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May 2009

by Kris Holstrom

The New Community Coalition worked hand in hand with Telluride Mountainfilm staff to brainstorm composting, recycling and trash reduction this year. The opening event, on May 21, was the dinner for the filmmakers and guests at a beautiful spot high up in the Preserve.

The evening was damp and delightful and included delicious food by Lucas Price and an amazing mix of interesting people. Even better, from the waste side of things, it was a total success.

 Zero is not always a good thing. It's an insult when used to describe a person. Describing waste is a whole other story, but in that context, zero is so difficult to achieve, it is often stated as a goal, rather than as something truly possible. Thursday night raised the bar: Mountainfilm got about as close as you can get.

26 May, 2009 /

[click "Play" buttons to hear each conversation with Dr. Ptak] Dr. Jeff Ptak is the surgical dermatologist at the Telluride Medical Center. He is also aboard certified plastic surgeon (since 1989)...

26 May, 2009 /

After a day that went from sunshine to heavy rain showers and back again,  on Sunday, festival goers at Mountainfilm in Telluride were treated to a break in the pattern, with light rain in town being backlit by beautiful late afternoon sun. It's not...

25 May, 2009 /

We took a Telluride break from the Mountainfilm experience this morning. We walked along the bike path out toward Society Turn with Gina the Dog. Last night it snowed in the high country, rained below about 11000 feet. Picture it: New snow on...

24 May, 2009 /

On Monday, May 18, staff and volunteers from TASP met the crew from San Juan Outdoor School at the Bilk Creek Wall for some climbing instruction. TASP is adding climbing to its Summer schedule for people with disabilities. Monday's session included training in safe belaying...

24 May, 2009 /

Sus and I were away from Telluride for quite a while this Spring, and hit the ground running last week when we got home. Getting through accumulated mail, writing, editing and publishing our regular stories, along with the excitement of covering Mountainfilm for the...

23 May, 2009 /


May 21 to 28, 2009

Visible Planets: Morning: Jupiter, Mars and Venus   Evening: Saturn

The Gemini New Moon and a Rare 3-Way Planetary Rendezvous in Evolutionary Aquarius

Sc000e6559 The Mother Earth and all life upon it experience an unusual and verifiable “new age” planetary event this week. As the Sun and Moon conjoin at 03º 27’ Gemini on May 24th in the aspect of a New Moon, a rare three-way rendezvous between Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune is taking place in the cosmos at 26º Aquarius.

Jupiter represents expansion, opportunity, exploration, discovery, foreign affairs and all types of growth. Neptune is the planet of mystical, spiritual and out-of-body experience. Chiron is an asteroid/planetoid – discovered in 1977 – that rules alternative medicine, holistic healing, wounds of all kinds and anything with the root-word “chiro.”

23 May, 2009 /

[click "Play" button to hear Steve Winter talking with Susan, and click the YouTube box below to see a slideshow of Winter's photgraphy ]

Tell imovie49 Two years ago, a group of "fellows" from the International League of Conservation Photographers came to Telluride, including James Balog Wade Davis, and Chris Rainier, all three long-time Mountainfilm supporters and popular featured guests. Joining them this year is another member of the ILCP, Steve Winter, since 1995, also a major contributor to National Geographic, and Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008, for his haunting images of the elusive snow leopard.

Photography is a democratic medium: most people don’t paint or draw, but almost everyone owns a camera. It would be delusional, however, to describe snapshots of family get-togethers and beach outings, even the images shot by eco-tourists on their adventures in the Alaskan wilderness or African savannah, as art. In no way can drugstore prints be compared to the work of Ansel Adams, Eugene Atget, Alfred Stieglitz, Annie Leibovitz, Balog, Rainier, or Nan Goldin, all acknowledged masters. That would be like comparing Elvis to Mozart.

22 May, 2009 /

In addition to Steve Winter's images of snow leopards and Jane Goren's sculptural puns around the Symposium's food theme, plus images of rock 'n roll icons, Friday –  Sunday of MountainFilm, the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art once again features Himalayan jewelry (old...

22 May, 2009 /