Telluride alone
Written: Dec 02 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: interesting town
Cons: ...full of pretentious hippies with trust funds
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| kristenulmer's Full Review: Telluride |
I may just be in line at a bakery, but it's more like I'm at a high school lunch counter, with some punk rock concert and a bit of tofu-stand thrown in to make things interesting. The room is a moving mass of dread locks, purple dye, duct tape, nerds, childish adults, laughing kids, and oddly pierced body parts. It's called "Baked in Telluride" and I need a quick calorie fix. The lifts are running and making me crazy with impatience.
I'm here alone. This is unusual for me; most ski areas I visit with a hundred of my closest friends and get followed by a big hairy men with cameras. I tried to drag friends along this time, but they stayed at home obsessing about silly things like time, money and jobs. I came here just for myself, the alternative was another endless week of phone calls and a glowing screen ready to suck the personality right out of me. Besides, I've always wanted to make Telluride my alternate universe, kind of a home away from home…
I have a few concerns about my current single condition. Skiing is very social; how lonely a person seems riding the chair by themselves. I also hate looking like an abandoned waif eating alone in a restaurant, reading a book or fiddling with my earrings, trying unsuccessfully to appear preoccupied.
But look at this variety of happy, unpretentious line people around me waiting for their bagels! One smile and I'll have a zillion new friends.
That's the thing about Telluride; it's friendly, cozy and accepting. Places like Aspen or Vail are so heavy; everyone seems afraid to move outside the disease of political correctness. As if plastic pants or a loud, roaring laugh might suggest you're damaged rather than just different. Telluride has such a cool non-judgmental, laid back spirit- I already feel the local attitude creeping in.
I pay for my muffin and walk to the lifts. The town is small and easy to access- no impersonal parking lot rush or robot-like mobs of people. I easily fall into conversation with a few guys harassing each other about last nights disco-party drinking binge. I have a few skiing options; I could go with them to touristy lift #5, pay for an instructor's friendship, get a free mountain tour, sign up for a couple days in a women's clinic, or go to lift 9 by myself and meet some locals. These guys have short skis. Yuck, I can't ski with that. I wish them luck with their hangovers and move on.
On lift 9 I see something that makes my head spin. I rub my eyes and look again. Women! Lots of them! And they are all skiing like maniacs!
Athletic and smart women really stand out in Telluride. They rule the town: The mayor, doctor, commissioners, judge, town manager, ski area executives, ski school director, golf director- all women! Plus, if a woman is called a "great skier" in Telluride, you know she's really good. The women of Telluride rip, and the men respect that.
I watch this fiery red-head fly by in the moguls and I take off behind her like a cat chasing a slinky. Every time she stops and looks my way I grin stupidly- could I possibly be more obvious? Finally, Sheila introduces herself and we ski off happily into the sunset…or something like that. Actually we beat ourselves to a tragic level of pain in the moguls, trying to outdo each other in speed and air. We have no choice, the expert runs are all smothered in moguls, but it's a good way to spend the day bonding forever in that ski sisterhood thing.
The mountain is naturally segregated from east to west. The east is steep and bumpy, and the further you move west, the easier it gets. It may be user friendly, but we kind of miss rushing the beginners at high speed.
Sheila tells me all the hot spots in town to meet people. The 4200 square foot Health Spa is world class and a good place to relax and hang out with other vacationers. A more local experience is at the Swede Fin Bar, or by playing broom hockey that night at the town park ice rink. The Fly Me To The Moon Saloon has great bands, and sometimes the town closes Main Street, brings in a hot band like the Cowboy Junkies, or Asleep At The Wheel, and throws a Greenbucks party (which have "save the world" themes- like pick up trash and get a free ticket). Wow. No wonder everyone here is always in a good mood.
She warns me of a local reality called "Telluride time". Schedule a hair appointment (not that I would), and the stylist will be always be late. Eating in a restaurant is a painfully slow process, there is no such thing as fast food. The rule: never rush Telluride- let it ride it's own smooth, peaceful wave… I can live with this.
We ski until the lifties tell us to beat it, go home already! I make arrangements to meet Sheila at 8:00 for dinner. Meanwhile, I want to start wandering the streets. The alpenglow on the mountains is becoming spectacular, and very romantic. It's perfect to check out the talent…
There may be a lot of prestigious women living in and visiting Telluride, but the ratio of men to women is still about two to one. That's one beauty of the ski scene I'll never lament.
I sit outside the restaurant and watch the world go by. Some of the people have city-style shocker looks, with nomadic hairdos and beatnik clothing. But there are no snowboard gangs or skier serial killers, everyone is actually outgoing and very nice. So nice in fact; few people in Telluride locks their doors at night.
Already I've met ten brilliant, gorgeous, successful men who want to shower me with expensive gifts and fly me to Paris for the weekend. Well, not exactly, but I've met a few cute guys who seem genuine and sweet, maybe I'll ski with them later this week.
Sheila's late, (of course). We have a lot to talk about, being future best friends and all.
As I sit cozy in my seat and meet wave after wave of Sheila's friends, I notice the conversations are becoming increasingly louder and more animated. At this rate, everyone in the restaurant should be roaring and singing within a few hours. Some funky jazz band is playing at the Moon tonight. It's happening… I'm swinging now, baby! After only one day here, already I'll be dancing like a hallucinating dead head, and I'm never brushing my hair ever again…
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kristenulmer
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Member: Kristen Ulmer
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 91 members
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