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Telluride Driving Conditions

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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
Hey all.

I'll be in T-ride for Thanksgiving this year. I'm not too worried about the drive to Telluride, but Saturday morning I have to drive all the way to effing Durango to drop off my girlfriend at the airport.

I've been told Hwy 550 is a pretty terrifying road to take in the winter if you don't have a lot of snow driving experience(which I don't get too much of living in the desert).

Can anyone throw out some suggestions? Alternative routes? It looks like it might be snowing that day too.

Thanks.
Nov 26 2013 10:41AM
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pat_in_the_hat
Posts: 3019 - Karma: 2,695
drive fast take chances
Nov 26 2013 11:01AM
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daannnnieel
Posts: 5163 - Karma: 4,293
if you start going sideways, either clutch in and slide it off the road, or countersteer and power through it.
Nov 26 2013 11:15AM
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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
Anyone know anything about the 145 route (Lizard Pass)? I'm hearing that's your best bet for clear driving conditions.
Nov 26 2013 11:40AM
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XtRemE11
Posts: 5680 - Karma: 246
ok, first thing you do when you come up to a corner, carry lots of speed in, as you're braking or lifting for the corner, pitch the car a little bit in the opposite direction of the corner, then just before the normal turn in point, flick in back the right direction and into the corner, if you get it right you should have a decent slide started, you can control it a little with the brakes as you release, snap off the the brakes to get more rotation, bleed off slowly to keep the car more composed. as you get to power focus on getting the car straightened out, depending on how much front grip you have and/or FWD RWD or AWD you can either gradually unwind the wheel and free the car up, or be a little more aggressive with the power and try to create understeer which will also straighten the car out, 2nd method works better in FWD and AWD.

do this around every corner, other cars will get scared and move out of your way. the more sketchy and loud you make it the better, you'll get there fast and get style points.
Nov 26 2013 11:51AM
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Laurent.
Posts: 10056 - Karma: 25,311
Listen to automotive prophet Clarkson:


Nov 26 2013 11:56AM
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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
Not a bad strategy, but I'm sporting a FWD thunder hatch. Coming around those corners guns a-blazing won't do me any good. No traction for dayzzz.

Snapping the e-brake ever so slightly as I round a corner will throw out my rear end. I can then hit the throttle on turn coming out and power slide that bitch. Keep applying gas steadily - too much and you wont turn. Too little and you'll loose your slide. Leaving the corner, slam that fucker into second gear and fly through on the straight away.

ThAnx 4 tha halhp guyzz lolololololol
Nov 26 2013 11:59AM
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XtRemE11
Posts: 5680 - Karma: 246
ok then yeah if conditions ever get too sketchy, just remember lots of speed and ebrake everything, its all about the angle, especially in low visibility.
Nov 26 2013 12:06PM
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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
If I keep my car flying at ~45 degree angle to the trajectory of the road, will that increase my visibility through the fog?
Nov 26 2013 12:23PM
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Labattski
Posts: 201 - Karma: 74
550 is kinda scary at some points but its a really fun drive. Just don't fuck up. 145 is a better alternative and alittle quicker
Nov 26 2013 12:30PM
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XtRemE11
Posts: 5680 - Karma: 246
for sure, the closer you can get to 90 degrees the better, the windshields way too far away to see through effectively, you need your side window pointing in the direction of travel since your so much closer to it.
Nov 26 2013 12:31PM
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Dr.Dickless
Posts: 2620 - Karma: 1,392
Just go slow and drive smooth, it's not that hard
Nov 26 2013 1:28PM
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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
My concern is not how to drive in snow.

I'm trying to collect info on the best route to take to avoid chance of closed roads, poor driving conditions, etc.
Nov 26 2013 1:43PM
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Troy.
Posts: 5070 - Karma: 12,549
There is no alternative way out of Telluride. One way in, one way out.
Nov 26 2013 1:49PM
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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
The 550 and 145 both go in and out of Telluride.
Nov 26 2013 2:09PM
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Labattski
Posts: 201 - Karma: 74
If your looking north one hooks right and goes through silverton(550) and left is 145
Nov 26 2013 3:04PM
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illewminati
Posts: 195 - Karma: 115
Go over Lizard Head, its far better than Red Mountain/550, especially if it is icy. Red mountain is not someplace you wanna be driving when it snowing (especially the ouray side). Also, its about 30-45 minutes shorter than 550.
Nov 26 2013 3:28PM
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DERS.
Posts: 6299 - Karma: 1,293
roads will be fine, its november. dont take 550 that would be so much longer and more difficult. its a pretty easy drive to cortez and even easier from cortez-durango. l be driving to telluride from denver on friday and back to boulder on sunday ya dont see me making threads about it... but enjoy telluride. ill be there most of the winter
also idk where youre getting your forecast from either b/c its not gonna snow there saturday.

Nov 26 2013 3:59PM
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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
Weather app. Thanks for the feedback. Haven't been through Telluride in 5-6 years. Driving in weather is a hard concept for us Phoenix folk to understand.

/thread
Nov 26 2013 4:12PM
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Che~
Posts: 2108 - Karma: 296
Take 145/160. Going over Red Mountain is not something you want to be doing in the snow, especially if you have no idea what you are doing. Plus you have to go over Molas and Coal Bank passes as well. Taking 160/145 through Dolores is almost always the way I get to Tride from Durango
Nov 27 2013 2:00AM
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yourthemannowdog
Posts: 4541 - Karma: 314
Why the hell would you do the three passes to get to telluride? Go through Mancos and over Lizard head pass (145) as you said. The road is super rarely closed. Often the worst conditions are at the bottom of the south side of the pass. It's a two line road with open fields on both sides.

Besides, coal/molas/red aren't that terrible. At first one might be intimidated, but I drove over all three of those in the middle of the night, during a snow storm (ended up getting two feet of snow that night), when the plows weren't keeping up on the road. OP will be fine.
Nov 27 2013 12:38PM
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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
Road was fine. Actually the turns were quite fun!
Little bit of ice but nothing an e brake and throttle couldn't fix.
Nov 30 2013 8:51PM
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