
Telluride
2,000 acres, 148 runs in historic Telluride. Free gondola, dramatic 4,425ft vertical, Victorian mining town.
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.
Telluride covers 2,000 acres (809 hectares) across 148 runs in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, with lifts rising from 8,720 ft (2,659 m) to 12,510 ft (3,814 m), a vertical of 3,790 ft (1,155 m). Intermediate runs lead at 36 per cent, then beginner at 23 per cent, expert at 21 per cent and advanced at 20 per cent, a more even spread than most big resorts offer. About 280 inches of snow falls in a typical season. A free gondola links the historic town to Mountain Village, and the groomed cruising sits on the village side of the mountain.
See Forever is the long, gentle run prized for expansive views along the ridgeline, while The Plunge drops steeply toward the town of Telluride. Gold Hill Chutes, reached by a hike from the top of Gold Hill Express, give experts narrow, steep lines, and Black Iron Bowl, off Chair 12, adds couloirs and rock features. Revelation Bowl is an above-treeline, northeast-facing bowl behind Gold Hill that gathers deep snow, and Prospect Bowl added beginner, intermediate and expert terrain in the early 2000s. Palmyra Peak adds almost 2,000 ft of in-bounds vertical. Telluride suits confident intermediates and advanced skiers, with beginner terrain on the Mountain Village side for the rest of the group.
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.
Daily snow reports at Telluride go back to 2025, 2 winters on the books. Open the record to compare winters, lifts and piste.
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.
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Opening day for the winter 2026 - 2027 season is scheduled for Nov 26, 2026 (subject to change). Lift tickets at Telluride typically go on sale well before the start of the ski season.
Our lift ticket pricing was last updated on Oct 8, 2026.
Day passes start from US$128, with peak rates up to US$293.
Winter Lift Ticket (Adult 13+), 1 Day, at Telluride Ski Resort for the 2026/27 season. Telluride uses fully dynamic, advance-purchase pricing with a discount off the full rate that shrinks closer to the holidays; regular/peak reflect the confirmed price observed on the resort's own booking calendar (Dec 2, 2026 non-holiday, 20% off a $205 full rate, to Dec 26, 2026 holiday, 10% off a $325 full rate). December sample only - buying further in advance typically unlocks a larger discount.
Buy passWinter Lift Ticket (Child 6-12), 1 Day, at Telluride Ski Resort for the 2026/27 season. Dynamic, advance-purchase pricing; regular/peak reflect the confirmed price observed on the resort's own booking calendar (Dec 2, 2026 non-holiday, 15% off a $150 full rate, to Dec 26, 2026 holiday, 10% off a $210 full rate). December sample only.
Buy passWinter Lift Ticket (Adult 13+), 2 Days, at Telluride Ski Resort for the 2026/27 season. Dynamic, advance-purchase pricing; regular reflects the confirmed total price observed on the resort's own booking calendar for a non-holiday February 2027 start date (10% off a $570 full rate). Peak/holiday-period 2-day pricing not yet captured - this figure is a late-season sample, not a December one.
Buy passWinter Lift Ticket (Adult 13+), 3 Days, at Telluride Ski Resort for the 2026/27 season. Dynamic, advance-purchase pricing; regular reflects the confirmed total price observed on the resort's own booking calendar for a non-holiday February 2027 start date (12% off an $855 full rate). Peak/holiday-period 3-day pricing not yet captured - this figure is a late-season sample, not a December one.
Buy passUnlimited Season Pass (Adult 25+) for the 2026/27 season at Telluride - unrestricted mountain access, unlimited skiing and riding all season long with no blackout dates. Confirmed non-refundable flat price from the resort's own store (a refundable option with Spot Refund Guarantee is also available at a higher price). Age is based on Opening Day, Nov 26, 2026. Eligible for 50% off single-day lift tickets at participating Vail-owned resorts.
Buy passUnlimited Season Pass (Young Adult 19-24) for the 2026/27 season at Telluride - unrestricted mountain access, unlimited skiing and riding all season long with no blackout dates. Confirmed non-refundable flat price from the resort's own store. Age is based on Opening Day, Nov 26, 2026. Eligible for 50% off single-day lift tickets at participating Vail-owned resorts.
Buy passUnlimited Season Pass (Junior 13-18) for the 2026/27 season at Telluride - unrestricted mountain access, unlimited skiing and riding all season long with no blackout dates. Confirmed non-refundable flat price from the resort's own store. Age is based on Opening Day, Nov 26, 2026.
Buy passUnlimited Season Pass (Child 6-12) for the 2026/27 season at Telluride - unrestricted mountain access, unlimited skiing and riding all season long with no blackout dates. Confirmed non-refundable flat price from the resort's own store. Age is based on Opening Day, Nov 26, 2026.
Buy passMore Telluride intelligence: snow report, webcams, resort overview.