Dave's Blog

Hi Dave,

i saw that huge slab break at the top of gold hill on the bear creek side. I was just wondering if that slid by itself or if its was set off by ski patrol. And i was also wondering if anyone knows how tall the fracture is.

p.s. great job to you and ski patrol on getting black iron open the yesterday. The conditions were epic.

Dave's reply: That slide was natural. It was in San Joaquin bowl - OB and not controlled. Looked like about 5 feet. Pretty impressive. Thanks for recognizing the patrol for their good work at BIB!

Dave

You are still your old self--replying right away in a kindly and curtious manner--how do you have time to stay up and current with things out west at MHM?  By the way it was a rare sunny day and mobbed as you might guess!!

I guess you and your patrons are loving this "La Nina" winter--mega dumps!  Big avalanche danger--you certainly have the terrrain and slope that can slide!

Looks and sounds like you and your patrol have a lot more to worry about than just Heather Canyon!!

I've heard the buck stops at the top and that goes for "Ambassadorship" too--with pics like those on your blogs, who wouldn't want to come to your resort!  I've been to Purgatory, south of you in the San Jauns--love your snow, but sounds like you could use a little Mt.Hood cement in places(have to make it yourselves)!  Glad things are working for you and yours at your new venture and can see you left a little of your heart on the 'HOOD'!

Dave's reply: Hi SDS. Yes, we've been getting huge snow this year and it's been keeping our patrollers quite busy. They're not complaining though, it's better than not having enough snow for sure.

Yep, after 14 years on Mt. Hood, I definitely will always hold great memories for that resort. It was nice to see how things evolved. I'm confident that Matthew Drake and his team will continue the progress and have fun in the process.

I do feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead Telluride Ski and Golf at this point in my career. It feels like something I've been working my whole life to achieve - so I'm very grateful. When anyone feels that way about the work they do, putting lots of time and energy into it happens without a second thought.

Enjoy the sun and snow on Hood - and come visit Telluride some day!

it's been 17 years since we were in Telluride in February 1991 when conditions were fantastic and have always wanted to return but there are so many places to ski in the world. Arriving 20th January 2008 from England hoping for continuing snowfall of the last couple of weeks, fingers crossed. Look forward to throwing ourselves down Kant Make Me once again.

Dave's reply: Hi Richard, Wow - 17 years! Things are going to look a little different on the Mountain Village side but on the Town of Telluride side things will look very preserved. A lot of things have been done right at this resort in terms of growth and development over the past few decades and I'm sure you'll be happy you chose to come back. Thanks for traveling over the pond and let me know if you need anything at driley@tellurideskiresort.com - or on the blog. Thank you.

Dave-

My girlfriend and I will me arriving Feb 8th and heading back to Chicago on the 14th (unless you offer me a position...I don't think not returning would be a problem.

We're dreaming of Telluride about every 7-1/2 minutes.  Progress on the job here is way down!  Can't wait to get there.  Thanks for the blog posts (and pictures), read 'em all the time.  

One quick question...Do you recommend scheduling a lesson prior to arriving... i.e., are they booked a lot of the time?

Thanks Dave,

Pete

Dave's reply: Hi Pete, I would recommend making a reservation or at least calling and talking with the team about what you are looking for and the timing. They can give you some good advice. You can call 800-801-4832.

Thank you for chosing Telluride for your vacation. Let me know if you need anything more.

Any Idea of when Palmyra might open?  Is it close with all the new snow or is there more control work to be done.  It looks good up there, can't wait to ski it

Dave's reply: Hi Erik, Patrol has been working on it but with all this snow it has been one step forward and two steps back. Safety first.

At this point, it is not a matter of too little snow. They're all wanting to get it going though and will continue to be vigilant with their work to get it open.

Growing up, I used to visit Telluride every year with my parents and their friends.  This year I'm bringing my husband and friends for the first time.  We arrive on the 22nd and absolutely can't wait.  I send them snow reports and your blog every day!  Thanks for keeping us so informed!  I'm with Pete (above)...I'd be happy to never leave Telluride! :)

Daves' reply: Hi Susan - that sounds like a great plan! Travel safe and enjoy Telluride - let me know if you have any questions or need anything.

We've been visiting Telluride several times each winter for about 20 years now.  Wow, what a season. We've never seen anything like it in Telluride.   Great snow.  We canceled our November visit because of the late opening.  Any chance that if the great snow keeps up you'll extend the season to make up for the late opening?  We'd love to reschedule that missed visit.  

Dave's reply: Hi George. It has been a great season!

We're not planning on extending the season this year though. Being a destination resort with no urban connection is the challenge. Sorry.

Killing me!  This blog has to be some of the best marketing that T-Ride has done in a while...just knowing how good it is there is making me look at tickets!  Keep it up!

Dave's reply: Hi J, I love hosting the blog and just wish I had more time to put up more frequent posts. Thank you for your compliments. Hope to see you on the mountain soon!

Dave:

Reading this blog, its nice to see that it's not only the folks at MHM that cry and moan.  

The pictures look great and maybe we can make it there some day.  We have had some incredible snow on Mt. Hood this year (folks have said like Colorado).  I didn't realize it could be so much fun, but now I am spoiled.  Guess I need a trip to Telluride.

Keep up the good work.

Brian

Dave's reply: Hi Brian, Nice website - checked it out. I use to do some work with Miller Nash too. Consider bringing the family out to Telluride, you'll love it! Thanks for checking in, hope to hear from you again!

Hi Dave,

A bunch of us went over to Durango (Purgatory) for the kid's Freestyle competition this weekend. I have never skied there until this weekend but it was enjoyable. One of the positives about that resort is the food on the mountain. They offered everything from several kid's options to Asia entrees, pasta, burgers and salads. All made there efficiently and cost effectively. Any news about additional restaurants or an addition to Gorrono's  in the works for Telluride?

I even remember having roasted duck pizza with gouda on the mountain in Vail over 8 years ago. Would love to have those kinds of options and that type of service level at my home mountain!

Dave's reply: Hi Annemarie. Thank you for your input. We've just hired a new Director of Mountain Dining, Jeff Whiteside. He has experience at several of the top destination resorts and is working in partnership with the culinary team. We've already made some positive changes at Gorrono Ranch and Big Billies. We're going to be working over the summer on additional improvements too.

I am definitely dreaming of Telluride. I was there during the second week of December and it was the most gorgeous place on earth. I cannot imagine what it can be like with 6 feet of new pow. Breathtaking.

Dave's reply: Hi Kaitlyn, Telluride: "The most beautiful place on earth" - I can't agree more! That's probably why we have an extremely high return visit rate.

Telluride is such an incredibly unique alpine experience. I was talking with a guest today who came from London for 14 days. She said they had skied all over the world and discovered Telluride just last year. She said Telluride was by far their most favorite ski destination.

I agree :)

We'll be there Thursday!  We discovered Telluride 8 season's ago - and can't wait for #9.  This is the only place we go.  Not only do the grown-ups have a great experience, in our case we have a son who has skied w/ the adaptive program since he was 3, this will be his 8th season, and he loves Telluride too.  We can't say enough about TASP.  He was their youngest blind skier at the time - and they continue to inspire him and us.  Go snow!

Dave's reply: Hi Kathy, thank you for your kind words and for complimenting TASP! See you soon on the slopes.

Dave,

       My Son Chris and I just returned (Saturday) after 6 days of skiing at Telluride, thanks to the Snow Gods we will have memories that last a life time!

Please extend our Thanks to your Patrol for All the work they do to make it safe, and your staff at Gussipie's for their excellent service and Great Willie's Chillie.  

Dave's reply: Hi Bob, sounds like you had a great time with your son. Hope to see you back again soon! I'll pass your compliments along to the patrol.

Great winter conditions on the hill.  Thanks to all the Telski staff for helping to make this one of the best years.  

Spring skiing will be here before we know it.  Usually the snow softens up by mid afternoon at the higher elevations making the skiing great for the last hour or two in the day.  But this year, daylight savings time will move the clock ahead one hour on March 9 which will effectively shorten the time for spring skiing conditions.  So my question is will you consider changing the ski area hours of operation to 10:00-5:00 to keep in tune with the solar clock when daylight savings time takes effect?  

There are (at least) three issues with this: you have lots of marketing collateral out there stating that area opens at 9:00 AM, some of your employees work second jobs that might conflict with the operating hours adjustments, and some of your employees are parents with school age children that will potentially be exposed to an extra hour of unsupervised time before the parent(s) get home from work.  These issues can be mitigated with good planning and communication with your guests and employees.  

Of course, perhaps March will bring another 30-day snow cycle which would make this point moot.  Thanks for listening.  

Dave's reply: Hi ccslider. This was brought up in a management meeting several weeks ago and for many of the reasons above was not approved. I'll take another look at it though. Thank you.

Dave

I like the way you weave pertinent information into your replys to various posters--800 #s, ect. and speaking of posters--where are they?--they haven't discovered the Blog?--they don't blog?--they didn't bring their laptops on vacation?  I know you don't have a Portland down the road, but you do have Montrose!  So you don't have to turn them away on the good weekends like MHM?  You're not mobbed on the weekends--must be nice.  What is the uphill capacity--are you ever crowded?

Dave's reply: Hi SDS, Telluride has uphill capacity of 20,221 people per hour without the gondola and 22,201 with the gondola. We had what some might call a normal lift line over Christmas but essentially no lift lines all other times this season (with the exception of when a lift stops and backs people up temporarily). Telluride is known for short lift lines and giant big mountain terrain - pretty cool :)

Regarding the traffic on the Telluride blog verses my old blog at Mt. Hood, the urban connection to 2,000,000 people definitely ramps up the posts. I've been happy with the traffic on this blog though. As at Mt. Hood, it's a great way to communicate, take feedback, and provide answers to questions.

in the past, the mountain just stayed open an extra hour or half hour after daylight savings time. this has not been done in recent years. seems like a simple, satisfying solution, and it gives people time to spend a little more money in the afternoon at gorrono.

Dave's reply: Hi Steven, We'll bring it up at our next management meeting. Thanks for the input!

Yea!! for Stephen posting the comment about the mountain staying open longer, after daylight savings time begins in the Spring!  I called Telski last year asking if they would please, please consider it again -- following along with Crested Butte and other ski areas, since daylight savings time is now beginning earlier in the Spring, but they said "no".  It was so much fun, several years ago, when the lifts were running later -- the Spring mornings were too icy to be on the mountain, and the late afternoons were just beautiful!  The school kids enjoyed it, too!  It would be awesome if you would bring it up at your next management meeting!!  Thank you!  

Dave's reply: Hi Mini, We'll discuss it. As I recall, the problem had to do with staffing.

Hey dave i am dreaming T-Ride. Its been over a half a year since you moved and we still have not seen a pic of you. Lets see some deep pow turns on Jackpot or North Chute to our CEO. I am just still so amazed on how fast you reply what do you do during your day??

Dave's reply: Hi Fritz, I'll try and get some pictures. As far as the blog, I simply check it periodically throughout the day and in the evening at home - it's no burden at all. It's well worth the time connecting with our guests!

Dave,

My compliments to whoever cut up the "low bridge" tree hanging over East Drain.  In the past, that tree would have been there for the whole season, or if it were attended to, it simply would have been cut in half and left as an obstacle.  Again, many thanks.

Two suggestions:  First, how about "split grooming" the plunge?  Many of us miss the bumps on skiers left.  Good place to ski when I'm tired from Mammoth and Makem. Also a good "next step up" for people learning bumps that can't quite go to Mammoth.

Second, I wholeheartedly agree with the idea of staying open later when the new, earlier Daylight Savings Time kicks in. In the spring, certain runs soften up about 1:30 to 2:00.  With the new time, that means 2;30 to 3:00.  Really, no time to enjoy that spring snow if the lift hours aren't extended.  I'm sure that this isn't easy to do, but I think some other areas did it last year when DST started.

Can't wait for the blog on Lift 9.  I hope you have a thick skin!  Thanks again for being so accessible and responsive to everyone.  What a refreshing change!

Gary

Dave's reply: Hi Gary, good to hear from you again! Thanks for the input on all those things.

I remember talking about split grooming the Plunge last fall with the team. The plan was to groom it wall-to-wall for awhile to develop the base then go to a split grooming strategy. There are a couple thoughts on this:

A) As you have mentioned, it's not quite a steep as the other bump runs on 9 and the split allows for a bail out - so to speak. That's kind of nice.

B) Most of the traffic will continue on the groomed section and it will get hard faster if we let the left bump up. One reason it's as nice and soft as it is right now is because it's wall-to-wall and people are spreading out.

Based on this, we decided today to let the left side bump up - but only about 25% of the width. 75% will get groomed. We'll see how that works. We can always change it again if we want.

Regarding the hours, as I mentioned in prior replies, we'll talk about it again.

Thank you.

Just wondering what was up with the decision to hold the town race series on Sat. afternoons. For the first time in 20 years I am not able to participate in the series or sponsor a team. Starting them over the holidays seemed like a bad idea to me also. It is a locals race and it is really to busy for anyone who works at a ski shop to get out at that time of day on a weekend. In the past the race was held on a Tuesday and that was a lot better. Actually it was better to run them at noon too.  I guess if the idea was to make it a race for instructors and coaches then it is working.  Oh well, mabey next year.

Dave's reply: Hi Dave, I asked Bobby Murphy to reply to this question:

Dave-

I wanted to thank you for your practice of having a run on the chair 9 pod groomed most of the time. As an intermediate boarder, this has given me the opportunity to 'expore' that terrain and experience a lot more of the mountain without the need for a full on rescue mission.....I had a blast out there last week and can't wait to get back to Telluride. Keep up the great work.

Dave's reply: Hi Craig, Thanks for visiting Telluride! It is our intent to have either Bushwacker or the Plunge winch cat groomed every night - sometimes both based on the number of other special projects around the resort that require a winch cat. We now have two state-of-the-art winch cats - one is a Piston Bully and one is a Prinoth. Glad you enjoyed your vacation and we look forward to seeing you on the slopes again soon.

hey d riley! whats cracken?  how amazing the whining has gone down as the snow has increased! funny how that happens. quick ?.. how far out is palmyra? those slopes are lookin juicy delish! yummm!! thanks for a good job!

Dave's reply: Their looking to fly some supplies up there. We're getting closer but I can't predict the exact date.

Saw the previous posts re: daylight savings issue.  Perhaps as a compromise you could consider keeping a couple of lifts open later... maybe chairs 1, 4, 7 and 9?   In the past, with the later change to DST, the mountain did stay open for the extra hour.  Some of my best memories of skiing in tride (20ish years worth) are/were in those few days of late DST skiing.

We have such great spring skiing. Please don't limit the experience!

Thanks.

Dave's reply: We're still analyzing the options. Thanks for your input.

Hi Dave,

I was wondering why Pandora under the gondola next to Milk Run has to be closed when Milk Run is? Wouldn't it be possible to put fencing up at the bottom of Pandora that requires one to hug it close to the trees all the way out of the race venue? That's such a fun little shot of really good snow. It's sad to loose it in addition to Milk Run. Can you look into opening it? Thanks for your consideration.

Oh yea, how is the control work on Palmyra going? Any insight on possible opening date to hike the peak?

Dave's reply: Hi Steve, Snowmaking operations and complete so Pandora and Milk Run are both open now. Getting closer on the peak - can't predict the exact date.

Hi Dave,

I had some concerns and issues and when I addressed them with your Food/Beverage and Other Mountain Managers they told me that I should post them on your Blog.

There seems to be noticeable decrease in a number of services this year on the mountain. And as a Platinum member I find it very disturbing to see this since I have quite a bit of money invested in the ski area.

1.Gorrano Ranch- Long lines, Food Shortage, & Stagnant Menu

The lines to get food seem to be unreasonably long. I realize that your numbers are up 20%, however there seems to be a shortage of people to serve. An example of this is over the Christmas Holiday, there was only one person serving the Soup and Potatoes Station.  After observing this for several days I made mention of this to one of your restaurant managers and told her that in past years you would have two and three people working this station and with in a day I saw two people working this station. However even yesterday there seems to be a lack of employees to serve the food and therefore long lines form. There seems to be a lack of preparation when it comes to cooking the food. In past years food was prepared and displayed on the counter tops for skiers to pick up. Now it is done on an order basis therefore causing lines. There are too many skiers to prepare and serve food this way. The smoke house has been totally under staff. Yesterday only 1 person working it (one person working it on MLK Weekend?)

Shortage of food- Out of the 20 days we have skied this season I would say at least 15 days we have experienced Food Shortage by12:15PM  on everything from Turkey, Baked Sweet Potatoes, bread, Soda, etc….. There is no excuse for this continues to happen!

No Change in Menu- There has been no change in the menu this season.. Same old Sweet Potatoes verses plane baked potatoes last year.. Beef Chili, Mountain Stew, Elk Stew, everyday…. No change up.. No variety… What ever happened to plane old Chicken, Vegetable, Tomato soap I would think that you would at least have a broth lo cal “light soup everyday too choose from….   Sweet Baked Potatoes everyday? Why not change it up with a White Baked Potato, or both?  

The food is Excellent!! However Variety would be nice.. And what good does it do if you don’t have enough of it or if you have to wait in what seems to be ridiculous lines due to the restaurants inefficiency to serve it?  What was wrong with the old Gorrando’s, fast service, and variety, and confidence you could get what you wanted?

Allred’s- What is up with the smell? I realize that you have had issues with the sewer system up there. But for this to continue day after day? This is the most expensive Real Estate in all of Telluride and you can’t get a handle on this? There is no excuse for this not to be fixed! We took people out on New Years Eve and they wanted to leave the Restaurant during the middle of diner… I don’t understand how you don’t have these bugs worked out before your busiest time of year?

Dave's reply: Thank you for your input. First, let me apologize for not meeting your expectations. We take that very seriously.

Gorrono has gone to a blend of assemble to order instead of precooking everything and putting it under the heat lamp. For example, carved sandwiches and tossed salads to order.

I'll look into the issue of running out of product. I asked the F&B management to add staff also - I agree we need a few more people in there.

I've been to Allred's 3 times in the last week and experienced no smell. It seems to occur with weather pressure changes. We've hired consultants to analyze it though because it does come back periodically.

Thank you again for your input. We're on it.

We had the pleasure of having 3 friends who live in another world class CO resort town visit us here in Telluride this weekend. They were in awe of the town and jealous of our terrain at the ski area. We were delighted to show off that Telluride has no lift lines, even on a holiday weekend. The day was great until we went to Gorrono's for lunch. We chose to go late to beat "the lunch crowd" but we were GREATLY disappointed and frustrated with our experience. It took two of our friends at least 20 minutes to get a burger out on the deck, another stood in line way too long for chili only to see the last bowl sold to the person in front of him. The two of us tried to get a sandwhich inside as well but gave up after spending 20 minutes waiting.... and there were only about 12 people in line. It was abusrd and we were not the only people in line not thrilled. For an $85 lift ticket guests shouldn't have to experience a dining disaster like our friends did, it was embarrassing and the food was so so at the best. The skiing was great and we had a wonderful day but I wanted to share my experience.

Dave's reply: Hi DCP, see my reply above to "Raving Fan". I was at Gorrono yesterday and observed some of the same problems and I had a discussion regarding changes just last night with the Director of F&B - we're on it. Thank you for your input.

Dave,

Thank you for your quick response! Now let’s hope Gorrontos is as quick to act!! It should be noted that I expressed these concerns to your F&B management team back at Christmas.  I sometimes wonder if the entire ski area understands the investment that the community has in Telluride and that our success depends on the skiing experience that our guest have on the mountain. There are some services that you only get one shot at to make a favorable impression, and your restaurants are one of them. Clearly Gorronto’s has been having problems such as I have expressed and  DCP expressed for over a month now. And there has been no change. Dave, there is no excuse for this!!! Especially since your management team informed me that they were going to meet with you in person on these issues the first week in January of this year.

I am a Raving Fan of Telluride and I have Telluride’s best interest at heart. So my criticism is only because I care!

Concerning Allred’s we sent some clients and comp them at Allred’s last night and they had a wonderful dining experience and “No Oder”…

Dave's reply: I look at all input as valuable and take it seriously. We are researching several possible sources to the intermitent odor problem at Allred's at this time.

The ultimate fix may require a small construction project this summer which requires excavation and concrete work on the waste water line between Allred's and Mountain Village.

We do understand the investment you and others have made in Telluride - as well as our guests high expectations. We have had several face-to-face management meetings on this and have hired experts to help us with the remedy.

Thank you for your input and for your interest in this issue.

Thanks Dave......... I'm definately impressed with your quick response and desire to make things right....

Dave's reply: My pleasure, thank you for your input.

Dave, don't let "Raving Ass of Telluride" get you down about your eating establishments, they aren't as bad as this person lets on. There's always someone with "clients" that has to micro-manage something. They wouldn't feel important otherwise. If he or she thinks Gorronos is so bad, then maybe they should focus on getting some skiing in instead. The sweet potatoes are great, we'll eat whatever and be happy about it.

I see you're working on it and for Raving Ass to keep belittling your staff doesn't help matters. Keep up the good work!

Dave's reply: Thanks for your support. I was thinking about this last night (full moon does that to me). Big Billies has vastly improved their menu offering this year. We've also replaced the carpet, painted the interior, installed new flat screen TVs, etc. Many people have "rediscovered" Big Billies as a result. He might want to try it.

I wonder if "Raving Fan of Telluride" realizes that it's not "Gorrontos" as he keeps posting!  Personally, I have not eaten at Gorrono's in several years -- The food's always been great, just a little too $$ and I like to spend my time skiing!

Thanks for your blog!

Dave's reply: Big Billies food is very good this year too.

Hi,

I'm definitely "dreaming" of a trip to T in the near future.  Would be driving in from St. George, UT in my motorhome.  I'm wondering if there are any resort policies concerning parking motor homes for a week or two while skiing.

Thank you!

Dave's reply: Hi Waid, There is a RV/Bus lot down by the bottom of the Coonskin lift in the Town of Telluride. Just to be safe, I'd call the Marshal's Office ahead of time to get specific instructions on how that works and where they would like you to park so there are no problems. That number is 970-728-3818. Enjoy your trip and thank you for choosing Telluride for your ski vacation!

I am definitely not a complainer but I have a request! Could someone look into repairing the water fountain in the main women's restroom? It has been out of order for quite awhile. Yesterday I went into the men's restroom with my husband to get a drink of water. Sorry guys, had to do it!! I was thirsty!

Dave's reply: Yes, of course! Thanks for the info.

looking way forward to next season, it would be an impressive feat if both lift ticket and season pass price increases could be kept at or below the rate of consumer inflation. tough to do with rising energy vosts but in a coming tough economic year throughout the country it would be a welcome relief from past large annual increases in both rates throughout the industry. telski has been good about creating a variety of regional pass options and that has helped.

separately, would be very fun for passholders to receive a letter in June that contains a chart of their days-skied in the prior season and an invitation/reminder to get the next year's pass ordered. i know the data exists in the computer system, why not use it?

from the "don't we wish" department; i just found out I get a couple of days at Taos from my Telluride pass which I'm going to use to bust down there with the snowboard after March 15. someday, perhaps a similar deal could be worked out with Aspen?? i have a lot of friends from Aspen who love to take a break and come to Telluride and I go there at least a couple of days a year. probably tough to do with the lopsided pass numbers between the two areas but one can wish.

from the "really crazy ideas department"; telluride is still famous in many people's minds for Zudnick and his role in Warren Miller movies. every day my dog look forlornly at me as I head out the door to ride and he can't go. one day, at the very very end of the season how about "Dog Race Day." Starting from the top of the gondola and heading into village have a simple race course, doesn't even need gates, a dog and owner pair then does a run to village, best time for dog and human passing through the finish wins. lots of logistic and safety issues to work through but it would put Telluride in every sport magazine in the country for free. i know, unlikely, but hey, thought I'd toss it out there and my dog does usually get to hike up one day after the mountain closes but he's not allowed to tell anyone.

like the priorities for moving up and over the ridge with lifts. go for it Dave! i'll trade waiting on nine upgrade for that any day and get it in before permits/permissions expire.

great interview on KOTO about out of bounds skiing with head of ski patrol, very timely and dovetailed well with Sheriff Masters "we may leave you out there in the cold to expire alone." if you have a kid and you don't have health or life insurance what are you doing risking it all for some freaking turns? idiots.

oh, and did I mention how ridiculously amazing it is on the mountain. i haven't taken a turn in a week that wasn't powder and more snow on the way tomorrow/Monday!

Dave's reply: What a great blog post :) Thanks for all the wishes.

When I graduated from Mesa College, my first job in the ski biz was at Keystone. I had this golden retriever named Yampa that I used to take up on the gondola late at night (last ride up) for a run down under the lights. The staff "overlooked" my behavior until one night late in the season I was cornered and told "no more". Yampa was in pretty good shape by then. The danger is that sharp steel edges and paws don't mix well.