I’D RATHER DANCE

COURTESY RED MOUNTAIN ALPINE LODGE

RED MOUNTAIN ALPINE LODGE

Words by Lexi Reich

Acustom-timber frame lodge in the midst of the San Juan Mountains filled with heated floors, warm showers and hearty chef-prepared meals, steps away from lush backcountry skiing and ice climbing galore — what could be better for a mountain lover or an alpine enthusiast? This winter, a stay at the Red Mountain Alpine Lodge in Ouray, Colorado, is the perfect way to seamlessly experience all the San Juan Mountains have to offer.

Co-owners Nate Disser and Mark Luppenlatz opened the lodge’s doors on the Winter Solstice in 2018, serving as an expansion of their guiding company, San Juan Mountain Guides (SJMG), which they’ve run together since 2012. It’s a family-run operation: Nate’s wife Keeton is the SJMG office manager and Mark’s wife Andrea is the lodge manager. Together their vision is to take guests on inspiring trips into the mountains to widen their outlooks on life, all while feeling supported, safe and taken care of.

Driving up Highway 550 offers some of the most idyllic views in the Mountain West, and once you approach this hidden gem right off the road, it feels like you’ve entered a sacred opening. A wooden deck wraps around the lodge front and houses a fireplace facing views of striking peaks — an ideal spot to sip some of the complimentary coffee and tea offered inside. During the warmer months, there’s a luxurious yoga deck in the back.

“Connecting into the mountains and getting out into the wilderness, in my view, is one of the most important things you can do with your time off,” shares Disser. “And we take care of all the details.”

The San Juan Mountains are known for their complex terrain and varying snowpack — an adventure out there is no easy feat. But Disser says their goal was to make this experience accessible to everyone. The SJMG offer equipment rentals and expertise from their highly qualified guides. All you need to bring are your clothes, and they’ve got the rest.

“We’re all about embracing the skiing culture vibe. It’s cool, but it’s also safe,” Disser says.

Guests are not limited to just the terrain outside the lodge; when you embark on an adventure with the SJMG, the whole mountain range is at your disposal. Simply put, when you sign up for a three-day ski trip, you get three full days of skiing, unlike other traditional winter hut trips that clock in the travel time to actually get to the hut. The SJMG also offer avalanche courses on top of the multitude of outdoor trips they currently take guests on. “Red Mountain Alpine Lodge blew me away. I knew it was a special location but the lodge itself was so cozy and charming. The staff pay attention to so many details and are truly there to take care of you,” says Jessica Waclawski, who cohosted a retreat at the space with S+B editor-inchief, Kim Fuller, last summer. “I’m not kidding when I tell people the San Juan Mountain Guides are the best out there. I’m not used to hiking with a guide, but since climbing Mount Sneffels with them this summer, I now want a guide on every experience. It takes the stress off. And the guides are such down-to-earth, amazing people.”

Waclawski and Fuller Check out of a list of their offerings and bookings at are returning this March redmountainalpinelodge.com to host another retreat of and mtnguides.net. connection and movement at the lodge. It truly simplifies logistics for people. At the Red Mountain Alpine Lodge, plentiful food (all diets accommodated) and a memory foam mattress awaits you after a long day exploring the lush San Juan Mountain wilderness. :

OLD-FASHIONED CONTRA DANCES STILL SERENADE DOWNTOWN GRAND JUNCTION I’D RATHER DANCE

Words by Sharon Sullivan

When Fifth Reel performs in downtown Grand Junction, dancers twirl, stomp and move to similar steps and music that our founding fathers and mothers enjoyed 200 years ago. Smiles and laughter fill the Margery Ballroom, located at 523 ½ Main St., when the old-time music band performs for contra dances held during the autumn, winter and spring.

Classically-trained piano player Connie Michael and Ron Young co-founded Fifth Reel and the Grand Junction Traditional Dance Society 20 years ago after Michael performed for a contra dance in Albuquerque. She fell in love with the music — which has Irish, Scottish and English roots.

“It changed my life; I wanted to play that kind of music after that,” Michael says. And, she wanted to bring contra dancing to the Grand Valley.

It’s not necessary to come with a partner or have experience. Contra is a social dance where couples form and are encouraged to switch partners throughout the evening. Dancers make two long, parallel lines, with pairs facing each other. Each twosome progresses up and down the line, dancing with every other couple in the line. Caller Ron Young teaches the first dance of the evening by walking dancers through the steps a couple of times. “Then we do it to the music — a slower tempo to start,” he says. Eventually, Young stops calling and it’s just the band with dancers following the music. Newbies can also come early for the half-hour beginner

RICK SVENSON lesson that Young teaches before the dance officially starts. Michael and Young co-founded Fifth Reel specifically to host and perform contra dances in the Grand Valley. When he’s not performing the role of caller, Young plays the bodhran, an Irish drum. Fifth Reel also includes two retired Grand Junction symphony musicians — clarinet player Mick Wilson and fiddler Norm Ashley. Michael plays keyboards.

“It’s a great way to interact with people of all ages in the community,” Young says. Colorado Mesa University students often attend, as well as dancers from around the region — New Castle, Cedaredge, Montrose, Delta and even Moab, Utah.

You never know who you might meet at a contra dance. More than one romance has blossomed on the dance floor since contra dances started happening in the Grand Valley.

Denae Nesbit, 28, had been attending contra dances for four and a half years when she met her future husband Carl at a dance two years ago. When they married a year later, they invited Fifth Reel to perform at the reception. “Most people at our wedding had never contra danced before; it made for a memorable wedding,” she says.

Catherine Eicher of Grand Junction has attended local contra dances regularly for the past 18 years. Growing up in a religion that prohibited dancing, she says she was persuaded by a friend to give contra dancing a try. “If I can understand the steps, anyone can,” she says. “I couldn’t believe how much fun it is. After a few times, you can relax and just do it. It’s a sort of meditation. The caller backs off. There’s a kind of magic that settles over the whole group.” Many, like Eicher, who’s 75, come solo. “I’ve lost my shyness about asking people to dance,” she says. “I’m going there just to have fun, and I do. It’s one of my joys of living here in Grand Junction. I thank Connie over and over for founding it and keeping it going.”

Though the rowdier American contra dance remains Fifth Reel’s focus, the Grand Junction Traditional Dance Society has expanded to also include international folk and English country dances, where the emphasis is on “grace and elegance, and less on stomping and swinging,”