After a hard day of skiing, kick back at revamped Durango Hot Springs

After a hard day of skiing, kick back at revamped Durango Hot Springs

Durango Hot Springs

Visitors soak in pools filled with naturally heated water at Durango Hot Springs & Resort. Pam LeBlanc photo

I consider myself a bit of a hot springs connoisseur.

I love bobbing in a naturally heated pool of water (kind of like a dumpling in a bucket of soup), especially after a rigorous day of skiing, hiking or mountain biking.

I’ve dipped a toe or 10 in geothermal springs across the western United States. The best are springs that burble up at the side of otherwise cool rivers, in the back country. They’re not developed, other than the rocks that someone stacked around them to trap the warmth.

Some require a long hike in, like one I stumbled upon while backpacking the High Sierra Trail in California. The small, hidden soaking pools tucked among pine forests in the Jemez area of New Mexico rank at the top, too, as do the more developed springs like Strawberry Springs near Steamboat, with its hippie vibe, and Pagosa Hot Springs & Resort, just down the road in southwestern Colorado.

Read more: At the Moose Hotel in Banff, a restored mail-order home inside a modern lodge

I’ve spent blissful hours soaking at Glenwood Hot Springs, Ouray Hot Springs, Mount Princeton Hot Springs, and Salida Hot Springs, all in Colorado; Boquillas Hot Springs in Big Bend National Park in Texas; and Heise Hot Springs in Idaho, too.

Durango Hot Springs

A bucket of steamy water splashes over Jordan Rane of Los Angeles at Durango Hot Springs & Resort. Pam LeBlanc photo

This week I added a new one to the list: Durango Hot Springs and Resort, located not far from Purgatory Ski Resort.

If you’ve visited Durango before, you may remember funky old Trimble Hot Springs. I never visited the place but know a few folks who loved it and were sad to see things change.

Changes at Durango Hot Springs

A new owner took over in 2019, turning the once humble destination into a much fancier resort. Today Durango Hot Springs features 41 soaking pools and water features, including what looks like a giant mining bucket near the entrance that slowly fills with water and tips over, gushing what looks like a bathtub full of steamy water over anyone standing beneath it, every 7 minutes.

Read more: After skiing hard, soak your legs in this natural hot springs

Unlike some hot springs, these don’t smell like sulfur, but they are loaded with minerals. In all, 32 minerals, including lithium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, fluoride, silica, and iron are found in the water. The resort’s website describes the benefits of each.

Temperatures in the soaking pools, staggered along a hillside, range from the mid-90s up to 112 degrees. The owners tout a special filtration system that infuses the water with oxygen bubbles. (Don’t worry, it’s not like soaking in Topo Chico – you can’t feel a difference.)

Durango Hot Springs

Visitors soak in geothermal pools at Durango Hot Springs in February 2023. Pam LeBlanc photo

Indigenous people used the geothermal pools hundreds of years ago. Later, pioneers soaked in the warm water, and the first hotel went up in 1882. A newspaper ad in 1884 described the old springs as a health resort – with a bar and billiard parlor on site. (It later burned, as did a building that replaced that original structure, according to the Animas Museum.) Marilyn Monroe visited in 1950s.

I made two visits to the hot springs last week. Nothing’s better than sitting in an outdoor tub filled with naturally heated water while snow sifts down on your head after a day of cat skiing in waist-deep powder.

If you go to Durango Hot Springs

The resort is located just north of Durango near the intersection of Highway 550 and Trimble Lane.

Proper swim attire is required. Remove jewelry or it might tarnish. Admission is $39 for adults or $15 for children. A special “club area” that includes private changing rooms, shows and private soaking tubs, costs extra.

The springs is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Reservations are recommended. During the summer, bands perform each Tuesday and Thursday from 6-9 p.m.

About Pam

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Ten – no eleven – reasons to love Beaver Creek Mountain

Ten – no eleven – reasons to love Beaver Creek Mountain

beaver creek lift

Skiers get a lift up a mountain at Beaver Creek Mountain in January 2022. Pam LeBlanc photo

My mission at Beaver Creek Mountain started and ended with one word today: Moguls.

I can get down just about any blue or black (that’s intermediate or advanced, for you non-skiers) run at a Colorado ski resort, but when I hit moguls – those hippo-sized mounds of snow that form on ungroomed slopes – I just don’t flow like the really good skiers.

After all, I’m a Texan. I get to ski five or 10 days a year, max. It’s hard to improve when that’s all the time you can devote to a sport.

That’s where Chico Thuon comes in.

beaver creek chico

Instructor Chico Thuen takes a break at a mid-mountain lodge. Pam LeBlanc photo

Thuon, who has lived here for 33 years and serves on the Avon town council, spent the day pointing me at moguls and giving me tips. He shared helpful secrets, like “pretend you’re following a bowling ball down the mountain” and “always look back up when  you’ve finished a run.”

I especially like that last tip. Thuon says that skiing’s about 80 percent mental. (He told me lots of other stuff that I can’t repeat here, too.)

We dipped and dived and tackled bumps for six hours. My legs are shot and my back is tired. But I loved it, and I feel like I made some strides.

I’m looking forward to more skiing tomorrow. In the meantime, here are my favorite things about Beaver Creek so far.

Chico moguls beaver creek

Chico Thuen demonstrates how to ski moguls at Beaver Creek. Pam LeBlanc photo

The best things about Beaver Creek

  1. World class corduroy. OK, honestly, I’m not into groomed runs. I’d rather get off the marked slopes and sniff around in the trees. But Beaver Creek is known for its high quality grooming, which is so perfect it looks like corduroy. And even I have to admit it’s pretty nice to make nice big turns down a pristine swathe of precisely formed snow ripples.
  2. I haven’t met him yet, but I will. Willie the Mountain Safety Dog, a golden retriever rescued from an animal shelter in Pueblo, Colorado, is famous here. He’s part of the mountain ski patrol team, and serves as the face of mountain safety. One of tomorrow’s missions Is to meet him up close and in person.
  3. Beaver Creek is also home to the Birds of Prey World Cup Super G and Downhill Races. (I know this because my amigo Erich Schlegel photographs it every year.) I skied most of the course today, just to do it. And yes, I’m way slower than the pros.
  4. About 15 years ago, my husband and I ate at Beano’s Cabin. We still remember the experience – we rode a sleigh up to a gorgeous cabin in the woods, ate a gourmet meal, sipped delicious wine, and snuggled under blankets on the sleigh ride back down the mountain. Beaver Creek now has three fine dining cabins, and tonight I’m going to Zack’s Cabin for dinner.
  5. Got a sweet tooth? Stop by the Candy Cabin on the mountain, where you can buy enough old-fashioned treats to induce a sugar coma.
beaver creek

Looking down a slope at Beaver Creek. Pam LeBlanc photo

  1. The Osprey, where I’m staying, bills itself as the closest lodge to a ski lift in North America. My room on the second floor literally overlooks the lift, which is about 25 feet away. Talk about ski in and ski out!
  2. Not into downhill skiing? Try the ice rink, where you can spin and twirl on a sheet of ice right in the center of the village.
  3. Not into skating, either? Try snow shoeing. While most resorts relegate their snowshoe trails to the foot of the mountain, Beaver Creek elevates them. Snowshoers can stroll beautiful trails with panoramic views high on the mountain.
  4. The Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek hosts an array of performances, from music to comedy to theater. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is playing tomorrow, and Grand Funk Railroad plays Wednesday. Upcoming shows include John Oates, Jim Gaffigan, Robert Earl Keen, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
beaver creek chico ski

Chico Thuen dives into a wide glazed run in the new McCoy Park area of Beaver Creek. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

  1. Beaver Creek just opened 250 new acres of terrain in McCoy Park. It’s beginner and intermediate friendly, which I thought would bore me. But the undulating terrain, with widely spaced glades and that famous Beaver Creek grooming, is just the ticket when you need a little chill in your life.
  2. And because I couldn’t stop at just 10, I’ll give you a bonus – those famous chocolate chip cookies. Every day as the lifts quit whirling, a team of employees dons white chefs hats and hands out warm cookies – to everyone, for free. Need I say more?
    cookies beaver creek

    An employee hands out free cookies at the base of Beaver Creek. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

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Hitting the slopes in Colorado

Hitting the slopes in Colorado

beaver creek

Skaters enjoy the ice rink in the village in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Pam LeBlanc photo

I’ve made it back to the mountains for my first ski trip of the season, and I’m ready to do some skiing in Colorado.

This week, I’ll be exploring terrain in Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone, all places I’ve skied before, but not in a few years.

I didn’t make it to the front range of the Rocky Mountains last year. I hit Solitude, Utah, and Telluride, in western Colorado, for my fix instead. It’s nice to be back.

This week’s plan for skiing in Colorado

On tap here at Beaver Creek? An all-day private ski lesson tomorrow. Even though I’ve been skiing for more than two decades, I’m a fan of at least one lesson a year, to brush up on technique. I can’t wait to hit the moguls and glades, but I need to get my ski legs  back first. Wednesday I’ll get a tour of 250 new acres of terrain in the McCoy Park area of the resort.

Read more: Visiting the serene slopes of Solitude, Utah

Then, on Tuesday, I’ll move over to Breckenridge. I’m focused on skiing, but after I wring myself out on the mountain, I’ll take a little time to soak in the 31st annual International Snow Sculpture Championships. Teams from all over the globe carve designs out of 12-foot tall, 20-ton chunks of snow. The sculptures will remain on display through Feb. 2.

On Wednesday I’ll shift once again, this time to Keystone, where I’m super excited to do some cat skiing in Bergman Bowl. My very first skiing experience took place at Keystone back in the 1970s, when my family came for a visit.

Today was a bluebird day, but it looks like snow is in the forecast for Tuesday. I’m crossing fingers for freshies.

Read more: Ten things to do this winter in Telluride

Stay tuned…

 

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The 10 (make that 11) best things about my trip to Solitude this week

The 10 (make that 11) best things about my trip to Solitude this week

 

A skier glides past on the Woodlawn Run at the bottom of Honeycomb Canyon at Solitude as snow falls on Thursday, March 25, 2021. Pam LeBlanc photo

I had just about packed up my ski boots for the year when the folks in Utah invited me out for a final hoorah this week.

I grabbed my gear out of the closet, loaded up my rolling duffle bag, and set my sights on Solitude, located in Big Cottonwood Canyon, just 45 minutes from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Luck worked in my favor. A storm dumped a total of 26 inches on the resort two days before my arrival, setting things up nicely. I spent Wednesday exploring the mountain under bluebird skies; today a new storm blew in and it snowed non-stop.

A snowboarder makes her way down a run in Honeycomb Canyon at Solitude Mountain. Pam LeBlanc photo

Without further ado, here are the highlights of my trip:

 

  1. The direct non-stop flight from Austin on Delta. I left Austin at 12:15 p.m., caught a shuttle and was at my condo in Solitude, in Big Cottonwood Canyon, at 3:15 p.m. Dare I say it? It was easier to get here from Austin than some of the resorts I usually ski in Colorado.
  2. Ski Butlers, a ski delivery service, showed up at my door 15 minutes after I did, with a couple of pairs of skis suited to my ability level. I picked a pair of nimble Rossignol Black Ops Escaper skis, which were great for tight turns in the trees and moguls.
  3. The focus on skiing. There’s a village here in Solitude, true, but there’s not much to it other than a few condo buildings, a hotel, a couple of restaurants, a tiny convenience store and a bar. People come to Solitude for the solitude – and the skiing.
  4. I quickly discovered my favorite part of the mountain, Honeycomb Canyon. It’s expert-only terrain, with lots of hike-to cliffs and chutes off of Fantasy Ridge so gnarly I stood back and watched through my telephoto camera lens. Then I hiked a much shorter distance to some great expert runs without the cliffs. My favorite? Black Forest.
  5. No crowds! They call it Solitude for a reason. Not once did I wait in a lift line, not even at 9 a.m., when the lifts started whirring.
  6. A mid-day ski break for hot waffles at Little Dollie Waffles at Moonbeam basin area. This take-out window serves up small, thick, made-to-order waffles while they’re hot. I got mine churro style (sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar) and with a side of strawberry sauce. Yum.
  7. Skiing with Will Price, a retired teacher and ice dancer who wears a personalized helmet with orange flames on it, who will turn 90 on Sunday. He skis Solitude five days a week, and I got an introduction. We skied for an hour, and let’s just say I had to chase him down the mountain.
  8. I’m normally not into massages that much, but after two hard days of skiing, 60 minutes of pampering at Solitude Mountain Spa brought my leg muscles back to life.
  9. Dinner (red wine, roast chicken, chopped salad and honey lavender panna cotta for dessert) was delivered to my condo room personally by chef Tara Gerome, assistant food and beverage director for Solitude.
  10. My slopeside accommodations at Powderhorn Lodge are terrific. I’ve got a fireplace, a kitchen, a giant king-sized bed (with 11 pillows!) and what I call a “secondary sleeping nook” with two elevated bunks and a sofa underneath. (I love sleeping in cozy spaces, and confess I spent one night up there.) And it’s all within a few hundred yards of the Apex lift.
  11. I’m tossing in a bonus here. My flight leaves Salt Lake City at 1:55 p.m. tomorrow, which means I can get up and ski for two hours before I have to load my stuff into a shuttle and head to the airport. Maximizing my time at the mountain!

Will Price, who turns 90 on March 28, 2021, skis toward Moonbeam base at Solitude ski resort. Pam LeBlanc photo

Dollie’s serves hot waffles at the Moonbeam basin area at Solitude. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

 

 

 

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Top 10 things to do in Telluride this winter

Top 10 things to do in Telluride this winter

Tom Watkinson takes a run at Telluride Ski Resort in March 2021. Pam LeBlanc photo

In the last 10 years, I’ve made it to Telluride, Colorado, tucked tight in the end of the prettiest box canyon in the state, at least six times. I always leave exhausted – days of downhill skiing, climbing frozen waterfalls, riding fat-tire bikes through the snow, zooming around on snowmobiles, and inching across a cabled climbing route called a via ferrata will do that.

Thinking about a trip? Here are my recommendations for things to do on your next visit to this classic ski town on the southwestern side of the state. (I’ve got a whole different list for summer.)

  1. The slopes. This one’s obvious, but it’s all about the skiing here. The resort spans more than 2,000 acres, with 19 lifts whisking skiers up those scenic peaks. The longest run stretches 4.6 miles, and from See Forever Run you can, well, see forever. Masks are required in lift lines.
  2. A drink. At the end of the ski day, grab a margarita (yes, I live in Texas and I just said that) at Gorrono Ranch on the mountain. Because of Covid, the resort has built a terraced outdoor patio out of snow, and it’s a perfect place to listen to live music and celebrate a day of conquering those black diamond runs. Take a peek inside the log cabin, once a sheep herder’s home and now a cozy bar warmed by a pot-bellied stove.

End your ski day with a drink at Gorrono Ranch on the mountain. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

Ride the free gondola from Mountain Village to Telluride to get this view. Pam LeBlanc photo

3. The gondola. Visitors can stay in the original town of Telluride, on the valley floor, or book a room in Mountain Village. Either way, it’s a free 15-minute gondola ride from one place to the other, and the night view of town lights sparkling far below alone are worth the trip.

4. Grab an old fashioned (or a bottle of bourbon) at the Telluride Distilling Company’s tasting room in Mountain Village. They make and sell their own vodka, schnapps and whiskey.

Ride a snowmobile to the ghost town of Alta. Pam LeBlanc photo

5. Ride a snowmobile to the ghost town of Alta at 11,800 feet, home of a couple hundred miners during the heyday of the Alta-Gold King area in the late 1800s. The old boarding house still stands. Telluride Outfitters offers tours.

6. Plan on dinner at There, a multi-course event that changes according to the chef’s whim. During my visit last week, the lineup included andouille mussels, tuna niçoise, wagyu beef tartar, roasted duck, seared lamb loin and Nutella semifreddo, a kind of frozen mousse. Yum.

 

The bear stands at the end of Colorado Ave. Pam LeBlanc photo

7. Stroll down East Colorado Avenue to get a glimpse of Ursa Ravus, a 15-foot sculpture of a waving bear made of 187,000 pennies.

8. Book a room at Lumiere with Inspirato in Mountain Village. I love the historic old New Sheridan Hotel and Hotel Telluride in town, but this trip I discovered a sweet new place to catch my Zs – the Lumiere with Inspirato in Mountain Village. It’s posh – my room had a kitchenette (and a basket full of bacon, eggs, fresh baked bread and fruit so I could cook breakfast in), a sitting area, balcony, giant cushy bed and access to an outdoor hot tub and a ski valet. Did I mention it’s ski in-ski out?

Skiers take a break for lunch on the mountain at Telluride. Pam LeBlanc photo 

9. Drop by the StrongHouse, even if you don’t feel like partaking in one of its fresh house brews (I like the honey ginger blonde ale). The brewery occupies a cool old stone building that dates to 1892 – and some pretty neat old photographs showing its early days.

10. One more restaurant recommendation – 221 South Oak, which this winter is offering a wine and pairing class that includes a box of ingredients to make a three-course pasta meal for two, plus three half bottles of wine, for just $100. It comes with an instructional (and fun!) video of how to cook it, starring my pal Tom Watkinson. Or just drop by for a meal in the heated yurt out back, and finish with a Flatliner, the coffee-infused signature drink of Telluride.

Telluride is located in a box canyon, so you get a great view no matter what direction you look. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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