Ouray Colorado

The Backstreet Bagel did it again! What a fun evening event. It was promoted as the "African Percussion Band" and it was fun.

The members of the band were from Zimbabwe and the place was rockin'. The evening had a nice crowd, a fun group of performers, and some local flair.

At one point, everyone was standing and dancing with these guys singing and playing their drums. When they took a break, local kids and adults jumped in for some fun. Enjoy the photos.

Karen@ BCL

Last week Chad Peele and I made the likely first descent of a steep, narrow couloir in the Corbett Creek Cirque. At the headwaters of the Corbett Creek drainage, this rugged cirque is bounded by steep and complex terrain on east side of Corbett Peak. In the photo above, we skied the obvious couloir coming off a small rock peak on the left end of the ridge. While only four miles from Ouray, the approach covers 5000' vertical feet and requires navigation of some steep and convoluted terrain. Despite the effort, it was easily worth the incredible 2000' chute we skied. With knee deep, dry powder and excellent stability, the 40+ degree upper chute was in decidedly perfect condition. Making jump turns through the skinny couloir, with deep powder underfoot and bordered by rock towers and minarets on all sides, was a stunning skiing experience.

On Saturday, March 29th, Clint Cook of San Juan Mountain Guides graciously took four ladies ice climbing for the first time. We may have been on the kids hill, but, we are excited for more! See, Ice Climbing, it's not just for twenty five year old men anymore...

This great blurb showcases the following spirited and lovely gals (if I do say so myself):

Here is a clip of some interesting things happening in Ouray at the Ourayale House. Hutch, the proprietor, opened up in January 2008 and his place is gaining in popularity.

He makes a great beer and it is quite entertaining. He is opened nightly at 6pm but if you knock at his door and he is around, he typically just lets you in anytime...




Karen@ Box Canyon Lodge

One of Ouray's newest establishments is the Ourayale House, which serves a great beer. This installment brings you a nice brewery tour by the master brewer, Hutch.




The Ourayale House is located on 7th Avenue in Ouray Colorado and opened in January 2008.

Enjoy: Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

The park is in great spring conditions. There is plenty of soft stuff in the sun to climb, or look for the more northerly aspects where there is lots of colder plastic ice still around.

I haven't been up to the skylight in a while, but I would guess that it and choppo's have melted out at the tops. Maybe the Ribbon will come in?

Wear Sunscreen!

Climbed the Stairway today. Primo conditions all the way. Easy approach, perfect sticky blue ice, and a fine glissade down. Its finally in as it should be. The avalanche path below is quite impressive. It banks up the other side of the canyon with numerous large trees broken off.

Just a small glimpse into the late night crowd in Ouray.




From the girl on the scene: Karen

Checking out the town, here is Lora Slaw... at the Chalet. It is quiet here, but, that is because of all the hooting and hollering out and about.




Karen @Box Canyon

Later in the evening, we stumbled in and found some fun at Backstreet Bagel on Main Street! The band that was playing is the Hillbilly Hotel and the drummer is Ducket's own Kevin!

Enjoy...




Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Here is a great little video of fun & excitement at Elks Lodge #492 in Ouray as they celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Beautiful day in the San Juans. Ice and ski conditions continue to be excellent.

The Skylight climbs are all super fat. The top-outs on Skylight and Choppo's are very hollow, be careful as temps warm up. The bottom third of Killer Pillar has fallen away, but the remainder is excellent climbing and the corner below is fun drytooling, it will soon come down in one dramatic crash so watch your belay and get it while you can. There are a number of thin short mixed lines that are rarely formed up along the road as well. Maybe this next winter blast will allow for some ascents.

Some guys went and checked out Bridalveil today, and sent me the following shots. Looked like it hadn't been done in a spell and they found fresh sticky ice with big hollow mushrooms on top. They climbed the right side, there were 3 significant roofs that had to be negotiated. Full Bridalveil Style, never very hard but definitely engaging. Cheers!

The skiing on Red Mountain Pass continues to be incredible. We did a short tour up Carbon and down the popular Oh Boy Couloir. Fresh tracks and soft snow, very nice. We are all looking forward to the excellent spring ski season to come, although the ice climbing is still great.

Get out and enjoy! Clint

In Ouray, the Hot Springs Pool is a welcome relief after a long snow. The pool is open year round and is a great place to get some much needed exercise. There are lap lanes (ranging in temperatures from 65 - 76 Fahrenheit in the winter -- Today it was a balmy 68.).

A second pool contains water that is about 96 degrees and many people come Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings for a little water aerobic workout and finish up with a little social hour

Yesterday we received about 12 inches of snow so today with the BlueBird Skies, it was stunningly beautiful.

I hope you enjoy the show!





Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Hello Skiers,

Nancy Wolkin, the proprietor of Denim of Antiquity invited me into her store today so that I could get a feel for her shop.

She sells one of a kind denim jackets. She purchases denim jackets of all kinds and then uses antique fabrics to dress them up and they are really cool.

Her shop is at 450 Main Street in Ouray Colorado. Take the tour. It is really very interesting.




Karen @ http://www.boxcanyonouray.com

Rocky Mountain Treasures and Gifts is located in Ouray Colorado. They sell unique gifts and novelties in their store on Main Street. The shop is owned by Bruce & Tamara Gulde.

Take a tour of their store and tell us what you think.




Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Despite a few days of warm weather the Ice Park was in great shape today.  A few inches of fresh snow and blue skies today made for an idyllic day.  Even better is how quiet it is during the week these days - no competition for routes and whole sections to yourself.  Ahhhh...   Not to mention the easy sticks...

I was at the Skylight yesterday with Dee, Angie, & Jimmy. Conditions were great! The Skylight proper is very wet but all others in the area are perfect. Killer piller continues to grow top to bottom. The top is forming this huge mushroom & subsequently a formidable roof.

The mid-week climbing in the park has been quite slow. Those who are making it out are finding amazing ice from end to end. Rob and Mike are doing a great job rebuilding and growing what is currently there. If you see these guys around town, buy them a sando or beer!

Happy Trails,
Kevin

Hey all.

Had a great day of guding in the Ice Park yesterday and the conditions are looking really good for this time of the year.

The schoolroom area in particular is looking great and has healed up very well from the Prez weekend onslaught of folks.

Have at it as this is as good as it gets and the crowds are minimal during the week.

Cheers,

Bill

Today I drove by Gravities Rainbow on my way to Silverton. Gravities was looking especially beat out with obvious delams and rotten sections with horizontal cracks running thru the lower section. I think you might be able to squeak an ascent in but it is definitely user beware at this point in the season.

In Eureka, things are looking good but the snow has been a major inconvenience. I guided whorehouse hoses which is phat and especially nice now that there is a solid trail going to the base. The lower and upper pitches are great with good sticks and solid ice. There is obvious avalanche debris between the first and second pitch so be aware and make sure to check the avy report for any future ascents in this valley.

Stairway to heaven (which we were hoping to do) does not have a trail kicked in and looks as if you could ski it. If anybody wishes to kick in a trail and clear snow from the route with a large broom, please be my guest!

Thanks Again to Alain, Calixte, and Jay! They made the most of the ice this season, and got some great photos too! Here is their final installment for the 08 season.

want to say THANKS for the snowshoes last week.
This is what we were up too.... Bear Creek, did solar circus, WI5+ conditions, VERY wet, and extreme daggers over us! a MASSIVE peace broke after we were back to safety! very lucky, it would of killed us.
Long approach, 3 1/2 hours, bit good times.
We tough it was a FA until we rapped down and saw a V thread top of last pitch on climbers right. Must of been an ascent earlier in the season.
we had been looking at it for a while and was formed earlier, broke off and formed again recently.
This was our last mission with Jay before leaving the Ice world. Have to say, Ouray was awesome!!!

anyways, here are a few pics for your blog....
We finally left the cold and made it back to Moab, now in Austin Texas after a long 3 day marathon behind the wheels...
feels good to be in T - shirt now!

The climbs at the Skylight area continue to grow. All are in great shape. A couple parties have been up to the Talisman, although I don't know if anyone has climbed it yet. Here are some views of the addict himself on Killer Pillar in the morning sunshine.

Also climbed Gravity's a few days ago. It was very punky but climbable. It is even warmer now though. Might be done for the time being.

Slipped over to Ophir area today for a little ice climbing, and snuck in a bit of skiing too.  We were hoping to climb up in Crack Canyon, but found the east facing climbs in poor shape with all the warm weather.  Looked as if they were great until a day or so ago...  Skied up in the canyon to see if anything was in on the west facing wall, but found only snow.  So we settled with a fun mixed/thin ice line on the lower Ophir Wall.  It warmed up and nearly fell apart as we climbed, but was quite enjoyable.  

While out and about, we had a look at Ames Ice hose - it looks fantastic.  Thick on the upper pitch, and a wee thin at the start.  Ames Falls looked good as well, although a tad wet...

The bonus of the day was GREAT CORN SKIING over the talus slopes below Crack Canyon and the Ophir wall.  Who would have thought we'd have good corn snow already??  With tonight's storm it will be a bit longer before we get to enjoy that again though.  When we left, the storm system was moving in fast with strong winds out of the SW.  

Skied this morning on the newly re-opened pass.  There is quite a bit of windslab, but great skiing on N & NW aspects below treeline.  Lots of signs of natural avalanches during the past storm and from the sounds of the control work being done this morning, some large triggered slides occured.  Didn't get a chance to see them, but certainly heard them - yipes!  Significant amounts of wind transport has happened over the past few days and felt the most cohesive slabs I've felt all winter in wind affected areas.  Sking is good, but I'd advise a great deal of caution for the next few days.

On the way down, we had a great view of Gravity's Rainbow and the other climbs in the area. Conditions looked fantastic!

The snow and warmer weather has healed and filled things back in.  It appears that at least one person climbed Kennedy's this morning, but no tracks up to the other climbs yet.  All look very good, despite some strong sun this morning.  

Well, it has continued to snow vigorously this week. The pass has been closed a few days now, but the skiing up Weehawken has been good so not all is lost.

The ice in the park is in great shape, and there is plenty of swinging to be done if you get off the beaten path. The routes up Skylight continue to fatten up. The road has been gated at Senator Gulch for a while now. Even though they are plowing it much farther. This scenario makes it very difficult for locals to enjoy the road skiing they have come to expect on the Camp Bird Road.

Skyrocket aka. Bride's Veil is in great shape, and the wallow isn't that long. I'm sure the Engineer climbs are healing up, although this week's forecasted sun may change that quickly. The Dexter Slabs are big and solid.

All for now. CC

Weehawken Creative Arts has been sponsoring various dance classes for the youth in Ouray County. Natasha teaches numerous classes such as tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. There are 75 kids enrolled in these classes that take place at the Wright Opera House just about every day.

In the spring, there will be a Peter Pan production and Natasha told me that all the kids will be able to be in the production.

Here are a few images from the classes from Debbie Clapsadyl. Her daughter, Hunter, is enrolled.







Karen
Box Canyon Lodge

Here is the URL address to a fine clip, done by the great folks at Plum TV in T-ride. This is the 2nd time we have had the pleasure of teaching one if their crew. Enjoy!

http://telluride.plumtv.com/videos/plums_abby_kingston_tries_out_ice_climbing

Tuesday was a beautiful break from the continued snows. We all got out and enjoyed the sun. It was a nice reminder of how incredibly pleasant Ouray Ice can be.

It has been super quiet in the park this week so far. Plenty of room and good, solid conditions. No avalanches or long approaches.

Photos are: New Funtier, S$*^house Wall (2-3), Gaxebo, and Abridgement.

Some friends were in town, eager to climb somewhere other than Skylight and the Park.  Since the passes were closed yesterday, they headed for Ames Ice Hose.  Skiing in, they were greeted by constantly collapsing snow and lots of serious whomping as they neared the climb. Enough so, they decided a hasty retreat was a better and safer idea.  With the recent snowfall amounts and most importantly, the furious winds out of the S/SW, the area was seriously loaded.  Perhaps a few days will see things settle down.  They did report that ice conditions looked great from what they could see of the route...  On their return, they swung past Ames Falls and reported good, but slightly soggy conditions there.  

There was not as much accumulation in the Gorge as up on the pass, although winds were quite strong. Up high Avalanche hazard remains high, and the distribution of snow makes it tough to assess accurately. With more on the way, things should remain touchy thru the weekend. Once the pass opens, people need to remain aware of the hazard. There is hazard on the engineer climbs, especially Over the Rainbow. The skylight climbs are not a "safe" area either, some can run quite large. Check the avi report, look for clues, and assess consequences deliberately.

There were a number of reports of de-lamination on Gravity's Rainbow during the last warm spell. Hopefully this recent blast of winter has re-sintered things to the rock. I'll post once I get a look myself.

CC

The snow arrived right on schedule today, we'll see if we get as much as predicted.

Climbed in the lower park today, and found great conditions. Both Scottish Buttresses are in fine M3-4+ conditions with fun delicate climbing. The Optimator and Popsicle continuing to grow and offer great steep pillar climbing right of the floor.

Yesterday, a few of us took some laps in the lead-only area. We started with Abridgement WI4/5, it really the only route seeing much activity and is a good introduction to the lead-area. There were 2 or 3 parties plugging their way up it after us. The rest of the pillars require a bit more patience and gardening to climb. We then climbed the pillar between Abridgement and Whitt's World. It was a bit delicate and cauliflowered in places, but offered fun WI 5 climbing. We then headed down and plowed up Le Pissoir. It had a nice 2 day stubble, and Mike was raining down some fine margarita makings. All-in-all a fine afternoon.

Photos: 1. Abridgement 2-4. Le Pissoir

Hey all. The ice in South Park is coming back around with the cold temps and the water flowing once again. The Deep South area in particular is forming up very nicely.

Also be sure and check out the Shithouse Wall and the Gazebo Wall. The ice is as big and blue as I have ever seen it in these areas and nary a pick mark to be found.

Get out and enjoy it while the crowds are small this week.

Cheers and be safe out there.

Care to know where the best ice conditions are in the Ouray Ice Park?

Believe it or not the $#%&House and Gazebo Wall are in incredible shape with fat blue, sticker ice. The south facing terrain is often a little sun-leached and thin. Not this season. This has just been one of those years in the San Juans where south facing routes are not only holding on but thriving in these weather conditions.

Catch the $#%^House wall climbs while they are in this type of condition. It is a highly underutilized section of the Park and about a 5 minute walk from the Victorian Inn.

Respectfully submitted,

Grey Squirrel

The Skylight climbs remain fat, and seem to be healing each night. The current debris piles are well consolidated.

The Ribbon probably has enough snow packed at the bottom to get up it. The small wintry blasts we continue to get, have kept folks away though. I'm sure some visiting ropegun will soon break a trail up the Talisman as well.

The Engineer climbs are holding in, although definitely showing the effects of the recent sunny spells. Parts of each route are either punky foam or sweet blue goo. Often right next to the other. Still fun, watch the weather.

As we get to warmer weather, be sure to check out fixed anchors before you commit to them. Pitons can loosen, blocks can fail, and threads can melt in the course of a day.

THE PARK is in fantastic shape. There are great sticky blue lines everywhere, and not so many climbers around. Everyone is looking forward to the Chicks festivities, and good conditions. It appears that the holds and draws have been removed from the comp route. So all those hoping to send, will have to wait till next year.

Cheers and Cold Thoughts, CC

The Experts Seminar is in full swing for 2008, Bob & Sandy are busy hangin it out there. This session has been packed. During the first two days we did a ton of work on steep ice technique & lots of leading in the park. Today took us to Gravity's Rainbow. Still in great condition and a true San Juan classic. We looked at topics such as strategies for climbing as a party of 3, multi-pitch anchor management, and rappel transitions.

It seems like Gravity's will be around for a while. The top of the first pitch of Kennedy's Gully looks to be melting out a bit but I think one might be able to connect Blue Condition and the upper part of Kennedy's for a great outing. The pillars near Over the Rainbow seem to be doing OK as well. Better get on them soon though!

Two more days for the Experts. Thur. will focus on companion rescue. One of those things you never want to use but feel good being familiar with.

Happy Trails!

Today, Kimerra and Jessi were skating at Rotary Park. These two gals live in Ridgway but came up for the afternoon for some fun outdoors. The ice is in the best shape that it has been in for years. The surface is well plowed and the ice is very smooth. Will Clapsadl is the official "Ice Man" at Rotary Park and we are so grateful that he is taking such care. Thanks Will!






Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

It is Saturday Morning at the Ouray Ice Festival. On the lower bridge, you can see there are numerous vendors and climbers from around the world. People can demo all the latest in equipment.


Here is a gal, climbing on the Kids Wall, just learning how to do it.


Spectators watch as the competition heats up


New at the Ice Park this year is the Kids climbing wall. It is easily accessible from the road, has a great pitch, beautiful ice and you can come and test drive the sport before you commit to loving it.


See all the people on the kids wall. In fact, it isn't just for kids anymore! Adults of all ages are learning to climb.

This lady is descending into the gorge before she starts up.


We have competitors from around the world that come to Ouray to compete.
More spectators watching the early morning competition

Jodi from La Papillion Bakery cooks up some warm food for the spectators and participants. He makes a fantastic gumbo.


Just another perfect blue sky day in Ouray. We received about 4 inches of snow last night and it left the landscape with a brilliant white sheen. The red building is our beautiful county courthouse.


Getting ready for the gorge.


Vendor tents along the road in the ice park.


Participants watch from viewing stands funded by gifts from Asolo, one of the main sponsors of the event.



Climbing clinics abound during the festival. There are over 80 different clinics sponsored by the various vendors. There is also a bunch of gear that can be demoed for free.

The Ouray Elks Lodge made breakfast this morning for those that wanted to eat pancakes, sausage, bacon and biscuits and gravy. This is Phil Martinez. He is one of the Trustees and loves to cook. He also works at the Ruby Trust Mine.

Manette Steele is the District Deputy for the Western Slope. She also loves to cook and loves early morning gigs.
The Ouray French Team was also part of the fun. They are raising money for a trip to Paris this coming March and worked to serve the ice fest participants a hearty breakfast.


This is Tom Tyler performing cleanup. He was there early but refused pictures until the coffee had been built up in his system. He is not a morning person :-)


All in all, another great day in Ouray!

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Tonight the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department hosted a dinner with the Ice Park at the Ouray Community Center. Vendors set up tables and booths and folks browsed all the new equipment. There was a silent auction that went off without a hitch. Here are some pictures of the evenings events.

Here are Patrick Rondinelli and his son Brian. Patrick volunteers on the Ouray Fire Department and is our distinguished City Administrator.


Here is Mel Rajokowski. She works for the Ice Park and is in charge of all the merchandising. She is hanging onto her little baby Connor who is just about 8 months old now.

Here is Hans from Denmark. He is here at the festival enjoying all the clinics. This is his fourth or fifth trip to Ouray.


Peter is trying out a sleeping bag that was donated to the silent auction. He is trying to decide if he wants to bid on it.


This is Ken Garard, Sandy and Mike Macleod. They put together the silent auction and without all their hard work, it would be hard to pull it off. You can see they are enjoying a cool one before the bidding begins.


Here is Erin Eddy. He is the Executive Director of the Ouray Ice Park. When he is not helping with the Ice Park, he is a real estate agent too.


Here is Carol Garard with Jason Stadler. Jason works for Asolo, one of the main sponsors of the entire event.



Kevin Koprick of San Juan Mountain Guides and Ouray Entertainment talks with a Vasque Representative

Tomorrow, the big competition begins at the Lower Bridge. It starts at 9:00am. I hope to get up there early and grab some great pictures.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Rob Megna and Eryn Bond who own the Backstreet Bagel on Main Street are out and about checking out the fun!


All of this is in preparation for the Ouray Ice Festival. Tents are being set up today for the vendors and activities really get going tomorrow.




Spectators on the expanded viewing stands with funds provided by Asolo.


Climbing in the snow!


Early pictures from the Ouray Ice Festival!



Rich is out on the Green Barron trying to keep up with the mounds of snow that keep coming. Talk about a winter wonderland. The forecast today is for up to 15 inches of the white stuff. It is getting harder and harder to find places around Ouray for all this snow. There are places just off of Main Street where snow hills exist that are 15 feet high.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Kathleen, Sandra , Dianne (Pictured) and Karen go skiing! Fabulous Day

Sandra and Dianne taking a short rest!


Laughing as we head up!


Today, Sandra Boles, Kathleen Norris Cook, and Diane Correl went cross country skiing in the Amphitheater. We had a dandy time with Yankee Boy and Nala Dog. We made fresh tracks as we started out at 8:00am.

I took my little camera along for the fun of it, but, it was a bit intimidating taking pictures with Kathleen along. She is, of course, a fantastic photographer and I have such limited capabilities. But, I did capture a few fun shots.

The temperature was a crisp 12 degrees but the sky was a brilliant blue even though we were in the shade most of the time. The snow was about 8 inches deep but it was light champagne powder. Watch my little video of our trip.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Ouray now has a shuttle service between Ouray and the Montrose Airport. Why rent a car and leave it parked when you can contact Switzerland of America and arrange your pickup?

This shuttle service could also be used to move people between Ouray and Telluride. Since discounted Telluride lift tickets are available to people that stay in Ouray, a nice shuttle service over to the area might also be a nice treat.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

PS Please feel free to leave a comment. We love your input!

On Saturday, the Ouray Ice Park opened. It was a very sunny and chilly day, just perfect for ice! I signed up for a clinic sponsored by Ouray Realty and Investment and San Juan Mountain Guides. For a couple of hours in the morning, I actually kicked ice. It was very exhilarating and a real thrill.

My instructor was a very mild mannered guy named Kevin. He was very nice, easy going and patient. He helped me get equipped (the San Juan Mountain Guides loaned me all the necessary gear) with crampons, boots, and the appropriate hand tools.

With great prowess, he demonstrated and explained a few things and we were off. We were on the Kids climbing wall (It isn't just for Kids anymore!) and we made a couple of climbs. Learning how to kick your feet into the ice, balance on the smallest of edges, maneuver the ice axes, and navigate the terrain were all challenges.

My hands were the sorest part of my body. I gripped the ice axes with a death grip and at the end of the day, they were very, very tired and sore. Other than that, no serious pain!

I am not going to say I am an addict at this point, but, I did sign up for more instruction next week. The 1/2 day intro to ice class is a real winner. For a little more than a downhill ski ticket, you too can experience the thrill and it includes the equipment. I highly recommend it.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

PS Please feel free to post a comment - we love to hear from you!

Yesterday, Sandra and I went X-country Skiing up in Ironton. We took Nala too. It was fantastic. We arrived about 9:00am and we were the only ones there! We had about 4 new inches of fresh snow. It was a heavy snow but that made it extra nice to ski without tracks. It was snowing lightly and yet there was no wind.

One lap around the town circuit and one lap north in the willows was sufficient as we had some time pressures. Nala ran well, but, seems like she might have strained a ligament in her hind leg. We were going to go enjoy some snow time on the Amphitheater Road today but I decided she needed to take it easy.

Red Mountain Pass was closed later in the day on Saturday so the skiing is going to be great once the road opens. It isn't supposed to open until sometime Monday or maybe even Tuesday. What a storm!

Rich & I worked hard in the snow today. Shoveling turns out to be a thankless job. He is ready to make snow removal a sport so that you can spend a bunch of $$ on equipment.


Karen @ http://www.boxcanyonouray.com

PS. Please feel free to post a comment - we love to hear from you!

At the Box Canyon Lodge, I wanted to start an in-room recycling program for our guests. All I could see was the cost of getting it implemented so I was a bit slow in getting it going. I needed some way to collect the recyclables in the room, was going to need some company to collect the stuff, and needed to explain to our guests how it would work.

Initially, I didn't think that Waste Management would collect the stuff as I was a commercial operation. With the help of one of the towns people, Rick Lane, I received a visit from the Operations Manager of the local office. He indicated that they would pick up our recyclables, no problem! About three weeks ago, I received my green container. I spent the next few weeks refining the process and obtaining the necessary equipment.

I spent about $400 on blue recycling waste baskets for each of the rooms, created my own in room placards to explain our program, trained my housekeeping staff and then implemented the program.

It has been 4 days and the response is overwhelming. I already have filled my 96 gallon container. I am amazed and pleased. Now I need to order a second recycling bin to accommodate all the waste. If I can keep two containers per week from going into the regular dumpster, I think it is possible that my direct costs for waste disposal will be 40% less after implementing this program. How exciting! We help the earth and we help our bottom line. What a great combination.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

PS. Please feel free to post a comment - we love to hear from you!

On November 10, Colorado guitarist, Trace Bundy gave a workshop for thirteen local students called, Thinking Outside the Box - Innovative Acoustic Guitar Techniques. Offered by Weehawken Creative Arts, students commented on how many new techniques they learned and how inspiring Trace was. In the evening, following a dinner provided by the Ouray County Performing Arts Guild, Trace played to an enthusiastic audience of 80 people. A standing ovation followed.

There is considerable excitement around here about the Wright Opera House being revived. Ideas for events and uses seem to be tumbling around us, more than we can competently organize at one time... a reflection probably of the heavy-on-creativity nature of our tiny population. Mrs. Wright, the wife of a wealthy fellow during the mining days of Ouray, decided that while they were building a town, there certainly needed to be a facility devoted to culture (especially to provide the proper atmosphere for the young girls) and insisted that her husband build the Opera House. It has a long history of many uses, but apparently has never actually had an opera. I?ll bet Mrs. Wright would have loved the ?Nutcracker Sweets? coming up on Dec. 1...to showcase our 60+ dance students!

And, we have ?live theater returning to the Opera House? in the form of Dickens? ?A Christmas Carol.? With that, reliably comes all of the expected (and loved) buzz associated with a theater production. Posters to be designed, tickets to be printed and distributed to the bookstores where they will be sold, the program to be designed---with great care to include all the spelled-correctly-names of actors and helpers, costumes to be secured, lighting designed and all the pieces found for it, sound effects to be devised...and a rehearsal schedule, of course, to perfect the most effective delivery of the lines!

Also, it will be really good if the new seats ordered for the Opera House arrive before this and other events planned. As the designated worrier for Ouray, I am concerned that they are not here yet. But the young folks in charge of the Opera House, Mel and Kevin, assure me all will be fine. I love young people.

Auditions were held the other night and a surprising range of talent showed up to try for a part. It?s a shame there is only one Tiny Tim because there were so many adorable children trying out.

Many there are already known for local performances (formerly in the MultiPurpose Room in the school...which has a stage), or in regional productions in other towns. But many new faces appeared. We obviously have attracted some superb new talent to our little town.

The cast has been selected and, indeed, only one could be chosen for Tiny Tim. Scrooge is, in real life, the executive vice president of one of the banks. Sounds fitting, but in real life he would not be a good Scrooge. One of the town?s attorneys wrote this adaptation, with his musical wife, and he is directing the production. Both have been active in theater regionally for many years. I am enjoying working with him on the play, and having the opportunity to chat with him without anticipating a bill for the hours or portions thereof for said conversation. (Just joking, Mike, you are worth every penny!)

Among the other cast members are a semi-retired doctor/hospital administrator/concert pianist (yes that is all one person, he may be a lawyer too as I recall), a high school sophomore who stars in school plays, the wife of one of our newest ministers (she, it turns out, has a degree in Theater Arts and would like to start theater classes for kids), and the new night manager of a local motel, just arrived from Texas a few days before the auditions... and he landed the role of Dickens ( the narrator)! When I first met him and he expressed an avid interest in being involved in the play, he clearly was ?just arrived from Texas.? I asked him if he could ?speak Colorado? and he said he could ?speak British? if we wanted Dickens.

The lighting is being done by another new resident, who also has her degree in Theater Arts...our cup runneth over!

The play is done as an old fashioned radio show, with sound effects and music. It will have a live audience, but also will actually be broadcast live on our own radio station, one that is run by our high school students. It will also be recorded for future broadcasts during the holidays. Concerned about the recording process finally led to the ?policy? that the production is ?not appropriate? for children under 5. I suspect the subject matter and mode of presentation would not be of interest to such young folks anyway.

They had the first read through this week. As I sat and watched, I was reminded of ?The Music Man,? envisioning something no doubt akin to Broadway, that clearly it will be a splendid performance of great pride for us all. It is all in the eyes of the beholder. Dec. 7 will be a special evening as our very own live theater is performed in our wonderful Opera House.

Scrooge couldn?t make it to the first reading because he was at a bank equipment trade show in Las Vegas.

And the Texan sounded like he was born here.

by Joyce

The Community Development Committee of the City of Ouray sponsored a marketing seminar as part of the monthly Business Round Tables. Today, the speaker was Jim Kidd, Director of Small Business from the Development Center of West Central Colorado. He is a good speaker and very knowledgeable on the topic.

Jim presented a few interesting concepts including what he termed as the five pillars of marketing:

1) Advertising -- Print (The written word, used to inform the general public)
2) Promotion (the buzz or excitement you create about the event or product)
3) Public Relations (your standing in the community)
4) Publicity (externally generated, uncontrolled by the business owner)
5) Sales (as in markdowns or something is on sale)

He also spent a lot of time discussing how you define the customers that you have or that you want to have. We did an exercise that really opened up my mind on this subject where we tried to create three profiles of customers. It was very beneficial.

He emphasized the importance of a budget, walked through a sample budget and stressed the importance of a fully integrated marketing plan.

At least 30 people were there representing various businesses and not-for-profits in the community including:

Spare Design
Box Canyon Lodge
Ouray Chalet Inn
Cascade Falls Lodge
Ouray Riverside Inn
Ouray Comfort Inn
Weehawken Creative Arts
Ouray Gallery
Second Chance Humane Society
Khristopher's Culinaire
Rocky Mountain Treasures & Gifts
Exotic Earth Coffee Roasters
Ridgway Outdoor Experience
Ouray Trails Group
Ouray Historical Society
Columbus Hotel

During the meeting a small discussion ensued where people asked about marketing Ouray County as a region as opposed to the two little towns of Ouray and Ridgway. Mr. Kidd seemed to think that a lot more cross pollination would occur and the concept is very forward thinking and would be successful. Mr. Kidd even pointed out that the region from Grand Junction to Durango is just the "Western Slope"... No one but these little towns think of it individually, the rest of the state lumps us all together. Pursuing the question a bit further sounds like a great idea.

I am happy to be part of such a great community where continuous development and improvement are part of the lexicon and so many people are involved!

Karen
http://www.boxcanyonouray.com

Yesterday, the Ouray Elks Lodge had a fund raiser for the VA Hospital in Grand Junction and as a tribute to all the veterans that were in the area. On Saturday night, a free spaghetti dinner was available to all the Vets. It was followed up with a Turkey Bingo game. In Turkey Bingo, each game you won yielded a Turkey Dinner including all the fixings!

During the dinner, the Ouray Elks honored one of their own: Bob Wilson. He was a veteran and he also ran one of their charity events for 13 consecutive years. The Charity Ride raises money for their childrens programs including the Easter Egg Hunt, Santa Delivers and the San Juan Riding Program.

This morning, the same folks put on a Brunch with omelets, pancakes, sausages and hash browns. Again, Vets ate free and the money raised was earmarked for the VA Hospital in GJ. Manette Steele, who works for Oracle Corporation, was the organizer and she also donated the food that was used so the event yielded even more money to the cause.

The City of Ouray also had free admission to its Hot Springs for any Vet. The flags were set out along Main Street by the boy scouts. It looked very nice.