Beauty Colorado Shopping Spas Telluride: Beauty Colorado Shopping Spas Telluride
by maribeth
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Telluride’s Ultra Luxe Mountain Spas
Capella Spa Telluride: Better Than What the Romans Could Imagine
Hmmmm. There’s nothing like spa-going after a day in the mountains. Whether you’ve been out skiing, hiking or just wandering around taking in the sites, a visit to a spa in the mountains seems so much more deserved, so much more of a must. Maybe it’s the contrast of the rugged scenery and the high altitude sun with the soothing interiors of such cosseted spaces. At elevations of close to 10,000 feet, the spa experience is indisputably enhanced tenfold. And if you’re lucky enough to find yourself sitting in a heated pool or a hot tub with snowflakes falling gently down around you, you’ll truly understand why spas and mountain destinations go together like robes and slippers. (My favorite visual is one of steam billowing up from outdoor heated pools and tubs, a common occurrence throughout winter and most summer evenings at spas in the mountains. When you’re in the middle of that misty scene, you can’t help feeling otherworldly.)
In Telluride, we’re truly spoiled. Maybe it’s because our mountains are so mighty that we boast such heavenly spas, super luxurious enclaves housed within the finest hotels of Telluride Mountain Village, the heart of the ski area. The little known secret is that you can enjoy these superlative spas for the price of a treatment or in some cases a day pass: Access to them is not reserved exclusively for their hotel guests.
Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies
by maribeth
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It’s Dumping in the Rockies
Let it Snow!
As though right on cue, the big snows are arriving in the Rockies like a gathering of elves furiously putting the finishing touches on holiday preparations at the North Pole. Like kids on Christmas Eve, people in ski towns all across Colorado are suffering from ski fever as the pow pow accumulates outside our doors. The only release is to ski (or board!) and those lucky enough to get out are enjoying some of the best first tracks of the season.
Less than two weeks ago the sun shone brightly throughout most of Colorado as the thermometer displayed nearly springlike temperatures. Opening day in Telluride was as much about hanging out at the Hop Garden, a popular slopeside restaurant and bar, as stretching your legs on the slopes. Yet from Aspen to Vail to Crested Butte, all were eager to see some real snow. Even Sylvester, the cat, the lucky resident of the Sundeck, Aspen’s mountaintop restaurant, longed to see snow blowing outside his window. (Heck, if it’s cold and nearly winter in the mountains, it might as well snow!)
Sylvester, Aspen's Premiere Mountain Cat
Our wish has been granted and clearly winter is rolling in with great force. Just in time, too. Here in Telluride we’re gearing up for the LG FIS Snowboardcross World Cup that kicks off shortly. World-class athletes have already begun to arrive, some earlier than originally planned since there’s apparently no snow in Europe. Wait ‘til they get a taste of the Champagne powder of the great American West.
Click here to see what winter is like in Telluride. You really must see this for its incredibly beautiful. Thank you to Ben Knight for capturing the magic of our awe-inspiring place.
Thank you also to Lisa Wilson for the top photo and Tom Watkinson for the one below. Check out more of Lisa’s photos at Telluride Daily Photo and be sure to consider her 2010 calendar for holiday gifts. I love her shots of life in Telluride.
End Note: As I write this, I’ve had to reassure my kitties, Leo and Clara, that all is well. They’re blasting outside, a good sign for everyone but cats. I wonder how little Sylvester is surviving the avalanche control work in Aspen. He’s surely hiding, especially since he’s known to only emerge before the rush, early in the morning and after lunch.
Also if you’re lucky enough to be in Telluride, stop by the Hop Garden today at 4 p.m. to meet the US Team athletes for poster signing and fun.
Steve and Me in Front of the Hop Garden on Opening Day
Art & Culture Colorado France French Life Music & Dance Restaurants Telluride Travel: Art & Culture Colorado France French Life Music & Dance Restaurants Telluride Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on This is It: MJ and The Black Legend
This is It: MJ and The Black Legend
No Words Can Describe this Black Legend
Leave it to the French. They’re always on the cutting edge of what’s hot. They’re usually the harbingers of the next big happening, the next thing with which we should be consumed. Just think of Louis XIV and the role he played in ballet—it’s largely thanks to his interest in this dance that ballet gained such prominence in eighteenth century France, a notoriety that has grown throughout the centuries. He did the same for hairdressing. And how about American jazz? Nowhere has jazz been so revered as in Paris.
So I should have intuitively sensed something last spring when I received a press release announcing the creation of The Black Legend Monaco, a new nightspot on the French Riviera that pays tribute to Motown Music. It captured my attention since it’s part of Groupe Floirat, the same family-owned company that’s behind the celebrated Hotel Byblos in Saint-Tropez and its legendary nightclub, Les Caves du Roy. Oddly enough Michael Jackson died tragically as the finishing touches were applied to this ultra swanky hotspot in the tiny Principality of Monaco. Was it providential for the French to place such a heavy accent on Motown Music or was it just a sure bet?
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
Art & Culture Being Green Four Corners Podcasts Telluride The Rockies Travel: Art & Culture Being Green Four Corners Podcasts Telluride The Rockies Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on The National Trust and Us
The National Trust and Us
Richard Moe: Our Nation's Top Preservationist Enjoying the Great American West
People don’t want to go to a place that has lost its soul.
—Arthur Frommer
Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, shared the above quote with me in a recent Travel Fun interview. As our nation’s leading historic preservation organization, the Trust has saved the soul and character of countless places in its sixty years of existence. From main streets to historic sites, this bipartisan organization works tirelessly toward preserving our country’s heritage.
As a part-time resident of Telluride, I’ve had the privilege of chatting with Dick Moe about historic preservation and some of his favorite destinations several times. He loves his time in the West and makes Telluride his base every summer for visiting some of the most significant cultural sites in the United States including Canyon of the Ancients in southwestern Colorado. In our interview, he also talks about other exciting locales in the region such as Durango, Silverton, Chimney Rock and the Rio Grande Gorge in Del Norte.
As for Telluride, it’s clear that it stands a cut above all other Rocky Mountain destinations. “Telluride has done a better job of preserving its historic character than any other mountain town,” says Dick. He also shares his thoughts on the Telluride Valley Floor, a 500-acre parcel of open space that he fought hard to preserve.
The Trust’s programs on sustainability and historic preservation are also discussed in our interview. Currently the organization is committed to a sustainability program that focuses on the environmental value of “recylcing” older buildings for new uses and retrofitting them for greater energy efficiency.
Heritage tourism is the fastest growing part of tourism, already a huge industry in our country. The National Trust has offered tours all over the world for quite some time but they’re expanding their reach with Gozaic, a one-stop shopping portal for heritage travel. You can hear what Dick has to say about this in our chat as well.
Listen to the entire half-hour interview I conducted with Richard Moe by clicking on the play button here:
People want to experience what’s real and genuine in communities.
—Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Note that at the same time of this story posting, Richard Moe announced his retirement from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He has been the longest serving president in the sixty-year history of the Trust. He plans to continue to hold that position until a replacement is found, likely in the spring of 2010.
National Trust for Historic Preservation, 202-588-6000 and 800-944-6847, www.preservationnation.org; you may become a member of the Trust and receive their award-winning magazine six times a year for as little as $20.
Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies
by maribeth
Comments Off on Fall in Colorado: A Terrific In-Between Time of Year
Fall in Colorado: A Terrific In-Between Time of Year
Filling in Nicely in Aspen/Snowmass a Couple of Weeks Ago
I wrote glowingly about fall in the Rocky Mountains in Riding the Gondola, a story I posted this time of year last year. Now I’ll tell you about that funny in-between time just after most of the leaves have dropped and before most ski areas open, the period from mid October through Thanksgiving.
The bare aspens now blend into the mountainsides like bristly hairs on a crewcut. Golden cottonwoods along the rivers and russet red grasses and shrubs in the fields and on the slopes now punctuate this autumnal season. Dusted in white, the mountains stand steely grey awaiting the long, steady snowfalls that will soon accumulate. We already had a few, enough to know that winter is ready to barrel in. It’s usually snowy by Halloween in our mountain towns, Thanksgiving for sure.
Now officially off-season, lots of folks in the ski towns take off for a long break before the start of the season. The rest await anxiously the arrival of the big snows. Huge, barrel-shaped snow guns have already been placed strategically across slopes all over the Rockies. The blowing will soon begin and mother nature will be aided in the mission of creating the finest skiing in the West, indisputably the best in the world.
Loveland ski area officially opened a couple of weeks ago; they briefly closed since it had been unseasonably warm but are now open again. (Denver hit record-breaking highs in the eighties over the weekend after having had a snowed-out Rockies game a couple of weeks ago.) A-Basin is open, too, and others will soon follow. I learned today that die-hard skiers have been hiking up to Silverton for some early season back country skiing. Copper Mountain is slated for a November 6 opening. And even if only a few runs are skiable, it’s still a great way to get out and have fun and begin to get in shape for the season. I’ve skied Wolf Creek early November as well at times when the whole mountain has been open, blanketed in deep powder the sort you’d expect in the dead of winter. No wonder they’re known to be the snowiest ski mountain in all of Colorado.
Like Aspen and many other resorts, we’ll open in Telluride at Thanksgiving. Time is sure to fly between now and then and there will be many people caught without their skis waxed or their bodies properly prepared. I began ski conditioning class yesterday and even after just one session, I can tell I have a long way to go before adequately strengthening my core and legs for the slopes. (Boy, am I sore today!) Yet everyone’s talking snow and the countdown has begun to opening day. Ski movies are playing in our small-town cinemas and the excitement is mounting day by day.
Now is the time to score some great bargains on everything skiing. Many of the resorts are still promoting pre-season pass and lift ticket deals (some offers valid until October 30). Terrific lodging specials are also available, especially if you book before November 15. Flush with brand new merchandise, many of the ski and snowboard shops continue to offer discounted prices. In T-ride, the KOTO Ski Swap, a one-day event that’s held annually in mid-November (this year on the 14th), draws crowds from neighboring mountain towns that clamor for new and used ski clothing and gear at killer prices.
In Case You Missed It: Telluride Graces the Cover of October's Ski Magazine
There’s anticipation in the air over this year’s turnout as well. But no one’s holding their breath too long since we know how important ski vacations are to people. They’re a great way for families, friends, guys and girls to get together and although ski holidays might not be totally recession proof, we know that this is where some of the best memories are forged. So it’s unlikely there will be too many breaks with tradition.
As for me, I can hardly wait for the season to begin. I have one more trip to take back east, then I hope to hunker down here in my beloved Colorado. My kitties are already in quasi hibernation mode which tells me that it’s time for me to park it as well. I’m excited about resuming my job as ski instructor in Telluride, the perfect antidote for too many hours at my desk and on the road. It’s also a great way to have and share fun with others.
Now it just has to start snowing.
Telluride Ski Resort Deals, http://tellurideskiresort.com/TellSki/hot-deals.aspx
Aspen/Snowmass Deals, http://www.aspensnowmass.com/travelinfo/package.cfm
Pot Pourri: Bargains Hotels & Lodging Telluride The Rockies Travel
by maribeth
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Great Travel Deals for Public Radio
Magnificent Mountain Lodge in Telluride
Thank you to all that supported community radio in our recent KOTO fundraising drive! I still need to do my part, however, to raise money for our unique radio station here in Telluride, Colorado. Some of my favorite establishments have made some generous donations to help our cause. In exchange for the pledge amounts listed below, you can snatch up stays in outstanding properties as well as the opportunity to take an exciting train excursion, all at fantastic value.
$250. pledge: Two nights in a one-bedroom condo at the handsome Mountain Lodge in Telluride. Approximate value: $500.-750.
$250. pledge: Two nights in a hotel guestroom at the luxurious Capella in Telluride. Approximate value: $400.-900.
$150. pledge: Two nights at the Rochester Hotel, Durango’s must-see tribute to Western movie making in the Rockies. Approximate value: $320.
$50. pledge: A train ride for two on the Cascade Canyon Winter Train operated by the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Approximate value: $100.
Note that some blackout dates may apply.
I’ll be accepting pledges on a first-come basis through this Web site only. You may write me a note on my Contact Page.
Thank you in advance for supporting my fundraising efforts for KOTO, an NPR station and one of only about a half dozen entirely community sponsored radio stations in the country. KOTO is a Telluride treasure and we now boast an increasing number of listeners on the web at www.koto.org. I’m happy to host Travel Fun, my bimonthly talk radio show on travel there, a chatty program that features interviews with all kinds of exciting guests from the worlds of travel, beauty, fashion and more.
Choo-Chooing Through the Rockies in a Winter Wonderland
Four Corners Podcasts Telluride The Rockies Travel: Four Corners Ken Burns Podcasts Telluride Telluride Festivals The Rockies Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on Ken Burns on America’s National Parks and Telluride
Ken Burns on America’s National Parks and Telluride
Ken Burns and “National Parks” Producer Dayton Duncan
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been moved to tears every night this week watching Ken Burns’s six-part series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” on PBS. This work was a labor of love for this master documentarian for some ten years and I think most of America is grateful for it finally being available for all to see. “It is the history of the ideas and the individuals that made this uniquely American thing happen,” Ken told me in a Travel Fun interview I conducted with him early September. “For the first time in history, land was set aside for the people,” he continued.
You may listen to the entire forty-minute interview I conducted with Ken by clicking on the play button here:
Ken also chats about his twenty-year relationship with Telluride. “It’s my lover,” he says. Listen to the podcast to find out why. You’ll also learn more about Ken’s two-decade long relationship with the Telluride Film Festival and why he calls it “the best festival on the planet.”
I was lucky enough to see one of Ken’s films on our National Parks on the big screen at Telluride’s Mountain Film Festival last May. Read about that experience here.
Book Picks
“Ken Burns: The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” at www.shoppbs.org/home. You can buy this must-have tome and the DVD and receive the CD soundtrack for free.
Podcast (bonjour): Play in new window | Download
