With essentially only a single strand of a run open, the Telluride Ski Resort made it official on Thanksgiving Day and opened the 2008-09 season.  There were lots of beginners and lots of rusty veterans and lots of angst-ridden teenagers sharing the slope as best they could.  Ther snow was soft and I did not hit a single icy patch all morning.  It has been snowing for the better part of 2 days here so Telluride is anxiously awaiting the opening of additional terrain.

Because of some early November storms and a succession of very chilly nights that allowed for abundant snowmaking, the Telluride Ski Resort is scheduled to open to the public on Thanksgiving Day.  They will only be featuring a handful of beginner runs on Chairs 1 & 4, but the opportunity to ride the lift and enjoy Telluride's unrivaled setting is the most important thing.  Telluride is scheduled to get snow Thursday thru the weekend.  The season has arrived in Telluride!

Dave Riley, the CEO of the ski area, went to the county commissioners last week to ask for their consideration of a new idea:

What if the ski area expanded its permit to include Bear Creek?

Riley is floating the idea of a new lift, one that runs from the base of upper Bear Creek, at the bottom of the Nellie Mine run, over to the bottom of the new Revelation Bowl Lift.

That would turn Bear Creek — a bastion for extreme skiers — into another ski run.

If it happens, it won’t happen for several years. Riley hasn’t applied for anything, and says he doesn’t have any concrete plans. But he’s doing his best to start a dialogue within the community.  He and others acknowledge: Bear Creek will forever be changed.

Source: www.telluridenews.com

Just in time before the real snows arrived in earnest, the construction of Lift 15 in Revelation Bowl is complete.  As an end of project bonus the workers were given the first opportunity to drop into the bowl without fear of arrest (see photo above).  The Telluride ski area is doing its best to cement its reputation as the premier ski experience in North America.  I personally cannot wait to ski this new terrain.  If early season snows stay at just an average pace, we should all be experiencing it before January 1st.

The top of the mountain got over 20" of snow in the past 24 hours.  In Telluride proper, we woke up to about 5" and it has not stopped snowing all day.  More snow and some chilly nights are forecasted for the next few days so it it does appear biking season is finally over in Telluride.  But not in Moab!!

New terrain on the mountain is now accessible from the top of the new Revelation Bowl lift, dropping you down to Gold Hill #1 on the Prospect Basin side of the Gold Hill ridge.  The terrain will be rated EX - which means don't go near it unless you really know what you're doing.  There will be consequences for the unprepared.

Click here to read all about it on the blog page of the Telluride Ski Area's CEO...

The weather in Telluride has been splendid...a true Indian Summer.  Most of the good bike trails are still free of snow and the days have been filled with warm sunshine.  It will soon be time to hang up the bike for the season but I am really enjoying the opportunities to ride in November.  They have started making snow on the mountain - in a couple of high traffic areas near the Mountain Village Core.  Not on the Telluride side of the mountain though.  They generally don't get to that until December.  Bring on the white stuff.