SNOW SUNDAY: ALL IS RIGHT AGAIN IN TELLURIDE

16 Feb SNOW SUNDAY: ALL IS RIGHT AGAIN IN TELLURIDE

When it doesn’t snow in Telluride, the town is simply not all right. There is a lot the resilient folks in this town can shrug off, but multiple dry weeks in the middle of the winter is not one of them. January was one of those months. One friend talked of moving to Le Grave, France (seriously — with three kids and a wife);  another went to Canada, and many others simply festered in the source of their grief, sinking into a deep depression.

But then last week, we were struck with a giant dose of Prozak. It began to snow. And not just for one night, but for multiple nights. And not just one foot, but multiple feet. Powder lines formed early in the morning. Excited talk of the forecast leaked up and down Main Street and through the restaurants, and then the entire town went skiing. Familiar “Shut” signs adorned many a door of local businesses — at least until 11. Proprietors needed just a few runs, before manning their stores. And when they returned, it was with a huge smile.

Folks skied and skied until all the fresh lines were gone. Then they waited for new terrain to open to ski some more. Sniffing an opening, skiers and boarders gathered at the Gold Hill ropes strategizing when the Patrol might open the area. And when the rope dropped the traditional Chinese downhill ensued, as diehards raced to the lift for their revered first tracks.

At the end of the day, then the end of the storm, the world was right again in Telluride. Spouses didn’t fight; children obeyed their parents, and students listened to their teachers. It was finally the white winter we all love and know and nobody wanted to do anything wrong to jinx the storm cycle.

Instead we pondered over where and why it had come and asked, “What might each of us do to make it happen again?” It is generally agreed upon that the most significant contributing factor that brought the last storm was Lionel Star’s, aka “Lif Ticket’s,” performance at the KOTO lip sync—a rap entitled, “Get Out Drought.” However that performance was not the only factor. Other individual efforts included planning a trip to Montrose, leaving a car window open over night and continuing to wear and, not wash, good luck underwear until it snowed.

Telluride is a funny place – that is of course, when there’s snow. So, now it’s time to reach deep within yourself and ask, “What am I doing to bring on the next storm?”