Ear to the ground

“I was already out of money by the time I got to Vegas.”

– Confession of a local gas station gambler

At the top

Opening Day may still be hanging in the balance for Southwest Colorado, but don’t tellOutside magazine. In its November edition, the outdoor glossie named “The Top 15 Ski Resorts in North America. Period.” Two specimens of local lift-served made the cut.

Silverton Mountain (“Don’t call us a resort”)  crashed the list at No. 7. It appeared thatOutside writer Marc Peruzzi got the general drift of the homespun area during his visit last winter. “The base lodge is a tent,” he wrote. “The plumbing consists of a few kegs on tap and a pair of outhouses cut into the snow ... The sole lift is a secondhand double chair the California Forest Service insisted Mammoth remove from its property.”

Peruzzi added that Silverton Mountain “may be the least family-friendly ski experience on earth.” He did find some strong upsides during his visit, however. “But it’s the most challenging skiing you’ll find outside of the Chugach, and it represents all that is good in this sport. Well, flush toilets would be nice.”

Still smelling of porta-potty, Peruzzi tripped to the other side of the San Juans, where he granted No. 12 to Telluride. “Telluride is without question the most scenic mountain town in the West,” he wrote. “The skiing’s not bad, either.”

Peruzzi had no problem hanging on the hill. However, like many of us, he found the après ski a bit daunting in T-town. “Crowds were never really a problem here,” he wrote. “Except in the bars, which resemble South Boston’s finest on Saint Patty’s Day. Hey, if you lived in a box canyon, you’d drink a lot, too.”

Taos (“don’t expect to be pampered”) rounded out the list at No. 15.

Car talking

Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, gave a recent shout out to Durango. Car Talk has been offering off-beat automotive advice for decades, always interspersed with funky, automotive jingles and tunes. Durango singer-songwriter Tim Guidotti made the Car Talk cut two weeks ago, and his song “Carburetor” aired on the nationally syndicated radio show.

The original tune is off Guidotti’s CD, “To Seek The Peaceful Life,” and featured Durango bluegrass greats, the Badly Bent, playing backup. In ironic twist, Four Corners residents missed out on the show as KSUT, local Car Talk affiliate, happened to be broadcasting a rerun.

Durangoans can catch “Carburetor” live and in person this week, however. Guidotti is playing as part of the Rhythms of Durango, Vol. 3, CD release party. The free night of music is set for 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21 at the Henry Strater Theatre.