TELLURIDE MUSEUM: SKI INTO HISTORY

07 Mar TELLURIDE MUSEUM: SKI INTO HISTORY

“Who here has ever had trouble getting to Telluride?” Johnnie Stevens asked a captive audience at a recent Historic Ski Tour.

Stevens was on his way to make one his favorite points: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

He executed the parody flawlessly—with an anecdote about a woman, 100 years ago, who finally arrives in Telluride, by train, in a condition she didn’t start off in: on the verge of childbirth.

Stevens is well-suited to share Telluride’s story. A life-time local, Stevens grew up skiing town’s only rope tow, powered by a car engine. With time, Billy “Senior” Mahoney, 20 years his elder, would call Stevens’ parents to ask if their son could ski the back country with him.

“Johnnie Stevens is more than the host of the tours,” said Lauren Bloemsma, executive director of the Telluride Historical Museum, “he is the attraction.”

When the resort opened in 1972, Stevens was called on, along with Mahoney, to take on lead roles. Eventually Stevens would serve as Chief Operation Officer and in 2004 he was inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

Historic Ski Tours are sponsored by the museum and The Peaks Resort and Spa. They’re free to the public, with a lift ticket, and leave The Peaks ski in/out location at 10 a.m. Tours are offered nearly every Monday. Tours last two hours and cover intermediate terrain.

IF YOU GO:
Most Mondays, 
10a.m.
 Meet at The Peaks. 
RSVP 970-728-3344x 2

For a preview, watch this video: