TELLURIDE, Colo. - About a dozen skiers stood on top of Gold Hill Ridge at Telluride Ski Resort on a brisk December weekday. We stamped our feet and huffed into our mittens while gaping at the expansive scene: a series of 13,000- and 14,000-foot peaks set against a light azure sky. But we weren’t thinking of the view. We had fresh powder on our minds and we were waiting for the ski patrol to signal that untracked Prospect Basin was open.
Telluride bulks up, staying tony and towny
Finally, the ski patroller gave us the go-ahead and off we went. With little heed for possible collisions, we careened down the hill, making sweeping S turns in the fresh, light snow. We cruised over knolls and by islands of trees until we arrived, breathless, at the bottom. Then, without so much as a word, my friend and I exchanged glances and beelined it to the lift, where we skied directly onto another chair.
Telluride is famous for its dry, fluffy snow and its utter dearth of skiers. Why? First, it’s far from everything. Situated in a picturesque box canyon in southwestern Colorado, it requires a six-hour drive from the nearest big city, Denver, or a flight with an arrhythmia-inducing landing on a slim mesa wedged between mountains. Second, there are no fewer than 18 resorts in Colorado, many more accessible, vying with each other for skiers.
Yet there has never been a better time to check out this Victorian mining hamlet-turned-ski town. In the last few years, the resort, the town of Telluride, and the town of Mountain Village, a gathering of condos, hotels, and shops halfway up the mountain, have taken the equivalent of growth hormones. Hotels and eateries have sprouted, and the resort has opened an astounding amount of terrain.
That started two seasons ago with the debut of Black Iron Bowl, a 1,000-vertical-foot area with hike-to chutes, glades, and open-face skiing, and the expert-only Gold Hill Chutes 6-10. Last season, Revelation Bowl, a sprawling north-facing bowl that holds its powder well into spring, opened along with a lift to access it all. This season, Gold Hill Chutes 2-5 will open.
Last season two hotels reopened after dramatic refurbishments. The New Sheridan Hotel, dating to 1895, spent millions upgrading its 26 rooms and establishing a new Victorian-style cafe and bar called the Parlor. Nearby, the Hotel Columbia added new furniture, kitchenettes, high-definition TVs, and iPod docking stations to its rooms.
Mountain Village has witnessed the most dramatic developments. Last December, Lumiere Telluride opened with over-the-top luxury: Butlers bring complimentary breakfast in bed, and ski valets warm boots and tune skis overnight.
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