If you didn’t know that Butch Cassidy’s first bank robbery was in Telluride, Oprah has a home in Telluride, the Galloping Goose town bus is free and runs on bio fuel and Nicole Kidman married Tom Cruise in Telluride, then you do now.
Here’s 10 other things about Colorado’s prettiest mountain town you may not have known either.
No lift lines
You’ll rarely find yourself standing in a lift line in Telluride, even on a powder day. The town is small, only two thousand people live in the box canyon village year round and the lift system is set up to funnel skiers and boarders across the mountain. Locals will hit up Chair 9 while visitors are still on the gondola heading to Chair 4 and you’ll both get powder.
Log Pile is the local’s go to tree run
The gladed woods of Telluride’s Log Pile ski run are perfectly spaced to get your tree ski groove on without fear. Even for first time tree skiers.
Hot chocolates are free if you’re with an instructor
Ski into the coolest on mountain den, Guissepe’s, where the tattooed hipsters behind the counter will always make you laugh with a joke or an aside. If you’re with an instructor then hot chocolates are free. If you’re not then hand over your cash because the hot chocolates here are legendary.
The gondola is free
That’s right, the town gondola linking Telluride with Mountain Village is free and it runs day and night till midnight or later depending on events and season. It also provides the best view for photos of the box canyon town below and the soaring peaks up high.
The Mitch Morgan was created in Telluride
This simple shot of bourbon with a bacon garnish. Oh, who are we kidding, it’s a rasher of thick bacon hanging on the side of the glass rimmed with bacon fat. This is called the Mitch Morgan and it was created at The Fat Alley at The Oak in Telluride right next to Chair 8.
Bon Vivant will give you sunglasses
The open air restaurant at the top of Chair 5, Bon Vivant, not only has the most amazing French Onion soup you will have this side of, well, France, but it also has spare pairs of sunglasses should you forget yours when dining there. Delicious AND thoughtful. If the restaurant was human you should marry it.
The Telluride Library is the best
There’s a sticker around town that reads “I came for the skiing and stayed for the library.” With skiing as good as Telluride then the library must be amazing and it is. Get yourself a library card and you can take out snow shoes, karaoke machines, GoPros, star gazing binoculars and more.
Allred’s is a private club open to the public
Confused? Don’t be. Allreds is the swanky restaurant with jaw dropping views at the top of the gondola. By day it works as a private members club serving lunch to Telluride ski resort members only but by night it’s an apres bar and restaurant open to the public lured in by fine dining and one hell of a sunset.
You can get bespoke skis with your own design on them
Telluride is home to Wagner Skis, a bespoke ski manufacturer founded by former golf engineer turned powder hound, Pete Wagner. His team will make skis just for you, and only you, to suit your ski style, terrain preference and more.
Then they’ll design a top sheet for you that no one else has. You’ll find Wagner Skis in Placerville on the road in to town.
You can fly direct to Telluride
This winter flights are returning to Telluride airport which means Australians can fly from Denver to Telluride, making it even easier to access this quaint Colorado ski town.
