Author: Telluwriter TIO

  

J. James McTigue

In school we learn about the four seasons, the ones everyone knows about. But in life we learn that the weather, or anything really, just isn’t that neat and tidy. There is a lot of in between. Different places have particular seasons unto themselves. The ‘other’ season may be the rainy season, harvest season, or hurricane season. In Telluride, it’s Off Season.

Off Season is the time when the lifts close and skiing on Telluride Mountain is officially over.  Residents have two basic choices—get out of town or embrace the quiet. Some eagerly head somewhere warm, excited to exchange their ski boots for flip-flops. Others stay in Telluride to embrace the quiet lull after a frantic ski season. Still others opt for choice c -- make it up as you go. Walking down Main Street on Tuesday, there was evidence of all of the above.

 

by Jim Bedford

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The Nugget Theatre in beautiful downtown Telluride stays open each and every off-season and shows movies every night of the year.

Playing Friday, April 8 through Thursday, April 14, 2011 is Matthew McConaughey, starring in THE LINCOLN LAWYER. It's the engaging story of a counselor who conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car while representing high-profile clients in Beverly Hills.

See the Nugget website for trailers and reviews, and below for movietimes.

    

The Telluride Ski Resort closed this weekend reporting a 68-inch base and 215 inches for the season. But closing weekend isn’t about the snow—it’s about letting your freak flag fly – and this year was no exception. 

Pink Flamingo Sunny skies, and temps in the high 50’s Friday and Saturday, brought perfect spring skiing conditions to the mountain and hoards of people to Main Street for KOTOs pink flamingo street party. Strong, spring winds can bring a layer of red sand through Main Street this time of year. But, Mother Nature spared us, and instead graced the town with calm skies and breath-taking light for the annual street dance.

Those who took to the street Friday to enjoy the opening local band, The Great Funktier, and headliner, cross-dressing, Ralph Dinosaur and The Fabulous Volcanos added their own color to the evening. Pink tutus, plastic pink flamingo yard ornaments, pink bodysuits, pink hair—anything pink—adorned revelers. Dancing on Main Street, below the northern face of the ski area, was an obvious reminder of the celebration’s focus.

 

Mycologist and author Paul Stamets will return as a featured speaker at the Telluride Mushroom Festival’s 31st annual gathering in Colorado, Aug. 18-21.

For over 30 years, Paul has named new mushroom species, pioneered countless techniques in the field of edible and medicinal mushroom cultivation, and written six ground-breaking books, including his latest – Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World.

by Jim Bedford

MV5BMTY3NjczNzc5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzA2MzQyNA@@._V1._SY317_CR0,0,214,317_ Rango_smallposter This week, the Nugget Theatre in beautiful downtown Telluride has two great movies on the bill for Friday, April 1 through Thursday, April 7, 2011.

RANGO (PG), although it's an animation, is for anyone who is looking for a surprise. Johnny Depp lends his voice to the lizard Rango and believe me, everyone laughs.

Bradley Cooper (THE HANGOVER) proves he's not a one-shot wonder with LIMITLESS (PG-13) about a man who achieves his maximum potential, but at a price. With Robert de Niro and Abbie Cornish.

See the Nugget website for trailers and reviews, and below for movietimes.

ed. note: Our friend, Ben Clark sends along this post and link to Ski the Himalayas video.

Ski the Himalayas is now in it's third season of online "making of" podcast episodes born out of Ski the Himalayas' first two feature length documentary films available this year on Dish Network and Comcast Xfinity VOD and Pay Per View. Look for Ski the Himalayas 2 on Dish and Comcast Xfinity on May 1st. We climbed a peak and survived an avalanche, those were just two instances along the way... 

Trimming through hours of footage captured across three different expeditions after having lived them, the depth of gratitude for the experiences we've had and continue to plan is astounding.  We are thankful and we are moving forward with two more Himalayan expeditions this year.  Two more films and two more seasons of making of episodes.  Who knows how many ski turns and ice tool swings that equates to, we hope it is a lot. This spring we will dispatch from the Ganesh Himal, stay tuned at www.skithehimalayas.com

note: to hear Elaine Fischer's talk about the man and the prize, follow this link: /2010/04/mark-fischer-poetry-award-at-tellurides-wilkinson-public-library-427.html

Started by former Telluride Arts (Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities) director and Talking Gourds Grand Poobah Art Goodtimes in 1997 and sustained by Mark’s widow Elaine Fischer and the Fischer family, the Mark Fischer Poetry Prize is named in the memory of Telluride’s much-loved poet, lawyer, skier and raconteur.

telluride.arts now invites submissions to the 13th annual Mark Fischer Poetry Prize.

Extended List of Activists, Artists and Adventurers Includes Tim DeChristopher, Greg
Mortenson 
 

Tim DeChristopher
Tim DeChristopher

In keeping with the 2011 Moving Mountains Symposium theme of “Awareness into Action,” Mountainfilm in Telluride announced a series of special guests that Festival Director David Holbrooke says, “have all committed their lives to rolling up their sleeves and making a serious difference in the world.” Holbrooke added that he hopes their example will “not only inspire our audiences but also provide a clear road map for how they can get involved as well.”
 
Not everyone will follow in the footsteps of Tim DeChristopher, who was recently convicted by a federal court of making false bids on energy leases. But his presence at Mountainfilm this May, a month before his scheduled sentencing, will certainly help galvanize festival audiences. Tim will speak not only about the urgency of addressing global climate change but also why non-violent civil disobedience is so essential in these troubled times.

by Lisa Barlow

Wilted pea shoots and scallops The closest I’ve ever come to living on a farm was the month I spent working as an intern in the kitchen of a New York City restaurant. That’s because the farm came to us. Literally. Not only did the restaurant order fresh produce and humanely raised meat and poultry from local farms, the farmers themselves came to regular 4-course “Meet the Farmer” dinners to talk about the food that was on diners’ plates.  All we were missing was a few acres of dirt.

I know the whole Farm to Table movement is pretty trendy right now. Jaded restaurant reviewers have referred to this kind of cuisine as “haute barnyard” and the chefs who prepare it as “lettuce whisperers”. But it is trendy for a reason. Aside from all the political and ethical arguments for eating sustainably and locally, there is this: the food tastes good! I guess I went to work behind the scenes to find out why.

by Tracy Shaffer

Though the subject of Lynn Nottage's play Ruined might seem like a reason to stay away, the latest offering by Denver Center Theatre Company puts my recommendation in the 'run-don't-walk' category. I attended last night's first preview, so this is not an official review (nor am I a critic), but the powerful production deserves to be seen so I thrust myself out on a limb here to give you time to plan your evening.

Set in a cheery brothel in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo, themes of violence, rape, genocide and the demoralizing exploitation of women, are balanced with a shocking levity that is testament to the human spirit.The entire cast is in fine form, led by the powerful performances of Kim Staunton and Harvey Blanks. There is an unmatched intimacy and ease between these two, having appeared together in Raisin in the Sun, Radio Golf, Gem of the Ocean, The Madwoman to name a few. Tallia Brinson, Joy Jones and Daphne Gaines are exquisite as the women of the brothel whose stories lend the script its brutal core, while the band of soldiers are brutish and violent, the actors have miraculously managed to make them... well, charming would be going too far.