Ski Season is Coming!
November 15, 2008
Hi Folks,
I'd like to update you on how things are progressing toward the 2008/2009 ski season. Telluride is rolling out a number of innovative changes that are in the final stages of completion.
First, our exciting new Revelation lift is complete and ready for public operation! All the inspections have been conducted and the new lift passed with flying colors. A big THANK YOU goes out to the Leitner-POMA crew for doing a spectacular job. Many members of the Telluride Mountain Department staff also deserve accolades for their exceptional work on this project. THANK YOU! I want to also thank our partners at the US Forest Service. Scott Spielman, Kathy Peckham, Judy Schutza, Cory Wong, Charlie Richmond, and Ken Kowynia have been great to work with on these projects. Building at 12,500 feet in a short construction season at a remote location has its challenges, but everyone pulled together and exhibited extraordinary teamwork.
Below is a picture taken from the top of the new Revelation Bowl. As you can see at mid-day, the bowl is in the shadow of Gold Hill. The wind generally comes from the back side of the peak so this bowl always gets more snow than most anywhere else in the ski resort. These factors will keep the snow soft and pillowy down the center. If you look carefully you can see the historic Town of Telluride down in the box canyon:
Telluride now has one of the largest vertical drops in the country at 4,425' (3,845' lift served). Below is a picture of the completed upper terminal of the new Revelation lift:
As the picture below shows, the Telluride Mountain Department staff built a new skiway to exit the new bowl. It turned out very nice. You can see the new Revelation Bowl and lift in the background.
Late last week the staff did a "load test" on the new lift. This is when the chairs are loaded with bags of sand, and the lift is run for several hours to mimic live operations. The staff had the pleasure of laying down first tracks in Revelation Bowl on their way to work at the bottom terminal as the picture below illustrates. This new bowl offers world-class alpine terrain - nice!
The Telluride Ski Patrol has completed two new buildings and acquired two new 105mm vintage 1942 Howitzers. The guns were completely refurbished by the US Army on a base in Nevada before being recently shipped to Telluride. This has been a multi-year effort by our esteemed avalanche expert Craig Sterbenz. Sterbie deserves a huge amount of credit and thanks for his persistence and tenacity in pursuing his vision over the years to execute an artillery avalanche program at Telluride Ski Resort. This program will deliver explosives in a much more accurate and effective manner, improving safety for our patrol staff as well as our guests.
Below is a picture of one of the guns in prospect basin:
Snowmaking has been running full blast for a few weeks. Improvements to the system this year are yielding very good results. Below is a picture of the base area at Heritage Plaza in Mountain Village:
Snowmaking at the top of Polar Queen Express (Chair 5) is also going well:
Big piles of snow have been blown between the top of Polar Queen Express and the Apex Lift (Chair 6). The snowcats are going to start spreading the piles next week:
Snowmaking at work on Village Bypass:
This summer, we acquired a new Techno Alpine snowmaking tower and mounted it on an articulating arm on lower Misty Maiden. This machine is fully automated and automatically adjusts the air/water mix as the temperature changes through the day and night. The arm allows the gun to swing around and cover a very large area. This is new state-of-the-art snowmaking technology:
Here's another photo of this big bad boy:
A beautiful morning in Mountain Village - can't wait to ski on Thanksgiving Day!
Grooming crews have been packing the snow on the west side of Gold Hill to develop a consolidated base. They yoyo a custom "roller" with a winchcat to pack the snow so that the base is consistent and stable. It's a fascinating process:
We've also taken delivery of 3 new state-of-the-art Prinoth snowcats, including another Sherpa winchcat. These machines put down the best corduroy possible. Telluride has a perfect mix of terrain with 23% beginner, 36% intermediate, and 41% advanced/expert. Our commitment to perfect corduroy is absolute:
As I covered in my last blog, we're opening two new bowls this ski season (Revelation and Gold Hill 1). Below is a picture I took a few weeks ago (before it started snowing) that shows Gold Hill 1 and the lower apron we call Gold Hill 1 1/2. I've drawn in the boundaries including the new lateral "goat trail" we constructed that connects the upper and lower terrain:
Below is a picture of Revelation Bowl from last ski season (before the new lift was constructed this summer). Revelation Bowl is on the left, Gold Hill 1 is off to the right:
Below is a picture my friend Brett Schreckengost took last spring of Gold Hill 1, with Palmyra Peak in the background. Telluride has the reputation as the most scenic ski resort you'll find - I agree! Nice alpenglow:
We've also added two new restaurants this year, one high on the mountain and one in Mountain Village.
Alpino Vino is a European inspired wine bar which is located high on the mountain just off the See Forever Run. Below is a picture taken last summer. We're in the middle of a complete interior renovation of this beautiful little stone building right now. New restrooms are also being constructed in a separate building to the right. Alpino Vino is scheduled to open by the Christmas holiday:
In Heritage Plaza, right at the bottom of the Village Express, we're in the process of completely renovating another restaurant we have renamed the Hop Garden. This restaurant will have seating for 120 people outside and 110 people inside. All new furniture inside and out, a new bar, new restrooms, new flooring, new flat screen TVs, and 10 craft beers on tap along with an excellent menu will be offered. The Hop Garden will be a open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Below is a picture of the exterior but we still have more accessory work to do such as signage, flags, umbrellas, etc.:
Mountain Village is also launching two new luxury hotels; scheduled to open this ski season! One is called lumiere, the other is called Capella.
Below is a picture of the new boutique hotel - lumiere. I took a tour last week - it's a very impressive addition to Mountain Village. The new high-end hotel is scheduled to open December, 2008. The property is ski-in ski-out and located just steps from Heritage Plaza, the Village Express, shopping, restaurants, and the Gondola. It has a mix of hotel rooms, condos, and penthouses with 28 total units:
Below/center is a picture of Capella. This property is scheduled to open mid-February, 2009 and is located right on Heritage Plaza. This hotel has about 150 rooms including 90 hotel rooms plus condos and penthouses of various sizes. It has an outdoor ice skating rink, retail stores, spa, and three restaurants:
Also, the Peaks Resort & Golden Door Spa has re-painted and replaced all the furniture in 150 hotel rooms this fall. Below is a picture they sent me of the renovated rooms - they look nice and new. The ski-in ski-out property has a giant spa with a big indoor lap pool, as well as another big pool that is partially indoors and partially outdoors with a water slide inside. There are many treatment rooms, weight room, cardio room, etc., etc. The Peaks is also just steps away from Heritage Plaza:
There are so many other beautiful properties for rent in Mountain Village and the Town of Telluride. Mountain Lodge, Inn at Lost Creek, Bear Creek Lodge, Camel's Garden, Fairmont Franz Klammer Lodge, Hotel Columbia, Hotel Telluride, the New Sheridan, the Ice House, San Sophia and more.
If you're interested in lodging information in either the Town of Telluride or Mountain Village, please call our Central Reservations Department at 1-800-778-8581 for comprehensive personal attention. Our reservation specialists will help you book anything from a hotel room, condo, or beautiful house. We handle bookings and property management of units in both Mountain Village and the Town of Telluride and will package lift tickets, help you book ski lessons, daycare, make reservations at Allred's restaurant (best in Telluride) or even a dinner sleigh ride to Gorrono Ranch, etc.
If you're a resident, we hope you enjoy all the new improvements your local ski company has "imagineered" and executed this year.
If you're thinking of visiting Telluride, we invite you to experience the greatest ski resort in North America. There are many reasons to choose Telluride for your vacation this year. As you can see, we've made a number of improvements with the intent of creating the optimal ski vacation for you.
Please feel free to post a comment or question - we love to hear from you! Just scroll down to the dialog box, type away, and hit submit. I'll reply promptly.
Thank you so much for your interest and support. - Dave