Telluride, USA: Everything a Skier Should Know

Telluride, USA | Welove2ski — The old town of Telluride. Photo: © Telluride Resort

The Stats

Altitude: 8,730ft

Top Lift: 12,260ft

Ski area: 1,800 acres of terrain

Adult lift pass: $450 for six days

In a Nutshell

Nowhere else do architecture, atmosphere and scenery come together quite as seductively as in Telluride. So it’s a shame the ski area is so small – much too small for a week of bombing about on terrain you can already handle. Come here for a short break, as part of a road trip, or to learn a new skill instead.

Essential Advice for the Perfect Trip

According to bestsnow.net, the best time to come to Telluride is in March, which gets 30% more snow than any other month. Telluride’s terrain is of the highest quality – for beginners, advanced and expert skiers. There just isn’t very much of it. 1,700 acres is small even by North American standards (Whistler has 8,171 acres, and Espace Killy in France boasts over 24,000 acres).

Stay in the historic Victorian town, not in the purpose-built mountain village, if you want to soak up the atmosphere. It’s marginally less convenient, but it’s where you’ll find the best scenery, architecture and atmosphere. If you can afford the room rates, The Camel’s Garden is the place to stay in the old town – right next to the lifts to Giuseppe’s and Station St Sophia.

The Mountain Village is now so big that it could be a resort in its own right. This is where the biggest, newest and most luxurious hotels and spas are located. Wherever you choose to stay, make sure you go easy on the first day, stay off the alcohol, and drink lots of water. Many visitors take 24 hours or so to adjust to the altitude.

Where to Stay in Telluride | Welove2ski — The Mountain Village. Photo: © Hotel Lumiere

The best place for lunch

Make sure the Gorrono Ranch (+1 970 728 6900) features in your lunch plans. It’s one of our favourite mountain restaurants in the world – a kickabout kind of place with live music, barbecues, and lots of deckchairs for general hanging out. It’s not too big, the atmosphere’s nice and chilled, and you can’t help wondering – why don’t more American resorts have places like this?

Top tips for the area

A great trick if you’re driving here is to stay over the far side of the hills at the town of Ouray, a half-hour drive away. You will find hot springs, accommodation and lift passes to Telluride for less than the cost of lift passes alone bought at the resort. If you’re coming to Telluride for the powder, don’t forget to plan a stop at Silverton too – the one-lift mountain with no groomers.

	The look of the old town – a proper wild-west settlement, with proper wild-west heritage. Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank here.
	The fact that the road stops at the end of the canyon. People come here on purpose – they’re not just passing through.
	Bushwacker – one of the steepest groomers on the planet.
	The painstaking, super-attentive ski school.

	The fact that the people who gave Telluride its soul are being forced out by rising real estate prices.
	The cost of a lift ticket.
	The headaches on the first day (from the altitude).
	Its remoteness. Yes, we know, that’s a plus point too – but jeez, it really DOES take an age to get here.