We may have to wait a little longer for the Telluride Ski Area to fire up the lifts, but this winter 2007-08 there is more terrain to make the wait worthwhile. Telski has expanded its skiable terrain into Black Iron Bowl.
Alpine Skiing & Snowboarding
Prospect Bowl’s ridge-lined terrain Black Iron Bowl is now fully open. This hike-to terrain located just off the top of Lift 12 was a real pleaser last mid-winter when the Telluride Ski Resort opened it shortly after the Subaru U.S. Free Skiing Series tracked it up. The steep-pitched terrain held a stout amount of snow through the season for a daily lineup of eager skiers.
A 10 to 30 minute hike takes skiers to a choice of eight runs dropping up to 1,000 vertical feet. The area is naturally unique rolling with steep open pitches and rocky negotiable chutes that all filter down through open glades. The pinnacle high point of the ridge is Mountain Quail, a wide-open shot resting below Palmyra Peak.
Black Iron Bowl was named for an old mining claim and expands the ski area’s hike-to options like Bald Mountain and the early shots off Prospect Ridge. Telski could open Black Iron Bowl as early as January.
Nordic Skiing
Oh, but that’s not all. Terrain has also expanded for the less vertically motivated, gliding cardio junkies. The Telluride Nordic Center has joined the Town of Telluride in opening the Valley Floor to the public for skate and Nordic skiing—the first time in six years.
Seven to 10 miles of the Valley Floor will be groomed by the Nordic center for the 2007-08 season, until the spring when the Colorado Supreme Court is slated to decide whether the town can take possession of the 570-acre Valley Floor. The town paid the $50 million purchase price of the open space last spring, but landowners are against selling the property and plan to appeal.
Our winter wonderland backyard just got bigger, and it's worth the wait.
Check out the new Prospect Bowl terrain below skied during the US Freeskiing Open.
By Kara Tatone
Best insight into Telluride EVER
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