What makes Telluride unique?

Telluride is a small ski resort in the southwest corner of Colorado. Tucked away in a box canyon, surrounded by the mighty peaks of the San Juans, Telluride started off as a mining town in the 1800's and later on, in 1973, became a ski resort. Since Telluride was discovered as a world-class spot for powder skiing the Telluride Ski Resort has grown into 2,000+ skiable acres spread over 120 ski runs and hike-to-terrain and 18 lifts (including 2 gondolas). The town of Telluride has also grown, but is still only about 10 x 5 blocks small and is very true to its historic charm and easy access to skiing and beautiful nature. To preserve the town's historic feel there are no "commercial" chain stores allowed in Telluride, which means that everything is locally owned - no WalMart's, no Motel 6's, StarBucks or McDonald's or any other national chain.

Telluride has repeatedly been nominated by ski magazines as one of the most scenic ski resorts and with the majestic views of the jagged San Juan mountain peaks everywhere you look, it's hard not to agree. Whether you choose to visit Telluride in the summer or winter - the amazing views will take your breath away and you will find yourself returning year after year - we guarantee it! The Denver Post calls Telluride one of Colorado's best kept secrets and Ski Magazine lists Telluride in their top 10 list for overall satisfaction.

What you will find in Telluride is a friendly attitude from its locals and plenty of beautiful, accessible nature - making it a great place for people looking for some of the best skiing in the world but also for summer activities like biking, hiking, rafting and horseback riding. Telluride has earned a reputation as a legendary ski resort, with unsurpassed beauty and charm and world-class skiing and dining. Telluride gets an average yearly snowfall of 309 inches - and in addition to that, Telluride also has an average of 300 days of sunshine per year and no lift lines! There is truly skiing for everyone, with 24% beginner skiing, 38% intermediate and 38% expert terrain. All slopes are easily accessible from either Telluride or Mountain Village and with access to the free gondola, Telluride is truly a ski-in/out access town.

Mountain Village was incorporated as a town in 1995 and is Telluride's neighboring town mid-mountain. It is built as a European-style ski resort with great access to the ski slopes. There is also plenty of lodging options, from hotel rooms to condos to amazing vacation homes, along with shopping and dining. Overall, the Telluride area has over 50 restaurants, bars and coffee shops, and with the amount of quality restaurants available, Telluride's dining can certainly be compared to that of New York or Los Angeles. Mountain Village is also easily accessible to/from Telluride with a short 15-minute (really beautiful) free (!) gondola ride. The gondola is open year-round (except for shorter closures during off-season) and is open daily from 7 am-midnight.

As a ski resort, Telluride is always re-inventing itself, opening more terrain for expert skiing (including 2008's addition of Black Iron Bowl and 2009's anticipated Revelation Bowl) while still keeping its vast amount of beginner and intermediate ski terrain - making Telluride a great resort for the entire family or groups of skiers of different ability! Since all terrain is easily accessible by Telluride's lift system, skiers of various ability can still enjoy a day on the mountain together - meeting up for lunch at Gorrono's or Giuseppe's on the mountain and sometimes even take the same lift!

What makes Telluride so unique is the constant mixture of opposites; it is a great blend of historic and new buildings, quaint B&B and homes and luxury hotels, easily accessible, yet never crowded lifts or ski slopes, and small, locally owned restaurants and shops offering world-class dining and shopping. Despite these contradictions however, Telluride is tied together by the locals' and visitors' love for the nature, closeness to world-class skiing and the wish to keep Telluride's charm - making Telluride and Mountain Village a truly unique ski resort unlike any other ski resort in Colorado or even the world - well worth visiting!