitchen and Catering
It is so wonderful to be a part of the greater Telluride community. It’s so rewarding to be a part of KOTO. Long live community radio! And remember that you can be an active part of KOTO and one of Telluride’s best-loved music festivals by tuning into KOTO this weekend.
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by maribeth
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KOTO, Kittens and Kookiness
My Friends and Me at KOTO’s Purple House on Pine
Leave it to KOTO, our beloved community radio station here in Telluride, Colorado, to bring me back into the fold. I’ve been wanting to get back on the air with Travel Fun, my talk show on travel, and start blogging again for quite some time. But life has kept me occupied with other doings and it has been hard finding the time for these two favorite ways of being in touch with you.
My last post, which highlighted a photo of my mother and me fresh from the hairdresser, was in March 2021. Sadly, my sweet mama passed away that following July and exactly three months prior to that–in April–my dear brother, David, succumbed to his three-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Needless-to-say both left a gaping hole in my heart as well as much to do, including clearing out a large family home stuffed to the heavens with belongings and an abundance of memorabilia. The fact that all of that occurred back east–a great distance from Colorado–in the height of a pandemic and after much caretaking made it all the more complicated. But I’m back in Colorado now full-time slowly picking up the pieces of my life after having been intimately involved in theirs for many years.
KOTO is the heart and soul of Telluride. Most of the community, its visitors and folks tuning in from afar turn to our little radio station, an NPR affiliate, for all kinds of musical entertainment, talk, news, the avalanche report and other important announcements such as a lost dog report or road closures and traffic slowdowns due to a mudslide or elk crossings. Plus, they regularly broadcast most of Telluride’s big music festivals, including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival and Telluride Blues & Brews Festival. Its audience is truly worldwide. So when the bright and shining Cara (Pallone), Executive Director of KOTO, asked me to be a guest DJ for KOTO’s 2022 Summer Fundraising drive, a live one-hour segment Friday, August 19 from noon to 1pm, I was deeply honored and also somewhat daunted; I knew that this marked a time when I was to put it in gear.
And maybe you thought I was just horsing around in my little town of Norwood, Colorado?
Me Down on the Farm in Norwood
Admittedly I love the peace and tranquility of this old ranching town less than an hour from Telluride and I have been hooked to the Netflix series “Heartland.” But you can take the girl out of Paris but never Paris out of the girl. As much as I’ve embraced a more down-to-earth lifestyle in Colorado, there’s still a big part of me that’s every bit of a Parisian sophisticate.
With KOTO’s Summer Fundraising theme of Across the Universe, I thought I’d dust off my cowboy boots (gardening clogs, actually) and tell you my story.
I’ve been a travel writer since the late eighties. I lived in France eleven years and have traveled back to Paris and the French provinces considerably since I moved back to the States in 1994. France has always been my specialty but since I moved to Colorado over twenty years ago, I have also become passionate about and well versed in the American West. I authored five books on France, three shopping and touring guides to Paris, one shopping and touring guide on the French provinces and one travel memoir entitled A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France. I segued into travel writing after I had created a shopping service in Paris, called Chic Promenade. During those years, I lead people on the discovery of off-the-beaten-path boutiques and also arranged behind-the-scenes visits of the big names such as Hermès, Dior and Nina Ricci.
My Travel Memoir: Tour of the Heart
I’ve traveled extensively throughout the world to places as far-flung as Guilin, China, and big parts of Morocco and Nova Scotia. I’ve written about many of these places at my blog, www.BonjourColorado.com. I’ve fallen way behind on posting there because I have been involved in lots of family doings since 2016. But I’m back at it now!
In past years, I’ve freelanced for Forbes, The New York Times Syndicate and a number of other outlets. I currently write online content for Discovery Map, a company that publishes those colorful, hand drawn maps that you find in about 150 destinations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. For them, I’ve written about great places to visit such as the Outer Banks, of North Carolina, Cape May in New Jersey and Bozeman, Big Sky and Livingston, Montana, to name a few. And yes, I even wrote about Telluride because there’s a Discovery Map here as well. I have to admit it’s the longest and most inspired writeup of all that I’ve done. I also recently wrote a blog for them entitled “Summer Travel Woes: How to Make the Best of Your Airline Experience,” which anyone planning to hop on a plane anytime soon should read.
Steve and Me at Telluride Jazz Festival
I am happy that a few special guests will be chiming in during my big Guest DJ appearance on Friday. Steve Togni, General Manager of Mountain Lodge Telluride and also my partner of almost fourteen years, will be there to talk about the hospitality industry in Telluride and also to tout a very special Mountain Lodge premium that he has graciously donated.
John Gerona, Owner of The Village Table in Telluride Mountain Village and another of my favorite persons, said he’ll stop by. That will give us the opportunity to thank him for providing a super convivial and delicious dining experience to the community for the past ten years.
On Duty as a Telluride Ski Instructor
Noah Sheedy, Director of the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School, will be popping in as well. I’ve been a ski instructor in Telluride for almost nineteen years, a profession that has helped to balance out my writing career–and me–in many ways. If KOTO is the heart and soul of Telluride, then Telluride Ski Resort encompasses a good part of the rest in our majestic mountain town.
Peter Hans, the driving force behind Discovery Map, will be calling in either from their headquarters in Waitsfield, Vermont or from his sailboat in Newport, Rhode Island. We’re similar in that we summered together up in the Adirondacks, both lived for a long time in Europe and then settled in quaint mountain towns in America where we continue to live out our passion for sharing travel and ski experiences with others.
Victoria at Her Paris Boutique
If the lines aren’t too busy, I hope to have a special phone call from Paris from my friend, Victoria Wolff. I met her during my Paris days and her boutique, Wolff et Descourtis, is still my all-time favorite address in the City of Light. Her family has been in the textile business since 1875 and at her Galerie Vivienne showcase (and online) you can buy the most magical shawls you’ve ever seen. La beauté française est extraordinaire!
Mountain Lodge Telluride
And yes, I have rounded up quite a few premiums–or gift certificates–from some of my favorite places within the region. The grand prize is a Mountain Lodge premium for a two-night stay in a one-bedroom residence, valued at approximately $1500, at this beautiful slopeside property.
Mountain Lodge: A Great Place to Party
And here’s the fabulous news:
ANYONE DONATING A MINIMUM OF $25. TO KOTO WITH THE TRAVEL FUN DESIGNATION WILL BE ENTERED INTO DRAWINGS to win my premiums. That means that if you make your donation at KOTO.org or call the station at 970-728-4334, you have a chance of winning either the grand prize of two nights at Mountain Lodge or one of the other great premiums I’ve also rounded up. The drawings will take place at the end of my Guest DJ segment, which is Friday, August 19 from noon to 1pm MST. Remember that you can tune in online at KOTO.org if you’re not local. Note that your chances of winning are quite strong, since I likely will not have a gazillion donors. You can enter as many times as you want as long as you make a $25. donation each time. Tell your friends and family! I will start out with the Mountain Lodge drawing at about 12:50pm MST and make my way down the gift certificates listed below with their corresponding values:
Aveda Telluride Spa, one of my favorite spas in T-ride has generously offered one custom facial valued at $170. and one custom massage valued at $150. Merci mes amies!
Mesa Rose Kitchen + Grocery
Mesa Rose Kitchen + Grocery in Norwood, the best address in Norwood for fresh foods and a real community vibe: two gift certificates, each worth $50.
Coffee from Telluride Coffee Roasters
Telluride Coffee Roasters, the premiere coffee purveyor in Telluride that also has an online boutique: $70.
Arena Hair Studio
Arena Hair Studio: Sandra Arena, my gal in town (Norwood,) who knows how to make me beuuuuuutiful: $60. gift certificate for any service.
Beaucoup de Breakfast at The View
The View restaurant at Mountain Lodge Telluride, excellent food and drink with spectacular views: $50.
Loving La Coçina
La Coçina de Luz, super fresh Mexican food restaurant: $50.
Cindybread: Pains aux Chocolat Just Like in Paree
Cindybread Artisan Bakery, an all-time délicieux bakery in Lawson Hill: $50.
Sawpit Mercantile
Sawpit Mercantile, a fabulous pitstop for barbecue, gas, liquor and other much-needed goods: $50.
Nails with Mandie
Nails with Mandie in Naturita: one of my new West End discoveries for having my nails done: $40. gift certificate for a pedicure.
The Friendly Folk at Counter Culture; photo credit: Michael Mowery Media
Counter Culture Kitchen and Catering, for great takeout sandwiches also in Lawson Hill: $25.
Thank you to all that have generously donated gift certificates that will be used for my KOTO fundraising campaign!!!
Remember that if you donate $100. you will also be entered into two separate KOTO drawings: one to win a brand-new SOL GalaXy paddle board and the other to land yourself a two-night stay at The Peaks Resort & Spa package.
Our Happy Place with Our SOL Paddle Boards
Steve Paddling at Sunset in Norwood
And if you donate $50., you will receive a KOTO sun shirt (in addition to being entered into my drawings). Super cool. The supply is limited, however, so act fast.
Note that all proceeds are tax deductible and all go to KOTO.
Once again, in order to be added to all of my drawings, donations must be paid in full by the end of my show by let’s say 12:50pm on Friday. So break out the plastic!
With added luck, I might even have some additional premiums come Friday.
The Superlative Setting at The Peaks Resort & Spa
In terms of music, I, of course, I will be playing some French and maybe some Chinese and Moroccan tunes as well. I’ll also have bluegrass, which I’ve come to love since I’ve been in Colorado. And since I’m originally from New York (upstate) and love Frank Sinatra, I’ll definitely be playing “New York, New York.” I’d also like to work in some Dooby Brothers and/or Eagles because they remind me of summers spent at Lake George, New York.
Had I not taken a hiatus from Travel Fun, my talk show on travel, I’d be up to almost nineteen years of doing radio at KOTO. Yet between the pandemic (when I only did a handful of shows remotely) and spending lots of time back east for family matters, I’ve had to take a break from doing my show. I look forward to being back on the air on a regular basis very soon. For Travel Fun, I’ve enjoyed interviewing all kinds of people about travel, beauty, fashion, food and wine and a variety of other subjects including one program entitled Sex, Travel and Fun. Travel, of course, can be very exciting. Guests on my show have included lots of locals, many second-home owners and a good amount of “outsiders” I contacted because I thought KOTO listeners would enjoy hearing what they had to say. One such example is Graham Watson, renowned photographer of the Tour de France bike race.
I’m most definitely an avid listener of KOTO. I love radio in general, so much so, in fact, that I don’t even own a TV.
In past years, I was very involved with volunteering at KOTO events, which was always fun and super interesting. I hope to get back to that soon as well. Some of my most memorable gigs included being in charge of the green rooms for KOTO Doo Dahs and other happenings. I did this for Jackson Browne, the Subdudes, Bob Dylan, Lyle Lovett, Michael Franti and some LIp Syncs. I was also in charge of KOTO merchandise for Bluegrass a number of years and yes, I had my stints working the KOTO beer booth at Bluegrass and doing endless hours of decorating for the fabulous KOTO Halloween parties. A lot of this I did with Jumpin’ Jan, which made it all the more meaningful.
KOTO is my family. I love being a part of the ski school family and my KOTO family. I started both in December 2003. That was when it was not very popular to be writing about France. (Remember Freedom Fries?) So I switched up my life and the rewards have been far better than I ever could have imagined. A very well known travel writer once told me that having a radio show is a great way to build your audience. Far more than that, however, it has made me feel very loved. I have truly enjoyed working with KOTO staff and DJs and it has been fun, too, when people recognize my voice and say things like “oh, you’re the travel lady.”
If you’ve made it to the end of this story, you deserve a glimpse at my kittens. They are the ultimate kure-all for all kinds of kookiness.
It’s a Star-Spangled Blue-Eyed Holiday Everyday with Our Kittens
Thank you to Amy Peters for her great coverage of this summer’s Guest DJ Day in the Telluride Daily Planet and the Norwood Post. Her piece, KOTO Radio Takes Over the Universe, will tell you even more about what’s happening at KOTO and what’s in store for all on Friday, August 19.
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by maribeth
Comments Off on A Different Winter: Trekking and Snowshoeing Through Caretaking
A Different Winter: Trekking and Snowshoeing Through Caretaking
Mom and I on One of our Better Days After I Finally Let Her Out of the House to Have Her Hair Done
As the freshness of spring shines upon us, I am hopeful for brighter days. I think we all are!
Life has been quite interrupted for me and I’m writing this from upstate New York where I have been taking care of my my 87-year-old mother. I arrived here the first part of January, quarantined for a good week in the Adirondacks and then settled in with my mom at her house in Troy, New York.
ADK Frozen Lake Fun
I wrote the below story quite a while ago but wasn’t able to post it to my blog due to mysterious technical happenings. Those problems still have not been resolved but I found a backdoor way of finally posting this story. It’s a little out of date at this point, however, I hope you’ll still find it of interest.
This blog SNAFU is illustrative of the issues I have been dealing with and how I find my way around them as I figure out how to best help my mom and take care of the family home. (Built by my grandfather, Mom’s father, it is sixty-plus years old and in need of attention as well. But my mom wants to live out her days here, which I totally understand and I will do everything I can to make that possible.)
Yet I’ve been so overwhelmed! I call it living in the blender. Holy smokes!
Out of respect to my mom, I will not reveal all that I have had to deal with but I can tell you it has been a full-time job. Anyone that has found themselves in this role knows what I mean by that. I’ve looked back at the freedom of my life in Colorado–the joy of waking up at 5:30am in order to head off to the mountain long before the lifts start to turn–with a combination of longing, awe and gratitude. I’ve never taken my job as a Telluride ski instructor for granted and I certainly never will in the future. It is a true pleasure even though that, too, can be exhausting.
Troy Country Club Road: A Great Place to Trek Next to Our House in Upstate New York
Not being in Colorado has been rough at times; just different at others. I have been very much needed here. And as hard as it is, I am grateful that I am able to be here to help my mom. As the old adage goes, “getting old is not for the feint of heart.” I just wish we would have had more snow–boy, have I been envious of the March storms out West.
Troy Country Club Golf Course/Snowfield
ADK Trek
Interspersed with all of the doings for Mom and her house, I still was able to recreate some in the snow. By the third week of February, I was even able to go skiing. (I hope to post a story on that at a later date–maybe for spring skiing?) I feel so fortunate about those few forays!
Since I moved to Colorado twenty years ago (from upstate New York), I have morphed into someone who embraces snowsports more than I ever would have imagined. Skiing has become my life in winter. So since I didn’t have much time for skiing, I found other ways to feel the calm of surrounding myself with snow, beautiful snow. I found other ways to work my body in the cold, crisp air. I delighted in the sweet and toasty sensation of coming inside and sipping a hot drink after playing outside in a winter wonderland, even if I was only able to escape for an hour or so.
Yes, I found ways to enjoy the beauty of winter. And most of all, I have found better ways to cope with all that I have to manage here. Spring has sprung and with it comes the prospect of dealing with all with more serenity and calm and also hopefully, the possibility of doing some nice hikes and walkabouts in the fresh air as the flowers begin to bloom. The upsets and breakdowns over all that I need to respond to here have lessened. I am fully assuming this role and I will see it through.
Wheelchair and Snowshoes: This Winter’s Equipment
I hope you like the below story!
Snowshoeing and Snowtrekking: A Different Kind of Winter Fun
Me Near Telluride After My First Big Snowshoe Outing
Have you ever heard of Snowshoe Magazine? I just checked it out online. It’s pretty cool in a laidback, crunchy granola sort of way. Kind of like snowshoeing itself.
Coming from a very ski-oriented family, I grew up with Ski Magazine. As a twenty-year resident of Colorado, skiing became my way of life. And since I’m a ski instructor, it’s included in my annual membership to PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America). But Snowshoe Magazine, well, such a publication never crossed my mind.
I’ve thought very little about snowshoeing–or anything other than skiing–all these winters. And yet to my delight, I’m finally giving it a go and enjoying it.
I knew this winter was going to be different from the ones I had experienced in Colorado. COVID has made everything different for everyone. But little did I know that it would shake up my ski world. Yet when I was given the option by the director at the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School early fall to sit out the season without it effecting my priority, I eventually realized that that was the sensible thing to do. This was to be my eighteenth season and skiing has become an essential part of who I am in winter; it was hard to imagine not being out on the mountain with the rest of my “ski family.”
View from a Bridge: Frozen Creek
But family matters back east and an inherent fear of catching the virus made me think twice about it all. I felt grateful–I still in fact feel very grateful–to the resort for granting this opportunity. Normally, if you sit out a season the counter is reset at zero and that would have been a real bummer for me, since at year twenty I will receive my lifetime pass, a brass ring of sorts for Telluride Ski Resort employees.
So I pulled out a pair of Tubbs snowshoes that I had purchased long before I moved to Colorado to see what fun I could have with them. I had only used them once during my time in Telluride and that was to do a full-moon jaunt to an igloo that’s built annually up at Lizard Head Pass. (I remember the hike downhill left me with agonizing hip pain the next day and lo and behold didn’t I have to have a hip replacement a handful of years later.)
This year I was in T-ride just past the new year and then flew back east to help out at home. Early season was not blessed with an abundance of snow and I was recovering from surgery (this time for a hysterectomy!), so I was in no rush to head out to the slopes. By the time I started to ponder how I’d feel going out for some turns without wearing my big red uniform, the holiday season was upon us and I knew I didn’t want to have to deal with any lines. (When teaching, we have our own line, which is rarely long at all.) Plus, the thought of not hanging in the lodge for a hot chocolate, a bowl of chili or a cold and frosty (out of uniform of course) made the idea of a ski outing seem rather daunting no matter how sweet the turns. This is especially the case in December and January.
Priest Lake View
So I decided to strap on my snowshoes and head out the door and venture into the San Juans on my own steam. My guy lives in San Bernardo, a little residential neighborhood about twenty minutes from Telluride. You can find The Priest Lake Trails, a wonderful nordic skiing trail system, right across the road. It’s one of the best outdoor circuits in the region all year long and much appreciated for its natural beauty and the fact that it has so far remained sparsely used.
As I clunked onto the trail, I was first shocked about how different snowshoeing is from skiing. As I say when I’m teaching, skiing–as well as snowboarding–is all about the glide. We encourage people to embrace the slide, something that is often a foreign concept for folks that haven’t been into snowsports much and work hard not to slip on ice or snow when padding about in winter. Indeed, I felt like a robot as I mechanically stepped forward in my snowshoes. So much for the delicious feeling of cruising down the slopes and setting your skis on edge, tipping and turning as you create your own perfect buttercream swirls as you head down the slopes. No, this stilted method of moving left me feeling like a multijointed superhero setting out to survey the land.
Rocky Mountain Outing
Yet as I dipped into the woods, something magical began to happen. My stiff robotic movements eased into a rhythmic walkabout and suddenly I discovered the bliss of being out in nature amid the quiet of the trees and the thick blanket of snow without having a soul around, let alone a skier or boarder zooming by me. (Or me blowing by someone else for that matter.) I discovered the supreme solitude of the forest and it was at that moment that I realized that that was exactly what I needed at that moment, it is exactly what I need this winter.
Life has been extremely chaotic. Between COVID and other crises, I have retreated into a more insular life. Yet I love the outdoors and desperately need it in the winter. (Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is what drove me to Colorado.) I love bundling up and braving the cold–even on a grey day. And then to head back inside and settle in to a nice hot cinnamon-laced mocha is one of the greatest joys of the season for me.
My Yaktraks
Since I’ve been back east in upstate New York, I’ve done that many times. I’ve snowshoed some and trekked even more. To me, trekking is going for an energetic walk on snow-covered trails or roads (or even lakes!) with my Yaktraks. For others, trekking is about venturing into the Himalayas. Either way, the joy of being outside surrounded by the illuminating effects of snow is a universal theme, even if it means just bopping out for a tour in your neighborhood.
One of the benefits of COVID is that more people have discovered the amazing benefits of recreating out of doors. I read a while back that many snowshoe suppliers sold out for the season–go figure! It is a great way to enjoy a blast of nature and have an aerobic workout in a short amount of time. I’ve become better at it and although it will never (EVER!) replace my love for skiing, it does provide a nice hit of winter fun.
Hudson Pointe Nature Preserve
Stockpiling in the Adirondacks Where Winter is Most Grey
So far I’ve mostly snowshoed on rather groomed trails and plodded along on some crusty snow in the northeast where normally I would have punched threw. They say that snowshoeing is primo on a powder day. Wow, coming from Telluride, I can tell you that people there live for powder days; people will ditch their nearest and dearest to find some freshies. (Ever hear of the expression “There are no friends on powder days?”) Somehow, I can’t imagine the same frenzy about heading out to find fresh tracks on snowshoes. But that, too, is likely part of the beauty of it all. Snowshoeing and trekking are so much about quietly communing with nature. Yes, now I can feel and hear it–fluff, fluff, fluff, ploufff.
I hope you will enjoy these pictures from my snowshoe and trekking jaunts in the Rockies, the Adirondacks and in Troy, New York. I quarantined for a week at Lake Luzerne (in the Adirondacks) and was once again able to experience the thrill of walking on frozen water. (The last time was decades ago.) Here in Troy, I’m delighted to have the Troy Country Club right outside my door, which provides a variety of terrain for treks and snowshoeing.
All this helps to make the challenges of COVID and caring for an elderly parent (my mom) much more manageable. I hope you find your fix this winter, too. It also makes the chocolate, cheese, wine and hearty meals such as stew with dumplings feel less self indulgent. If I keep this up, I just might become a regular subscriber to Snowshoe Magazine. And hopefully burn off a bunch more calories while breathing in the great outdoors.
Vintage ADK
Note that with all the snow in Colorado this year, there will likely be snowsport fun up through May.
