Dave's Blog

Hey Dave, Props on opening up new terrain and building a new lift.  It seems as though the ski resort is distancing itself from all the other ski resorts in Colorado.  Unfortuantely my friends and I have cancelled our vacation to Telluride this summer.  We are a group of expert skiers/snowboarders, and mountain bikers.  After doing our research for our annual mountain bike trip we have learned that Telluride is closing mountain bike trails instead of opening new ones.  Most of the other resort towns in Colorado are embracing mountain biking and expanding their trail networks.  My friends and I love downhill mountain biking.  We have invested thousands of dollars and countless hours on our downhill bikes.  Coming from Arizona, we desparately want lift accessed downhill trails.  Cross-country trails are great, but don't appeal to everyone.  We feel, as downhillers, we are being discriminated against.  We assure you that if new downhill trails are built, the users would be respectful of the trails, the mountain, and the other trail users.  Please reconsider the decision to close trails.  We are not alone in the search for great mountain biking.  Many people would visit your town and bring much needed revenue to your businesses.  You wouldn't make winter visitors only use the mountain for cross-country skiing, would you?  So why make summer visitors only use the mountain for cross-country mountain biking?  My friends and I will be taking our money and our downhill bikes to the front range this summer, but will return to Telluride in 2009 if some positive changes have been made.  We are hoping for the best and encouraging you expand and progress the sport we love.  Thankyou.

Dave's reply: Hi Jacob. I hope you have correct information. The Forest Service has closed only one trail that was open last year - The Telluride Trail - which really wasn't a single track anyway - it is a service road. It was closed for safety purposes to avoid conflict with maintenance vehicles. All the other trails that were designated and open last year will be open again - although some still have snow on them at this time. Thank you.

Were is everyone?... or should I ask, were is anyone?

Dave's reply: Hi Will, Blog traffic usually slows in the summer. Watch what happens in November though :)

hi dave,

great blog. very informational. is the pirce for golf a bit high for the conditions you have? i know you had a big snow year and the course is 3-4 weeks behind. but does that make it ok to charge upwarsds of $200 for a round of golf with cart paths that are not finished (paving), greens that are a 6.5 on the stimp, "new" carts with GPS that wont even tell you the time of day (nevermind a handfull of other things. what was wrong with the old carts?), and a course where most holes cant be driven on. note: i would rather walk the course, but you dont allow that.

thanks for your time.

Dave's reply: Hi Gene, Our pricing is very comparable to other resort courses. The cart path work couldn't start any earlier because of low tempuratures at night. We're spending $100,000 on the cart path project alone. The course, service and facilities are going to really be really nice this year, we're buttoning things up right now. Thank you.

hello,

question about silver memberships:

a silver member pays the same amount as the public for your afternoon rounds of golf. THE SAME AS THE PUBLIC. how do i convince them it's worth the $55thou to join when things like that occur? please don't tell me about advanced tee times being a perk. nobody plays up there and they can get on anytime. please advise,

Dave's reply: Hi Chris, I asked Rachel Bayon, Director of Memberships to reply:

I hope that I have provided sufficient information for you to respond to your client.  Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions or concerns. I can be reached at 970-728-8840 or my cell phone is 970-708-9619. Thank you. - Rachel

Dave,

Once again thanks for the great photos and the super update on what's happening in the village. Everything looks fantastic. We are already getting excited for the next ski season. As a matter of fact, we just bought our senior passes!

We also look forward to your blogs. Great job!

Thanks, Julie

Dave's reply: Hi Julie, Thank you so much for the compliment. I really enjoyed taking the pictures and writing this blog. Telluride is such an incredible place. Thnaks for your purchase of season passes - this ski season will be great with the new lift and other improvements that I'll be covering in a future blog this summer.

I played the course the other day and it is in great shape for early June, especially with our cold spring.  I'd love to play here more often but $185 pre twilight is too much for me.  Any chance of ever having some kind of locals/ season passholder discount??

Dave's reply: Hi Erik, We're very comparable (and in some cases lower) with other high-quality resort courses with our pricing. It's amazing how much it costs to run the course at this level. We have a massive crew which is doing an outstanding job.

Dave the website looks great!  Eventhough I dont play much golf, the course looks top notch.  My family and I visit the Telluride region every summer.  Our favorite week has always been during the bike races.  It was unfortunate to hear that they have been cancelled this year.  My children and I don't understand why.  The towns of Telluride and Mountain Village always seem to embrace these races.  The competitors always had a lot of fun meeting their fans and the children that look up to them.  While my family and I always could appreciate the skill and talent that the cross-country racers showed, we enjoyed the downhill the most.  We love your town, however we have decided to vacation to Snowmass this summer to watch their race.  My kids don't understand why they can't watch their favorite race on their favorite mountain.  It is difficult to explain the reason why when I don't even understand it.  We would love to continue with our family tradition in Telluride next summer.  We hope you reconsider bringing back the races.  Good luck with the rest of the summer season.

Dave's reply: Hi Joe, Thanks for your comments. We've been meeting with the Forest Service, Town of Mountain Village, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, and others to try and develop a workable operational and funding plan. I think it's possible to work it out. It's important to remember that we still have miles and miles of open mountain bike trails and free access off the gondola, which most resorts charge for...

Compliments to you Dave for a very informative blog. We're coming to Mountain Village in July for a week of golf and relaxation. We checked around Colorado and it looks like your green fees are no different that most courses at nice resorts in the mountains. We were there two years ago for a week of golf and can't wait to return. It is the most beautiful course in the state. Keep up the good work and please keep posting your blogs. We really enjoy reading them. We only wish you had time to post more often!

Dave's reply: Hi Richard and Andrea. Thank you for your comments. I'll keep posting if you keep reading! Have a great vacation and enjoy Telluride Golf Club and all our community has to offer.

Dave, thanks for the quick response.  It seems though, in your haste to respond to my comments, you didn't address the issue I brought up.  My issue was specifically with the Full Tilt In Telluride races that were cancelled.  I know of the free gondola and love it.  I also know it's free to ride your bike off of the gondola.  That was not my point in writing you.  My point was that my family loved coming to Telluride to watch the races.  I'm sure thousands of competitors and spectators loved coming there too.  The races probably were not the most profitable of the events in Telluride and Mountain Village, but it did bring in considerable revenue.  In this time of economic recession in our country I don't feel businesses should turn away opportunities to earn money.  The races made many people happy because they could watch an event that was exciting, and enjoyable.  I'm sure that they also made many local businesses happy too, because of the additional income they brought.  

P.S. It's not a good thing to compare your mountain bike trails to that of other resorts.  Yes it's true that other resorts charge to use the trails, but they have a wide variety of both cross-country and downhill trails.  To my understanding your resort offers less than six true mountain bike trails.  The only ones I know of are Ridge Trail, Village Trail, Prospect trail, Smurf trail, and Telluride trail (which is no longer open for mountain bikers).  I'm also aware of Jurrasic and Boomerang, but those are not even on the ski mountain.  Other resorts that charge also run lifts and provide a patrol service.  They maintain the existing trails and open new ones every season.  I know this because my family and I also visit Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek and Steamboat.  

Dave's reply: Hi Joe, sorry I didn't address your central question earlier. Yes, the Full Tilt event is not happening this summer. The Forest Service came to me late winter and expressed strong concern over the practice of downhill riders cutting unauthorized trails and wanted to put a halt to it asap. The event, historically, was a weekend when many people were using these illegal and poorly built trails which were causing damage. That's the background. We're working with the agencies and stakeholders at this time to figure out a funding and management strategy for future trail maintenance and monitoring.

In the meantime, we still have a nice cross country trail system served by a free gondola. We just don't offer a freestyle / downhill venue and the Full Tilt event will not happen. Thank you.

Nice blog Dave. That must have take awhile to construct. It is full of information and we like the fact that it has a "real" feel with your own pictures. That's very nice. We've never been to Telluride in the summer but are seriously considering a summer trip now. Keep the information flowing. Many of us out-of-state people are very interested in Telluride and your blog seems to be the place to get the best information.

Dave's reply: Hi Kris, I'm glad you find the blog informative. I enjoy having the technology available to help people. It's fun! Let me know if you need any additional information concerning a possible trip this summer to Telluride. Thank you.

great blog. well done. one thing,... other resort courses have world class golf. you don't. you lost your 'championship' description a while back. you would be upset if those same resorts tried to compare their skiing views to YOUR world class skiing views. so careful and try not to compare your golf course to others. 6600 yds from the tips, 6 par 3's, 10 reachable holes (in one, what a joke), no beverage cart (lets play holes 12-18 without a cocktail, revenue maker),... the previous blogger is correct. they are steep prices, and the GOLF experience does not compare to other resort courses, just the price. looking forward to the new lift. thanks again. -long time vacationer of telluride.

Great blog. I love the Telluride Golf Course. It's the most beautiful course I've ever played. Can't wait to visit again. Keep the blogs coming Dave!

Dave's reply: Thanks Adam. We hope to see you soon!

Why does telluride not have a bike park

Dave's reply: Hi Ryan, see the replies to Joe above please. Thank you.

I forget what happens when the golf course closes. Why not turn the place into a motocross track in the off season to supplement revenue for telski? I'd gladly pay the green fees to roost around one of the most beautiful golf courses on the planet. Build big jumps over sensitive areas and require quiet exhausts. We could rake it back out before the snow flies. Let me know if you think we could use a mini-track for the kids as well because they are after all - the future...

Dave's reply: That's not likely to happen for a variety of reasons. Thanks for the suggestion though :)

Very nice blog. I'm wondering why other ski areas don't have blogs too? I've been following your blog since last year and have a much better perspective of Telluride as a result. It's very nice to have a CEO make himself available to the resort's customers. Well done.

Dave's reply: Hi Crystal. Thank you for your kind post. There are a few other ski areas out there that have blogs but I believe most are concerned about the time necessary to create the blogs then respond to comments. I think it is a great way to provide answers to questions and inform people about what is happening at Telluride Ski and Golf.  Also, it is a helpful way for the TSG staff and management to learn from our guests. That's well worth the time in my opinion!

Hi Dave:

I appreciate your responsiveness on all questions Telluride. Can't wait to ski Revelation bowl!

Three quick questions:

1.When are all the airlines set up with their winter schedules into Montrose? For example, I thought last year that Continental had nonstops from Newark and can't find them anywhere. Does one just have to keep checking and checking or is there a date? Is there a list anywhere? Do you know the best time to reserve Christmas-time tickets?

2.Regarding season passes, I see the $45 "free day" pass gives a 25% discount after the free day.  Wasn't it $45/day for subsequent days last year, or do I remember wrong?

3.Are season passes no longer available to purchase on-line? The website just gives a phone number.  I thought that a few weeks ago, purchase was available on line?

Thanks.

Dave's reply: Hi Cathy, Thank you for your questions. I'll reply in the same order.

1) Nearly all our winter airline routes are loaded but Continental has been a little slow. They should be up now. I understand that Newark / Montrose is happening again this year. Booking for X-Mas is best done early. Some airlines publish sales that last a few days to a week or two. They usually use email blasts so you have to subscribe to get them.

2) The Free Day card has always worked on the first day for free and then 25% off on subsequent days. A 6 or 10 day card may work well for you also if you're going to be here for awhile but they are only available online through August 22.

3) My appologies. Our online store is not working right now and should be up and running by next week latest. In the meantime, feel free to call 1-970-728-7517 or our central reservations department at 1-800-778-8581 for full service vacation bookings.

Enjoy Telluride this winter - along with the new Revelation lift!

Hey Dave, I love your work to expand the resort to use all of the permitted area, Revelation will be a great addition.

I understand that there are many entities involved with the mountain biking and that funding is an issue, when do you think that a conclusion may be reached?  I heard that the whole ride the Ride the rockies crowd that was in MV last week was hungry and there were only two restraunts open (crazy elk wasnt one).  

It seems like while the resort is working towards having a plan for mountain biking in the future (which is the right direction), they are ignoring the bikers who are in the village now and in previous years.  (ie: full tilt)  Bicycle tour of Colorado is coming soon........

Yes, there are a handfull of trails but in my humble optinion Telluride's lift accessed biking is a notch below Purgatory, definately not unmatched in north america.

Do you think that charging for a summer bike pass would help offset the costs of establishing/maintaining more trails?  The cost of that pass could be split between any parties that incur cost related to lift accesed biking.

I guess all I am saying is that a speedy resolution would help in not deterring future bikers......

Dave's reply: Hi Chris, I appreciate and understand your point. I'm hopeful that the local stakeholders can work our a plan for operations and funding asap. Charging for use is one of the options that should be considered if an expanded mtn. biking program is desired. Thanks for the input.

Are ALL of those business that you pictured going to be open this summer? I heard that several long term retailers are bailing out of the village left and right this year due to multiple reasons, mainly because of lack of foot traffic. What's going on?

Dave's reply: Hi Will, I believe all the businesses I showed in the blog are open this summer. There are some that are closed and I didn't put them in the blog.

Mountain Village, not unlike some other alpine resorts around the world, is experiencing a problem with the bed base mix. In other words, there are too many cold beds and not enough hot beds. A hot bed is a hotel room, fractional, or a condo or house that is in the rental pool. A cold bed is a condo or house that is a second home and is not in the rental pool. Cold beds are often only used during holidays and peak periods. It's hard for businesses to do well if the mix is too cold.

The Town of Mountain Village, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, as well as Telluride Ski and Golf have been discussing this issue in various forums recently and I believe people are beginning to realize the need to improve the mix so that the village core businesses are economically viable over the long-run. Thanks for your question. It's an important one that we're working on as a community.

P.S. this issue exists at varying levels from Aspen to St. Moritz but there are things that can and should be done to reverse the trend of an over supply of cold beds. For example, in Whistler they simply require that units be put into a rental pool when not being used by the owner.

Hi Dave,

Greetings from Oregon! I found myself rereading some of your old Mount Hood Meadows blogs tonight and it felt like visiting with an old friend (even though we've never met). I hope that you and your family are enjoying life in Telluride.

I also hope the locals realize what a catch they made! We miss you here. I know from experience that you weren't just BS-ing when, in your very first Telluride blog post, you talked about "collaboration, communication, problem solving, and transparency." I think that those are excellent standards to hold oneself to, and I believe that you do.

Of course, it's always a juggling act between keeping the customer satisfied and operating a viable business, but I truly believe that the "meaningful and positive dialog" which you espoused in your blog (and successfully  delivered on, here in Oregon) provides a critical bridge between corpo-rat and ski-rat.

So, keep up the good work. Give your successor here a phone call and pep talk every now and then (weekly would be good). Someday, I hope to be able to afford a taste of the famed Colorado Pow. In the meantime, you and I both know that nowhere on earth can possibly match Meadows for value (4 x 400... Hello?!).

Best Wishes,

David Kenny

Dave's reply: Hi David. Thanks so much for your kind blog comments.

I had 13 great years at Mt. Hood Meadows. There are many people and experiences that I'll always cherish about MHM. I knew when I left that things would be different (change does that) but that the resort would move on and continue to improve.

Ski areas all have many things going on and an interested public who want to engage in the issues before us. I've always felt a blog is an appropriate forum in fulfilling that need.  

I've been lucky to land at another beautiful resort - Telluride. Fortunately, I have again found a great management team and front line staff, supportive ownership, and a very loyal customer group here in the San Juan mountain range. I'm very excited about the future of Telluride and honestly feel blessed that I'm able to be a part of it.

Hopefully you'll be able to come visit sometime. If you do, let me know - we'll go make a few turns together :)

hey dave,

as an employee at Telluride I'm excited to hear about the new lift, it really has me thinking about coming back next season. And by the way, I agreed with your decisions last season despite some of the public scrutiny.

I do have one question. What's your plan with the continuation of glading on the mountain. I could tell that the large snowfall totals last season covered lots of gnarly downfall in the woods, and it could be a real issue if the snow doesn't pile up in some spots. Of course there are some "private" spots I found that I would like to fly under the radar, but in areas like Locals Glades it was really effective. Do you plan to glade more, less, at all? Thanks, hope the summer goes well!

Dave's reply: Hi WE. Thanks for your question. We are going to put a crew out this fall to do some clean up. Admittedly, its been neglected for several years. Going into the existing gladed areas (like Locals) for much needed clean up will be the first priority. Hope to have you back again this winter, I'm very excited about the coming ski season also.

As a long-time resident of Aspen I have seen hotels torn down to build condos that are not put back into the rental pool. Also, houses that used to be occupied by full-time residents are sold off to out-of-town people who don't put them in the rental pool. Aspen is shifting rapidly from a hot bed community to a cold bed community which is hard on restaurants and retail businesses. Maybe Aspen and Telluride need to collaborate on a solution.

I've been following your blog for several months and wish the Aspen CEO would do what you're doing. It's very interesting how you make yourself so accessible to the Telluride community, ski company staff, and the visitors.

Also, the the Revelation lift looks great. We'll come over to Telluride and ski it this winter for sure. Keep up thd good work. Telluride is lucky to have an experienced and passionate CEO like you.

Dave's reply: Hi Matt, Thank you for your comments.

I did meet with the mayor of Aspen, Mick Ireland, in April of this year. We talked over breakfast about these issues which he is very aware of. Mick is also very interested in affordable housing and transportation. I cold-called him one day at the office and asked to sit down and talk about these issues. He was very accomodating and helpful. I've also known Mike Kaplan, CEO for the Aspen Ski Corp for several years. He's a leader who I respect greatly.

I agree that it is beneficial for ski town leaders to work together on these issues. There are some "best practices" that have been implemented in alpine communities around the world which we can learn from. I think an important aspect of this is that the residents of these communities have to understand what is happening and what their options are to correct the imbalances that occur from a poor bed base mix. I've found that most people want a viable and healthy downtown area in their resort community - or any "hometown" for that matter.

Hi Dave-

In your response to Will Hucket's question of what is going on in the core?, you mention too many 'cold beds' as somehow being related to the lack of foot traffic or a viable business environment in the Village during the summer.

I'm confused. How does a summer hot bed occupancy rate of less than 30% align with you comment that the lack of hot beds is the reason for slow foot traffic / business activity in the core?? Dave, people are simply not waiting to get a room in the core in the summer.

There are whole host of issues that could be addressed that would improve the business and tourist environment in the core... bed base is not in the top three right now.

I do applaud your effort to stem the real long term problem of flow from hot to cold beds.. it is a real resort community issue, but I repectfully suggest the issue is being overstated in the current context.

Thanks for the blog.

Dave's reply: Hi Craig. I have to respectfully disagree. Resort planning standards call for at least 50% of the units in a sucessful destination resort to be in the rental pool. Mtn. Village is in the mid-30s. We also need the marketing power and critical mass of several branded hotel products within comfortable walking distance of a gondola or the core. Professional nation-wide or global hotel operators have the know-how, group networks, and motivation to flex prices through the ups and downs of high and low seasons to maximize occupancy. You can name the operators (Fairmont, Westin, St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, Starwood, etc.) that would provide the volume necessary to allow the core retailers and restaurants to have the economic stability that they need over the long run.

Capella is a lessor known brand in America but in the European market they are well known as a super high-end and professional operator. Let me ask this simple question, when Capella opens late next winter, will the Mtn. Village retailers and restaurants be better off than without the new condo/hotel? Of course they will... Capella is not the complete solution but it's a move in the right direction for sure.

Thanks for expressing your point-of-view! I may not be the expert but I have been told by people who have been doing this a lot longer than I that these are the factors that are in play.

Hey long time no chat. How far is the Revolation Bowl in constructin

Dave's reply: Hi Fritz, Most of the work is in the factory right now. We completed excavation of the top terminal platform and will start excavation of the tower footings next week. Concrete and steel won't be installed until later in the month. All is good though for a timely completion. It's very exciting!

My boyfriend and I will be visiting Telluride in the fall. We want to stay in a condo or hotel in Mountain Village. Can you send me some information?

My email address is: pgregorie@fox16.com

Thank you,

Paula Gregorie

Dave's reply: Hi Paula, Thanks for your interest in Telluride Mountain Village. I'll have Bill Noyes contact you from our central reservations department. You'll love it here in the fall!

Last winter was our first time in Telluride and we loved it.  We brought our 5 month old daughter and the daycare was great.  We are already finalizing our visit this year.  My question is why aren't there more group lesson offerings during the regular season?  Having one that starts in the middle of the day is pretty inconvenient.  If you want something that starts in the morning (around 9 or 10) you are forced into a private lesson.  This can get costly over the week.  Most other resorts I have been to over group lessons for the day that start at 10 and half day that start at 1.  Also, any plans to open up any more intermediate terrain for us average folks?

Dave's reply: Hi Jonathan. I asked Nick Herrin, Executive Director of the Telluride Ski and Snowboard School to reply to your question which is posted below. Let me know if you have any further questions. Thank you.

due to construction in revelation bowl, will see forever be closed for hiking this summer?

Dave's reply: Hi Patrick, There was a press release that we sent out just a few days ago dealing with that. See Forever Trail and the Wasatch Connection trail will both be closed from now through the end of the construction which should be in November.

Here is a copy of the article in today's Telluride Daily Planet:

Hi Dave-

Did my post from last week get lost. I thought it was a fair and relevent question relating to your cold bed / hot bed answer to WH's post above and the low occupancy rates in the offseason?

Dave's reply: Hi Craig. Sorry about that. Scroll up and you'll see your post and my response. Have a great weekend too!

Comment off topic and deleted.

Do you know when online ordering for the season passes will be available?  Your post from above on June 22 states "next week at the latest" but it's still not available.  Seems like a long time to get this problem fixed!

Thanks

Dave's reply: Hi Linh. Yes, I agree. I'm not happy at all with our subcontractor's performance who is changing the I-Store software system over. I've been told "it will be fixed tomorrow" for a week. I'm on it - and personally apologize for the inconvenience. Hopefully it will be functional next week..

Hi Dave, Find your blog very good, Im am in a option to move to your  town for one off the jobs coming up in the hotels, I got a couple of Questions,

Is Tellride an children friendly Town, many kids around ,nurserys, play ground schools etc..?

Is T more off a vinter season or summer season?

How big increase does each season has in population,nad what is the base All year population?

Is it "Dining out" town?

With all the building going on is the locals supportive?

Hope to read some off your thoughts soon as I am eager to get a fair view from a person like your self.

Thanks Matt

Dave's reply: Hi Matt, Telluride is very much a kid friendly town. I have a 12 year old who really likes the local school and has lots of friends. It's a very safe place for kids and there are lots of healthy outdoor activities, parks, and things to do. The Telluride school is consistently ranked as one of the best in the state. The only challenge is if you need 5 day a week daycare (which can be hard to find or expensive) but once your kids are in school it's great. Telluride is busy in both the winter and the summer and is very quiet in the spring and fall. Winter is the most busy. I think Telluride has a resident population of about 2,500 and Mountain Village has a population of around 1,200. During peak season in the winter the ski area does about 4,000 to 8,000 skier visits daily which is less crowded than many Colorado ski resorts. During a festival in the summer I would guess the count may go over 10,000+ but I'm not sure. There are many great restaurants in Telluride that we enjoy. Regarding the construction and development, the town of Telluride doesn't have too much going on but there is quite a bit of activity right now in Mountain Village. Although some people don't like change or growth and complain about it, I'd say that many people also want a healthy business climate and economy and are looking forward to the projects and what they will bring to the community. I moved here 1 year ago and feel great about living and working here. My family is happy also. Good luck with your decision making and let me know if you have any further questions. My email is driley@tellurideskiresort.com

Hi Dave, I hope your summer is going well.  I'm wondering if you might have any plans to have a ski/snowboard cross course open throughout the season along with the park and pipe?  I think there's a lot of people who would love to have a cross course to practice and play on!

Dave's reply: Hi Anne. We're in the process this summer of evaluating our freestyle terrain program and will keep your input in mind. I can't say for sure what the changes will bring at this date. One thing I was surprised with last year was how low the utilization is on the pipe. It appears the extent, diversity, and quality of the parks is the most popular thing at this point. A cross couse can be very popular also. Thank you.

Hey Dave,

Special thanks has to go out to the forrest service for clearing the fallen trees on the Prospect trail.  They had this trail riding and flowing smoothly after only a week of it being open.  

The trail is awesome! I only got to ride it once last year after it had already snowed. So I didn't know how good it really was until a couple of weeks ago.  It really exposes the potential this mountain has for exceptional cross-country trails.  Do you know if there are plans to build more?  I would gladly volunteer to help build more sweet high-altitude singletrack.  I'm sure dozens of more locals would give their time as well to build more of these great trails.  

Dave's reply: Hi Adam. I agree that we have a tremendous opportunity for a great cross country mountain bike system. We've got to work out the funding, liability, and operational issues and there are several stakeholders involved. It appears there are common interests and I feel it will get sorted out - it just seems to be taking more time than anyone thought. Thanks for your positive attitude and comments!

Hi Dave!  Regarding your comment to Anne, I have a few points to make.  Well first off, I don't think a boarderX course would be a good idea...tons of people would get hurt!  You thinking building a boarderX course is good idea, but you won't let the park crew build a jump over 40 feet.  I think a boarderx course is way more dangerous than a jump that is over 40 feet!  I think your priorty should be set on the park and pipe.  Also the pipe had low "utilization" because it was very poorly built!!  At most times the pipe was DANGEROUS to shred because it was way under vert or way over vert!  Maybe if you got the park crew to take better care of the pipe maybe more people would ski/shred it!  It seems to me the park crew is more concerned with making little jumps and dumb jibbs that don't even have legit lips onto the features, than taking care of the pipe!  I know why the pipe wasn't taken care of last winter, too, it's because none of the park crew can ride pipe, so they don't take the time to take care of it! If you get rid of the pipe this winter I'm going to be very bummed, and I know a lot of other people would be too!!  Hmmmm...Why don't you dig the pipe???  And also send the person who grooms the park/pipe to a training course to learn how to groom and build features properly!!  

Dave's reply: I can tell where your priorities are - giant jumps and a pipe. I can appreciate that but we have the responsibility to serve a wider customer group. It's harsh to say that our pipe was no good last year. Yes, with the record snow we had some times when it was not perfect but even with a fresh and good cut I saw very few people in it.

Regarding jumps, the fact is that 95% of the people in the park are not comfortable with a jump over 40 feet. It's a fact. Snowbird eliminated large jumps last year. Breck continues to build them big. Most areas are staying in the middle in terms of size.

Regarding a X course, I'm not sure you're as experience and wise as you may think. Several areas out west maintain them all season. At my last resort (Mt. Hood Meadows) we always had a X course because of the large number of high school competitions and the need for season long training. They were quite safe in terms of the statistics. Most of the time people go through the course by themselves when it's not a comp.

One final thought, insulting the park crew will not get you into the end-zone. Think about the delivery and response next time :) Thanks for the input Jacob.

In regard to Anne's post . . . I don't know of any other resorts that keep a quality skiier/snowboard cross open to the public.  The resorts that I've visited either close them off, when not using them for a competition, or they doze them after an event, for liability purposes.  

Dave, before making the decision to eliminate the half pipe, please consider the repercussion of Telluride not having a pipe a couple years ago.  Locals and tourists alike -- Not Happy!!!!  We need a pipe that's dug into the ground and a crew that's able to maintain it in a professional manner.  

The ski area expansion is great, but Telluride will not be "unmatched in North America" if it's a destination resort without a pipe -- please remember that families bring kids and a half pipe is a huge draw.  You'll see that when they don't come because, no pipe.  As you well know, many resorts have two or more pipes, these days.  

Doing away with "Thrill Hill" was one thing, but not having a half pipe would be a huge mistake!

Thanks for your time, and please take a minute or two, to check out the archives,and very negative responses from a couple years ago when Telluride had no pipe.  You seem like a progressive guy -- Why go backwards?

Dave's reply: Hi Max. We have not made any decisions yet. The observation I made was that the pipe was getting very little traffic. Regarding X courses, several areas out west have them all season. Again, no decisions, just blogging at this point. Thanks for the input and style though - very much appreciated.

Regarding an in-ground pipe, we built one before on Mt. Hood when I worked there so I understand what's involved. I'm having a hard time finding a really good location with snowmaking, correct sun exposure, grade, etc. at Telluride so far. Our existing pipe takes an enormous amount of snowmaking to fake it. I'm just wondering out loud if that time and $ could be better spent on parks when few people seem to utilize the pipe here?

The easy answer is: just build it. But, is there something that would be better in terms of utilization and progression? Progressive thinking usually means doing things differently than they have been done in the past - and taking a risk.

If the world were your oyster, what would it be?

I'm an aggressive alpine skiier parent and I really appreciate the elimation of the halfpipe!  The halfpipe has been nothing but a nuisance to my athletes and they have refused their gate training on multiple occasions.  

Thank you!

Sincerely!

Rich

Dave's reply: Hi Rich, Thanks for the input. We're still talking about the freestyle terrain plan for this winter.

I'm all for progressive thinking and risk taking: a safe, yet challenging X course would be really cool. Something that one could progressively improve on without massive risk of injury would be great! Safe jump combinations and rhythm sections with nice banked corners that reward smoothness and actual skiing/riding skill to go fast  would be more fun than a pipe but that's coming from an old guy that just knows how to freeride ok.

The people that scream the loudest while shouting out insults to people they feel have inferior talent are usually the ones that lack the talent they wish they had themselves.

For those that actually can jump 40 plus feet, why not borrow a jump straight from the motocross track? You can build a table on top of a tabletop jump so that one can build up to jumping the whole thing. It's basically a step up to the top with a really long tranny off the backside. One can go long or short. Build two different lips (one steep, the other less so) and one can go for big air OR scrub and stay low. Either way, you'd have a bunch of ways to jump it. Check out some supercross tracks, you might find some blueprints online. Google dirt wurx, they build most of the tracks and they have had some really innovative designs the last few years. Either way, a safe course that would reward technique would be cool, especially if we could ride it all winter. Thanks for giving it thought. - Steve

Dave's reply: Hi Steve, thanks for the input. I'll check out that site too!

Seems that Telluride's mountain is becoming a Country Club.  Before making the executive decision to get rid of the half pipe, maybe you could consult the Telluride ski/snowboard community through the Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club (TSSC).  You could also get the town opinion by conducting a poll through the Planet such as the Aspen Daily News does on important and pertinant community issues.  Check it out: http://www.aspendailynews.com/ under the "Quick Poll" on the left hand side of the web page.  That only seems fair if you feel the need to implement a change that would impact so many people!  Why can't we all have a say?  It's our mountain!!

You should conduct a meeting among the people of the community who ski/snowboard the park.  When the town skate park was in the design phase, meetings were held consistantly at the middle/high school to get opinions, and at several Town Council meetings; the skate park was constructed around the kids ideas (they may have some great suggestions as to the location of the pipe).  You should try this same tactic.  If the world were my oyster, this is what it would be -- I would hope to have an open mind and respect the opinion of others.  

Dave's reply: Hi Max, If I didn't have an open mind and respect the opinion of others do you think I'd be hosting this blog? This is a very efficient way of communicating.

I hear your opinion and understand where you are coming from. I've also heard other opinions that differ. As I said in earlier replies, we are still working out the details on our freestyle terrain program for next year and appreciate the input.

I see how you took my advice from this past winter to post "total vertical" rise at 4425ft and then lift-served at 3750ft. I think this will really help give seperation from other Colorado ski resorts who boast in the 3500ft range

Dave's reply: You were correct - those are big numbers. Moreover, the views, terrain, weather, lift lines, and snow quality at Telluride are hard to beat!

A well presented article showing the beauty of the nature in it's own special and unique way, in a spectacular manner the pics are evoking the excitement. Thought i have never been there but very much curious now :)

Dave's reply: Thank you. We hope you can visit Telluride someday soon!