Personalities


 

by D. Dion

No matter what you’re doing this weekend, Ricky Denesik’s got you beat. Denesik is running the Hardrock 100, a 100.5-mile endurance race in the San Juan Mountains at an average elevation of 11,000 feet with 33,992 feet of climbing. It might sound like pain and suffering to most people, but the lanky, local ultra-runner is taking it in stride. “I think I can do it. I just don’t worry about it, I take it as it comes, one mile at a time, one step at a time,” says Denesik.

It’s likely he will do it—Denesik has already finished the race four times, each time coming in the top 10. The first time he ran the Hardrock 100, in 1998, he won the prestigious event. “I was a lot younger then,” laughs Denesik. He says his goal this year is simply to earn his fifth finish; that way, he won’t have to enter the lottery to get a spot in the Hardrock 100 in the future. Five-time finishers are guaranteed a spot in the race, which strictly limits the number of runners.

Ted Hoff at Cottonwood Ranch and Kennel likes to train dogs in groups, when it's appropriate. This video shows Sophie and friends working/playing/training, all the while seemingly having a great time. Even work looks like fun at Cottonwood....

[click "Play" to listen to Scott Rhea's interview with Susan]

Mstrcopy_w_RoJune 26_for web copy I have covered Telluride cultural life over a career of 18 years and counting, and found that the parade of interesting people who gravitate to our Shangri-La never ends. You may not know the names of many of these people, not because they are not abundantly talented and widely accomplished, but because Telluride is their sanctuary, a place to get away from the faces they meet in the real world. Case in point: Scott Rhea.


Scott, who divides his time between Tinseltown and the Ski Ranches just outside the Town of Telluride, has had a very successful career shooting fashion print and editorial fashion. But it is book of unique underwater images released in 2009 that triggered his coming out party in Telluride.

by Lauren Metzger, Marketing & Exhibition Manager
Ah Haa School for the Arts

[click "Play for Lauren's interview with Julee Hutchison]


Julee_hutchison_web For the last two years, July has also brought a crazy overload of excitement and energy for me in the form of...the Ah Haa Art Auction. Now in it's 18th year, this local extravaganza is part of my job description.

As the Ah Haa School's largest and most important fundraiser, I am in charge of securing art for the live and silent portions of this one day event, as well as marketing, of course. This year I am once again amazed by the tremendous amount of support our community has for the Ah Haa School. The money raised in this one evening keeps our doors open for another year by covering operational costs that allow us to offer a wide variety programs and workshops.

[click "Play" to hear Susan's interview with Scott Blossom]

Scott Blossom and Chandra Easton arrive in Telluride from Tara Mandala just outside Pagosa Springs, where the husband and wife team teach a week-long workshop on the subject of "Shadow Yoga and Buddhist Meditation: the Pranic Pathway to Stillness," June 30 – July 7. All day on the opening day of the Telluride Yoga Festival, July 8, the couple teach an abridged version of the intensive for those interested in learning a set of practices for circulating and preparing the vital energies (prana) for meditation. They are also on the schedule with a variety of classes for all levels of practitioners throughout the long weekend.


Scott-2-IMG_0211e-print Scott Blossom was the very first  yoga instructor and therapist to sign on the dotted line when Telluride Yoga festival founder Aubrey Hackman needed a respected "brand name" in the industry to attract other high profile teachers to her nascent event. Blossom is also traditional Chinese medical practitioner and Ayurvedic consultant. A premise fundamental to Ayurveda is that all living things are innately interdependent. What sealed the deal for him three years ago was the fact the Yoga Fest would be a zero waste weekend and 25 percent of net profits would be donated to a local environmental non-profit. Blossom is now a Telluride Yoga Festival board member.

Scott is scheduled to teach an Introduction to Shadow Yoga, the Hatha lineage founded by his yoga maser Zhander Remete, a practice for Balancing our Inner Fire, and a session on Healing and Strengthening Bones, Joints and Nerves.

The 9545 Bar at the Inn at Lost Creek is right next to the Sunset Plaza in the Mountain Village above Telluride. Sunset Plaza is the venue for the Wednesday evening Summer Concert Series, starting at 6:00 pm. The first concert of this...

Lama Tsultrim Allione is among the presenters at the 3rd annual Telluride Yoga Festival, all deeply knowledgeable in the field of transformative practices, but primarily Yoga. Lama Tsultrim is the exception. She does not teach Yoga or the related science, Ayurveda. Lama Tsultrim...

As can be seen in this video, training is happening all the time at Cottonwood Ranch and Kennel. A lot of that training is informal, on the surface. But Louis is learning to adapt to a new situation, in this case, a hike...

[click "Play" for Susan's podcast with David Brankley]

The BeanMountainfilm Telluride celebrates the First Thursday of every month with the Telluride Council's for the Arts & Humanities' ArtWalk, a meet-and-greet on the street to experience the town's fine art and retail scene. (Stores stay open late until 8 p.m.) All participating venues are on or within walking distance of Main Street. For a list of what's going on where, go to www.telluridearts.org.


For the July ArtWalk, the spotlight is on artist David Brankley, whose concise, compelling paintings are on display at The Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities'  Stronghouse Studios, 283 South Fir (one block south of the Village Market). The artist's reception is from 5 – 8 p.m.