On December 21, 2003, Kim and I skiied a day at Telluride.
We rented new telemark gear from Ridgway Outdoor Adventure for $25/day and
enjoyed conversations with the proprietor, Albert.
Although the resort had not received much snow in the preceding
week, conditions were nontheless good, with eminently skiiable
"packed powder". I put the term packed powder in quotes, because in
California, packed and icy Sierra Cement will be called packed powder.
Skiers, however, are not so blind! This perhaps explains the huge
prices for lift tickets in Colorado. We squeaked in a day before the
high season prices ($69) started, but still had to pay $52, which is
higher than many California resorts during the high season.