Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Ajax Avalanche Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Snow Removal Telluride Telluride Ski Resort The Rockies
by maribeth
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January 2017: One of the Snowiest on Record for Colorado
Spectacular Telluride Weather
Our Cold and Snowy Mountain Town
Cold and Snow Make for Great Skiing
Brrrrr
Into the Mist
Whoa! What a month it has been. With over eight feet of snow that fell in Telluride–as well as tons in other mountain towns of Colorado–the skiing and riding have been epic. It seems as though visitors and locals have been alternatively stoked and exhausted. It takes a lot of energy to plow through all that fresh powder whether it’s on the slopes, in your driveway, on your deck or on the snow-packed roads you travel on to go to work. (I’m an exceptional driver on our windy, mountain roads, especially with the help of my Arctic Claw snow tires, however, many aren’t, so it takes an infinite amount of patience to putz behind slow-moving vehicles when driving to work in such wintry conditions. That’s after the morning departure has already been greatly delayed by having to defrost and clean off the car. No, the start-of-the-day routine in the dead of winter in the Rockies is not for sissies.)
My Windshield
January: A Big Month for Ongoing Ski Instructor Training
Avalanche Control Work on Ajax Mountain
But we made it! The past few days have almost felt like spring. Sure, there will still be a lot of cold and snow left to this winter–let’s hope so at least–but I doubt we’ll see a string of days like the many we just endured in January. It must have been one of the greyest months on record, too. And as much as I like the cold and snow, there was many a morning when I felt a sense of dread about going out and freezing my butt off yet again. No matter how many layers I wore and despite electric boot warmers, boot gloves and hand warmers, it was hard most days to shake off the chill. When the sun doesn’t shine here in Colorado, it can feel mighty cold indeed. more »
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Telluride Travel Trip Planning: Bootdoctors Colorado free air fare Holiday Prelude Inn at Lost Creek Mountain Lodge Telluride New Sheridan Hotel special deals Telluride Telluride lodging Telluride Resort Lodging Telluride Ski Resort The Peaks Resort & Spa
by maribeth
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Yay for Skiing, Riding & Holiday Making in Telluride
Telluride, Colorado
Telluride Town All Wrapped Up for the Holidays
Yay, it’s December! Yay, the ski area is open! Double yay, we have a good amount of fresh snow–a season total of over fifty inches so far! Yay, it’s the most beautiful time of the year in the most picturesque mountain town in America. Really. Telluride, Colorado gives festive new meaning all winter long and most especially right now and throughout these upcoming weeks.
Driving Toward the Mountain
Getting Closer
After a super warm and dry November, the Telluride Ski Resort lifts are finally powering us up to the tops of the mountains we love so dearly.
Do you remember how you felt on Christmas Eve when you were a child? Well, that’s how many of us have been feeling lately. The excitement is palpable; it seems that just the thought of cruising down the hill basking in the fun and freedom that’s part of most every on-mountain experience has half the town giddy. I woke up at 5:30 in the morning on opening day in anticipation of the thrill of being out on the hill.
Colorado Romance & Relationships Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: childhood memories father/daughter relationships grieving loss ski lessons Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Ski Resort
by maribeth
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Goodbye to Dad
Dad Taking His First Look at the Grand Canyon in 2010
Yesterday was a tough day. From the first look at the notifications on my phone, I woke up sad about the news of the terrorist attacks in Belgium. My heart goes out to Belgium, my Belgian friends, Europe and to all of humanity in general. It’s hard not to feel down about the state of world affairs today.
I headed out to ski–to teach a lesson to a little boy I had been with the past few days–and experienced the worst day on the mountain of this season. It was windy, icy and horribly bleak. Fortunately I was skiing with a joyful six-year-old who was thrilled to be on the hill, no matter the conditions.
We stopped for a hot chocolate break. I settled my little guy into his seat at the table with another instructor and his young charge. Just as I was plopping the marshmallows into the chocolate at the beverage counter, I got the call. Yes, THE CALL. The one I had always dreaded, the one that informed me of the passing of my father. It was, of course, from Mom. We spoke no more than a couple of minutes and although this was unexpected news, I got it right away. Mom and I connected on this and then we let each other go.
I almost passed my boy off to another instructor but I decided to keep him; I chose to complete my assignment, largely because we had done some serious bonding and I didn’t want the last part of his Telluride Ski School experience to be with someone new. I shed some tears with other members of my Ski School family while my little dude twirled ice cubes in his frothy drink. We then headed out to ski.
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Telluride Ski Resort Telluride Ski School the 70s in Telluride the old days in a Colorado mountain town
by maribeth
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Telluride Ski School History: A Rich and Storied Tale
Instructors Lined Up at the Gorrono Meeting Place
Teaching a Student on Skinny Straight Skies
The Early Days
Originally published in Masters of the Mountain 2015-2016, the new Telluride Ski & Snowboard School magazine, I’m posting my expanded version of my Telluride Ski School History story below along with photos from days gone by and shots from this season.
“The mountain was raw. We were into steep skiing. The town was wild. We never knew it was going to go this far,” says longtime Telluride ski instructor Cindy Smith about the early days of Telluride. “There was a lot of craziness,” she adds, “but boy, was it fun.”
From people riding horses into the New Sheridan Bar to lines of cocaine laid out on the tables of certain establishments, there was some outrageous behavior going on in T-ride during the old days (the seventies through early eighties) and indeed some blatant lawlessness. “Some people even say that firemen would come in and hose people down in the the bars on really rowdy nights,” Cindy continues.
Colorado Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: big snow year busy holiday period Ski Instructor's Life skiing Colorado Telluride Ski Resort
by maribeth
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Ho, Ho, Ho, Happy Snow Year
Sugar-Frosted Trees at Telluride Ski Resort
Rainbow Snow and Cold
Sunrise at T-ride
Me in Telluride: One of the Most Beautiful Places on Earth
You can tell the snow has been great since I haven’t posted in a while. Here in Telluride, we’ve had thirteen feet of snow so far this year. It’s turning out to be an epic season for Colorado!
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Bootdoctors early season skiing holiday festivities Mountain Lodge New Sheridan opening day Telluride Telluride Ski & Snowboard School Telluride Ski Resort
by maribeth
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Grateful for Telluride and the Telluride Ski Resort
The Town of Telluride, Colorado After the Storm
With all that’s happening in the world, most of us are feeling extra stressed these days. This is true even in Telluride, Colorado, one of the safest and most beautiful places on earth. No one is immune to feeling reverberations from all these horrific terrorist acts. As I wrote in my story, Paris Attacks Hit Home, we are one.
The Telluride Scene
Still though, we are so privileged in this sweet little ski town. Few people lock the doors to their cars and houses except during bear season, since our local bruin population has become pretty savvy about entering spaces redolent with lingering pizza, berry and pie smells. We live in a bubble of sorts where our biggest threats come from pushing it too hard on the slopes or getting caught in an avalanche during a backcountry ski.
Aspen Colorado Crested Butte Cycling Shopping Telluride: Aspen Aspen/Snowmass bike rentals bike riding bike tours Bootdoctors Colorado mountain towns Crested Butte Crested Butte Mountain Resort Cycling Four Mountain Sports Sheraton Steamboat Resort Steamboat Springs summer fun Telluride Telluride Ski Resort
by maribeth
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Bike Riding In and Around Our Beautiful Mountain Towns
Biking in Telluride
Family Bike Adventure in Crested Butte
Penelope Gleason from Bootdoctors in Telluride
The hills are alive with the sound of cyclists clicking their way over all kinds of bike trails from single track to old railroad grades to paved bike paths to smooth and bumpy swaths cut through our forests for your recreational pleasure. Our towns and valleys are popping with cyclists clad in brightly-colored garb, too. Whether you’re looking for a scenic ride along one of our rushing rivers or interested in snagging a momentous climb or a descent of World-Cup order, Colorado’s mountain towns offer some of the best bike riding options in the United States. Young or old, skilled or amateur, mountain biker or road rider, there’s something for everyone set within some of the best drop-dead gorgeous scenery in the world.
Below is a rundown of a few of Colorado’s major mountain destinations and some of the cycling options they offer. Read them over, make some enquiries and/or reservations, then enjoy the ride. Most of the mud has dried up and the wildflowers are beginning to bloom, so there’s no better time to freewheel it through and around our mountain towns.
Beauty Colorado Girl Talk Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Beauty Tips Ski Instructor's Life Telluride Ski & Snowboard School Women Telluride Ski Resort
by maribeth
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Girl Power Extraordinaire: Women from the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School, Part One
Marti, Cristina and Me on a Ski Break
As I ease into off-season mode, I find myself almost sentimental about all the camaraderie I share at Telluride Ski & Snowboard School. Indeed, I’m now shifting into a more solitary existence, left to fend for myself–as a lone freelance writer–instead of being part of the team that helps to make magic at Telluride Ski Resort. Within Ski School, we’re very much like a family; we’re part of a tribe that speaks the same language and shares many of the same passions even though we are a mix of astonishingly unique human beings.
The women at Telluride Ski & Snowboard School feel like sisters to me and over the years I’ve come to love many of them in my own special way. They are strong, beautiful ladies that radiate a sense of well-being that’s surely the envy of many. They’ve chosen a lifestyle that embraces the outdoors and the physical and a profession that focuses on how to share their remarkable love of the mountains with others. These gals are hot–not so much from what they wear (although a new pair of shades is always remarked). But rather their sizzle comes from how they turn their skis and boards; or even better, from the self assuredness that those skills give them, on and off the slopes. They exude a self confidence and authenticity far superior to anything you might see on the runway or red carpet. Solid and grounded, our band of Telluride Ski & Snowboard instructors serve as terrific role models for women of all ages.
There are many gals that standout at Ski School. So I thought it would be fun to start highlighting them in posts here at my blog, a series that I plan to continue next year. This lineup is by no means all-inclusive. The idea is to spotlight some of the girl power in our special club and also perhaps to provide a few beauty tips along the way.
