Vacationing in Telluride, Colorado – The Very Best in Skiing, Activities and Dining

Telluride - Great room
Courtesy of: Ultimate Escapes

Tucked away in the southwest corner of Colorado and surrounded by the mighty peaks of the San Juan Mountains, Telluride is a perfect winter vacation spot. Its prime location affords one thing no ski area entrepreneur ever had to buy or develop – unrivaled scenery. Because of this, the town has always taken top honors in ski magazine surveys for its 360-degree views and towering mountainscapes.

People can’t seem to say enough about this beautiful destination. It truly is a unique community of people who adore the mountains, the people, the visitors, and the free-thinking lifestyle: Dogs have parking spots, bicycles are the standard form of transportation, and there are so many summer festivals that they even have a “Nothing Festival” to celebrate, well — nothing!

Skiing and Snowboarding

Ultimate Escapes , www.ultimateescapes.com,  a luxury destination club, has five residences located in Telluride, and its members love to spend the winter months taking on the town’s world class slopes.  They welcome the fact that lift lines are nearly non-existent, because it allows them to make the most of their time on these stellar slopes. The area receives more than 300 inches of snow each year, and offers more than 2,000 skiable acres for any skier, from beginner to Olympic athlete. Telluride offers the best of all worlds with 22 percent beginner terrain, 38 percent intermediate, as well as the best black diamonds in the country and, with the Grand Opening of Prospect Bowl, there are now over 1,700 acres of “must ski” terrain for every type of skier from beginner to extreme.

Heli-Skiing

Helicopter skiing is the ultimate thrill for intermediate to advanced skiers and snowboarders. With Telluride Helitrax you can ski untracked powder in small custom groups on some of the highest helicopter-accessed terrain in the world. “The undiscovered jewel of destination heli-skiing,” Telluride Helitrax offers more blue-sky powder skiing and the lowest guest-to-guide ratio in North America. www.helitrex.net

Telluride - Ice boarding
Courtesy of: Ultimate Escapes

Snowmobile Adventures

While cruising through white-blanketed meadows and forests, soaking up amazing views asyou go; you’ll have the opportunity to take a firsthand look at what established Telluride inthe first place: mining. Dave’s Snowmobile Tours and Telluride Snowmobile Adventures offer guests a glimpse of Telluride’s mining legacy while traveling over mountain passes and through deserted ghost towns. The historic ghost town of Alta Lakes is a favorite destination among guests. Dave’s Snowmobile Tours www.telluridetours.com Telluride Snowmobile Adventures www.telluridesnowmobile.net

Ice Skating

It’s the classic winter setting. With a crackling fire to keep you warm, and gorgeous starlight-night above, you skate across the glassy ice without a care in the world. Telluridians remember that setting, and the tradition lives on in both historic Telluride and MountainVillage. Skaters waltz by day and night in Telluride Town Park or in Mountain Village. The town provides a warming hut with a fireplace for toasty toes, and musicians play seasonal music under the stars.

Says Ultimate Escapes’ member Barry Holder: “Telluride is the most beautiful ski destination in North America.”

Dining

Telluride is not just for snow adventures – it’s also home to well over a dozen worldly restaurants and bars. In fact, there are more “good restaurants per person than any resort in the Rockies,” says the Chicago Tribune.  Telluride residents — including Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and Jerry Seinfeld – love the town’s restaurants, as do members of Ultimate Escapes. Here are the Club’s top three favorites:

1. Allred’s – Fine dining located at the top of San Sophia Gondola: Perched 10,550 feet above sea level, Allred’s Restaurant has received stellar reviews from Wine Spectator, Ski Magazine, USA Today, Gourmet Magazine and Esquire. Chef Erich Owen’s innovative culinary techniques, combined with the spectacular setting of the restaurant, creates and incredible dining experience. www.allredsrestaurant.com.

2. The Bluepoint

A block from the base of the gondola, The Bluepoint is a hip, chic seafood and steak house with the laid back feel of the Rocky Mountains. After dinner, guests head down to the Noir

Bar, for a swanky martini amid leather sofas, faux fur bench seats, leopard-spotted carpet and a fireplace. www.thebluepointgrill.net

3. The Cosmopolitan – Fine dining with a Wine Bar: Located in the Hotel Columbia at the base of the gondola in town, Cosmo serves cuisine with a rich mix of regional ingredients and international flavors. With 20 years of innovative food preparation and restaurant experience, Executive Chef Chad Scothorn’s recommended dishes include the barbecued salmon with crispy corn-potato ravioli, and the grilled dry-aged rib-eye served with chive-horseradish mashed potatoes. The Cosmopolitan’s Tasting Cellar offers guests an intimate six-course dinner in their wine cellar. The wine list — there are more than 200 wines — has received the “Award of Excellence” from Wine Spectator magazine. www.cosmotelluride.com

This quaint and charming town has stayed true to its natural beauty and history – there is not one commercial chain located in town, all businesses are locally owned.  Whatever activities or dining your plan when visiting Telluride, it is sure to be a unique experience. In Telluride, there are very few rules, anything is possible

“Telluride is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. We as a family just loved everything about it.” Member, Ultimate Escapes.

Lauren Keyson is a consultant for Ultimate Escapes (www.ultimateescapes.com) and a freelance journalist. She writes about travel, personal finance and the business of finance.

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