Telluride PhotosPhotos of Telluride Ski Area, Snowboarding, Hiking

I have been a long time follower of Steve Clemons’ political blog at TheWashingtonnote.com.  I have often found his take on many important national & world issues to be progressive, moderate, and often pragmatic … all of which seem to be increasingly rare these days in a hyper-partisan climate which seems to dominate our collective psyche.

I consider myself to be politically moderate in most instances; however, I generally lean toward the liberal end of the spectrum on social issues, but am financially conservative.   I suppose could even go so far as to say I have been a moderate Libertarian on many fronts prior to the so-called Tea Party movement, yet I recognize the need for sufficiency of governmental infrastructure.  In other words, I am not a proponent of fundamental Libertarianism … as I believe the logical end game is anarchy and lack of a “core safety-net foundation” (i.e. fire, police, hospitals) if practiced in the extreme/purist form.

In any case, I believe I started following Steve Clemons’ blog after the recess appointment of John Bolton as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations … since Mr. Clemons seemed to really be a force to reckon with in so far as uncovering some of more blatant as well as the more nuanced consequences of Bolton’s appointment and how it affected the United States’ credibility in the court of world opinion.    I owe a great deal of credit to Steve for truly captivating my attention to that particular issue as well as many others which he explored over the course of blogging at   TheWashingtonnote.com — which has since been a “regular stop” for me in so far as news/op-ed sources I frequent to keep abreast of political news/events.

While I’m sure there are plenty issues I might disagree with Steve, one of the “biggies” is with respect to “Net Neutrality”.  I don’t want to put words into his mouth, but I believe he was at one point officially on the fence regarding this issue; however, I believe he may have given some consideration to the support of some form of an abolishment of the current status quo of net neutrality in favor of a “pay to serve faster (content)” paradigm in effort to ramp up our national IT/internet infrastructure via privatization (to paraphrase).

I believe net neutrality is a critical leveling mechanism with respect to how “the news” affects political discourse in so far as opening up the number of potential “channels” which the world’s population is able to viably select to garner meaningful and often times diverse perspectives on a wide range of issues.  Net neutrality represents the polar opposite of the consolidation of news sources which tend to homogenize perspective and discourse.   Moreover, it is a lot easier for political players to “steer the masses” with fewer news sources.  This is one of the more significant pitfalls I am concerned about … especially since a neutral internet allows for independent writers to gain immediate equality with what has traditionally been a high barrier of entry, a good ole boys club if you will, to mass dispersal of information without the contamination of the particular agendas of special interests which seems to currently enjoy an institutional bias on this front.  The potential of the independent writer must not be curtailed if we are to advance and evolve to allow each of our voices to be potentially heard by the world’s ear.

OK, back to the point of this post:  I had not seen a post by Steve on thewashingtonnote.com in over two weeks (July 14, 2011) … so I opted to visit his relatively new home at theatlantic.com and found there to be about 18 posts which had never appeared on thewashingtonnote.com.  There are truly a gazillion possibilities why this is the case … many of which might be very good reasons.   I realize it’s obviously not up to me to dictate where Steve publishes his writings, and maybe there are many significant “upsides” to joining forces with a larger entity; however, the one  downside I can’t help but consider to be a trump card is the apparent shift away from what appeared to be a more independent platform.   This is certainly not to say theatlantic.com is not a great venue in it’s own right.

Again, I’m not privy to the details behind the scenes and whether this is a temporary phase, transitional, or more permanent move?   Personally, I hope Steve keeps his bet hedged and realizes the enormous impact he’s had on the political blogging sphere as well as the example thewashingtonnote.com has provided in so far as illustrating what IS POSSIBLE for any person to potentially emulate to some degree.  Granted Steve has been involved in politics for a while & presumably has many “inside connections” – which might give him a leg up over an “average American” – but he has still provided a working example of how one person’s voice can be heard on the national/world stage and have an impact.

Monday evening a couple mudslides closed Ophir Road to all vehicular traffic other than off road bikes and such … as seen below in the video clip of a motorcycle making it through the 3 foot deep and often very soft and mushy mix of mud, rocks and other debris.

The storm was actually very intense and lasted for a while, so it didn’t surprise me to see the amount of flow matter which existed … which came down from one of the steeper drainages on the north sude of the road, just to the west of the “halfway house” (about 1/2 mile to the west of town).

We’re about a week away from the start of the 2011 Telluride Bluegrass Festival … which is completely sold out this year. Unfortunately, a few locals have been caught by surprise … hopefully, everyone who wants to attend will find a ticket and scalpers will find their home where the sun don’t shine!

… big time! …. and more ways than one. As much as I personally didn’t miss out on seeing them perform, I won’t forget what went down here in Telluride! It was a lot of fun to catch this unique ensemble which delivered very colorful, true, and often times delicate arrangements. While Neil Young made a joke before playing “For What It’s Worth” that it was their only “hit”, there were only a couple of tunes which they played which I did not recognize. They also threw in a couple Neil Young tunes “I Am a Child” and “Rockin’ in a Free World”. Here’s a shot of the Fox Theatre in Oakland. I had seats on the floor level but wandered around the venue prior to the start of the show to check things out:

While the venue was excellent as an indoor venue, it doesn’t compete by a long shot had Buffalo Springfield played outside in Telluride Town Park! It was a loss for the town & ultimately I believe for Blues and Brews as well. I suppose I keep wavering on “understanding where they were coming from” and on the other hand extremely angry that the town as a whole missed out! I won’t hold on to the anger, but I also won’t support the Blues and Brews festival for a long time … it would take a lot for me to get back on board with that festival!

Otherwise, Gillian Welch opened up the show … who I was given rave reviews by many people I spoke with prior & she definitely lived up to them! Would be interesting to see her in the context of a full band.

I’ll save my review of Furthur at Shoreline (which brought me out there in the first place) for another day soon … but can say for now they were both excellent shows!

The weather held out for the ice cream social during the Telluride Mountain Film Festival in 2011 which marks the official and what has also been the traditional beginning to the festival season in Telluride.

Below is a shot of a bluegrass trio playing on the San Miguel County Courthouse steps during the ice cream social. An appropriate precursor to the upcoming Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The mandolin player used to be my neighbor in Ophir:

According to a story which ran in the Telluride Daily Planet today:

“… the Telluride Regional Airport Authority has voted to set airport operating hours from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. year round, effective immediately.”

The final vote of the TRAA was seven in favor and zero opposed to the extension of operating hours. Previously, the hours of operation were 30 min. before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset … so this essentially really only affects the winter operating hours given the sun sets late in the evening during the summer months.

In any case, I will not be on an inbound airplane to Telluride which is landing in the dark. In my opinion, it’s simply a risky proposition and there are safer and cheaper alternatives; namely, Montrose, Durango, or Grand Junction Colorado.

I also believe it was poor judgment & a slap in the face to the residents of the county to circumvent the provision regarding night flights contained within the original SUP issued by San Miguel County to permit the airport in the first place. If the issue were presented to the residents of SMC or formerly to the Board of County Commissioners (who would be vested official authority to engage in such a decision), then it wouldn’t be an issue. However, TRAA has unilaterally moved forward on this front; apparently under the operating assumption that federal law stipulates that “local zoning” does not have any jurisdiction on operations of an FAA sactioned aiport (to paraphrase).

Regardless, I stand by my original claim that the Telluride airport is not my first choice … due to price, diversion rates, and now what might be a very real safety factor. Remember, Telluride is at about 9,000k, receives tremendous amounts of snow and adverse weather … and if that isn’t enough, it’s essentially a “stationary aircraft carrier” in so far as having threes sides of the runway exposed to extreme drop-offs of several hundred feet.

I apologize to Steve if I’ve overreacted. I suppose I still feel the way I do, but I don’t hold anything personal against him & realize he’s simply doing what he feels needs to be done.

It’s just frustrating to see how this all went down when I think there could’ve been some decent common ground to stand on where everyone felt good about most aspects an arrangement.

Haven’t been writing much these days, but this particular issue deserves dusting off the keyboard:

An offer by a promoter to schedule a concert by Buffalo Springfield in Telluride Town Park a week prior to the Telluride Blues & Brews festival was shot down by the Telluride Town Council after pleas by Telluride Blues & Brews promoter Steve Gumble.

I don’t think I’ll ever get over this — not the fact that Buffalo Springfield will not be coming to Telluride — but rather that Telluride Blues & Brews apparently took the lead in pulling the plug. This incident has single handedly turned me off to this festival for a LONG time! It may never be known whether they’ve “saved some revenue” from being lost to Buffalo Springfield, but I won’t be running to buy tickets from them anytime soon!

This could’ve been a mutually beneficial back to back pair of weekend events which would give the ENTIRE Town of Telluride a much needed shot in the arm during uncertain economic times. Instead, it looks like fear wins out.

Today was day ten and third riding regular. Basically mopping up powder in spots and going fast in the open. I took the Gold Hill lift for the first time this season, but opted out of taking a run down after hearing confirmation from the person next to me on the lift that it was very rocky … at least on the inbounds & chokes. Little Rose was closed.

Yesterday was a much better day, was in the exact right spot at the right time yesterday when patrol dropped the rope to North Chute off of Telluride Trail. It was a top notch run which had me racing up lift 7 yelling to downloaders that they didn’t have to download anymore (although it’s probably not a bad idea for some … since the Ttrail is a bit sketchy with man made snow). Got a first track on the western headwall to Coonskin, probably the best 6 turns of the season for me right there! Raced up for a 2nd on Coonskin, but by then it was fairly well chopped up so I headed over to 9 and got a great run in my favorite Mammoth Finger. The photo below was taken from the top before I dumped in.

If you click on the photo above (and then click on the “Full Size” icon), you can view the full version in the gallery where you can really see the way the clouds are lower than the mountain peaks way off in the distance. It kind of blurs a bit, so it’s harder to tell on the smaller version.

Otherwise, I had a slice of cheese pizza at the Crazy Elk today. The regular price is $6. Yep, that’s SIX DOLLARS for a slice of pizza! Plus tax probably brings it to like $6.50. I paid just shy of six dollars out the door after my “discount” from having a season pass. Pepperoni and Veggie slices were $7 +tax. It was actually a decent piece of pizza, but lets face it … they’re ballpark/airport prices! I believe the Crazy Elk is run by the ski company, but I could be wrong. If this is the case, then the support by Dave Riley (CEO of the ski company) to rid the Telluride Mountain Village of vending carts would seem to me to be a means of insurance to be able to continue to charge what are already relatively inflated prices for quick food items such as burgers and pizza. I’ve stopped eating pizza routinely, but I can’t wait until Baked in Telluride is back up and running.

It was day 8 of the season and day 2 of 8 riding on a regular stance. The snow was actually very good in the open on the runs under lift 9 & lift 6 … three inches of new thick, but not over-the-top heavy, snow blanked the area – combined with the three inches the night before left 6 inches of fresh to be found in untouched pockets.

Having said that, I found the snow coverage in the trees in Satisfaction to be teetering … on one hand the powder was deep and plentiful in spot, yet was sparse and bony in other areas ripe with tree branches & stumps to slam you into the ground (or worse yet into a tree). One run was enough to understand the state of affairs regarding tree skiing at this point in time. Be VERY careful! Even my favorite Mammoth finger — which was otherwise well covered — had a few obstacles to worry about.

The rule of thumb for those who like to venture into the trees is 50 inches being the minimum base … although the more cautious of the lot will wait until there’s even more coverage to venture into the trees. I’d say it’s a decent marker, but depends on your ability level & equipment. Snowboarders typically have an easier time vs. skiers skipping over tree parts and such given that there’s a single plank. Gear that allow for quick turns also provides an advantage for tree skiing / snowboarding. I ride a Burton Fish which naturally floats, bounces over crap, and can turn on a dime … but still, there are hardly any guarantees.

Apparently, the Gold Hill lift is running, but I believe there isn’t any terrain open underneath. Not sure of the purpose of this other than to deliver guests to a high point on the mountain and/or to allow them to access Alpino Vino (restaurant/bar). I’m sure it doesn’t hurt to advertise that 16/18 lifts open! … even though it might be considered a bit misleading.

The ski area is currently reporting a 43″ base and a 7 day storm total of 22″ … while it’s hard to complain about nearly two feet of snow, it’s definitely the relative “short end of the stick” compared to other Colorado ski resort totals (and the rain fall totals which southern California had received). From the Denver Post, here’s a sampling of other resort’s reported base depths:

Aspen Mountain – 40″
Aspen Highlands – 71″ (now that’s interesting!)
Crested Butte – 68″
Eldora – 38″
Monarch – 64″
Powderhorn – 10″
Silverton – 130″ (now that’s VERY interesting!!!)
Wolf Creek – 79″

All in all, the mountain is doing OK … I’ve seen it worse at this time of year, but it’s a far cry from being epic … Crested Butte or Aspen Highlands would be my choice if I were “watching closely” and hadn’t decided where to go just yet. Both of those mountains rock!