Lise Waring has called Telluride, Colorado, home for more than two decades. In that time, she’s seen it change from a relatively unknown historic mining town to a summer festival mecca and world-class ski resort. She is the interactive manager for the Telluride Tourism Board, an author and a freelance science editor. Her perspective is shaped by years of high-altitude, small-town living with a chair lift three blocks from her front door.

Blog Entries by Lise Waring

Chicken Picking and Other Strange Telluride Pastimes

Posted December 24, 2009 | 02:49 PM (EST)


Around 1876, before the Town of Telluride was established, settlers made camp a few miles west on the Valley Floor at a homestead they called San Miguel City. Those hardy souls moved here to find their fortunes in the mines, and while that profession left little...

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Embracing a Telluride Blizzard

1 Comments | Posted December 9, 2009 | 10:18 AM (EST)


It's dumping Telluride. In other words, we're getting pounded. It's nuking, hammering and puking. (Ski town locals have almost as many terms for snow as the legendary Inuit.) Last night we received a foot of snow, and the fluff continues to pile up. I know that fresh snow in...

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Colorado's Black Bears: Coming to a Dumpster Near You

Posted November 11, 2009 | 03:08 PM (EST)


The nature of the tight box canyon that cradles Telluride, Colorado, means that it's only a few blocks to the edge of civilization. From my bedroom, I hear coyotes howl. Elk graze on the valley floor right next to the bike path. And black bears wander through town in...

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There Still Be Dragons: Be Wary of Modern Mapping Devices

4 Comments | Posted October 21, 2009 | 02:35 PM (EST)


At 8,750 feet above sea level, autumn in Telluride, Colorado, is characterized by wild swings in the weather. Last week, it snowed four inches in town, but over the weekend, I went mountain biking in shorts and a t-shirt. Today, it's sleeting. This schizophrenic season catches some trees still...

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The Butch Cassidy Revival: Bank Robberies Keep the West Wild

1 Comments | Posted October 2, 2009 | 09:46 AM (EST)


I live in the new West, a gentrified place where the streets are paved for the SUVs that roll down them. It's a region where we get decent cell reception and New York Times home delivery. The Telluride, Colorado, of today is a far cry from the original hardscrabble...

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Captain Jack Carey: Losing a Legend

Posted September 23, 2009 | 12:55 PM (EST)


Small town living has its challenges: For example, it's tough to fly under the radar when you live in Telluride, a community no larger than an urban high school. Another disadvantage is that one individual can make a huge impact. On the surface, that might sound like an advantage...

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Blowin' Smoke

Posted September 16, 2009 | 09:11 AM (EST)


This week, I've seen two pick-up trucks parked in town, each stacked with high with firewood. This may be a sure sign of the coming of winter in rural towns across the nation, but it's an uncommon sight in downtown Telluride these days.

When I moved to Telluride in...

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