Ski Travel

Telluride Ski Resort has been called “the most beautiful place you’ll ever ski.” And for the upcoming winter season, the resort is giving guests even more reasons to say that very statement. From added terrain, to new, luxurious hotels and restaurants, all while keeping their pricing and guest services the same, Telluride will be a premier destination for visitors this winter.

Telluride has expanded by over 400 acres in the past three seasons, and the vertical drop is now one of the largest in North America at 4,425 feet, with 3,845 feet serviced by lifts. This year, the Gold Hill Chutes 2-5 will be open, which means all of the Gold Hill ridge will be open to the public.

Two of the resort’s newer hotels, the lumiere and Capella, have been named to Elite Traveler Magazine’s Top 101 Suites. lumiere opened in Telluride for last year’s winter season and sits slopeside in the Mountain Village. The boutique hotel has 30 rooms, and each suite includes a flat panel TV, gas fireplace, and Egyptian cotton sheets. The Capella opened in February of 2009 and was named one of the hottest new hotels by Conde Nast Traveler. It is also situated in the middle of the Mountain Village, and offers 100 hotel rooms and 60 one, two,three, and four bedroom condominium residences. Capella is the finest ski-in/ski-out location on the mountain, and it includes several upscale restaurants, an exclusive lounge, and spa and indoor pool.

The dining at Telluride is some of the best, and this season, the resort’s flagship restaurant, Allred’s, will have a new menu, with new items and a n ew steakhouse atmosphere. Alpino Vino, which sits atop Gold Hill, offers wines, cheeses, soups, and sandwiches, has a new deck with outdoor wine bar with seating for 50 guests. Finally, The Hop Garden, which is located in the Mountain Village, also has a new outdoor bar and beer garden, along with the ‘best burger in the world’ recipes from the previous owners of the Skier Union Cafe.

Getting to Telluride has never been easier, as there is now direct service to the mountain from nine U.S. cities to the two area airports, Telluride and Montrose. The Telluride Regional Airport is undergoing almost $60 million in improvements, and there are four non-stops daily from Denver and two from Phoenix. At the Montrose/Telluride Airport, there are daily non-stop flights from Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Houston, and Salt Lake City, along with weekly flights from Newark, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

The resort is hosting two big competitions this upcoming season, beginning with the LG FIS Snowboard World Cup from Dec. 17-20. The event includes snowboardcross, parallel giant slalom, and the new event Team Snowoboardcross. Seth Westcott, Shaun Palmer, and Lindsey Jacobellis will all be competing. In February, the 5th Annual Subaru Telluride Freeskiing World Tour Qualifier will hit the mountain, as competitors from around the world will descend on the resort. The competition runs from Feb. 4-6.

And last, but certainly not least, Telluride has kept their pricing on passes the same as last year, and has no plans to reduce its services or programs. Speaking of passes, the Telluride Pass Sale runs through this Friday, October 30th. The Adult Pass is 35% off the regular season pass and the 4Pass is nearly 50% off. Don’t miss your chance to get a great deal, all while enjoying the amazing runs and amenities that Telluride has to offer!

Exclusive Discounts for Aspen/Snowmass Season Passholders

Aspen/Snowmass, Colo., July 6, 2009 – Aspen/Snowmass Season Passholders and Classic Passholders can now share the summer fun with up to four 50 percent off Pass it On gondola ticket vouchers for each passholder. Share the sunshine, on-mountain activities and amazing views of the Elk Mountain Range from the top of the gondola with these exclusive passholder offers. Plus, passholders are also invited to Pass it On to family and friends with great savings on bike rentals and bike tunes.

“This winter’s Pass It On program was so successful that we decided to continue the program throughout the summer,” says Jeanne Mackowski, Vice President of Marketing, Aspen Skiing Company.  “We value our customers and want to continue to offer them reasons to return and share all Aspen/Snowmass has to offer with friends and family.”

Enjoy Aspen Mountain, where there’s something for everyone – After a 15 minute ride up the Silver Queen Gondola guests will have access to all of the following activities: lunch at the Sundeck restaurant, alpine sightseeing, hiking, ACES guided nature walks, disc golf, Saturday Classical Music, Bluegrass Sundays, yoga hikes, climbing wall, eurobungy trampoline, obstacle course, mining dig and daily kids activities.  For more information on Aspen Mountain activities please visit http://www.aspensnowmass.com/summer_rec/aspen.cfm.

50 Percent OFF ONE-DAY GONDOLA  TICKETS – Eligible Season Passholders* receive vouchers valid for 50 percent off one-day lift tickets for the Silver Queen Gondola: Adult Premier Passholders receive four vouchers, while Silver, Two-Day/Week, One-Day/Week, Highlands/Buttermilk, Highlands/Buttermilk Validator, 20-Day, College 20-Day, Adult Classic and College Classic Passholders receive two vouchers.

PLUS 30 Percent OFF BIKE RENTALS AND TUNES – Passholders and their friends and family can also cash in on exclusive offers from Four-Mountain Sports (located at Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Snowmass). Cruisers, mountain, performance road, kids’ and trail-a bikes are available. Four-Mountain Sports locations are the only stores in town that offer bike rental pickup and drop-off between stores.  Guests are invited to rent bikes and take advantage of one-way trip rentals.

REMEMBER – Premier Passholders still ride the Silver Queen Gondola for FREE, all other Passholders receive a discount.

*PASS IT ON gondola ticket vouchers can be redeemed now through October 4, 2009. Passholder must present valid 2008-2009 Season Pass at any Aspen/Snowmass Ticket Office and be accompanied by friend or family member to redeem vouchers for discounted tickets. Vouchers are stored electronically in the ticketing system and will not be printed. Vouchers are valid for one-day lift ticket purchases on the Silver Queen Gondola. Vouchers are void after October 4, 2009 and have no cash value. Discounted gondola tickets purchased using vouchers are not eligible for RSVP credit. Ineligible passes: All Complimentary Passes, Premier Child/Youth, 20-Day Child, Lower Lift Pass, 4 Mountain Foot Pass, Student Passes (Grade 1-8, Grade 9-12), AVSC, Children Under 6, and 4- and 7-Day Youth Classic passes. Employee passes are not eligible for additional discount vouchers. Friends and family must accompany 2008-2009 Season Passholder to the Aspen, Snowmass or Aspen Highlands Four-Mountain Sports location to receive bike rental and tune discounts.

Aspen Skiing Company operates the four mountains in the Aspen/Snowmass area - Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk - as well as the award-winning Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen/Snowmass. The area offers unparalleled nightlife and off-slope activities as well. Aspen/Snowmass is accessible by two of the most convenient airports in the mountains – Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) (3 miles from Aspen) and Eagle County Airport (EGE) (70 miles from Aspen). For more information on Aspen Skiing Company, please call 800-525-6200 or 970-925-1220, or visit the company’s website at www.aspensnowmass.com

Colorado Street in the center of Telluride

Even though we just celebrated the 4th of July, it’s never too early to plan that fantastic winter ski trip! There are many things to consider when planning a trip: First and foremost, you need to pick where you want to go! With fabulous spots in the Rockies, Canada, and back East, it’s definitely a difficult decision.  I’ve decided to head to the Rockies, and more specifically, Telluride, Colorado.  Telluride combines amazing skiing with a great apres ski scene- which are both imperative to the perfect ski trip.  

Now that I have my destination, it’s time to decide when to go.  Holiday weekends like President’s Day are usually crowded and expensive- so I’m going to go on a non-holiday weekend.  I’ll need a week or two after the holidays to shed the holiday pounds, so I am going to plan my trip for January 21st to the 24th.  Leaving on Thursday will hopefully give me 3 full days of skiing- half days Thursday and Sunday, and full days on Friday and Saturday. 

So how am I going to get to Telluride? I live in Southern California, so if I were to drive, my trip would be about 895 miles and 14 hours.  Since I’m only going for a long weekend, I’m going to fly instead. I can fly directly to Denver, and if I wanted to drive from there, it would be about 365 miles and 7.5 hours.  Again, due to the shortness of my trip, I think I’ll fly closer to Telluride.  Montrose Airport is is about 70 miles from Telluride, so that’s an option.  Telluride has its own regional airport and is only 6 miles away from the center of town.  I entered my dates and destinations on expedia.com and I can fly on Frontier Airlines round trip for $520.  The times are perfect- I arrive at 1:00pm on Thursday, so I can do a little afternoon skiing, and I depart at 4pm on Sunday and can enjoy some last-minute morning runs.

So now I’m in Telluride–where will I stay? Back to expedia.com, I go! I can check out what hotels and resorts are available for my trip just by plugging in my dates. Last time I stayed at The Peaks, so let’s try something new.  The Hotel Telluride is located right off the Colorado Avenue, Telluride’s main street.  It’s also a half mile from the gondola station that can take me to the Mountain to get my ski on! 

One more thing- before I can start doing my best Picabo Street impression, I have to buy my lift tickets! I hopped onto Telluride’s site, and was able to buy my ticket for my 3 days of skiing! Now, I’m really set! Time to pack up my equipment (tips for packing are in an earlier post on this site), and get ready to ski the steep and deep!

Some people think beach this time of year, but if you love beautiful scenery, an incredible variety of activities and a brilliant summer vacation idea, be sure to check out your favorite ski resort for some of the best deals anywhere. How about Mammoth Mountain, California giving you the third night during “Fee Free” days at nearby Yosemite National Park? Or Park City Resort in Utah giving rooms away starting at $99 per night? Hey, if you want to just steal accommodations try Killington Vermont, where deals starting around 58 bucks. If you golf or mountain bike it’s a true no-brainer as the economics just get better with green fees and lift ticket packages. So don’t just sit at home, get out and explore in the Mountains.  Go check out the deals at your favorite (or just closest resort) right now. Then go have fun.