French Life Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: French Life Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
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Snowboardcross World Cup: Telluride Goes International
Catching Air During the World Cup in Telluride
It was quite the scene here last weekend. Actually the excitement grew over a two-week period which culminated with the Snowboardcross World Cup Finals at the Telluride Ski Resort last Sunday. It was the first World Cup event to take place here and it certainly won’t be the last. Aside from sailing over the course on the chairlift one afternoon early on, I didn’t see any of the events. But I did breathe in the international flavor at a number of venues around town. There’s nothing like that foreign flair and best of all, I learned that our international visitors were totally enchanted by everything Telluride has to offer.
Our stunning mountain resort does welcome a certain amount of foreign visitors during the winter and summer seasons but for this World Cup snowboard event, they camein throngs in the form of athletes, coaches, press, fans and more. My first introduction to their descent onto to T-ride came early last week when my hunny, Steve, and I dined at The Peaks. Here their Great Room was loaded with young and fit athletes, clearly having a good time laughing, singing and drinking (although not too much beer swilling we remarked). It was a glorious fashion parade since most were still wearing their team jackets and hats—yes, indoors as is the case at most après ski gatherings. Brands such as Fila and Colmar reigned supreme, with “the wet look” in jackets turning heads the most. Steve and I agreed that the Italians won the prize for the best turned out team of them all.
The official kick off party of the World Cup came a couple of nights later at The Peaks, recently re-opened under new management as a Grand Heritage Resort & Spa. Half the town of Telluride showed up for that bash which turned out to be the “it” party of the season.
Still, I felt like I was missing out on something since I wasn’t able to attend any of the competitions. So when I heard that the French team was staying right across the ski run from me at Mountain Lodge (which Steve also happens to manage), I wrangled a chat with some of the leading snowboard dudes just before they headed out for their race on Sunday. My biggest dilemma was what to wear. Suddenly my ski clothing seemed old and tired compared to what these world-class competitors were donning on and off the slopes. Fortunately I had picked up a new Eisbaer ski hat at Alpen Schatz, a Telluride boutique and online emporium of alpine treasures. (Visit my Shopping Page to find out about the special discount you can receive from Alpen Schatz). Eisbaer is the official hat of the Austrian ski team from what I observed at this World Cup event, the must-have accessory off the slopes. (Everyone, of course, wears helmets while competing.) My friend Mary Dawn, owner of Alpen Schatz, reassured me that I would be tops in this, especially since it’s such a hard-to-find item outside of Europe.
Eisbaer Hats: All the Rage
The guys met me in jeans and T-shirts and seemed totally unimpressed with my hat. (Wouldn’t you know? Although I did run into some other athletes at the lodge that were also wearing Eisbaer and I could have sworn they gave me a nod.) I was disappointed to learn that the French team did not have a particular sponsor that outfitted them à la Yves Saint Laurent when he dressed the Air France flight attendants. “On est standard, rien d’éxtravagant,” they informed me practically in unison. Yet I did learn that their achievements—including numerous World Cup and Olympic victories—were nothing less than extraordinary.
We enjoyed chatting in French celebrating Franco-American relations for a brief moment within the cozy confines of Mountain Lodge. I learned that they all thought Telluride was magnificent, “une très belle station,” and that the course was superb. As for Mountain Village, they found it to have a very European feel with its big old stones, more modern renditions of traditional ski lodges and concentrated configuration of buildings in the village core. The town of Telluride was praised for its “esprit Far West” and they spoke just as glowingly about the American welcome they encountered here. Polo de Lerve, bronze medal winner in the last Olympics, beamed when I asked about their impressions of American food. He gave me a big thumbs up for La Coçina de Luz, a local’s favorite, and Rustico. His friends, Pierre Vaultier and Vincent Valery, joked that Polo is the Gault & Milau of the World Cup.
Zee Snowboarders and Me (in Eisbaer!) in Front of the Mountain Lodge Telluride
So I guess Telluride is making its mark on the world map. When asked if there was anything else that struck them about the area, they marveled about our natural beauty and most especially how trees grow at such a high elevation here—decidedly quite unlike the Alps. They’ll be back, they promised.
I couldn’t help but wonder if next time they might be outfitted in le dernier cri des pistes, or the latest fashion of the slopes. The French do have an image to uphold, don’t you think?
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
Aspen Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Spas The Rockies: Aspen Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Spas The Rockies
by maribeth
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Skiing and Spa Going: Part Two in Aspen
Pond Skimming at Aspen Highlands
Some nights ago I tuned into some pond skimming from Mammoth. I took a double take since we are almost in summer. Then I remembered that Mammoth Mountain doesn’t typically close until mid June; I also realized that I had switched on to RSN, or Resort Sports Network, a local’s favorite here in T-ride, a cable station that can satisfy a sports enthusiast’s hankering for outdoor adventure with the push of a button. The show that followed tracked some of the world’s most harrowing expeditions at both the North and South Poles. The channel was all about snow, risk taking and fun. And here it is mid June. Boy, do I love living in a ski town.
Pond skimming. The words themselves conjure up a variety of curious images. But I’m talking about some of the best end-of-season fun that can be had on skis and boards. I witnessed some impressive pond skimming late April of this year, the last weekend at Aspen Highlands. Crazy kids young and old challenged themselves and wooed the crowd by plunging from atop the hill onto a manmade pond hoping they had gauged their speed and balance enough to carry them across the water. Plouf! Inevitably a few unlucky souls didn’t quite make it. The audience howled.
I’ve since carefully stowed my skis away but thoughts of skiing and the upcoming ski season aren’t too far out of mind. The season ended on a particularly sweet note, so I can’t help looking forward to what next season will bring.
It has become a tradition of mine to ski Aspen once Telluride closes and I willingly obliged to this rite of spring again this year. I actually had been staying in Aspen a good part of off-season with my dad, so it was a given that I’d close the season much as I had in the past, especially since the Highlands opened for an additional two weekends. (Let’s hope they’ll do it again next year.) This year though I was going to be with Steve, my sweetie, and I knew that our last day would mark the end of a very full ski season spent as much happily together as apart. My brother, David, and his wife, Geri, also planned to join us, so it seemed we’d all strike a celebratory chord together throughout our last turns.
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Romance & Relationships Skiing & Snowboarding Spas The Rockies: Colorado Hotels & Lodging Music & Dance Restaurants Skiing & Snowboarding Spas The Rockies
by maribeth
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Skiing and Spa Going: Part One in Vail, Colorado
Après Ski Necessities at Vail Plaza Hotel & Club
What? Don’t tell me you’re tired of hearing about skiing. While most die-hard skiers are still plowing through mashed potatoes and corn snow at ski areas such as A-Basin in Colorado and Mammoth Mountain in California, most of us ardent ski buffs have finally resigned ourselves to hanging up our skis for the season. But smart travelers should begin contemplating next season.
If any of you out there (devoted readers, for example) have been waiting with bated breath to read about my weekend with Steve (see Weekend Expectations blog below), I can tell you our time together scored exceedingly high marks. We, in fact, spent two weekends in a row together in April experiencing end-of-ski-season bliss. Plus we learned that spring is a great time to ski and spa go without dealing with the crowds. Bargains are excellent during this time as well. (The same, of course, holds true for early season in November and the first half of December.)
Vail and Its Fairytale-Like Village
We zipped off to Vail after Telluride officially closed to experience the fun and fanfare of their closing weekend. A spring storm dumped impressive amounts of snow on the mountain beginning the Thursday before. Had it not been for Steve nursing an extremely sore back (from apparently having skied too hard the previous weekend in T-ride which had also benefited from an outstanding snowfall at its closing), I would have feared more powder day problems. Instead we carried on like two lovers on a weekend getaway where skiing and mountain fun entered into only part of the equation (wink, wink).
I had only been to Vail once before many years ago for my PSIA (Professional Ski Instructor of America) certification, so this time I was eager to discover it for real. Steve gladly toured me around Vail’s renowned back bowls and I was thrilled to find myself cruising on black terrain considerably softer than what we have in T-ride. (Of course I love our steeps but they do require more effort.) After just a few hours of skiing, however, Steve declared that his back had had enough. That was fine with me since by then I felt as though I had a good grasp of the mountain and looked forward to the day when I could return and really wear myself out at this world renowned resort.
This left us with time to explore Vail Village, a pedestrian-friendly assemblage of shops, restaurants, bars and places of lodging that truly made us feel like we were on vacation. One might look at this Bavarian-inspired hamlet as hokey (I have in the past), but it really does transport you to a faraway land and we jumped on for the ride. Steve, with his family ties to the Italian Alps, pointed out how authentic these alpine chalets really were in their construction and interpretation. This enchanted me even more, so I suggested we stop for a coffee and a strudel at Hotel-Gastof Gramshammer, one of the more charming wooden establishments in the area, founded in 1965 by Austrians Sheika and Pepi Gramshammer.
It was a good choice. We sat at their German beer garden terrace and then later discovered that this classic alpine establishment also housed two other restaurants, a particularly animated bar and hotel rooms above. I wasn’t sure whether I was more wooed by its charm or Steve’s attentiveness.
Food & Wine Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Romance & Relationships Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Restaurants Romance & Relationships Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
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Night Out in Telluride Mountain Villlage
Great Room with a View on a Busier Night
I almost can’t wait for the ski season to end. The key word there is almost. I’d love for the skiing to go on and on but I’m also yearning to spend more time at my desk, something that is indeed a big challenge when the slopes lie right outside your door and you’re caught up in the ski fever that grips every mountain town from late November through a good part of April. Plus I’ve been working a lot on the hill teaching skiing, a very rewarding job that not surprisingly leaves little energy for writing at the end of the day.
Then there’s the near grueling pace of the social life that one must endure in such a happening mountain resort. No matter how much you try to stay in, there’s always a concert (often free!), a dinner, a party or an impromptu gathering to take in. Telluride is a culturally rich, increasingly sophisticated town, which consistently goes off at the close of the lifts. more »
Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Ski School Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
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Family Fun Facilitators
Breaking for a Photo with Lisa, Noah and Sage in Front of a Mountain Lodge Cabin
“So what do you like best about skiing?” I asked eight-year old Patrick on one of our many chairlift rides together. There was a long pause during which time I anticipated the usual response, the one I receive most from kids—something along the line of loving to zip down the slopes really fast. Patrick gazed out at the snow covered panorama that glittered with white diamonds before us on that chilly, yet sunny, morning.
“I like the views of the mountains,” he finally replied. “It’s so beautiful,” he added with all the wonder of having just opened a prettily wrapped Christmas present and finding a treasure inside. “Back in D.C. where we live there are cars all over the place,” he added. “It’s so busy. Here it’s beautiful and quiet.”
I pondered his answer as we sailed over the slopes dotted with skiers of varying ability levels, largely vacationers that all totaled resulted in record-breaking numbers for the mountain this past holiday season. “It is lovely here, isn’t it?” I replied, thinking about how the awe-inspiring grandeur of our jagged peaks escapes no one, not even children that are typically focused on the thrill of bombing down the hill more than absorbing the beauty of the surrounding area.
It was day eleven of my fifteen-day stint of ski instructing and with each client, big and small, I always found new inspiration, a fresh take on how to help everyone maximize their mountain experience. I was on private lessons throughout this period, assignments that allowed me to more fully connect with my students which in turn created bonds that brought us all closer together, parents included.
Sure skiing improved and we even broke through barriers such as being able to carefully work our way down steeper terrain without succumbing to a total meltdown. (Cheering about those achievements together afterward was always the best!) But more importantly, relationships were forged; everyone had more fun, a not-so negligent happening that produced a more positive time on the slopes and memories that would surely last a lifetime.
Some of my most vivid memories involve family ski vacations and I know that that’s the case for most of the people that chose to brave the cold and snow, the often tedious adjustments of clothing and gear and challenges such as trying to get your skis into a perfect parallel on a blue run when it feels safer to revert back to a power wedge. Running about on a sandy beach—clad in nothing but a bathing suit—is far less daunting, yet certainly less rewarding.
I like doing what most ski instructors do best here in Telluride: working with adults and children as a sort of family fun facilitator. And in doing this, we take on a variety of roles at different times including coach, mountain adventure leader, big buddy and even surrogate mom, to name a few. As an enthusiastic instructor, I introduce silly chairlift games, orchestrate drills such as skiing on one ski (to better feel the weight on the outside ski) or just simply cruise down the trail, setting the pace with a variety of turn shapes for all to follow.
Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Ski School Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
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Training and Turns
Telluride Ski and Snowboard Instructors at Morning Lineup Before the Sun Even Hits "The Beach"
It’s almost midnight and I’m trying to wrap up a few loose ends in my writer’s world so that I can devote the majority of my energy to my ski instructor life—at least for the next two weeks. As of tomorrow, I’ll be on the mountain some fifteen days in a row. Typical ski instructor schedule around the holidays as a great influx of visitors and second-home owners are debarking this weekend and next. Those that are super organized have already done all of their Christmas preparations and such; others, like myself, rely primarily on the mountain for invoking great festive spirit.
Charting the Course for Future Mountain Adventures with Clients
We’ve all been working hard these past few weeks to improve our turns and also to perfect our teaching and communication skills. This has been achieved throughout a variety of workshops, orientations and training sessions both on snow and off; all has been carried out in an effort to ready ourselves for our clients and guests, young and old, first timers as well as well versed ski and snowboard enthusiasts. Probably what resonated the most for me was the importance of the emotional connection we create with our clients or students. (That comes more naturally to me than skiing the steeps!)
And the mountain has cooperated heartily. Snow fell twenty inches within twenty-four hours this past week, bringing snow totals for the month of December up to 69 inches. All lifts are open and the trails are cushioned with downy packed powder throughout.
My laundry is done, my little apartment is super clean and tidy and there’s a stock of EmergenC in the cupboard, chicken soup in the freezer and a huge bag of crunchies for my kitties in the closet. There’s not much more I can do to be entirely ready to spend a string of long, cold days on the mountain. And I can’t wait. I often say that becoming a ski instructor is the best thing I ever did for my writing career. It gets me out of my own often squirrel-ly way and allows me to interact with all kinds of people in a place I love dearly doing something that is incredibly fun. Telluride Ski and Snowboard School is one big family. The mountain, in fact, is one huge tribe. I look forward to providing updates about our gang throughout the season.
Spreading Rainbows and Sunshine: The Most Important Part of Our Job
Thank you to Deb Willits for the photos. She is most certainly one of the best Professional Ski Instructor of America (PSIA) trainers in the country and Telluride is lucky to have her.
The Mountain Awaits You
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride
by maribeth
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Winter in Telluride: Loving the Snow
San Sophia Ridge
O.K., the calendar might not say that it’s officially winter, but it has been feeling pretty wintery here since the big storm blew in on Thanksgiving. It’s lovely to see Telluride blanketed in white, and there’s no doubt now that the mountain and the town will be wearing its snowy mantle all the way through spring. The ski area opened on Thursday and I finally pulled myself away from my desk yesterday to do my first turns of the season. Oh, what joy! I feel so fortunate to live here and to be able to tap into the mountain’s restorative powers on a whim.
For me, poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, a local, has beautifully captured the spirit of winter in Telluride in the below poem.
if you listen
the snow falls with
no sound
standing outside
in its silence
you find yourself
listening
to listening
but oh,
this snow knows symphony
its score is written on
every mountain, every tree
each rooftop, each street
as each snowflake falls
a silent beat
a voiceless song
composed by sky
performed by icicle,
avalanche,
slush and ski
if you listen
you’ll hear it echoing
the snow is silent
and still
it sings
Thank you to Rosemerry for such inspirational words and vivid imagery. I encourage you to learn more about her work at www.wordwoman.com.
