Numerous things separate Telluride from the rest of the ski-area-pack, but one of the most notable – besides backcountry terrain – is it’s hike-to access. Within the Prospect Bowl and Gold Hill region, numerous chutes, large, open bowls and a 13,000 ft peak all await those with the desire (and hiking stamina) to ski some of the best extreme lift-served terrain in the nation. And when the snow is top notch, nothing really compares.

But, within the Telluride ski-mecca of Black Iron Bowl, Palmyra Peak and the Gold Hill Chutes, one run seems to be easily overlooked. Granted, the lengthy trek for the short, steep shot may not seem worth it, especially when late-season conditions require a bit of down climbing for access. But, for those who’ve made the journey, Gold Hill 10 is easily one of the cooler and most fun runs on the mountain.

So, for those who’ve never experienced the journey to Gold Hill 10, or need a bit of visual motivation to eventually take on the hike, we present to you the fourth and final video we produced for the Telluride Ski Area this season. Enjoy the remainder of the slush; the lifts close in two days!

Oh, the “local’s favorite” – a tried and true label garnered to one specific item at almost every restaurant in town, offering visitors a glimpse into the unique, “elite” status of a Telluride local. Or, in other words, a way for merchants to promote their business and increase sales. And, while all “local’s favorites” and “local’s specials” have their advantages ($6 Corner House burgers and Brown Dog BoGo pizzas ring a bell), the Giuseppe’s Black Bean Saute takes the cake as the true local’s favorite – hence, no quotation marks.

Resting on a bed of spinach, the saute of egg, onions, corn, peppers, cheese and black beans (duh!) is one of the better lunch items sold anywhere in the nation at 12,000ft – especially when paired up with a beer and some epic, outdoor lounging in the spring sun. Granted, most local’s that we know don’t normally spend the $11 for the full saute, or for anything edible on the resort, but from what we know, the black bean saute has held, and continues to hold, its local’s favorite title with pride. And now, it can add “Newb Favorite” to its list of accolades.

When powder strikes, life takes on a new order. Slow mornings, lounging about before putting on your ski gear – one item at a time – are replaced by a mad rush for first chair. Since nothing beats over-the-head, bottomless pow turns, slapping on your boots, slamming down a Window breakfast burrito and pounding a cup of coffee are merely necessary actions to insure a good spot in the lift line, which more than likely wraps around the corner 30 minutes before the resort opens.

Of course, as we all know, the ends justify the means, because few things in life surpass that floating sensation of shredding an untracked powder run. And whether its first tracks on Lift 9, Gold Hill or Revelation Bowl, a powder day at Telluride is like no other.

But, enough said! With powder, you gotta ski it to believe it. And with that, here is the third video we produced for the Telluride Ski Resort this season: A Telluride Powder Day.

Few ski resorts compare to Telluride. Sure, the area has come a long way (for better or worse) since its inception in the 1970s. Nevertheless, its tight, local community, historical preservation and stunning, surrounding scenery definitely separate it from the rest of the ski-destination pack. Therefore, you gotta hand it to Telluride for supporting its counterparts by offering their pass holders three free days at Taos.

Located in the northern part of New Mexico, Taos is literally a blast-from-the-past resort that kicks ass in every way, shape and form. The terrain is epic (steeps, cliffs and awesome hike-tos are accessible from almost every lift), it’s family owned (a rarity in this day and age), and holds powder for days after a storm. In more ways than one, Taos is a glimpse of the glory days of Telluride back in the 1980s.

Granted, when compared to the Epic Pass and other group pass deals across the nation, purchasing a Telluride Ski Pass puts a huge dent in your savings. But, the three free days at Taos definitely help sweeten the deal. Because, when it comes down to it, Taos freaking rocks.

The Telluride après scene is pretty spot on. That’s not merely a personal opinion; it’s a fact. We dedicated two episodes last season – Après-Ski Fest and Après-Ski Fest Part Deux – to truly see if the resort deserved its top-ten après ranking from MSNBC. And, after numerous stops and multiple cocktails, those of us still standing unanimously agreed (or mumbled) that the news network knew what it was talking about.

So then, you may ask, why make a new après video for this season, if you’ve already explored the topic? Well, let’s just say that when the ski area asks you to produce a new video, focusing on four, popular on-mountain locales (2 of which are way out of our price range), allows you to bring along some friends (most of which are ski-area models) and says that they’ll cover all tabs, it’s pretty much impossible to say no.

And with that, we present “Après Action,” our second video of the season for the Telluride Ski Area. Check it!

Word travels fast in Telluride, and like any small town, building a reputation – good or bad – is one of the easiest things to do. One small mistake, one bad attitude or one unfounded sense of superiority can mean the difference between “clicking” with the local crew, or being shunned from the approximately 2,500 people that live here year round. And in the case of Eric Corff, let’s just say that he pissed off the wrong person.

Now, since we neither had the chance to meet Eric Corff nor the parties involved, we cannot claim to know exactly what spawned the “Eric Corff…What a Douchebag” stickers, which, even two years later, continue to grace lift towers, trashcans and sign posts in Telluride and throughout the world – they’ve been seen in Denver, New York, and even Thailand! From the numerous locals we’ve talked to, however, it seems that the incident started with an act of promiscuity, which led to minor assault and charges pressed, before concluding with the stickers popping up everywhere.

Regardless if the rumors are true, or if Mr. Corff was, or is still indeed a douchebag, two things are definitely for sure. First, the sticker creation and distribution was by far one of the best and most successful forms of revenge ever conducted. And second, it’s probably a good idea to never piss off anyone who has access to a sticker machine.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats bottomless, over-the-head pow turns. Those epic pillow lines and untouched pitches are what every skier dreams about, and what they constantly talk about for seasons to come. But, when conditions are sub par, or your legs can barely hold your weight after multiple powder days, pristine corduroy can sometimes be the next best thing.

Sure, powder is hands down in first place, but epic groomers come in at a very close second. Feeling your edges bite into the slope as you bomb down an untouched, freshly groomed run is one of the best sensations ever – and one of the best ways to start your day. And at Telluride, early morning laps on See Forever, Milk Run, Lookout and Majestic (up on Revelation Bowl) are some of the best groomers around.

So, without further ado, we present to you “Corduroy Dream,” the first of four short videos we are producing this season for the Telluride Ski Resort. Enjoy!

It’s an ordeal known all too well. The ski area reports new snow with blue-bird skies, so you quickly throw your gear on and pound two cups of coffee before sprinting for first chair on lift 7 or 8. About the time you’re half way up Lift 9, however, that coffee starts working its magic; dreams of first tracks suddenly morph into panic-stricken, unmentionable visualizations.

Sure, it may appear trivial, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. And while the amenities that Telluride offers are plentiful, Giuseppe’s bathrooms are by far the best. Aromas of cinnamon and vanilla entice the nostrils upon entry, while its unbelievable cleanliness allows you to forget about whatever that double espresso brewed up inside. Plus, their strategic location at the top of lift 9 provides perfect access to powder runs on Gold Hill and Prospect Bowl, once ski patrol drops the rope.

Arguably, the Alpino Vino latrines could have easily overcome Giuseppe’s Telluride Newb, on-mountain bathroom gold medal. But, due to their location on a cat track, not to mention the fact that the restaurant is completely out of our price range, they’ll have to settle with second place. Because when it comes to Giuseppe’s, you’ll never take a more luxurious dump at 12,000ft.

Over the last six weeks, Telluride has been hurting for snow. Thus, one of the few reasons we haven’t been filming and putting up new episodes – you can only show so much sub-par skiing conditions before it gets a bit tedious. But, now that mother nature has started playing catch up (the 2 feet of snow that dropped over the last few days surely helped), you’ll start seeing more from us.

Until then, we thought we’d throw up a pretty epic collision involving one of our friends. Everyone has fallen terribly (or in this case, has had someone crash into you at high speed), but not everyone has had their most epic spill caught on film during the 2010 Telluride World Cup.

Though this video is pretty entertaining, the real reason for its publication is because our friend, who the snowboarder ran in to and who happened to live with us last summer, is leaving Telluride in the next few weeks to pursue bigger and greater things. Sure, it will be exciting to see what she’ll do in the future, but it’s a huge bummer to see her move.

So, as a rocking tribute to her Telluride legacy, in a manner of speaking, we present one of the worst impacts we’ve seen, involving both skis and snowboards. Oh, and don’t worry, she was fine, though it definitely looked like it hurt.

Courtesy of Echo Entertainment, Inc.

Well, it looks like mother nature forgot the “White” in “White Christmas,” just like the McCallisters forgot their son Kevin on their Christmas trip to France. But while Macaulay Culkin had a blast home alone, thwarting off burglars and watching old, gangster flicks, the snow pack has had a hell of a time dealing with the hoards of people that flooded into Telluride for their holiday vacations.

Granted, things could be a lot worse. Even with abnormally warm, dry weather, Telluride seems to be doing way better than most resorts in the nation. Every lift is open, the terrain parks are getting built and locals are back on the slopes, now that their hectic, holiday work schedules have subsided. Nevertheless, the tons and tons of “sub-par” skiers that visited over the last two weeks made almost every run rocky, icy, and, well, just plain shitty.

Saying that, the fact of the matter is that it’s only the beginning of January. Heck, Telluride only opened a little over a month ago! So, while waiting (praying) for snow, you might as well break out the rock skis again and go hunt for the few good turns to be had on the resort. Either that, or simply revel in the fact that almost every other resort is in much worse shape.