Winter in Telluride

Telluride, why is it so special in Winter? Of course, we all know it is the most beautiful place you will ever ski. What is not as readily appreciated is the lack of lift lines and sublime privacy on your cross-country track, fat tire ride, and snowshoeing adventure. 

The luxury traveler values privacy and time so much that they are willing to pay for it. In fact, over the last decade, the new resort trend has been toward private ski resorts.  The luxury traveler does not want to stand in long lift lines and wants to ski around trees, not people. The Yellowstone Club established this trend, and others followed with similar models or hybrids. New clubs are popping up in Utah, and, locally, we have the Cimarron Club outside of Ridgway – so private that few have even heard of it. The biggest hurdle for these private resort business plans is that you can only take limited guests over the winter period. Also, many are not adjacent to fine dining and lack a year-round vibrant community to enjoy. Confounding the exclusivity problem, every member wants to use the property during the prime weeks when the snow conditions are ideal.

As an avid skier, I personally would rather ski eight inches in Telluride with no lines than ski a foot and a half in Alta and spend half my day in the lift lines.  There are some peak times like New Year's in Telluride, when the beginner and intermediate lines are a bit crowded by Telluride standards, but they are nothing compared to some of the competing ski areas. 

If you are following the colorful small town news of Telluride recently, you might be scratching your head and asking what is going on?  While it is a bit turbulent, with an understanding of both sides and compromises made, the issues will be solved. Here are some of my quick takes. 

The snow-making water bill discussions should have started last April so both parties would have had ample time to understand each other and come to an agreed-upon price.  I am not sure if they were just started, pushed from an earlier discussion, or stalled, but there would certainly be less drama if it had been figured out last summer rather than a month before the resort is slated to open.

The Ski Patrol, or Red Coats as I like to call them, are well respected in our community and deserve to be paid more than their current wage. While they like to ski powder as much as I do, their role should never be discounted.  Behind those white crosses are EMTs, skilled first responders, and people handling explosives and tiptoeing through dangerous avalanche conditions so you and I can ski fast and giggle wildly knowing that we are in safe terrain and that someone will be here for us if an injury occurs. They keep us safe on the mountain and make sure we get back to our families safely. Often, our Red Coats are picked up from the resort by helicopter to join rescue missions outside of resort boundaries. It’s hard to fully appreciate how important they are until it is 15 degrees and you have a medical emergency. I do not know what the wage should be, but certainly more than the current wage. I make it a habit to thank a patroller every day I am on the resort. I hope you will too. 

Whether you agree or disagree with the current owner of the resort, we have to acknowledge and respect that they own the business. While we enjoy no crowds, they lack the lift ticket revenue that some of these resorts bring in. They are under business constraints to keep the business operational. 

There is no question that things could be done better, but some are calling for the owners to sell. While a resort carries the weight of the community on its shoulders, is it taking it too far to publicly tell a business owner to sell their business?  Will selling make things better? Everyone has their own thoughts on this. Let’s be honest, if the owners of a resort want to sell, it will go to the highest bidder. Will the highest bidder be the best steward of the ski area and community? I personally just do not want to go in the direction where one needs a “reservation" to ski or park.  While resorts put up snow cams to show how many inches accumulate, I think Telluride should put up a lift line cam to show the benefit of not standing in line. Do we want that to change?

With all of the thoughts above, and without writing a novel, I am just touching on these subjects. There are a lot of valid points on both sides and what-ifs.

As we roll into holidays, I am thankful to ski at one of the top ski areas in the country.  Even with all the controversy, years from now we will look back and remember amazing times here in Telluride. Of course, there are good and bad snow years, but have you ever noticed that no matter the amount of snow, the bumps on Kant-Mak-M are symmetrical every year?  Whether you can ski Mak-M or not, next time you ride up Chair 9, look at the bumps; they are the exact same pattern every year.  No matter the drama, skiing in Telluride this winter will be like every year skiing in Telluride – no lift lines, smiles, and of course, the most beautiful place you will ever ski.