Possibly
the most talked about secret resort in the US, Telluride has been calling me for
decades. But like many skiers, I tried the more accessible resorts first, opting
for direct flights and short transfers. But this season I
finally capitulated to the compelling call in late Jan, persuaded by a new
direct American Airlines flight to Montrose from Charlotte, my nearest hub
airport.
Now, we
all know it had been a slow snow season for the whole of Colorado, so I limited
my expectations in terms of terrain. But, even with only 60 percent of trails
open, I still fell in love with
Telski from the minute I jumped into my valet-parked skis outside The Peaks Resort and sped off to Frenchified Bon
Vivant to meet an old friend I hadn’t skied with for 20 years. En route, my
heart sang ‘I’m in Telluride!”
as the light wind chafed the chairlifts and the blazing sunshine magnified the
mélange of magnificent mountains encircling the ski area. Part of the Rockies,
the San Juans are unique in cornering the mountain market in geological
variety: think needles, spires, peaks, mesas, tundra, sedimentary and volcanic
rock, and the highest concentration of 13,000 and 14,000 foot peaks in the USA.
Even the most hackneyed high-altitude inhabitant would be wowed!
I’ll be
writing extensively about this authentic and unspoilt ski area over the coming
months, but here are a few tips and tales from my Telluride trip to get you hooked:
Tip: Buy the Epic Pass in March for next season, to get
privileges at 46 resorts (In Europe, Colorado, Canada, Utah, Tahoe, Vermont,
Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Australia) including seven days of free
skiing with no blackout dates at Telluride.
Announced
on Jan 29, Telluride is the
first US resort to join the Epic Pass
that is not owned or run by Vail Resorts, so a major move in the game of mountain Monopoly being played out by Alterra and Vail Resorts. “Telluride is excited to join the Epic
Pass and a collection of world-class mountain resorts that skiers and
snowboarders around the world come back to time and again,” said Bill Jensen,
CEO of Telluride Ski & Golf. “This new season pass alliance is more
comprehensive and longer term than prior pass alliances and will provide an
incredible benefit for both Telluride guests and our resort community. Epic Pass skiers and
snowboarders thrive on new, unique one-of-a-kind adventures. We offer an
extraordinary big mountain experience, signature hospitality and guest service,
and an authentic, welcoming mountain town surrounded by stunning scenery.”
Tale:
It’s not worth trying to beat the system and ride the free gondola from
downtown for a sneaky run. I saw one older gentleman in rather obvious ski regalia
attempting to dodge the lifty at the top. No chance! He had to put his skis back on and
ride the gondola of shame back down!
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| The latest non-stop flights to Telluride from all over the USA |
Tale: If you’re from Arizona and love
driving, Telluride is less than eight hours from Scottsdale. Tony Plampton did the drive in January and really enjoyed the easy journey. “It was only the
last half hour or so that was more difficult due to winding mountain roads,” he told
me. “Well worth doing as you can just throw everything in the car and not worry
about luggage allowances. And by the time you factor in getting to an airport
in advance, waiting around for takeoff, getting luggage and then waiting for a
shuttle or rental car, it is probably about the same timing.” There’s considerable
rubber tire traffic coming into Telluride each winter from Texas, Arizona and
other parts of Colorado. But once they are there, they park up for the duration of their stay due to the thoughtfully linked lift and bus service.
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Skiing down into the town of Telluride is a bit of a
surreal vertiginous experience! |
Tip: If you fly in, get the Telluride Express Shuttle
from Montrose Airport – you will NOT need a car once in the resort! The Mountain
Village is connected to the 19th century mining town of Telluride by
free Euro-style
gondola and it is an enchanting experience to descend through the
star-spangled darkness into the beautiful box canyon where downtown Telluride
has snuggled in the shade of the Bridal Veil Falls (the longest free-falling
waterfall in CO) since 1878 when miners discovered gold and other valuable
minerals.
Tip: Get Ski Butlers to home
or hotel deliver your skis and any other rentals. I arranged an 11:30am
delivery, arrived at The Peaks at 11:26 and Dessa from Telluride Ski Butlers was there within 2 minutes with all my equipment. By 12 I was on my way on the
chairlift to meet friends at Bon
Vivant for mouthwatering mid-mountain munchies.
Tale: Telluride’s savvy CEO,
Bill Jensen is intent on filling beds and enhancing the experience for the
resort’s current capacity - but not in diluting the skiing by developing the
resort’s accommodation any further. “Our assets
are incredible terrain, an incredibly beautiful part of America, and beds – my
job is how do we fill them up in winter and in summer,” he told me over
breakfast buffet at The Peaks. As a 10 percent partner in Telski, he has not only realized
but over-reached an ambition from age 21 after his parents gave him the
news that he was moving out. Having recently graduated from college, he had no career
plans but saw a personnel office at Mammoth and decided to enquire. “I said do
you guys have jobs? Could I get one? And they said yes,” Bill recounted. “Mark
Twain said that the two best days of your life are the day you are born and the
day you find out why. I said to myself at Mammoth I want to run a ski resort by
the time I am 40.” He's run quite a few since then!
Tip: Stay at The Peaks Resort & Spa in
Mountain Village (built in 1987) for instant downhill ski in/out access to the
slopes (no ponderous poling to a lift), sensational ski valet service, a yellow-jacketed mountain host on hand
for daily orientation, spacious and substantial modern rooms, five-star
service, sunset-soaking outdoor pool and hot tubs, ski fitness classes, vast breakfast
banquets and double nightly happy hours (2pm-6pm and 7:30pm-9pm) in Altezza Restaurant, overlooking the panoramic Palmyra peaks.
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Rudy and Linda, married 27 years after meeting at
Telluride |
Tale:
Rudy Sharp is a
long-term Tellurider, having fallen in love with the resort and his wife there
27 years ago. Now VP of Hospitality for The Peaks Resort & Spa, he sees a
lot of romance at the resort: “There’s a big wedding business here, with almost
limitless venues for summer and also winter. It’s odd seeing people in
short-sleeved white dresses when it is 20 degrees and snowing.” With around 30
winter weddings each season, one recent bride was desperate for a big dump of
snow for the ceremony. She was lucky, as 17 inches fell that day (Jan 20). “You
would think with all the things I run, I would get stressed but I don’t,” says
Rudy. “If I look out there, I feel humble. I’ll be gone soon and that guy, ‘Mr.
Wilson’ there, will still be here.” He added that around 80 percent of summer
climbers who ascend Wilson Peak take a can of Coors with them for iconic photo opps. The Peaks is 'a
four-season story', he said, with ski in/out in winter and tee in/out in summer.
The ski valet/rental area transforms into a golf valet and the ski shop shifts into golfing gear. So, basically, when you ski down to Lift 1 each morning, you are skiing right
over the first tee. I haven't ever seen a golf course quite so close to a ski hotel!
Tip: Unique to Telluride, try Dr. Kim Hewson’s Biomechanics Ski
Camp to learn techniques only available to ski instructor professionals until now. Find out, from an Orthopedic Surgeon and veteran
ski instructor, how to improve ski stance, maximize performance while minimizing effort, and
creating careful skiing longevity without injury. For every age group,
intermediate and above, the Biomechanics
Camp focuses on body awareness, understanding your own unique anatomy and body
movement in relation to efficient skiing techniques. The biomechanic progression starts in the feet and follows with a natural postural response in the legs and upper body. Intrigued? Book now for next season as the camp fills up quickly.
Tale: Don’t expect to be satisfied
with one visit to Telluride –
most people come, fall in love, and add it to their regular ski circuit. Chris Branch,
Oscar-winning producer of The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved
My Life, visited in January on a boys’ driving jaunt from Scottsdale to
stake it out for future family trips: “It’s an amazing resort. I don’t think as
a family we’ll ever ski anywhere else.” He also loved our day-long lesson with New Zealand ski instructor, Vince Boelema: “The classic Kiwi that you meet in London, all cricket and rugby – a
great character straight out of central casting,” quipped Chris, staying in character himself!
Tip: Although Telluride has all the attributes
and activities of a world-class ski resort, it is not about fur coats and
matching dogs, but more a question of having the right skis for the day ahead.
Tale:
On pow days, Lift 8 has a unique etiquette, according to Vince: Locals know to arrive early, park their skis in the lift line
and then go for a coffee until chair opening time, in the happy knowledge that
no-one will buck the system. Goodness knows what happens if a European turns up
without being briefed!!
Tip:
Unlike most resorts, you are welcome to visit the Ski Patrol huts dotted around
the slopes. There are t-shirts for sale, raising money for the avi dog service
and the dogs themselves love to be petted by passersby.
Tale: My first time at Telluride and I was totally
awestruck by the sheer variety of the encircling San Juan Mountains - and remember I have been skiing since 1973 at resorts all over the world! A serendipitous 17-inch dump at the weekend had set the
scene for widespread wintry whiteness and, with a second 2-inch layer, helped open up
lifts 12 and 14 for the first time this season during my four-day foray in January. I was also lucky enough to go on a heady helicopter ride to get an eagle's perspective of the area. By the way, for those on a sightseeing heli jaunt or heli ski trip, the Telluride Helitrax pilot picks you up right outside The Peaks.
Tip: Ski Telluride’s corduroy carver, See
Forever (a popular hike in summer). It is named for the 100 miles of shimmery
vista visibility stretching as far as Utah’s La Sal Mountains on a clear day. Groomed
every day, you can access it from Lifts 6,9,14 and 14, overseen by iconic
Wilson Peak (of Coors beer fame).
Tale: While sipping hot choc and
munching on a macadamia cookie at New Orleans-inspired Giuseppe’s,
I happened upon a group from the Thunderbird
Ski Club (named for its affiliation with Ford Motor Co rather than the
cartoon TV series!) “There are 37 of us staying at Mountain
Village,” 70-year-old skier, Joe Basta told me. “I’m having a great time.
This wide open terrain is ideal for me and it’s neat how they are using
snowguns to make these big piles of snow and then move it around where it’s
needed.” As well as eating at the cute mountain cabin favoured by locals and
ski instructors, the group was also enjoying discovering downtown: “There’s so
much charm that many ski towns just don’t have,” Joe said. “It’s not too posh
and glitzy. And the Historic
Bar at the Sheridan is a really classy place.”
Tip: Plan some on-mountain dining. Try
the gondola ride to Allreds
for après ski from 5pm or, later, contemporary American
cuisine, fancy cocktails and top wines in a grand and glamorous setting – I recommend
the potato croutons and the sticky toffee pudding if you're craving carbs.
And the snowcat
excursion to Alpino
Vino, right at the pinnacle is a must. At 11,966ft it is North America’s
highest fine-dining, featuring European-themed snowcat-accessed dinners with whimsical
wine pairings. Jump in the snowcat first so you can bag best seats: Facing
uphill the same way as the driver going up and facing uphill, with your back to
the driver, on the way down. This will ensure you won’t have to brace yourself
to keep from slipping off the seats the whole way! Greeted with champagne on
the patio, it is an evening of cute cabin culinary finesse, with professional
sommeliers recounting the stories behind the hut, the Northern Italian food,
and the wonderful wines, many exclusive new arrivals from Portugal. It’s also open 11-3:30
for leisurely lunch and libations.
Tip: Although there are lots of
restaurants and great après ski on-mountain, and it’s
tempting to languish in the sunset-viewing hot tub at The Peaks, make sure to check out
the Wild West wonders of downtown.
The gondola,
celebrating 20 years of operation this season, is the gateway to cowboy culture
clustered around the Historic
Bar at the New Sheridan Hotel: think long beer-sliding bar, old wood
paneling, pressed-tin ceilings and Victorian mirrors. While modern development
has made Mountain Village into a mini Whistler, downtown has been able to stay
unscathed, with even the most minor renovation around Colorado Avenue subject
to strict local ordinances.
Tale: “The
New Sheridan Chop House is my favourite restaurant,” said ski instructor
Vince as we sailed up The Plunge
chairlift after a teaching tour of the mountain. “It’s where I go when I
take my better half out to dinner.” And he was right to recommend the
four-fromage mac cheese to go with the succulent beef and elk – I also added
the truffle fries. Try and get Daniel Davenport as your waiter – he’s polished
and professional with a prolific memory for ingredients, but, best of all, a
personality.
Tip: When exploring the historic
downtown, turn left at the gondola station and explore the residential district
(most people turn right). The houses are as cute as those in Charleston, SC and
eventually you will come upon There Bar, a lively
locals’ cocktail hangout specializing in the trendiest tapas with Asian overtones – menus
tied with ribbons - and a ‘blacklist’ of decadent drinks. The décor is funky,
too, with the ritziest restrooms. Make an arrangement to meet someone
(preferably in the know), so you can legitimately say “I’ll meet you there”
without specifying the location. Get the grapefruit martini, curried mussels
and patatas bravas.
Tale: This remote canyon deep in the
San Juans in Southwestern Colorado
has attracted camera-shy celebs like Oprah Winfrey and Tom Cruise to buy and
build homes in the area and many film producers to shoot movies there. “When
they were filming Quentin
Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight,
the actors and crew were all stuck in town waiting for the right weather
window,” said Vince, who incidentally has been instructing at Telluride for 20 winters. “It was amazing to see Kurt Russell or
Samuel L. Jackson just hanging out in bars and restaurants around town and not
really being bothered by anyone.” Other films shot in and around town include Christopher Nolan's The Prestige (2006), Scrapple (1998), Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979); and True Grit (1969).
Tip: If you’re lucky enough to score
a bottle of Telluride red when shopping downtown, transport
it home safely by putting it in your ski boot and stuffing socks around the top
– trust me, it will survive the plane!
Tale: Mindful skiing has reached Telski. Level 3 instructor in
alpine, Nordic and telemark and supervisor of training at the Telluride Ski School,
Deb Willits is an advocate of mindful meditation. “By being able to have almost laser focus on my
students and their feelings, a side effect is great relationships and success
as an instructor/trainer,” she told me over a glass of Happy Hour Prosecco at Altezza.
“If an instructor has the ability to quiet their self-talk it allows them to be
aware of all the elements of the environment including the weather - windy,
snowy, low visibility or sunny – temperature, cold or comfortable, snow
conditions (hardpacked, powdery, deep powder, cold snow, icy), ability and feelings
of your student, others on the hill and of your own intuition about them. Putting
all that gathered information together allows the instructor to make a decision
of where on the mountain to go that would be the most helpful and safe, physically
and emotionally, what information to give the student and how to present the
information to them so it is received the best. This allows for a true
connection between the instructor and the student as people.” She gets lots of
repeat customers and that day had been teaching three returnees from North
Carolina. Maybe they caught the same direct
flight as me?
