The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Telluride's summit reaches 13,150 feet, dropping 4,425 vertical feet to a base at 8,725 feet across 148 runs spread over 2,000 acres in Telluride, Colorado. Terrain splits 39 per cent expert, 23 per cent each for advanced and intermediate, and 15 per cent beginner, with average annual snowfall of roughly 300 inches. Nineteen lifts, including six quad chairs and one gondola, serve the mountain alongside four six-person chairs, three double chairs, one triple chair and four surface lifts.
Telluride holds a genuinely distinctive place among Colorado resorts, combining a National Historic Landmark Victorian mining town with some of the state's most dramatic, expert-weighted terrain and a free public gondola connecting the historic town to the newer Mountain Village. Its considerable 4,425-foot vertical drop ranks among the largest in Colorado.
Telluride was founded in 1878 during the San Juan Mountains' silver and gold mining boom, and the town's name is popularly said to derive from tellurium, though it more likely stems from a corruption of 'to-hell-you-ride,' reflecting the area's rugged remoteness. Mining sustained the town for decades before its decline in the early twentieth century.
Telluride Ski Resort opened in 1972, developed by Joseph T. Zoline on the mountain above the historic town, bringing renewed prosperity to a community that had fallen into decline. The resort has remained under a series of private ownership groups, with the free gondola, opened in 1996, connecting the historic town to the purpose-built Mountain Village. Adult daily tickets run from 169 to 249 US dollars.
3,789ft
Vertical
148
Runs
2,000 acres
Skiable
23ft
Annual snow
Epic
Pass
The Terrain
148 runs across 2,000 acres skiable
Telluride spreads 148 runs across 2,000 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 36%, with 34 beginner runs to find your feet and 61 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
148
runs
148 runs across 4 grades
Beginner34 runs · 23%
Intermediate53 runs · 36%
Advanced30 runs · 20%
Expert31 runs · 21%
Time it right
When to visit Telluride
The 2025-26 season at Telluride ran from 27 November 2025 to 12 April 2026, a roughly nineteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 300 inches. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather conditions in the San Juan Mountains.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Telluride's dramatic, expert-weighted terrain. Telluride draws a genuinely dedicated destination visitor base seeking the resort's considerable vertical drop and historic Victorian mining town setting, well away from the Interstate 70 corridor.
Telluride's free gondola continues to support strong visitation between the historic town and Mountain Village throughout the season. School holiday periods bring family visitation to the resort's more moderate terrain, though the overall visitor base skews toward experienced skiers drawn by the considerable expert terrain.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Telluride continues to build on more than five decades of skiing history since its 1972 founding, itself following a century of mining heritage dating to the town's 1878 founding. The resort's Victorian town character and dramatic terrain remain central to its enduring destination appeal.
Season 2025 - 2026
28 Nov 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
128
Days open
23 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Telluride, and where to stay
Telluride sits in Telluride, Colorado, in the San Juan Mountains, with a base elevation of 8,725 feet and a summit at 13,150 feet across a 4,425-foot vertical drop over 2,000 acres. This dramatic, remote setting places the resort in one of Colorado's most historically significant and visually striking mountain towns.
The town of Telluride itself, a National Historic Landmark Victorian mining town, offers extensive lodging, dining and considerable historic character directly at the resort's base, connected by free gondola to the newer Mountain Village.
Colorado State Highway 145 provides access to the resort. Winter driving conditions on this remote mountain route can include significant snow and ice, and the resort's considerable distance from major population centres means travellers should allow additional time compared with more centrally located Colorado destinations.
Telluride Regional Airport, one of the highest commercial airports in North America, offers direct seasonal flights from several major US cities, providing a genuinely convenient gateway for visitors flying directly into this otherwise remote destination, alongside the more distant Montrose Regional Airport.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Telluride, powered by Stay22.
Good to know
Frequently asked
When is Telluride's ski season?
Telluride's 2025 - 2026 season typically runs from November 28 through April 5. That window is roughly 128 calendar days, though daily operations depend on snow cover, weather, and lift maintenance.
Resorts in Colorado, Usa often announce firm dates closer to winter; check the live snow report before you travel if you are planning around opening weekend or spring closure.
How much skiable terrain does Telluride have?
Telluride lists about 2,000 acres skiable of marked terrain spread across 148 named runs (809 hectares alongside 2,000 acres skiable). That footprint is what most riders experience on a lift-served day. Side-country or hike-to terrain may sit outside these published numbers.
Use the trail map to see how the mountain is laid out and where the longest fall-line runs connect back to base.
What is the terrain like at Telluride?
Trail grading at Telluride breaks down roughly as 23% beginner, 36% intermediate, 20% advanced, 21% expert. The advanced and expert share is substantial, so confident skiers and riders will find plenty of steeper fall-line options once they leave the nursery slopes.
Percentages describe the resort's published piste mix, not vertical feet. A mountain with modest "expert" stats can still feel demanding if the steep terrain is long or exposed. Read the trail map alongside these numbers when planning your route.
How many lifts does Telluride have?
Telluride operates 19 lifts across 6 lift types. The fleet includes 8 quad chairs, 3 surface lifts, 2 gondolas, 2 triple chairs, 2 double chairs, and 2 t-bars.
Lift mix affects how quickly you can lap your favourite zones. Gondolas and trams move big crowds to mid-mountain, while shorter chairs and surface lifts often serve learning areas or local pods. Check the live snow report on ski days for real-time open/closed status.
What is the elevation and vertical drop at Telluride?
Base elevation at Telluride is about 8,724 ft (2,659 m), with the summit around 12,513 ft (3,814 m), giving roughly 3,789 ft (1,155 m) of vertical from base to top.
Higher start heights usually mean colder, drier snow holding longer into spring, but also thinner air and faster weather changes. Pack layers if you are riding from village level to summit lifts in one day.
How much snow does Telluride get each season?
Telluride averages about 280 inches (711 cm) of natural snowfall per season. That is a long-term climate figure. Any single winter can run well above or below it depending on storm track and temperature.
For trip planning, pair this baseline with the live snow report and webcams: fresh cycles show up in overnight totals and summit cameras long before season averages tell you much about today's surface.
Does Telluride accept the Epic?
Telluride is affiliated with the Epic. Pass holders should confirm current season benefits, blackout dates, and reservation rules on the pass issuer's site. Policies change year to year and can differ between international and domestic products.
If you are not on Epic, day tickets and multi-day bundles are still available; see the lift tickets page for published rates and purchase links.
Where can I buy Telluride lift tickets and how much do they cost?
Published single-day adult pricing on SnowStash currently spans US$75 to US$199, depending on date band and whether you are buying peak or regular windows. Multi-day products (multi-day passes, season passes) usually lower the per-day cost if you are staying several days. Tickets can be bought online through the resort's official checkout (linked from our lift tickets page) or at on-mountain ticket windows, subject to availability.
Buying ahead of peak holidays and weekends generally saves money and guarantees access on sold-out days. Before you commit, scan the snow report and webcams so you are paying for conditions that match your expectations.
How can I check snow and mountain conditions at Telluride before I go?
SnowStash pulls together 5 live mountain webcams, a downloadable piste map, and the daily snow report for Telluride so you can plan from home. Webcams refresh on a short interval and are the fastest way to judge visibility, wind exposure, and whether storm snow is still falling.
The snow report adds structured totals, base depth where available, and lift/trail status when the resort publishes it. Use both together: cameras show what it looks like right now, and the report summarises numbers your group can compare day to day.
Does Telluride have a trail map?
Yes. The downloadable PDF/image map is better for offline planning, marking meeting points, and understanding the full mountain layout at a glance.
Both versions are on the trail map page for Telluride. If you are navigating with kids or meeting friends across separate lifts, screenshot or print the static map and keep the live map open on your phone for operational updates.
Where is Telluride located?
Telluride sits in Colorado, Usa. That regional context matters for travel planning: airport transfers, snow tyres, and typical storm patterns all follow geography as much as resort marketing.
Browse nearby accommodation from the resort page if you are comparing village-base vs valley-base stays; where you sleep changes your first lift of the day more than most trail stats do.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026