Festivarians Unite for Telluride Bluegrass

Where can you find a banjo, festivarians, and John Fogerty? This trifecta can only be found at the annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival by Planet Bluegrass.  Now in its 36th year, this four-day festival is rich in history, both musical and otherwise. Starting with only 100 participants in 1974, it now draws 11,000 people each year to Telluride.  This year the entire festival sold out in early February. 

Although traditionally the festival focuses on bluegrass music, it often features music from a variety of genres. Notable performers have included Johnny Cash, Robert Plant, Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett, Counting Crows, and many more.  Beyond the amazing line-up each year, there is a palpable celebratory spirit in the air that's propagated year-round by festivarians.

What are festivarians you ask?
fes·ti·var·i·an (noun) 1. One who engages in music-related celebration, esp. in beautiful outdoor settings. 2. One who is not afraid of the elements, nor tarp lines at shows and will sacrifice family heirlooms for a live recording of Sam Bush's latest set. 3. One exhibiting extreme intelligence, compassion, and a fondness for good beer. (adj) 1. Of, relating to, or suitable for a feast or festival; festive.

The festivals only last a few days, but the festivarian community is alive and helps you to reconnect with someone you met at last year's festival or a festival ten years ago.  So join us, the festivarians, and celebrate summer solstice in bluegrass style.

Telluride: The Ultimate Family Vacation Spot

A Telluride Colorado family vacation can be great anytime of year, not just in skiing season. A small historic mining town in the 1800s, Telluride has retained its small mountain town charm but is bursting with once in a life time experiences for your family.

At an elevation of 8,700 feet, Telluride has a mild climate, with low humidity and moderate temperatures creating an ideal setting for hiking, biking, horseback riding, golf and river sports. If you're looking for adventure, then check out Telluride Outside. They offer five exciting adventures: fly fishing, 4-WD tours, whitewater rafting, mountain bike tours and photography tours.   Or go on a horseback riding with Ride with Roudy.  They offer custom pack trips or even overnight adventures into the wilderness.

Families can also enjoy many free activities and attractions in Telluride. 

• Gondola Ride: Catch a ride on the free Gondola that connects the towns of Telluride and Mountain Village. Open during ski season and the summer from 7am to Midnight, this scenic ride is a must do. The short, 11 minute ride will leave you speechless as you’re surrounded by 13,000 foot peaks.
• San Sophia Nature Center – At the top of the gondola, visitors can walk to the center, open daily, to learn about hiking and biking trails, weather expectations and local ecosystems. The center also features native wildlife education, children’s nature activities and crafts, and guided interpretive hikes exploring Telluride’s natural flora and fauna.
• RiverTrail walk – Located in town, the RiverTrail is a popular path for both locals and tourists trying to take the scenic route. Stretching along the San Miguel River, this is a beautiful trail that connects the East and West ends of town.
• Telluride Historical Museum - Cozy, intimate and filled with stories, the museum has displays of the mining history of Telluride from the boom days. Located in Telluride, three blocks north from Colorado Avenue on Fir Street, the museum is closed on Mondays. (970.728.3344)
• Telluride Town Park - Town Park is the center of all things fun in the summer. Find the trout pond—where fishing by kids is encouraged—along with the skate park, Imagination Station, basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, disc golf course, an outdoor swimming pool and camping sites right on the river.

As a result of its location in the heart of the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado, Telluride is an ideal region for year-round family vacations. From nature trails that start right near the New Sheridan to a scenic gondola tour, you are bound to hit upon the perfect activities to make your visit memorable.

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.

The Heart of Telluride

It's hard to articulate when something special has that je ne sais quoi.  Telluride is one of those special places that is hard to explain to outsiders unless you've experienced it first-hand. It's of course the beautiful landscape, the gracious residents, all season recreation, the town's history, and the great skiing culture, and yet so much more.

For the avid skier, Telluride represents minimal lift lines, fresh powder, an average of 300 sunny days per year, and lifts that rise straight up from town providing you with access to more than 2,000 acres of some of the world's finest skiing.  Compared to other ski towns, Telluride provides skiers with the unique opportunity to stay in town (versus on the mountain) for easy access to shopping, restaurants, and hotel accommodations while still providing equally as easy access to the slopes.  This unique benefit provides the quintessential ski trip for the entire family.  In this casual, non-glitzy approach, there is no frenzied dash to get on the lift, but rather convivial and varied options from morning to night.

Telluride's quintessential Main Street is by no means cookie-cutter.  The fabric of Telluride is woven through it's local business owners, denizens, and spirit.  It encompasses small town charm with world-class culture.  The New Sheridan Hotel is located in the heart of historic Old Town Telluride with community-driven neighbors such as the Sheridan Opera House and Maggie's Bakery & Cafe.  Devoid of any chain stores, Old Town's clapboard storefronts house independent art galleries, old-time bars, boutiques, historic buildings and an eclectic choice of restaurants. 

Nestled in a box canyon surrounded by majestic, 13000-foot peaks of the San Juan Mountains, Telluride consistently draws people back year after year.  It's year-round residents know why.  This world-class ski town provides a small-town mountain lifestyle that is unmatched anywhere else.  Join us to find out why.

The New Sheridan Hotel: An Artist's Muse

Many use the phrase "blank canvas" metaphorically, but artist Roger Mason selects the New Sheridan Hotel year after year as his literal canvas and Telluride's Main Street as his personal atelier. Mason hails from New York's Hudson Valley and was trained at New York's Pratt Institute.  He found his way to Telluride through music.

In addition to painting, he is also a renowned bass player and played for Peter Rowan at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival back in 1979.  In the 1990s, he toured in a trio with world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman playing to crowds at places like Wolf Trap and Tanglewood. Mason also played bass with The Band. Painting is very musical to him, and they both intertwine and fuel each other in an artistic way. 

As an an abstractionist in a realist's clothes, Mason uses the New Sheridan and other familiar Telluride vistas to capture light, color and form over and over again.  More than any other building in town, the New Sheridan Hotel is the embodiment of Telluride's charm and history. So it's no surprise it's one of Roger Mason's favorite subjects to paint. As one of Telluride's oldest establishments, the landmark hotel could certainly be characterized as the spiritual epicenter of the town. Mason has had a running show in the lobby for a decade and dubs it his "world headquarters."

Through his extensive travels throughout the United States and Europe, he channels that inspiration as he stands on Main Street, his local studio.  The town's box-canyon setting offers dramatic lighting with heavy shadows that play upon colorful storefronts, lamp posts, cars, street life, and mountains.  Mason typically draws a steady stream of onlookers when he sets up his easel in front of the New Sheridan.

So the next time you're in Telluride and strolling Main Street, make sure to be on the lookout for that man in the paint-splattered shirt.

Visit www.RogerMason.net for more info.

Feed Your Soul in Telluride

Daylight savings is almost here and that means longer days are on the horizon.  You now have time for that early evening walk after work or time to squeeze in a run, bike ride, or cardio workout.  So no excuses.  In addition to being physically fit, healthy living should be a priority in your life and travel.

Health-conscious travel has been on the rise and destinations known for wellness have become the choice of not only the health-conscious, but also the affluent traveler.  People are seeking more than just spa retreats and healthy food options.  They want to nurture their body, feed their soul, and satisfy their thirst for adventure.  Telluride, a place of natural rejuvenation, provides all of that and much more. 

With an average 300 sunny days per year, you can easily partake in outdoor activities all year round in Telluride.  The New Sheridan Hotel is located in the heart of the historic business district on Colorado Avenue and can easily serve as base camp for all of your healthy outdoor and wellness adventures.  The New Sheridan Hotel has partnered with some of the area's best outdoor activity companies for both winter and summer activities.  From heli-skiing to fly fishing, the opportunities for healthy living abound.

In addition to the outdoor side of wellness, Telluride is a mecca for the alternative healing arts, as well as integrative healing modalities.  Telluride is home to the Yoga Festival which takes place every July and elevates the benefits of yoga with a mission to protect our natural environment.

So whether you grab your yoga mat or skis, make sure to visit Telluride to support your physical, emotional and intellectual body.  Boost your wellness and make healthy living a priority in your life and travel.