Ear to the ground

“Are there chiggers in this state?”

-A visiting woman with a serious case of insect confusion as she scratched the new mosquito bites on her legs

Touring the GEMS

Ski bums have reason to rejoice this year. Not only is the start of the ski season fewer than 90 days away, a new card is now offering nearly free skiing at some of Colorado’s more down-home areas. Colorado Ski Country USA recently released the 2008-09 Colorado GEMS Card.

Colorado’s GEMS are “quaint” mom and pop areas that are often miles from the nearest detachable quad. Powderhorn Resort, Ski Cooper, SolVista Basin, Sunlight Mountain, Arapahoe Basin, Eldora, Loveland Ski Area and Monarch Mountain have all made the cut for this diamond-in-the-rough designation.

With the card, skiers can squeeze in a bunch of fixed-grip skiing for only $10. The deal entitles its holder to three free tickets the GEMS. Those looking for a road trip of epic ski bum proportions can get four more 2-for-1 lift tickets and an additional six discounted passes. Top ramen and a parking lot to sleep in are not included in the deal.

“The GEMS Card is the key that unlocks a treasure trove of valuable offers and deals from our member GEM resorts,” said Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “That kind of value is hard to come by these days.”

But don’t wait for the first snow. The GEMS card is available in very limited quantities. Visit www.ShopColorado Ski.com with at least $10 available on your debit card.

The paper trade

The paper party draws to a close this week at theDurango Telegraph. Careful readers will have noted that their favorite small-town weekly has spent the last four weeks on a more “elegant” stock of paper.

During the last month, this thicker, whiterTelegraphhas generated all kinds of opinions. Some praised the striking visual quality of the new and improved paper. Others complained that the pages were too hard to turn (“like cardboard”). Some called headquarters with colored commentary about theTelegraph’s growing carbon footprint.

The truth is that the switch was a fluke. Our printer recently ran out of conventional stock (which is almost entirely recycled and better fits the budget of a Durango newspaper) leaving us no choice but to live the high life for four weeks.

But from here on out, Durangoans can look forward to an easier-to-handle, carbon-friendlier edition of the paper. And we at theDurango Telegraph will be going back to our kinder and gentler monthly print bill.