Vibe of telluride gay ski week

I started high school in in central New Jersey, a place I would call tolerant- adjacent at the time. Growing up gay in a world dominated by team sports was isolating, even scary. Gay Ski Week has become a major catalyst for gay tourism year-round, deeply admired in a community proud of its diversity.

During another trip to Revelstoke late this past season, I noticed rainbow flags scattered across town in cafes, bars, and restaurants. Telluride Gay Ski Week was originally founded in Since then, it has been a week to look forward to for participants and locals alike.

Here, people bonded over snow rather than status. Moments like that are a joyful reminder to me that queer friendship and physicality can exist together without shame or scrutiny. For me, it took lots of lessons in my early 20s with friends, ski professionals, coaches, and enthusiasts.

We’ll See You Next Year On February 28 – March 7, Since , Telluride Gay Ski Week has become the Southwest’s most welcoming, scenic, and intimate winter retreat. And now, after years in the sport, skiing has become part of who I am, in a way that peacefully co-exists with my queer identity.

Telluride Gay Ski Week released its lineup of artists and the full schedule of events earlier this month. Everyone comes to skiing in their own way. For the first time in a sport, I felt like I belonged. Places like Telluride and Aspen attracted artists, activists, and outsiders.

The Telluride community is proud to fight for. They made me feel included and welcomed. Locker rooms were minefields of fear, not just for being unathletic, but for being different. Local Olympian Gus Kenworthy will be back as the host and will join the Ski Parade with a 20x40 foot rainbow flag.

Yet still, getting involved with a mainstream sport and its entrenched locker room culture and masculinity norms seemed like the quickest way for others to realize I was different. Skiing was different. They helped me feel comfortable in my body and ability and pushed me to get to the next level.

And within that space, something surprising happened: I was met with patience, encouragement, and camaraderie. Like so many queer kids, I learned to make myself small, especially in spaces where masculinity and performance felt like they were everything.

Others soon followed suit in Whistler, Mammoth, Telluride, and now around the world. Telluride provides a safe and friendly way for LGBTQ+ individuals to explore the unmatched natural beauty and rugged landscape all while making connections with a community deeply rooted in skiing and snowboarding.

So, outside of Pride month, the outward signs of allyship and support in the otherwise remote mountain town moved me. But most importantly, they were patient with me, even when I was literally falling down the mountain. SBG Productions, the brains behind Telluride Brews & Blues and the Telluride Jazz Festival took over the festival in to up the fun!

Their tips, smiles, and enthusiasm along the way did something for me no other sport had: They gave me confidence. Just as a running back accepts his risk, so do I. Back in grade school, the thought of enjoying a sport with a friend seemed so foreign to me, but that changed, too, thanks to skiing.

It will feature an opening-day party, daily après ski, pool parties, late-night lounge happenings, with events. Ski towns, while often framed as insular or bro-centric, embraced another side. Goggles, a helmet, and a puffy jacket gave me a kind of anonymity I never experienced in traditional sports.

Case in point: I was recently in the Dolomites with a gay friend. Some are led at a young age. Like many physical activities, skiing comes with risk. Suddenly, throwing on ski gear and riding a lift became second nature, my pizza-French fry morphed into carved turns, and before I knew it, skiing became a sport I was regularly seeking out.

The week-long celebration of equality, inclusivity and awareness features tons of activities to showcase the beauty of our LGBTQ+ community. With affordable housing at least at the time and countercultural leanings, these towns created microcosms where queerness could exist more openly than in many cities.

After an end-of-day, hut-to-hut wine tasting on Alta Badia, we skied down slower than we normally would for obvious reasons , giggling like schoolgirls with every turn along the way. Beyond trailblazers and man candy Gus Kenworthy and Hig Roberts, the list remains short.

On the slopes, the things that made me feel vulnerable elsewhere—like my identity, my body, my pace—seemed to disappear behind layers of gear. Thank You For An Amazing Week!