Telluride Friday and Saturday

**whipski** · 03-05-2019, 12:42 PM

Be skiing with my girlfriend and 14 yr son. Could be up for some hike to etc. Staying in Matterhorn so will base up on the mtn. Any local tips,recommendations or knowledge re

pening/closures etc welcome

**Vitamin I** · 03-06-2019, 01:35 AM

I will be skiing both FRI & SAT.

I just arrived in town and skied only 1 day so far, and I am completely confused about inbounds openings/closures. All I know is based on the 1 day I've skied, people here in Telluride violate closures more than I've ever seen anywhere else.

Snowboarder dude got off lift, sat right in front of the Patrol Shack front door buckling up his snowboard bindings, then stood up, rode 2 feet, then ducked the rope 10 ft in front of the Patrol Shack door.

I'm at Patrol Shack anyway, so I tell Patrol I'm from Whistler where we're ALLOWED to duck any rope, any time (if no Closed sign)---and I ask Patrol if I can duck ropes here. Patrol says NO WAY.

BillyGoat trail says CLOSED, but there's at least 120 tracks through it.

Other zones closed, but like 2000 tracks in it.

65-year-old grandma on the lift tells me she never ducks ropes..."Oh, but on 2nd thought, every single time they close Electra run, I just ski right past the closed sign every time all winter long."

55-year-old grandma snowboarder with a 10-packs-of-cigarettes-a-day voice gaper-sliding on her butt to get low enough to go right under the "CLOSED, enter only through gates" sign.

I start paying attention to ropes as I ski all day, and I see that 95% of ropes have tracks under them. Telluride Patrol could pull 800 passes a day if they bothered to try.

Meanwhile, 2 fatalities within 2 weeks for SOLO travelers through backcountry avalanche terrain.

...which apparently hasn't deterred these inbounds violators in Telluride, and I don't see Patrol caring much. Weird culture here...I can't tell if I'm expected to fit in and violate every closure, or be the only one who actually obeys Patrol's closures.

.

**whipski** · 03-07-2019, 09:21 AM

Should be interesting. Looks like we'll get some snow!

**dufferdan** · 03-09-2019, 07:54 PM

I love Telluride. Awesome mountain with loads of inbound terrain for fun and giggles. Without knowing where I was going at any mountain, no way I duck ropes. At Telluride, there are a lot of spots where you get into nasty nasty cliffs. Yet I saw lots of tracks above those areas heading off trails and into trees.

I have been there four times, on corporate boondoggles. We had guides/teachers for all the guests. One, Marti Martin-Kunitz, holds two or three women’s speed records from the late 70’s early 80’s. And Bev, (I cant recall her last name) was on the US Nordic Interski team. Talk about sooo solid. Great instructors, guides, and people. Love that place. Have had two massive snowfalls there and the powder is insane. It can be slightly above 0*C and still bone dry as the air suck any moisture out. Remarkable place.

Our Houston and San Diego Clint’s had real issues with altitude. I was OK, but sleeping t 9500 feet is a challenge for those coming from humid and sea level. We stayed at the Peaks, which started as a 4 star, but slipped a lot over our time there. I think it is back. But awesome experience nonetheless.

I am jealous! Have a blast...inbounds!

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