Education + Inspiration = MountainFilm

As the skiing season concludes and the town thins out to mostly locals again, an underground swell of anticipation and excitement builds as Telluride looks forward to the upcoming Mountainfilm festival which officially kicks off festival season on Memorial Day weekend.

The festival has established an annual tradition of bringing together filmmakers, environmentalists, educators, students, and mountaineers to the breathtaking box canyon high in the San Juan mountains of southwest Colorado.  The Telluride Mountainfilm festival began in 1979 as an opportunity for climbers and mountaineers to enjoy the Telluride outdoors during the day and watch films about mountains and mountain culture at night. As one of America’s longest-running film festivals, Mountainfilm has evolved over the decades to embrace a much wider and more diverse audience and the programming now stretches to the leading edges of contemporary social, cultural, and environmental issues.

In addition to screening leading independent documentary films from around the world, this Telluride festival starts with its traditional Moving Mountains Symposium, which focuses on a pressing contemporary issue such as energy (2007), water (2008), food (2009) and the extinction crisis (2010).  This year's symposium theme is "Population."

In addition to the great line-up of symposiums that will be held, the festival will also show approximately 75 films, including the premiere of House of Cards, a climbing film that documents Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk's first ascent of the Shark Fin last October.  Over several days, the diverse selection of films will take you on an odyssey that could encompass music, the far reaches of Morocco's skiing, a story of a family embracing zero-impact living, or dropping new lines in big mountain—all within the same festival.  Films are laced with question and answer sessions and symposiums that provide audiences deeper insight behind these stories and their cast of characters—from historians, athletes, photographers to writers.


The festival also includes art exhibits, book signings, student workshops, and a forum for other non-profit organizations aligned with Mountainfilm’s mission and programming.

For more information, please visit Mountainfilm. 

The Skiing Finale in Telluride

They say all good things must come to an end.  This is only partially true for Telluride.  Blessed with an average of 300" of snowfall each year and over 2,000 acres of skiable terrain, locals and visitors alike get to experience blissful and uncrowded skiing conditions.  By April, powder appetites have been satiated by four months of winter, the spring-break crowds thin to manageable numbers and late-day sun encourages afternoon lounging.

The Telluride Ski Resort officially closes this weekend, April 8th, along with all of the celebratory festivities both in Mountain Village and in downtown.  KOTOfm also hosts their annual aprés-winter block party on Main Street.  This year's theme for the costume contest is "Pink Flamingo."  The Easter Bunny will also be hopping around the base of Lift 4 and around the Sheridan Opera House.

Each season offers its own unique entertainment for outdoor adventurers. This weekend may mark the finale of the ski season, but it also symbolizes the start of spring, summer festivals, and outdoor activities.  Warmer weather and clear skies are perfect for exploring the pristine hiking, horseback riding and biking trails that start right from the valley floor. Winter’s runoff from the San Juan mountains also unveils a playground for boaters, rafters and fly fishers starting from the San Miguel River that runs right through downtown.

No matter what time of year you plan to visit Telluride, there is always a multitude of activities and great outdoor adventures to be had.  Telluride is a year-round outdoor playground for adults. So channel your inner child and start playing.