Telluride, Colorado Celebrates 36 Years Since The Grateful Dead First Came To Town

Matt Lorelli
·1 min read
9

The Grateful Dead, love them or hate them, can't be ignored for their impact on American music, culture, lore, and skiing.

The band formed in Palo Alto, California in 1965, and was a prominent fixture of the live music scene for the latter half of the 20th century. The Dead's most impactful show, when it comes to skiing, occurred on August 15th, 1987 in Telluride, Colorado.

Telluride Ski Resort celebrated the 36th anniversary of the show by sharing vintage images across their social media channels. See below.

Telluride Ski Resort: "“36 years ago today, the Dead played the first of two shows in Telluride, Colorado. As stars aligned for the Harmonic Convergence — music, mountains, and cosmic vibes marked the start of an era filled with peace and harmony.” - @gratefuldead. Photos by Chuck Miller"

The Grateful Dead's impact on the skiing and snowboarding industry was just starting to take shape back in the late-1980s as counter-culture turned to music and the outdoors to escape the stresses of modern society.

Today, the Grateful Dead seemingly partners with every skiing/snowboarding outerwear brand under the sun. The Dancing Bears and The Steal Your Face Skull can be seen on jackets from Maine to California.

Who knew that two days of peace, love, music, and quite a lot of drugs, would spur the Dead's influence on the industry for years to come?

Want to take a trip back to the Dead's first Telluride show? Check out the vintage footage captured by Thomas Lofstrom below:

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