‘What Is the Magic Solution?’

Editor:

I read with great interest Mr. Dave Riley's commentaries on Zermatt and Verbier, and I'm looking forward to reading about the other resorts. Being born and raised in Verbier, and going back three months every winter with my husband, Tom, we have a good knowledge of Verbier and agree with most of what Mr. Riley wrote. A few dissenting points, though: Verbier is famous for its after-ski and nightlife. The amount of money generated from it is huge. The Pub Mont Fort is open six months a year and is the biggest beer seller in Switzerland. There are also more than a handful of good restaurants scattered around town. But the most important point that I guess Mr. Riley missed, is in the comparison of Verbier, Zermatt and Telluride (I would add Chamonix in the mix): Zermatt and Chamonix have something that neither Verbier nor Telluride have: The Matterhorn and The Mont Blanc, world-famous landmarks that keep visitor numbers steady the whole year round. That is hard to beat! There are hundreds of resorts competing for guests and being more creative one than the other. What is the magic solution? Mr. Riley is trying hard to find it.

Good luck and bravo.

– Marie Goodwin, Founder of Verbier’s Pub Mt. Fort

Telluride Can Learn From Zermatt

Editor:

It is with great interest that I read Mr. Riley’s article, “A Closer Look at Zermatt,” Thursday, April 30, in The Telluride Watch. My wife and I had the pleasure of taking a ten-day ski vacation in 1972 to Zermatt and find that most of David’s points in January 2009 were also true back then in 1972 (37 years ago!). It appears that Mr. Riley met with a fair number of the “movers and shakers” of that small community and began to understand how they have kept that tiny village on track.

I agree with David that Telluride is not Zermatt, yet one or two ideas that are taken away from that visit may well benefit the towns of Telluride and Mountain Village. In some ways we are similar: remoteness, a destination resort, mom and pop shops, no franchises, private ownership of one of the finest ski areas in the USA, great festivals, and, oh, the beauty, just to name a few.

Where we differ greatly is in the number of “hot beds.” These pillows are used by tourists who not only buy lift tickets in winter but buy festival tickets in summer and eat, drink and shop in many of our fine establishments. Just a bunch of condominiums or private homes, occupied or unoccupied, don’t make up a living, breathing, vibrant community.

For now, it appears that the real estate frenzy is over, and hopefully the situation will improve over time, albeit being greatly modified. Let us look forward to ten or 15 years and truly improve our basic business, tourism (a respected industry in itself, more in Europe than in the States) which will allow for an improved quality of life for both stakeholders and employees.

I challenge the “town fathers” of both Telluride and Mountain Village, along with the other “movers and shakers” to spearhead and guide the process forward in the years to come.

We are unique and beautiful, just like Zermatt. We can, will be, and are different from all other mountain resorts in North America. Through this end, all people are winners and a “rising tide floats all boats.”

– Frank J. Connolly, Jr., Ridgway

Elks Youth Activities Week a Resounding Success

Editor:

The Telluride Elks Lodge would like to extend a great big Thank You to all the organizations that helped us observe Youth Activities Week last week. To the Rotary Club, which put on a great BBQ and dance, Officer John Wontrobski for his fascinating CSI: Telluride to the Ah Haa School and local boy scout troop #500 for the beautiful seasonal mural we have on display, to Jack Krebs of San Miguel County 4-H for bringing Victory the Clown to our Lodge, the Wilkinson Public Library and the Telluride Repertory Theatre for their performance of Planet Protectors, and One-To-One for an afternoon of games and snacks.

While we're at it, we'd also like to thank Maddie Fansler for her beautiful performance at our Mother's Day Brunch. What a great talent!

It was a wonderful week of fun, and we can't wait to do it all again next year!

Many thanks,

– Cindy Bellai, President, Telluride Elks Lodge #692