In this issue:
	Family Travel Adventure Collection Ski Telluride! The Best In The West! Support Your School - Travel4SchoolCash! WEM on a Whim Keep in Touch!

Ski Telluride! The Best In The West!

Telluride is among my favorite destinations in the world. Summer or winter, the magnificence of the surrounding San Juan mountains is overwhelming. I recently spent a long weekend skiing in this cozy, historic town with my husband and youngest son. We were smitten once again. We arrived on the heels of a major snowstorm, which left behind plenty of fresh snow and crystal clear blue skies. Once over Lizard Head Pass, one is reminded that Telluride is really a tale of two "towns". Telluride itself is a National Historic Landmark District with Victorian-era architecture, nestled in a majestic box canyon at the base of a skier's paradise. Less than a mile long, the town's quaint lodging options are virtually all within walking distance of the lifts and gondola. A short (and free) gondola ride up and away is Mountain Village, offering a luxury resort experience and all the amenities you would expect. The center of skiing operations and the children's ski school, the more recently developed, 92-acre Euro-style village core, offers ski in/ski out accommodations, lift ticket windows, equipment rentals, plenty of restaurants and shops as well as easy access to spectacular cross- country skiing and snowshoeing trails. We chose to rent our ski equipment in advance by connecting with rentskis.com This is a handy option, particularly if you plan to ski over the holidays or on a busy, three-day weekend. A range of equipment is available and a ten percent discount is offered for the advance booking. When you arrive, simply provide your confirmation number to the pros at the Telluride Sports shop closest to your lodging and your predetermined package is presented. Be sure to try your boots on to make sure the fit is comfortable. At the end of your stay, you can return the equipment to any of the Telluride Sports locations. This gem of a resort has some of the best and most extensive beginner terrain I've seen anywhere in the West. Long, gently sloping runs were evident for miles, with plenty of beginners slowly making their way along safe and sparsely populated runs. The children's ski program is multifaceted offering a multitude of programs to suit any family's needs. A range of lessons, group or private, skiing or snowboarding, is available. And there is more. Check out Thrill Hill where kids, teens and grown ups can satisfy their need for speed! ( located at the bottom of Lift 2 in Mountain Village ), offering tubing, snowskating, and skibiking from 2:30-8:00pm, every Wednesday through Saturday. Telluride also boasts the largest snowboard park in the Southwest. The teens I saw there had no fear as they took on the berms, banks, tabletops and pyramids before heading to the Sprite Air Garden for the rails, made popular in California snow and skateboard parks. Parents can also ask about Kids Night Out and other activities scheduled intermittently throughout the season. As for the rest of the mountain, expect to find plenty of bumps and steep terrain to satisfy the most aggressive skiers in your group. We took on more than enough, challenging ourselves on the Plunge and Bushwacker. My son Ted and his friends Andrew and Jack were euphoric after mastering the bump-laden Spiral Stairs. Come nightfall there is a range of friendly restaurants that do not require fancy dress but perhaps a reservation. We liked The Brown Dog for pizza ( once the Floradora, a long-time local favorite ) and Honga for sushi. We also enjoyed the Cosmopolitan and The Eagle Bar, where adults and particularly older children can enjoy the good food and considerable atmosphere. Perhaps it is Telluride's tucked away location, in the southwestern corner of Colorado, that enables it's wonderful blend of mountain casual and sassy sophistication. Whatever aspect appeals to you, expect that everyone you'll meet is simply happy to have found their own way to this breathtaking enclave. IF YOU GO: Check the website for lift ticket deals and other special offerings. ( www.tellurideskiresort.com ) Telluride is located in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, in the Uncompahgre National Forest. The resort is six miles from Telluride Airport and 65 miles south of Montrose (airlines serve Telluride and Montrose airports). Telluride is 335 miles (540 km) southwest of Denver, 125 miles (200km) northeast of Durango and 127 miles (203km) southeast of Grand Junction. -- Lynn O'Rourke Hayes »

Support Your School - Travel4SchoolCash!

Turn your vacation into school dollars. How? Simply register for the Travel4SchoolCash Program on www.familytravel.com and any travel you book, fulfill, and pay for in full from our Travel4SchoolCash Partners will earn your school money. Our founding partners include: Linblad Expeditions, Natural Habitat Adventures, OARS, Rivers and Oceans, and Thomson Family Adventure. And, we will be adding more quality partners soon! What could be easier? Thinking of taking a vacation or planning a family reunion, visit us at www.familytravel.com for all the details or contact Pam Plesons at pam@familytravel.com or 805-964-6348. We believe family travel strengthens families. Now it can strengthen our schools as well! Register for Travel4SchoolCash Now! »

WEM on a Whim

Red devils and damsels, fox faces and tangs -- fishy business, this going undersea. The hatch closed, consol lights flashed and our submarine headed off. We cruised by giant sea turtles, blacktip sharks, a sea coral garden and more fish than you can shake a rod at! As we exited the sub, sea leg shaky, the ambient noise took over and we were back... in the mall. West Edmonton Mall -- it's a splash! When you think of northern Alberta and its provincial capital, Edmonton -- year-round watersports isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind. But that's just the tip of the iceberg at Canada's largest indoor shopping and entertainment centre. Our little car was buzzing with excitement as "the girls" hit the highway. My sister, daughter and I were on our way for an overnight adventure, complete with a stay in the Fantasyland Hotel (attached to the west end of West Edmonton Mall, a.k.a. WEM). Read more from Megan Kopp »

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