WOW …………..WOW ………….WOW……It was a PERFECT TEN! ………Comments overheard on the bus: “Best snow, ever!”, “Best condos, ever!”, Best time, ever!”, “Best day of skiing, ever!”, “Best trip, ever!, “HERO snow conditions!”, “Sign me up, right now, for next time!”, “EPIC snow conditions!” ………….. It was truly music to the trip leader’s ears!

The forty-one TBirds who were lucky enough to be part of this sojourn to Telluride, Colorado certainly have long-lasting visions of all the great happenings through this wonderful week of skiing, partying and relaxing.  The trip sold out so very early, it was a shame that the ten folks stuck on the wait list couldn’t get in on the trip.

The week began with air flights that were a bit different from those in the past, with a stop in Houston.  There were many sighs of relief that we weren’t going through Chicago!  But, what made these VERY special was that Continental actually had food on the flights…………yes, a choice of sandwiches with a bit of a side and a candy bar.  Not bad!

Now, here’s where it begins to get really good!  Telluride Express, our bus transport company, had a van prepared to meet us on arrival, along with the usual 50-passenger bus.  All regular luggage was loaded to the van and the skis were the only things put into the bus’ baggage compartments.  The van went on ahead of the bus and by the time we got to the condos with the bus, our baggage was already awaiting us in each of our condo units.  What a treat!  They repeated this pre-shipping of the luggage on the way home, and when our bus got to the airport, our bags were neatly stacked on the sidewalk ready for us to take to flight check-in.

OK…..it gets better! ............. As I walked to my condo, I could hear the clunk-clunk-clunk of each person’s jaw dropping to the floor as they first entered their condo units.  These digs were nothing short of spectacular, with the finest décor, including gas fireplaces, leather couches/chairs, granite counters in the kitchens, marble finishes in the baths, along with whirlpool tubs and separate showers featuring floor-to-ceiling glass doors.  Our lodging was also wonderfully situated right in the Mt. Village Station, with virtual ski-in/ski-out conditions available via a short, private “funicular” trolley ride on a slope dropping us on a run about 250’ away from our front doors.  Two hot-tubs and a large heated pool, all outdoors, made for some nice post-ski relaxation times.  And, transportation to town, a simple 12-minute gondola ride, was much more comfortable than freezing bus rides on previous trips.

The agenda was full of great locations for lunches, après ski and varied dinners of Italian, Mexican, Brew-Pub and American fare.  Wednesday night was particularly special, though, as the Bear Creek Lodge threw a wine/cheese reception in their spectacular, yet comfy, Great Room.  After an hour of wine and appetizers, the group had their own party in the same room.  The TBird logo’d prizes were raffled off and then the Brown Dog Pizza delivery van arrived with various tasty salads, cheesy breadsticks, and pizzas galore to feed the masses.  Jimmy Buffet Live in Anguilla’s DVD/movie was played to accompany the after-dinner cocktails along with some dancing.

With 33” of light, dry San Juan Mountain powder, and days of spectacular CO sunshine sprinkled in throughout the week, the skiing conditions could not have been better.   And, a special treat of 12” of powder awaited us the first morning of skiing after our arrival.  Later in the week, Marc Michon and John Bojack both tried their hands at heli-skiing and brought back some “Perma-Smiles” on their faces, along with great photos and videos of their day on the virgin upper slopes of this great mountain range.

Twenty-four TBirds zipped through Telluride’s challenging NASTAR race course on Friday morning.  Amazingly, eighteen medals were taken down by our club that day, including six Gold, eight Silvers, and four Bronze.  What a great turnout, for not only for this event, but at all of the listings on the agenda, with a consistent 75% of the people turning out each time.  The only sour note of the trip also took place on the race course…….Jim Millman, a veteran of the Livonia Ski Club, brought back a broken leg from a tough fall near the bottom of the course. 

And, special thanks go out to Julian, our informative bus driver on both trips from and back to the airport.  He suggested a great spot for a group photo on the roadside on the way back to the airport.  He took photos of us posed in the front yard of Ralph Lauren’s 29,000 acre, mountain-side ranch.  How cool!

What a wonderful trip with great people!!  Thanks to everyone involved, and especially to all the new friends made through the week.  The Wohelo legend continues to grow....I’m truly privileged and honored to have this opportunity to be a part of events like these.....and hats-off to our fine club for sponsoring such PERFECT TEN trips!