Telluride Inside… and Out: Looking back at 2010

31 Dec Telluride Inside… and Out: Looking back at 2010

(ed. note: Below is just a sampling of what was on offer during 2010. TIO would like to suggest you browse our archives and tell us YOUR favorites. At the bottom of each post is a prompt for comments.)

Telluride Inside…. and Out's Chief Geek, Kimm Viebrock, suggested we ignore the obvious risk of whiplash and review 2010, our second full year in business, for the "Best Of. " The Best Of? Yikes! Tell me please which one of your kids is your favorite. Aren't we suppose to love them all equally? Cop out? All right already, I am going to hold my nose and jump. But first a word about Telluride Inside… and Out, starting with a disclaimer.

TIO is not now and never was about hard news, local or otherwise. Our local print media handle that corner of the market just fine thank you. Telluride Inside… and Out was conceived as a lifestyle webzine to bring the true zazz (short for pizzazz) of the Telluride region to the local, regional, national, and global communities by covering everything from Telluride's robust cultural economy to outdoor adventure, astrology, fashion and beauty, food, books, dog training, even travel, because Telluride is a community of vagabonds. TIO is also about providing a platform for local businesses and non-profit institutions and festivals. We consistently tell their stories too.

In 2010, stories from our regular contributors are shoe ins for Best Of. There's not one dog in Ted Hoff's weekly vidcasts about dog care and training ("Dog's Best Friend"), nor one lemon in the bunch from our food writer Lisa Barlow ("Hunting and Gathering"). Actually there was a lemon from LIsa: A fine recipe for lemon tarts. The signs are not just on Highway 145, but also in the stars, and they are interpreted and beautifully illustrated weekly by third-generation astrologer Cynthia Zehm (Alacazem). Were it not for Kristin Holbrook and Ashley Deppen (Two Skirts), Telluride might still be about ski jackets, boots, and jeans. Fashion Fridays are another Best Of.

Our regular writer on outdoor adventure (and our surrogate editor/publisher when we are on the road), Deb Dion never misses. Among her 2010 Best Of posts: freeskier/local Gus Kenworthy (4/8), Hardrock 100 (July), Greg Stump's "Blizzard of Aahhhs," "First Ascent" for Telluride Mountainfilm (May). It is hard to beat mountaineer Ben Clark's series, Ski the Himalayas, documenting his extraordinary adventures in Nepal. For a hit on the best gear for outdoors fun and games, Erik Dalton's Jagged Edge series are Best Of.

From the world of fine art, among our Best Of are interviews with a number of artists: Susie Billings, also the featured artist at the Ah Haa School for the Arts' upcoming New Year's Eve gala dinner, Julee Hutchinson, Michelle Curry Wright, Malcolm Lipke, and Anthony Holbrooke, all represented by the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art. Two interviews with painter/musician Roger Mason, one about the cover he created for Bob Rubadeau's latest mystery, "Gatsby's Last Resort," and another on the New Sheridan Hotel, his muse, easily make our Best Of list.

Telluride's "hills" are alive with the Sound of Music year 'round, but especially in the summer. My Best Of lists is way too long, but here are a few stand-outs: pianist Adam Neiman (Telluride Musicfest), Peter Rowan, Tim O' Brien, (Telluride Bluegrass Festival), Dan Hicks (of the Hot Licks), Guest of Honor Toshiko Akiyoshi (Telluride Jazz Celebration), George Thorogood, Galactic and Otis Taylor (Telluride Blues & Brews). Our Phish coverage, which included previews and reviews from Deb Dion and Dave Byars, definitely makes the hit list. Mark Galbo is an unconventional educator who applies his theories about bringing out the best in his students through his Rock 'n Roll Academy. Mark's interviews are all Best Of.

From the world of  the performing arts other than music, our interviews about theatre happenings with Jennie Franks of the Telluride Playwrights Festival, Sasha Cucinniello of SquidShow and Jeb Berrier of Second Stage Productions and then some, should not be missed. Our ongoing posts relating to all the year 'round activities of the Telluride Film Festival top the list of Best Ofs. With Oscar season coming up, it is worth revisiting all our posts on the Telluride Film Festival itself, but especially our previews and reviews with Festival co-director Gary Meyer.

The Best Of from the world of ideas includes: Clint Viebrock's Crow Canyon series, five vidcasts (and one podcast) with principal actors from this world class archaeological research center just outside Cortez. Every single Mountainfilm in Telluride interview: Louie Psyihoyos for Oscar-winning "The Cove," Chris Rainier for "Tattoo Odyssey," Ernst Aebi for "Barefoot to Timbuktu," Emily Kunstler for the story of her father's life, "Disturbing the Universe,"  John Vaillant for "The Tiger," Suzan Beraza for her award-winning "Bag It." A recent interview with polymath Wade Davis, a Mountainfilm regular and supporter, has to be one of all-time favorite podcasts. Wade himself is a Best Of. The New Community Coalition brought in speaker < strong>Gunter Pauli, founder of ZERI – Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives. For a positive spin on how to go green without going broke, revisit that interview, definitely one of our Best Of.

Certain institutions help shape Telluride's personality, and without them Telluride would be less than. Our posts covering the dizzying array of activities at the Ah Haa School for the Arts, the five-star Wilkinson Public Library and the Telluride Historical Museum are among our Best Of.

Telluride Inside… and Out plans to ramp up our bed and food coverage in town, but so far so good. Check out our "Night Out at The Peaks," Capella's Onyx, "There," and the New Sheridan Hotel and Chop House. Not only did we enjoy writing the posts the "research" wasn't half bad. These reviews are among our Best Of.

Our 2010 list of Best Of also includes the posts we created in support of local non-profits such as the Telluride AIDS Benefit, which resonate way beyond our box canyon.

From Telluride Inside… and Out's world of travel, both near and far, we especially loved our posts from Tracy Shaffer, our Denver writer, and the series we created on Greece, from a memorable trip Clint and I took in October. They are among our Best Of posts for 2010.

Call me biased, but I believe all the posts created by my husband and business partner Clint Viebrock (in addition to the ones he produces for me daily) are among our Best Ofs, from the little impressionistic little stories Kimm Viebrock refers to as "pebbles" or "sand," small stuff that delivers a big punch ("Can One Stay Busy in Telluride?," 7/11, and "Rainbow, Telluride, 7:52 p.m.," 8/16 are examples) to his increasingly sexy vidcasts, including very recent posts for Jen Julia's Young People's Theatre production of "Sleeping Beauty: Sort Of," a World Cup wrap up, "Telluride Ski Resort hosts World Cup Snowboarding" and last Winter's "Powder Day in Telluride";  Not to mention the nuggets he writes weekly for the movies at The Nugget Theatre.

The embarrassment of riches proves one thing for sure: Telluride gives us its best so that Telluride Inside… and Out can post Best Ofs ever single day of the year.

If you are a relative newcomer to TIO or you missed a post about a person or event of interest, just type that name into Search on our Home Page, and up comes the story or stories. We archive every post we create. On that note…

Onward into the New Year.