Shop Telluride

One last survey of Telluride. First off, few places in the country, nay, the world, are as great for shopping as NYC, so I generally find it a pointless exercise to even attempt to shop in the provinces. Nevertheless, one must entertain oneself somehow.

That said, of all the ski shops in town, Slope Style has the coolest gear. The selection of Burton, ORage, Roxy, Element, and Paul Frank ski wear and winter clothing has been chosen with an expert eye. I love these Vans by Roxy, a spinoff brand of Quiksilver, below.

Slope Style
South Oak Street and Main Street
970-728-9889







But I wasn't feeling steezy enough to sport the boarder gear from this shop. The best store for all sorts of practical ski gear is Paragon Ski & Sport (no relation to New York's Paragon Sports).

There is a debate in the ski gear world about capilene vs. merino as an underlayer. Capilene, a synthetic fiber, has been championed recently by brands like Patagonia. The other side of the debate holds that natural fabrics like silk and merino wool were always used as an underlayer, even back when skis were wooden, so if ain't broke, don't fix it. Finely-knit merino wicks and breathes, doesn't need to be washed all the time, and doesn't retain odors. The 80's prep in me gravitated towards the merino CB Icebreaker (yes! the very same CB Sports brand of the 80's). Paragon Ski & Sport is one of the few places in the U.S. where you can find it, and only offline.

Paragon Ski & Sport
213 West Colorado Avenue
970-728-4525

Telluride Sports is the most tourist-oriented of all the ski shops, but their selection is comprehensive. They fall on the capilene side of the great underwear debate. A good place to go if you dropped your gloves off the ski lift and need another pair, fast. On the day I visited, they were selling Pucci skiwear for half off. I didn't even know Pucci made skiwear. Mix that up with your Chanel skis!

Telluride Sports
various locations
970-369-0687

A purveyor of hippy-dippy clothing for women and men, Down to Earth carries a few things in questionable taste, like excessively bejeweled Western-style handbags and ties by Jerry Garcia. But you'll also find some nice things in the jumble, like these sweaters, right, made of soft llama's wool, beautiful embroidered cashmere sweaters by Raw 7, and handknit ski hats like this Union Jack version below. In this town full of millionaires, you'd better act fast if you see something you like, or it'll be snapped up by the next customer.

Down to Earth
122 East Colorado Avenue
970-728-9318












Finally, if you have any time in Telluride between skiing, eating, and shopping, hie thee to the Golden Door Spa at the Peaks Resort in Mountain Village. I could move into the locker room here. Steam room, sauna, a whirlpool bath, showers, hair dryers, beauty products, even complimentary hairbrushes are all at your disposal when you book a 50-minute massage for $125, a great break during a strenuous week of skiing (and shopping and eating). The other spa selections on the menu (below), like the detoxifying sea mud wrap that leaves your skin beautifully soft and bright, are quite tempting. Coated in a seaweed-like substance and wrapped in plastic for 30 minutes, I was a human California roll. A very relaxed one.




Farewell for now, Telluride. Til next year?