The Insiders' Guide to St. Barths: Telluride... January, 2008

We took our annual 1st-week-of-the-year-ski-trip in Telluride this year. We all remembered it as one of our favorites, though we last visited about 15 years ago when the kids were yet in grammar school. My daughter is now 25 and a recent graduate of architecture school and my son is 24 and has spent the last 4 years as second captain of a 65 ft fishing yacht in various countries in Central America, most recently at Tropic Star in Panama. This trip is, anually, my one chance to be with them both together, and I jump at the opportunity. It is just a bonus that we get to do so in cool places while sharing a sport which they were introduced to as 3-yr-olds and about which we are all so passionate. It is also my fourth year of teaching Dee Dee to ski better than me so we can both retire to a mountain, at least part-time, in the not too distant future. (She's much closer to that skiing goal than she realizes or will give herself credit for.)

Telluride did not disappoint any of us. This time we stayed in town at the Ice House Condominiums in a very nice, spacious 3 bedroom unit (the "library" has a fold-out--converting it into the 3rd bedroom) The units are located 2 small blocks east of the gondola, the starting point of all a.m. ski activity. Most importantly, we had heated, underground parking. Since it snowed 67 inches during our seven days there(not an exageration), we appreciated the parking amenity as much as the location. Our rental vehicle, a Toyota Hilander, performed quite well when set to SNO-TRK, a variant of all-wheel-drive, I gathered.

Telluride, the town, is a dramatic, well-preserved mining town located at the eastern end of a high canyon. Once you are there you have the distinct feeling of being in a mountain cage, since on 3 sides all you see is cliff-like verticality. I kind of liked that feeling--it felt more protective than confining--but it could take a little adjusting for some people, I would guess.

The town of Mountain Village is at the end of the free gondola which runs till midnight daily.The gondola gives a quite vertical lift up to the mountain's true base area(where we began every day's skiing, where we had our photo's taken for our passes, and where we stowed our skis and poles at nite). Mountain Village is a more upscale area having been built from the ground up in the past 30 yrs. It certainly lacks the personality of Telluride, the town, not nearly the shopping, restaurant selection or entertainment choices. What it does have though is a commanding view over the valley and canyon below. A view that I still remember from my first trip to the area. Since it snowed and was overcast every day of my seven there I never saw more than snippets of that vista this time.

The mountain did not disappoint. Though not described as a big area (by Colorado standards) at around 1700 acres, to me it skis much bigger. I know it has some of the longest runs in Colorado, one reported to be 5 miles long. With a good mixture of black,double-black, intermediate and beginner runs, Telluride seems to attract a more serious skier than other areas I have visited, maybe because it is so off the beaten path. There were no broken lifts requiring a one hour wait--as we had in Breckenridge last year. In fact, except for one restaurant turning us away for lack of a reservation, there were no waits at all. And who can complain about 67 inches of new powder in 7 days?

For me, I was glad to be skiing at all, having suffered a non-union of a foot fracture which was surgically repaired last July. In fact it felt a lot better on my foot to ski than to walk, which was becoming quite difficult. My skiing was not up to anybody's standards of good this year, but, but that was hardly Telluride's fault. Now I have 8 screws and a plate in my right foot along with some newly grafted bone to replace the 5 screws which were previously placed. I am also off all anti-inflammitories (delays bone healing worse than smoking. according to at least one study) and am quite paranoid about even so much as touching my right foot to the ground.

During my 2 months in a cast I have an awesome week in one of the most dramatic ski locales on earth to reflect on. I can also anticipate a return to St. Barth this June -- there are snook and bonefish to be caught, a new Santa Fe to try, and a new/old Blue Coconut, and a Wall House refrigerator to raid... so I'm just gonna sit back here on my sofa, prop my foot up and heal, heal, heal...while I watch me some football...........

Ya gotta stack it somewhere...

Me and my girlfriend

Awaiting Martin and Janine in February--have fun and am more than sorry we cannot make it..........

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Roy in L.A.