44 • FEATURE
TEEING OFF
New learning terrain for golf and skiing By Jason Blevins
This box canyon resort town is renowned for its rocky steeps, glorious views, and zealous rippers who fuel one of the West’s most vibrant ski cultures. A rolling meadow just below the Mountain Village could add a new jewel to the Telluride crown by making the ski area one of the world’s top destinations for learning to golf, ski, and snowboard. “When I first got here, I was definitely uncertain. I said, I don’t want to fall over that hill right there,” said 28-year-old Natasha Correa, a first-time snowboarder from Queens, New York, pointing to a snowy horizon line and tiny homes on the valley floor far below. “But once we started right here, I was not intimidated anymore. It’s only been four hours but I really feel like I’m progressing a lot. I’m ready for that next step.” Thanks to a $3 million investment by Telluride Ski & Golf Co., the gently sloping Meadows run was converted into a 15-acre “terrain-based learning™” facility, where meticulously sculpted
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SUMMER/FALL 2018
features are designed to expedite the learning process by eliminating some of the intimidation endured by never-evers. The resort installed a technologically advanced snowmaking system along the terrain, which becomes a high-end driving range and golf teaching facility in the summer and fall. Golfers can roll through their bag of clubs from tee boxes that stretch 100 yards across the Meadows run, aiming for an undulating series of staggered greens. The resort’s expansion more than quadrupled the size of its golf facility, adding a second putting green, chipping green, and several new bunkers. The practice facility now has 50,000 square feet of tee space for driving on three levels. The 420-yard driving range offers six target greens. The lush putting greens are like ballrooms, with 5,000