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Thread: Telluride crowds?
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10-02-2017, 11:16 PM #1Registered User
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Telluride crowds?
Based on my research, Telluride isn't a busy mountain, but I'm trying to get an idea on what that means. I've been riding Monarch for the last 3 years, where you can hike Mirkwood for 3 days and still have good snow. Can you hit fresh tracks all day in Telluride off the lifts, or do you have to start hiking early to get the best snow throughout the day?
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10-03-2017, 07:41 AM #2
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10-03-2017, 08:34 AM #3
Telluride crowds?
People come out of the woodwork on powder days. It can be mayhem on a powder day (along with the entitled pricks who feel they can cut ahead of others in line like anywhere else), but you can sniff out powder all day if you know where to look. Sometimes timing is everything.....and patience.
The hike to stuff probably won't be open right away and may take a few days to open.
Blog post from one day:
It was nuts after a drought a few years ago, there was a power outage in town and the lifts were slow to get going after a 2' dump. The Coon Skin (Lift 7) line wrapped around the base area until it got going. The upper mountain wasn't open, nor was Lift 9. After the hordes ate up the powder on the town side, the rumor went around that it would open mid morning.
A line formed at the closure to the Telluride trail waiting in anticipation. There is a little pitch above the TT coming over from the Mountin Village side, off See For Ever where others lined up. When the rope dropped for the Le Mans start, the skiers and boards from above dropped in while everyone on the trail started elbowing and pushing through. The ones from above tried blasting through the line. People were run over, poles bent. When the mass made it to Lookout from the cat track to Lookout and dropped in, people were falling and nearly getting run over. If you slowed down or stopped you were toast. We got a few freshy lines off nine and started poking around the trees and edges.
After a late lunch and a break, I went to rendezvous with my sister and discovered that Gold Hill was due to open at 2pm. We were among the first to hit Dynamo and Electra for dolphin skiing in the bumps. Some of the best freshies ever with not too many around for the afternoon. Everyone else was more spent.
The next day, it had snowed a little more and was sunny. No one around and there was great skiing the runs and with fresh snow over soft crud and lots of fresh lines in the trees.
Side note, 'The Hateful Eight' was filmed that year and they had a lot of down time waiting for it to snow for the movie. The actors and crew participated in a ski burning party prior to the big storm. Saw Samuel L Jackson at Lift 9 on the big powder day and he was smiling ear to ear, too.Last edited by Alpinord; 10-03-2017 at 12:38 PM.
Best regards, Terry
(Direct Contact is best vs PMs)
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10-03-2017, 12:18 PM #4Registered User
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telluride will be busier than monarch that's for sure, but less busy than I-70 ski resorts.
I don't think too many tourists choose Monarch as a ski vacation destination.......
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10-03-2017, 12:51 PM #5"fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
"She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
"everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy
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10-03-2017, 03:01 PM #6
I only really ski there on President's week so I'm there at the peak of the crowds. Only real line on a non-powder day is on Chair 4 in the AM and a little bit on Chair 5 for groomer laps right thereafter. This is the busiest area and can get crowded but its totally doable.
From my experience...on powder days, they do rolling terrain openings similar to other resorts once cleared by patrol for avalanche control. You'll have to pick a side of the mountain and roll the dice. If you're staying in Mountain Village a good tip is to head up Chair 10 so you are closer to Prospect Basin so you can hike up to Mountain Quail and Dihedral zone...I've had some epic runs in there. If there's a terrain hold, you can sometimes bang out a powder lap/hike up Bald Mountain or do a lap or two in Rockslide off Ute Park.
Your best bet on a decent dump is to head straight to Lift 9 (like mentioned above) and/or Lift 6 for best pitch. My tip is to see what was run was groomed off of 9 'before it snowed' this way you b-line to the pow run without moguls underneath. After that, they usually open Gold Hill/Prospect Basin etc around the same time. Revelation Bowl may be next but the run is pretty short. You can totally find untracked snow after the storm but you'll have to work for it. Its a pretty significant hike (for an in-bounds area) to the top of Palmyra Peak. Ideally, you want to be waiting at the top of Prospect Lift and be talking to patrol. They open Black Iron Bowl first, then up to Mountain Quail, then finally Palmyra. Palmyra is pretty damn fun in my humble opinion.
Ultimately, nothing is too hidden there...some secret spots in the trees here and there.
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10-03-2017, 09:17 PM #7Registered User
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10-03-2017, 09:20 PM #8
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10-03-2017, 09:36 PM #9"fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
"She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
"everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy
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10-03-2017, 09:59 PM #10
In my experience, Telluride gets tracked up pretty quick on a powder day. Most of the terrain is pretty obvious and well known. Not many 'secret' spots that hold powder.
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10-04-2017, 12:00 PM #11
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10-04-2017, 01:36 PM #12
No real secret stashes IN the resort. It all gets skied out pretty quick.
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10-05-2017, 12:14 AM #13
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10-05-2017, 07:42 AM #14
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10-05-2017, 08:24 AM #15
Yeah. Truthfully, Telluride sucks on powder days. It only lasts for one run. So tell everyone not to bother.
Best regards, Terry
(Direct Contact is best vs PMs)
SlideWright.com
Ski, Snowboard & Tools, Wax and Wares
Repair, Waxing, Tuning, Mounting Tips & more
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10-05-2017, 08:37 AM #16Registered User
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Seems to me these day most ski areas are shredded very quickly. The bigger the mountain the faster the pow is gone.
The wide spread distribution of fat, skid anywhere skis have given us that. Yes... your runs can go farther before you tire out, but so do everybody's. Even if they never heard of a carved a turn. Ease of access leading to loss of opportunity.Last edited by snojones; 10-05-2017 at 05:28 PM.
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10-05-2017, 01:09 PM #17
Here's a vid from President's week in 2017...you'll see I found some lurking stashes
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10-05-2017, 03:36 PM #18
Excellent video. We need more of this stoke.
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10-05-2017, 03:51 PM #19
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10-05-2017, 03:56 PM #20Banned
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Great video.
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
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10-05-2017, 04:23 PM #21
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10-05-2017, 04:49 PM #22
Thanks guys...
Hell, I even got the whole family skiing in that vid haha.
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10-06-2017, 12:16 AM #23
That looks fun !
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10-06-2017, 09:13 AM #24
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10-06-2017, 09:26 AM #25
video isn't showing for me, can someone post a link?
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