Telluride Blues and Brews brings Early Snow to the Rockies
In one short weekend, the Telluride Blues and Brews festival brought hot sun, cold rain, hail, and a double rainbow to the famed fairgrounds by the river, but by far the biggest surprise act to show up was the high elevation snow.
Weather varied as much as the musical lineup through the late-summer weekend festivities. The blistering guitar work of Samantha Fish kept festival goers dancing until the field under foot turned into a mudfest. Temperature swings changed as much as the time signatures of Thundercat, Friday night's headliner. Saturday morning flirted with sunshine for opening act Jesse Roper before yielding to a cold rainy afternoon. By midday, a severe thunderstorm prompted a several hour evacuation of the festival grounds just minutes into Anders Osborne's campground set. Thick, heavy clouds rolled in with lightning and pouring rain. When the clouds parted, Andy Frasco and the UN took the stage and the unmistakable sight of snow surrounded the venue, frosting the high mountain peaks. The crowd was whipped into a frenzy inspired equally by the band's high energy, and the need to move to stay warm.
After being doused with frozen dew and surprise ice scraper conditions, overnight campers from climates like Louisiana and California were understandably shocked. Saturday night closer Lucas Nelson made comments both praising the crowd for their grit, and noting the impact of the cold on his guitar. While technically still the tail end of summer, long before the major coffee chains change their cups, the unexpected snowfall seemed to confirm meteorologists' predictions of an exceptional winter ahead. The early snow blanketed several resorts in Colorado including Aspen, A-Basin, Loveland Ski Area, and other high elevation operations.
While it is not likely that anybody would be seen with skis riding the free commuter gondola from Telluride to Mountain Village, the anomalous precipitation is a welcome appetizer of things to come.
