|
Skiing Spectacular, Secluded TellurideBy Valerie Summers
Originally a sacred space for the Ute Native American tribe, Telluride became a silver mining town in 1872, eventually abandoned for many years until skiing hippies discovered this mountainous paradise around 1972. Then, the celebrities came to enjoy the tranquility of this remote Colorado ski destination. Locals found themselves rubbing elbows with the likes of Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Joel, Christy Brinkley, Daryl Hannah and many more celebs. The historic district still retains the charm of bygone days, saved by its very strict building codes. No facades can be altered. All structures must be limited to no more than three stories. I enjoyed the walk down Colorado Avenue from The Hotel Telluride passing three short blocks lined with charming Victorian style homes in an array of pastel colors and on though the downtown area. I sniffed my way past a variety of restaurants, delighting in the fragrance of good things cooking. I wandered in and out of unique jewelry shops and clothing shops from high classed and high priced to the crowded second hand store, and I was pleased to discover there are no chain stores in this community and there is an ordinance against fur shops. On a walk with town historian, Ashley Boling, I learned that Telluride enjoys the notoriety as the sight of Butch Cassidy’s first bank robbery. Although the San Miguel Valley Bank no longer exists, the bank’s safe now serves as a unique dressing room in the exclusive Two Skirts ladies dress shop. We popped into the historic Sheridan Opera House, with its hand-painted rose motif, which continues to be used for films, stage shows, and dances 25 days out of each month. Festivals abound during the summer including the Mushroom Festival, film festivals and the largest, the Bluegrass Festival. And throughout the year, vacationers hike or snowshoe, fish and take to the skies in glider planes and paragliders Although the town projects an understated façade, Telluride no longer accommodates a hippie budget with the exception of the Free Box where people drop off often rather expensive items in very good shape like ski boots and TV sets all for the taking. Telluride’s most impressive feature, however, are its mountains which were draped in their white winter finery.
All over the mountain, crimson suited instructors offered help to skiers and back at the base, butterscotch jacketed guest services members were available to carry skis to a locker or help in any way they could. I was most grateful at the end of the day for this attention.
More information: Continental Express: Offers a 1 ½ hour direct flight from
Los Angeles International Airport via an Embraer ERJ aircraft landing in
Montrose, CO. Historical Tours of Telluride Hotel Telluride: A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the
World. Telluride Express: A scenic 1 ½ hour drive from Montrose
takes passengers in a comfortable van through ranch land, passing the lake
centered Ridgeway State Park, on through rolling hills and then snow covered
mountains. Women’s Week |
|
TM
Many of the 2,000 residents of
Telluride, I discovered, settled there because of love. Some came on holiday
and fell in love with the area or others with a local. After a month
vacationing in the Colorado mountain resort, on the day before she was to leave,
one young woman was introduced to her future husband who owned a restaurant in
town. Another met her Telluride husband while he was vacationing on the tiny
Caribbean island of Dominica where she lived. I quipped that it must be quite a
change from an island lifestyle but she responded that living in this box canyon
resort often made her feel that she was still on an island. It is a small,
secluded community and very friendly. You can’t walk down the street without
running into someone you know. The nearest stoplight is more than 40 miles away.
And it is beautiful!!!
Just about everything
in Telluride is within walking distance although my hotel provided on-call
transportation and the town offered free shuttle service. The most popular
destination was the gondola which ran constantly until midnight taking skiers up
to St. Sophia where they could ski down Milk Run or North Chute or stop for
lunch or dinner at Allred’s, once a member’s only dining room where the food is
excellent and the view even better. The second stop on the gondola run took
skiers down to Mountain Village, a new and modern vacation spot featuring all
kinds of hotels, restaurants, ski shops and ski lifts. It’s the home to the
Golden Door at The Peaks, one of the most comprehensive day spas I have ever
seen although I was told about several other small but wonderful places for a
really good massage like the Atmosphere Spa and Aromatherapy Day Spa.
My visit coincided with the
annual Women’s Ski Clinic, so I had reserved my place for a week of instruction
and camaraderie. Although I have skied for many years, I can always use a
refresher. My intimate group hailed from all over the world….London, Paris,
Wisconsin, New York, and yours truly from Los Angeles. Our perky instructor,
Christine, spent her non-winter time in Prescott, Arizona but nothing could keep
her away from Telluride when the snow fell. Snow conditions were
perfect….packed powder. It snowed each night and by morning the cats had
groomed the slopes to perfection. We took chair four up the mountain offering a
clear view of the jagged peaks of the Wilson Mountain range, part of the
Rockies, chosen as the perfect backdrop for the well-known Coors beer
commercial. Talk about gorgeous! During the course of the week we were able to
try out the latest and best in demo skis, had video analyses comparing the
changes in our skiing over the course of the clinic, taking our best shot at a NASTAR race and participating in après ski activities. During much of the day,
members of our little group were the only ones on the slope. That is another one
of the wonderful things about Telluride. No crowds!
Any beginner will feel
completely at ease on the runs off Chair 10, past the multi-million dollar
vacation mansions. Telluride is the only ski resort I have visited which breaks
down the runs into green, double green, blue, double blue, black, double black
and heli-skiing areas. Special snowboard parks mostly separate the boarders
from the skiers which makes everyone happy. Several groups of paraplegics
zoomed along the slopes and blind skiers, with the aid of a guide, charged on
down. At the bottom of Chair 1, I spotted a group of helmeted munchkins, ages
four and five, being coached by an affable ski instructor. 
Following a day on the slopes
with the ever-patient Christine, our group attended a talk on the latest ski
boot technology or stripped down to our long johns for a stretch class. Each
evening we sampled one of the local Telluride restaurants, one evening dining at
the elegant Allred’s Restaurant on crab cakes and elk, two of my favorite
dishes, then sampling a variety of award-winning desserts. For one of the
town’s biggest bargains, we headed over to crowded Smuggler’s Brewpub & Grille
for a delicious $5 hamburger dressed with anything your heart could
desire….cheese, mushrooms, avocado, grilled onions, etc. We topped off the
evening at the bar at the 110 year old New Sheridan Hotel, called new because
the original Sheridan Hotel burned to the ground three years after it was built.
After days and nights on
the go, I enjoyed returning to The Hotel Telluride to soak in the outdoor hot
tub before retiring to my spacious, comfortable room, decorated in warm tones of
chocolate brown and rust with antique style furnishings. I sank down into my
luxurious feather-topped Incredible Bed to dream of snow and skis and good eats
and good times with new friends and the incredible beauty of Telluride.