KOTO Radio: Voices & Visions with Peter Shelton and Karen Cain

Description

A KOTO Radio Show, called Voices and Visions, that aired April 21, 1987. Karen Cain interviews Peter Shelton. The discussion begins with how Peter started writing. He describes a climbing accident (death) that he witnessed, up on Lizard Head pass, and how he felt the need to write it down. This turned into a book, called Accident. He also started writing for the Telluride Times in 1978. Peter moved to Telluride, Colorado in 1976 and then to Ridgway, Colorado in 1980. Once he relocated to Ridgway, Peter started writing freelancing articles about skiing. He wrote about the Lunar Cup in the magazine Powder. Next, the discussion goes to why Peter moved here. Shelton says that he had lived in other mountain towns, with his wife, but the couple decided to move to Telluride to teach skiing. They stayed because of the town and the "eclectic" mix of people. Peter also loves that a person can go skiing in the spring/summer in Telluride because of its high altitude--this is not possible in other places. Peter then speaks of the 1970's in Telluride and of the tension between the new comers and the old-timers (mostly miners). The old-timers were resistant to the new-comers' ideas, that were often political based. He believes the tension was productive for the town because it was no longer so homogeneous. Karen mentions a new kind of tension between groups in Telluride, one group being the 21st century thinkers. Peter disagrees and says that while he sees an evolution, he believes it is not so different from when he lived in Telluride in the 1970's--That there is continuity. Shelton then describes the ethical conflicts behind land development in Telluride and how people are realizing that they have something good up in Telluride and there is a need to preserve it (versus the greedy, uncaring attitude towards land use). Finally, the discussion ends with Peter realizing that Ridgway now feels like home and how he appreciates the clean air, minimal traffic, and minimal drug abuse. He wants his children to grow up here. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration