http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/greathomesanddestinations/29skicondo.html

 Beck Lystad Measures the Snow

 Beck Lystad displays the storm total as of 4PM MST on Friday afternoon.

8" and still snowing.....

It's a solid 8" so far.  2 feet or more expected by Sunday!!

WINTER STORM WARNING!!

SNOWFALL WILL SPREAD SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING. SNOW MAY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES WITH SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING POSSIBLE WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS FROM 8 TO 12 INCHES ARE LIKELY BY SATURDAY MORNING.

SNOW WILL DECREASE IN INTENSITY LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING... BUT PICK UP AGAIN AS THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. AN ADDITIONAL 8 TO 14 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED FROM LATE SATURDAY MORNING OR EARLY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE SUNDAY.

Taken From a Letter From Mike Hughes, Athletic Director of the Telluride High School-

The big week that was upon us last week has come and gone and the weather made it interesting for everyone throughout Colorado.  I can't remember a particular event with the stature of the State Cross Country Championships ever being postponed in my time as an AD in Colorado.  The heavy snow caused some delays in the game schedule as well, but in the end, it has or all will work out and our kids again are passing the tests that they need to pass to show that the education they are getting from athletics is building a strong set of core principles they can rely on in every facet of their life.  Not that we haven't endured our share of setbacks and roadblocks, but with continued caring, education and leadership by our coaching staff, we will continue to impart the real value of athletics: having fun, building great relationships, enjoying competition, a healthy respect for yourself, your teammates and your opponents, striving valiantly to succeed, and learning that class and grace have nothing to do with the team ahead on the scoreboard. 

Weekly Highlights:

Like I stated above, our young and anxious cross country squads will both have to wait an additional week to complete a stellar all-around season.  The poor weather conditions in Ft. Collins caused the course, covered with 18"-20" of snow, to be deemed unfit for competition. The nice weekend weather and a steady dose of good weather this week will allow for the course to be ready to host the quality meet it should be.  I applaud CHSAA for making the decision they did and for allowing our schools to change hotel accommodations and travel plans with time to spare.  This Saturday, our young squads will be toeing the line in Ft. Collins looking to finish off a banner year.  Good luck to Coach Hampton and the Miner Cross Country kids. 

Coach Kusuno took the THS boys' soccer team to Aspen last Friday evening for their state playoff clash with Basalt High School.  The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday of last week, but the large snow fall and tough travel conditions pushed the game north of Basalt to the very wintery setting in Aspen. The turf field was a plus and the plows allowed for the field to be in really great shape for the match.  The #6 ranked Basalt Longhorns lived up to their billing as one of the states elite.  Although our boys suffered what looks like a lopsided 8-1 loss, the qualities that are important were on display from start to finish.  The boys played incredibly hard, kept their composure when the score seemed to be out of the reach of winning, and really made me proud as they congratulated Basalt on a great game and good luck in their upcoming matches. The kids knew they played hard and that they played a superior team, but had nothing to hang their heads about with their effort.  No score board can take that away.  Coach Kusuno and Coach James are to be commended for the efforts and class the team displayed.  That is what it is all about. 

The HS Girls' Volleyball team finished their season on Saturday after 12 exhaustive games in three matches in the District Tournament.  The young Miners fought Dolores to a 4 game match to open the tournament.  After suffering a tough loss, the girls had to rally and compete against SJBL regular season Champions from Mancos.  The Bluejays had a little more experience and the home cooking didn't hurt as our Miners succumbed in three games.  This is where the real learning comes in.  At this point, the chances of our team continuing on and competing at the Regional Championships had been dashed, but our young squad found the mental and physical fortitude to answer the bell and finish off the tournament with a thrilling five game victory against Ignacio.  The ability to handle the losses, get back out there and compete to win, show me a great deal about the character of these young ladies and the leadership that Coach DePagter showed.  I am extremely proud of their efforts and look forward to the years to come with the young squad.

The HS Competitive Cheer squad is now less than three weeks away from our first competition of the season, the Western Regional Championships in Grand Junction on Saturday, November 21.  There is much yet to be done to polish the routine and focus on all aspects of the routine, but the amount of time the girls with Coach Digiglio and Coach Brachle have put in will pay off handsomely in the near future. 

The MS Girls' basketball team entered their first games this weekend with a triangular in Ouray.  The girls had what Coach McCloud deemed "a great learning experience" in tough losses to Norwood and Ouray.  The girls will again be in action this weekend with all the knowledge and experience gained from their first games.  The girls will play here on Saturday, as we play host to Ignacio and Ridgway starting at 9:00 on Saturday morning.  Coach McCloud and Coach Ludwig will get the girls going and they will show the benefits of playing two of the league's best teams early in the season.   

Right around the corner is High School Basketball.  The girls and boys can both officially start practice on Thursday, November 12.  I'm sure Coach Ludwig and Coach McCloud as well as Coach Hart and I will be chomping at the bit to start the season next week.  I can only speak for myself when I say:  let's start now!!!!!!!

South to Ski Area: 2/3 of the Telluride Ski Resort is covered with natural snow. In the upper right of the image is L to R Bushwacker, Mammoth, Joint Point, Spiral Stairs and Upper/Lower Plunge. Bear Creek lies below Revelation Bowl, which is visible only to the trained eye.

Ajax and Ingram: Looking west to the end of the canyon from Tomboy Road. Ajax, Ingram Falls and Bridal Veil Falls (both frozen) stand proud, absorbing the late afternoon sunshine. November 2, 2009.

Ballard Mountain Over the Valley Floor: The peak of Ballard Mountain captures the last of the afternoon sun with the Telluride Valley Floor in the foreground.

Main St. End of Canyon Mist: Box Canyon Alpenglow: The view looking east from the top of Main St. Telluride. October, 30, 2009.The view looking east as I approached downtown Telluride the evening of October 30, 2009.

Ghoulish Parade!: Beck Lystad (8) rocks the skeleton costume at the Kids Halloween Parade on Main St. Telluride.

Main St. Telluride October 28, 2009

Break in the Clouds Noon MDT

The winners of the challenge are determined by total number of laps in the 12-hour period. For more information and a complete schedule, check out: http://www.falltiltintelluride.com/

Fall Tilt in Telluride

Redleaf on Werk and "Life During Wartime"

submitted by Susan Viebrock of Telluride Inside and Out

Elizabeth Redleaf is a part-time Telluride local and, recently, a full time film producer and CEO. The company she heads with Christine Kunewa Walker, Werc Werk Works" – Werc, the initials of the founding principals. Werk, a diligent, hands-on process. Works, the results – was founded in Minneapolis in 2008.

Werc Werk Works stands out from the pack for championing and rewarding artistic effort in a vertical organization that funds and markets the auteur-centric movies it makes. Transparent financial relationships with artist partners such as director Todd Solondz are central to operations.

Solondz is a Telluride Film Festival regular. In 1998, his "Happiness," was featured in the program, and "Palindrome in 2004.The director's new film, "Life During Wartime," is part sequel/part variation on "Happiness," featuring the same characters – played by different actors – all trying to find their places in an unpredictable and volatile world, where the past haunts the present and poisons the future.

In "Life During Wartime," a tragic-comedy, the question of forgiveness and its outer boundaries threads throughout a series of intersecting love stories, offering clarity and, perhaps, alternatives to the comforts of forgetting.

Werc Werk Works is distinguished as the only production company to have one of its films showcased in all four major festivals: Venice, Telluride, Toronto, and New York.

Click the link below to watch the video and listen to executive producer Elizabeth Redleaf talking about her new company and this new Solondz film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5CAw_820fI

Festival gates open at 11:30am on Friday to kick off a packed weekend of blues music, beer, fall colors, juke joints, killer flank steaks, and much more! You don't want to miss out on this amazing weekend! For ticket information, check: www.tellurideblues.com 

Here is the complete schedule for the weekend:

The first film I viewed was the suspenseful father/son drama, The Road. Directed by John Hillcoat and based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy, this film was based on a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his son trying to survive numerous obstacles across the scorched landscape, avoiding hungry carnivores, scrounging up any food they could find - while in search of the "good people" who also survived the catastrophe. This was an epic tale of survival and the love/relationship between a father and son. The movie stars: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and more. Viggo Mortensen was honored at the showing with a medallion of film excellance for all his amazing roles in The Lord of the Rings, Eastern Promises, A History of Violence, G.I. Jane, and many more. This is a must see movie that releases in theatres in October!!! Check out the official trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbLgszfXTAY

Viggo Mortensen in The Road

The second film I was fortunate to view was the comedy, Up in the Air.  Directed by Oscar nominated Jason Reitman (Juno and Thank you for Smoking) and based on a Walter Kirn novel, this film was about a corporate downsizing expert who was always on the move - spending over 350 days a year traveling and building up his frequent flier miles, character Ryan Bingham finds love and connects with his family through his many adventures across the nation. George Clooney and Anna Kendrick (Twilight) play a great duo traveling around the nation and presenting people with very hard news..."You have been let go". Along the way, Clooney's character (Bingham) finds a frequent flier companion and helps reconnect with his family at his sister's wedding. This movie stars: George Clooney, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga and many more. I highly recommend this comedy/drama movie with an amazing cast! Jason Reitman continues to release great movies and he has found a true love for the Telluride Film Festival after releasing "Juno" just a couple years ago here. Check out what a Hollywood Reporter thinks of "Up in the Air": http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=8511447

George Clooney in Up in the Air

For the entire movie lineup, Q & A's, movie locations, and more... visit http://telluridefilmfestival.org/show/program_guide and download the 36th Telluride Film Festival Program Guide!

It's going to be a great weekend for film lovers!

Film Festival Poster

Who's coming? What movies will premiere? Any famous celebs in town?... All these questions will soon be answered this weekend as the whole town prepares for one of the prestigious weekend's of the whole summer in beautiful Telluride. With everything being kept a secret to the very last minute, you have to come visit us this Labor Day weekend to check out all the hype of The SHOW! For more information about the festival, visit: http://telluridefilmfestival.org/

Also, follow us on Twitter this weekend for up-to-date announcements: http://twitter.com/TellurideAlpine

Telluride Film Festival

This North Carolina Duo is one of the hottest bands of 2009 and the Avett Brothers will rock the Sunset Stage in Mountain Village Wednesday night from 6-8pm. YES, FREE! This will be one of the best shows of the summer so bring your dancing shoes and party down with the Avett Bro's!

Check out this article about the Avett Brother's in Rolling Stone Magazine: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theavettbrothers/articles/story/29558096/artist_to_watch_2009_avett_brothers

Avett Brothers

This year we're happy to have Joe Cocker, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Umphrey's Mcgee, Xavier Rudd, and many more! Check out the entire lineup and schedule at: www.tellurideblues.com

Crowd at the Blues and Brews festival

Kid's parade during the festival

Alpen Glow during the Blues and Brews festival

Robert Randolph at B&B

Cheering fans

Los Lonely Boys at B&B

Cheers! See you at the Grand Tasting on Saturday the 19th!

What is the SHOW? Well, it's more than just films. It's about tributes, discussions, creators, strangers, celebrations, and much much more while enjoying the beautiful backdrop we call, Telluride. If you've never experienced the feel of Telluride during the Film Festival weekend, it is something you can't explain - you must be here to get the full effect. The entire weekend program is kept a secret until the very last minute; when the festival kicks off, the passion and love for film begins. For more information on the festival, check out: http://telluridefilmfestival.org/

For a truly unforgettable experience, please come join us, September 4th-7th, in this tiny box canyon for a weekend full of celebration of film and the people who make it happen!

"We take great pains to remain not a competition, but a celebration of the best in film — past, present and future — from all around the world. This is one weekend immersed in an unabashed carnival of film: viewing, breathing, eating, and talking cinema. This is The SHOW".

Rainbow over Main St. during the Telluride Film Festival

Sean Penn at the Telluride Film Festival

the SHOW