October 26, 2008
Hi Folks,
I'm pleased to announce that Telluride Ski Resort is planning to open Gold Hill #1 and the Apron below for the upcoming season.
This new terrain is all rated as "EX - Extreme Terrain" due to cliffs, very steep slopes as well as rocks and other hazards. It starts from the top of the new Revelation Lift and descends on the west side of Gold Hill to the bottom of Gold Hill Express (Chair 14).
Two things have allowed us to open this new terrain. First, we now have Howitzers (military artillery), one of which points directly at Gold Hill. This allows for enhanced avalanche control work in this area. Second, about halfway down the run we are building a small, lateral, "goat trail" by blasting through the rock cliff band which will allow access from the bottom of the upper bowl down to the apron below. Previously, this section was very difficult to get through.
Below is a picture of the new terrain. I drew in the lateral goat trail so you can see what I'm talking about. You can see the big bowl above and the apron below. There is also a "bail out" route to the skier's right as the goat trail requires a drop between two rock outcroppings at one point:
Starting at 12,570' (top of Revelation), the new route is 1,790 vertical feet to the bottom of Gold Hill Express, which is quite impressive. Below is a picture looking uphill from the bottom of the upper bowl, right at the point where people need to decide to go right (to the bail out) or left (to the Goat Trail). If you look carefully, you can see the new upper terminal for the Revelation Lift (left of center on the smooth skyline). We also built a little skiway from the upper lift terminal across to the top/center of the bowl for your convenience:
The picture below shows the new skiers-left boundary line on the upper bowl. You can also see the upper terminal of Revelation:
The next picture below is looking down Gold Hill #1 from near the top entrance, with Prospect Basin in the background. If you look carefully to the upper right you can see the lower terminals of Prospect Express and Gold Hill Express. They have been painted a new color (Gunmetal Grey).
The new Revelation Lift is pretty much complete. The chairs will be flown in by helicopter to the bottom terminal Monday, assembled and attached to the rope within a few days. Below, you see a member of the Leitner-POMA staff installing a muffler for the auxiliary motor on top of the motor room.
The lift shack still needs the walkway and stairs installed but it is otherwise complete. You can see our new lift color better in this picture. Trim caps will go on the end of the horizontal runways of the terminal structure:
Below is a picture of one of the two new Howitzer shelters we're constructing. The daylight basement below is a concrete bunker used to store shells and the gun will fire from inside the upper floor - once the garage door is opened ;-) The guns will arrive in Telluride next week.
The Telluride Ski and Golf staff as well as everyone in the wonderful communities of Telluride and Mountain Village are very excited about the coming season. We all hope you will be able to join us this ski season for a vacation to the most magical resort you'll ever find. Please let me know if I can assist you in any way. I can always be reached at driley@tellurideskiresort.com
As always, please feel free to post a comment or question to the blog. We love to hear from you! Just scroll down to the dialog box at the bottom, type away, and hit submit.
Thank you so much for your interest in Telluride. Think snow! -Dave