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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.

 

06 April, 2011 /

    

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.

 

04 April, 2011 /

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.

01 April, 2011 /

[click "Play" to listen to Kristin Holbrook on espadrilles]     It is getting to be that time in Telluride: end of season and the mountain about to close. Feet starting to feel naked without boots, boards or skis? Telluride's Two...

31 March, 2011 /

Japan Children Air - JDMcDuff - web Talk about living your dream.

Travel to exotic locations, her day job, has fed longtime Telluride local and artist Nancy Craft's passion for color: over the years, Nancy's work for Esprit travel has been all about creating and leading art tours, mostly in Asia. Especially Japan.

For 20 years, Esprit Travel has sent travelers to Japan to explore the country's culture and arts.

"The hallmark of our cultural tours is the introductions we make to Japanese people," explained Nancy. "Our travelers, therefore, have profound, often life- altering experiences with the people of Japan and hold them dear in their hearts. In fact, because our colleague, Steve Beimel, lived in Sendai for many years, we have taken many groups to north eastern Japan, not normally on the tourist path."

28 March, 2011 /

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

27 March, 2011 /

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.

25 March, 2011 /
[click "Play" to hear Kristin's conversation with Susan about Spring]

 

 

Tucker fashion Here's the good news: at the height of Spring Break, Telluride's Two Skirts was slammed. We personally saw customers marching across Main Street with BIg Bags from the store at around 10 p.m. one night. Here's the bad news: everyone was too busy to record Fashion Friday. But we're back and into the first week of Spring, which started this year on March 20.

In Spring, a young girl's fancy turns toward vibrant colors and patterns: the brand, "Tucker" springs to mind.

Since 2005, Tucker by Gaby Basora has developed a reputation for signature prints and vintage-inspired silhouettes inspired by, well, a hodgepodge of inputs. According to the designer, she may be turned on by "Marguerite Duras, a drawing made by her son, the way a tree looks when she bikes by it, the French schoolgirls she saw when she was a little girl visiting Paris in the 1980s.

24 March, 2011 /
[click "Play to hear Bill Kurtain's conversation with Susan]

 

Bill Kurtain Winter in Telluride is all about snow sports: alpine and cross-country skiing and snowboarding. Summer in Telluride is all about festivals, hiking, biking, fly-fishing, golf, fun on the water and now –  cue drum roll – tennis. This summer, follow the bouncing ball "uptown" to The Peaks Resort and Spa in Mountain Village, where Telluride's premiere hotel plans to serve up getaway tennis retreats for locals and guests starting in June.

The Peaks is the new home of William Kurtain and his Winning Touch Tennis pro staff, in residence to lead four-day (Wednesday – Sunday) tennis immersions focusing on high-energy, play-based drill patterns and positive reinforcement, his "Progressive Learning Program."

22 March, 2011 /
[click "Play" to listen to Erika Gordon's conversation with Susan]

 

Food.inc poster-flyer “Eating can be one dangerous business. Don’t take another bite till you see Robert Kenner’s Food, Inc.,” wrote Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, “If the way to an audience’s heart is through its stomach, ‘Food, Inc.’ is a movie you’re going to love.”

The film being shown this Sunday, March 20, 4 p.m., as part of the Telluride Film Festival's 2011 Sunday at the Palm series received a an average rating 8 on a scale of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes, pure poetry since this movie is all about food, the good, the bad, mostly rotten.

 

19 March, 2011 /