2 minute read
Winter in Telluride The perfect day
There’s 6 inches of fresh snow in town and even more on the mountain. I help my dad shovel the deck, grab my skis and walk to Lift 8, stopping along the way at Baked In Telluride to grab a coffee and a cake donut with sprinkles. I meet up with my friends at the lift line. Everyone’s giddy with excitement.
Up on the mountain, we rip a couple of laps on 9 before going over to 6, where the snow is soft and the lift line small. Our legs are wobbly and tired by noon. We get spaghetti and meatballs at Guiseppe’s to refuel for the afternoon. Telluride Ski Patrol opens Gold Hill after some mitigation work. It’s a gold rush on Andy’s Gold, which is my favorite run. Today, it’s steep and deep. We lap Gold Hill for the rest of the afternoon, then head over to Gorrono for a day’s end drink and some nibbles. We enjoy our drinks and listen to live music. Our faces are red from perspiration and the cold, but it doesn’t matter. Life is good.
The fun doesn’t stop in the evening. I head over to Hanley Rink in Telluride Town Park for a game of pick-up hockey. I play with my former Telluride Lizard Head teammates and other members of the community. We dish the puck to each other and stride through the ice ignoring the burning in our legs from a long day of skiing. The puck flows between us and so do the smiles. We lose track of the score and celebrate each goal, regardless of which team the goal-scorer is on.
I head back home. My dad’s already gotten the wood stove going. The whole house is toasty. My little brother and I head to the garage and wax our skis—there’s more snow in the forecast. If we were staying in, my mom might make her trademark linguine with white wine and clam sauce for dinner before walking our dog, Leo, around the block. Tonight, though, we visit Rustico Ristorante, where I order the delectable mushroom risotto.
Later that evening, I meet back up with my friends at the bar at the New Sheridan. It feels like a Telluride High School reunion. Everyone’s there, not just from my year, but several years above and below me. We hang out and catch up at the poker table that sits up above the bar. Then we go over to the pool tables. I’m normally a pretty average pool player, but tonight I run the table.
When we eventually filter out of the bar, there’s already a new coating of fresh snow, which shimmers effervescent in the night. We don’t want the day to end, and yet we’re looking forward to tomorrow and more fresh powder and time with friends and family.
MY PERFECT WINTER DAY
BY SAGE MARSHALL
