TRANSLUCENT TELLURIDE
filigrees of nature, lacelike delicate qualities

Winnter becomes Telluride as it adorns her with pure and delicate jewels of the season. Crystal clear icicles and granular snow embellish and beautify the landscape particularly as the first rays of sunlight cast orange-yellow hues upon the frosty valley floors, mountaintops and waterways. The ice and glaze of snow create delicate prisms and fine appliques that sparkle as chasms through mantles of white. As the drape of mist lifts with the coming of dawn, the pure winter-white of the San Juans domain glistens as though diamonds were sprinkled upon its horizon. Twinklers of pinks, baby-blues and violets pivot, twist and bounce off the snowfields as though they were communicating with the brilliant overture of classical music and celebrating the coming of a new day in Telluride. Laced with ornamental subtleties such as pine trees cupping snow on their greenery, craggy cliffs decorated in a mélange of icicles and riverways, interspersed with dithers of diaphanous frozen waters so delicate a brush of the westerly wind would end its spectacle in a millisecond. In the wintertime, clouds become a prominent filigree of nature, too. They tend to embrace the mountains and thread themselves in and around the crevices, nooks and crannies of the high country. Their billowing and wispy natures bring out the rugged romance of the area and earmark the place where the heavens and earth collide.

Mountain Warriors, high Voltage Athletics, adrenaline junkies and champions

Donnned in Spyder racing pants, a high-tech, high-collared breathable, waterproof shell, sleek ultra-violet ray protectors and sexy, sophisticated parabolic planks bearing such names as The Bandit, The Patriot and Vertigo, the Telluride snow-sport athlete takes on a warrior-like attitude seeking heart-pounding thrills from such runs as The Plunge, Kant-Mak- M and Spiral Stairs. Telluride's signature extreme skiers - Scott Kennett, Dogger, Sheila Roufa, Caleb Martin and Justine van Houte - are known for "letting it go" and "letting it rip." When they are in their zones, executing a mogul run, it seems as though drums are beating a deep, powerful tempo to the cadence and rhythms of their turns. Striking a highinspirational chord from the spies around, the bumping lords and ladies vanish and melt into the surroundings without a trace. A natural-born skier, pro circuit racer, head coach and director for numerous national and international ski teams, Larry Gianatti (picture top right with son) is now the Executive Director of Telluride's Ski and Snowboarding Club after a 10-year reign as Telluride's Alpine Head Coach. Gianatti's athletic agility, mental focus and skilled-based coaching qualities make him a paragon in the ski industry. As a coach and director he not only trains, inspires and educates 185 skiers and boarders and 30 coaches, he grooms them for the biggest of big challenges.....to do their personal best; which, for some, translates into competing in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Caleb Martin and Justine van Houte are Telluride hopefuls who are expected to do very well in Utah . Other Telluride ski warriors are Herb Manning, who prevails in extreme free skiing, and the Ghost Riders, an elite group of Telluride ski instructors who placed sixth in international synchronized skiing. To enhance your trip to Telluride and become a better skier or boarder, enroll in Telluride's Ski & Snowboard School , it's second to none.

Wilderness Way, Nature of Nature, Take a Timeless and Meaningful Journey

While in the arms of Mother Nature, we discover much about our world and inner-selves. In nature belies all the answers to our most troubling and challenging situations. If you're in tune with the nature of nature, moral inventories, life lessons and universal truths will surface, enlighten and enrich your soul. Answers to the most simplistic of problems will be whispered by the wind through the dense emerald forests that have stood stoically through decades and even centuries. Nature's reply to your taunting questions, challenges or high-spirited moments will undoubtedly confirm that you are part of the food chain, part of something larger and so immense, it seems almost magical or surreal. In nature, you'll find you are interconnected to everything we revere as beautiful; The crystalline-blue skies, the rugged mountains, the waterfalls as well as mighty black bears, clever foxes and majestic eagles who keep a watchful eye on the grounds you tread. You'll discover you are an intricate part of the earth and have a need to get intimate with the natural scheme-of-things. It's called the "call of the wild." It's innate and every human being should tap into it, understand it and have an allegiance to it. A mere jaunt through the woods along the San Miguel River or skiing on any of Telluride's fantastic array of trails will bring you into the wild and wonderful grasp of the natural world. Solitude punctuated by the piercing omnipresent sense of belonging will dazzle and awaken your inner-child, who so preciously and instantly bonds with the ways of the wilderness. Getting in sync with the rhythms of the landscape and basking in the ways of the wilderness is perhaps the most gratifying, meaningful and exhilarating way of feeling complete. From all points on the compass, Telluride is surrounded by spectacles of nature, so take time to explore and discover its bounty.

A Living Heritage, the Past in the Present, A Ship Carrying Memories into the Future

Heritage is a powerful word that connotes birthright, tradition, legacy and respect. Ancestors, great grand parents and cultures hand-down, as their rights of passage, traditional values, cultural attributes, land and material goods to the next generation in hopes of instilling and preserving characteristics predominately important and dear to them. Seemingly there's an unspoken, unwritten law when it comes to passing traditions from one generation to another. There's also a richness and sense of identity intrinsic in nature that comes in carrying on characteristics or cultural attributes our ancestors left us. Embracing our past helps us sculpt a brighter, stronger future and makes the present more meaningful. Preserving our heritage not only "grounds" us, but it links us to the trials, tribulations and glories of yesteryear. In a way, it validates our existence and lends itself to a certain prestige. More than most Western towns, Telluride has a love affair and even a duty in preserving the relics of the past. As a National Historic District, Telluride's infrastructure is built on the restoration, conservation of land and building types that were traditional mainstays of its mining hey-day. Keeping the "founders" structural design integrity and styles subsisting, creates an aura in Telluride that is unique unto itself. As you walk the promenade of Telluride's main street you may need a "virtual reality" check as you could easily get confused, forgetting what era you're part of. Vertigo. Fusing the past with all the conveniences of the present engenders the mood or spirit of the rough n' tumble West as well as brings out the ol' time qualities, ambiance and traditions of the people who dwelled within and amongst the spectacular setting of Telluride and the San Juans.

The High Notes of Life, Music of the Majestic Highlands, John Yankee Brings Celctic and Jazzy Tunes to Telluride

Throughout the vestiges of time, music has brought people together in heartfelt moments of great celebration and great mourning. Music punctuates statements in life. It brings out the mood of a time and place. It is an universal apparatus that speaks many languages, breaks down political and social vicissitudes, engenders possibilities, dreamlike states of euphoria and relays messages from our ancestors. Telluride's music man, John Yankee, degreed in music with a bachelors from Peabody Conservatory and a masters from Yale University , says, "Music breaks down economic and class barriers. It brings people from all facets of life together to create beautiful sounds." Yankee is one that believes, music like art and even math, is about proportion, calculations and balance. He also believes it should not be an optional choice in our school systems as it teaches students a "dual language" and refines "inner athleticism," which promotes the skills of listening, diction and tuning in. Under the tutelage of John Yankee, Telluride locals have been taught the fine art of singing through such programs as the Choral Society, WinterSing, SpringSing, the Chamber Singers, Choir and more. Stu and Ginny Fraser, long-time members of the Winter- and SpringSings, say collectively that singing under Yankee's pedagogy has given them added confidence and enriches their lives tremendously. In fact, all singers spoken to made the same claim and further said it gave them a huge sense of accomplishment after they performed their assemble of songs to the public. WinterSing. Doesn't it have a lovely sound to it? It's a diverse group of Telluridians who gather and sing songs for your listening pleasure...in the winter season. Again under the tutelage of San Miguel County 's music maestro, John Yankee, WinterSing is performing a collection of mysteryshrouded Celtic holiday and folk songs. Suo Gon, Irish Blessing, Wexford Carol, From Heaven High, Dancing Day, Morning Has Broken and Sound the Trumpet are some of the classics you can hear the choristers sing. Accompanying on the Irish harp is Ulli Sir Jesse, Laura Lakes on whistles, Greg Hanshaw on bagpipes and Bob Israel on piano.