The Pole

Not a skier and snowboarder, but still looking for some outside fun and exercise during the winter? Well, pretty soon you’ll be able to sharpen your figure skating or hockey skills (or practice just plain balance on ice) at a new outdoor ice rink taking shape at Vallecito.

Dear readers, The Durango Telegraph will not be publishing next Thurs., Dec. 30. We know what you’re thinking: “What?” Or maybe: “You guys publish every week?”

Durango – and the West Slope in general – often gets overlooked by its Front Range brethren (hey, in some ways, isn’t that good?), but it appears our little town is making a splash in the state restaurant scene.

At long last, we have confirmation: Aliens exist, and like most outsiders, they have taken a liking to Colorado. How do we know? Well, a reputable article in the always truthful New York Post reported that mysterious “UFO” sounds were recorded under a lake in Steamboat Springs earlier this month, setting off wild speculations that we are in fact not alone in the universe.

Bona fide sustainability geek Claire Attkisson wants to inspire you to rethink how you shop this holiday season. 

Attkisson, founder and creative director of Live Creative Studio – a sustainable-business marketing and shopping hub – is offering a unique retail experience for those looking to reduce their environmental impact during the holidays. The Zero Waste Holiday Pop-Up event, Dec. 3-5 at the Smiley Building, will feature businesses from around town that are innovating solutions to the environmental challenges we face today. 

One Thanksgiving, a few years ago, I sliced my finger on a piece of broken glass while cleaning dishes, requiring a late night trip to Mercy Regional Medical Center’s emergency room to put half of my pinky finger back on.

There, a doctor, making small talk while pumping an alarming amount of anesthesia into my finger, said every year people are admitted into the ER on Thanksgiving for … drumroll please … over-eating. As I waited several hours for the routine procedure of four stitches, and while my partner slept outside in the car with the heat on, I wondered, what is everyone else doing in here?

Rain or shine (or snow), Purgatory Resort plans to hold opening day this Saturday. As far as what lifts and trails will be open, we’re still in a state of – if you hate bad puns, look away – purgatory on what that will look like.

Southwest Colorado has received little to no early season snow. As a result, Purgatory Resort has had to rely on its snowmaking capabilities to make good on its target to open Nov. 20.