Telluride - 3/5-3/12

(Late report but might be of interest to some.)

Arrived in ABQ NM then drove up to Telluride the next day.  Great, scenic trip on the way up. Stopped at the "four corners" then meandered up to Telluride.

Skied at Telluride Mtn. the next day.  Very impressive mountain in the middle of nowhere...probably one of the more scenic areas in the country.  What blew me away is the sustained pitch of the mountain - you can ski over 3,000' from top to bottom.  Some of the terrain was way beyond my abilities.



Had about 8" of fresh snow and a few powder runs.  Although it was 100% open, the locals (as usual) complained about the lousy snow year LOL!  Despite this, I had a great time exploring this incredible ski area.  Only hit about 1/4 of the runs as the place is huge.

Day two was spent with a local heli-skiing operation.  They said in advance that the conditions were "variable".  First run was broken crust - very difficult for my skill level.  They heavily suggested that we use their skis - some very wide (115mm) Salomon boards.  Probably great for deep powder but in this stuff I wish I had my thinner skis (95mm) as they might have made it a bit easier.  No complaints really - great staff, great scenery, etc., but I'm not sure I'd do this again.  Everything seemed so rushed - the heli ride only takes a minute or two and it's loud so you don't get the camaraderie (or rest between runs) you get when on a snow-cat trip.  Plus the high altitude (~13,000') literally takes your breath away.  I think I'll stick to powder-cat trips in Utah - seems the snow is always good there.

One of the bowls we skied:


Day three was snowmobiling with my wife.  She had never driven a snowmobile before but had a great time.  We went with Telluride Snowmobile Adventures - awesome outfit with great guides.  They took us up to Alta Lakes:


Also grabbed a view of Lizard Head and Mt. Wilson - supposedly the mountain painted on Coors beer cans.  Hard to believe that these mountains (at 14,000+) are within a few hundred feet of being the highest in the continental U.S.


Day four we left Telluride and drove to Santa Fe, NM.  Lots of nice scenery.

Day five we toured Santa Fe, a very nice city with lots of history.

Day six - I grabbed the bus up to Ski Santa Fe and had a blast in the warm sun and soft snow.  Mountain was 100% open - I guess the snow lasts a long time at 12,000'!  My wife drove 15 miles and went horseback riding.  Santa Fe offers something for everyone.

Was going to stay one more day but with Stella threatening to shut down the east coast we changed our flights and left at 11:45pm that night.  Glad we did as I got to enjoy Plattekill the day after the storm!

Sounds like a great trip!!

Nice!  Thanks for the TR.