Just Back From: Telluride
For this edition of Just Back From, I spoke to someone who traveled with her family and friends to Telluride, Colorado for a group ski trip over the holidays. This individual has been skiing since she was little and visited numerous ski resorts out west.
How did you get to Telluride? Did you rent a car, or did the hotel arrange transportation from the airport?
We flew from Denver to Montrose via Southwest. Plenty of airlines connect from Denver to Montrose. Our hotel had sprinter shuttles for airport arrivals; they picked us up and drove the hour and fifteen minutes to the property. It was easy, as we didn’t have to book our own car. There is an airport in Telluride with a few connecting flights from Denver and Houston. If someone was flying private, they could fly into Telluride.
What hotel did you stay at? How was the location?
We stayed at the Fairmont’s Franz Klammer Lodge in Mountain Village. The location was awesome, and the service was excellent. The main part of Telluride town was just a twelve-minute gondola ride away.
What did you think of the Franz Klammer in terms of design?
So this property was built twenty years ago – at the time, it was state of the art, but it hasn’t been renovated in twenty years. Next year, they have plans to renovate, which I think is needed. We were in a two-bedroom, and they also had three bedrooms available. It came with a full kitchen, balcony, and steam shower.
Did you see any other properties while you were there?
There is another hotel next door called the Madeline. It is brand new and owned by Auberge. I think I would recommend staying there instead, as the Franz Klammer doesn’t have a bar, restaurant, or room service. The Madeline has two awesome restaurants that have room service for guests. They are starting construction on a Four Seasons property this year at the base of the gondola. It is being developed by the same team who opened the Surfside Four Seasons in Miami. They are aiming to make Telluride a year-round destination.
What was the vibe of Telluride?
I would call it a chic cowboy town that was relaxed at the same time. I liked Telluride because it is a destination, unlike Vail, where people visit for the day. It was small, and you didn’t need a car – the gondola system was free and ran from eight in the morning until midnight. The people were so friendly, from the airports to the hotels and the restaurants. Everyone went above and beyond. I had never met nicer people.
What did you think of Mountain Village?
Mountain Village was easily walkable, with amazing restaurants, ski shops, and a good boutique. There are a lot of condo buildings. The service was great, and there were a lot of nice places for lunch.
How was taking the gondola? Were the kids able to navigate it on their own?
The gondola was convenient. It can take you everywhere – to the grocery market, to downtown Telluride – and the kids can easily use it. The youngest child with us was nine; they would go in groups to get dinner, go shopping, and go ice skating.
Were the hotels ski-in ski-out? Was there a ski valet?
There were several lifts near the hotels that get you to the mountain for skiing. The Madeline is a classic ski-in ski-out. Franz Klammer had a ski valet. We would ski down and walk about thirty yards to the hotel – so it was very close, but the Madeline was true ski-in ski-out.
Did you bring your own ski equipment or rent?
We brought our equipment from home, but I did demo skis, which were great. I’m sure you could get any ski in any style at one of the various ski shops, but I liked Bootdoctors. They made it very easy.
For skiing, did you hire guides? Did you sign the kids up for ski school?
We hired private guides from the Telluride Ski Resort, who were excellent. We informed them what kind of skiers we were and what we wanted to do, and they made it work. The guides easily handled working with a larger group – we were seventeen. They were cool about it. The kids didn’t do ski school, but the mountain does offer ski school and has a learning area.
How were the ski conditions? What did you think of the mountain?
The mountain was great. I like to go to the southern parts of the mountains in Colorado because I find you get the warmest weather. Even if it's cold, there is just something in the air that makes it warmer. I liked that about Telluride. We had warm weather the first few days; then, we luckily got a foot of snow. It was a big mountain with a lot of terrain, so there was something for everyone. We were there early in the season, so not all of the terrain was open. Many of the more advanced ski trails were closed; they were still working on getting enough snow and avalanche control. One of these areas off of lift number nine was opened up after it snowed. They have a famous run there called The Plunge. The mountain team did a great job grooming the blacks and double blacks.
Did it feel crowded?
It never felt crowded, even after Christmas when many guests arrived.
What was the dining like on the mountain?
The dining was great. There were two excellent restaurants called Bon Vivant and Alpino Vinot. They were boozy lunches, more for adults. From 11 to 4, Mountain Village has different food carts, so you can ski down and eat there. One served crepes, one served grilled cheese, and another served authentic Mexican cuisine – someone said their tacos were the best they’d ever had. Next to the carts, they have stationary heated gondolas in which you could eat. It was great for the kids because they would be hungry after skiing. They had live music playing in the evening when you came off the mountain, which was fun.
What about dining in town?
There were a ton of restaurants. I loved La Piazza for lunch. The Timber Room in the Madeline is a must-go, ideally for apres or dinner – they have excellent specialty cocktails. Black Iron, the Madeline’s other restaurant, served the best breakfast. They also offered lunch and dinner there. We also took the gondola into Telluride for dinner. One night we went to Communion, a brand new wine bar with appetizers and entrees, great for apres ski. Talay was a great Thai food restaurant we tried; they also did takeout.
Allred’s Restaurant was a must-go. It was essentially the mountain grill of Telluride and had beautiful views. The food was excellent. I had the best Colorado lamb chops I’ve ever had.
On Christmas, we went for dinner at the National. It was brand new, and the chef was a Telluride native who recently came back from Chicago to open this restaurant.
The bar at the Sheridan was also nice for a drink and an appetizer; it’s a very old-school ski vibe there.
Did you do any other activities besides skiing?
Other activities were offered, but we were more interested in skiing as much as possible. We skied all day every day. We did go hiking once after the snowfall. They also offer snowshoeing and paragliding, and there was an outdoor ice skating rink near the hotel.
Did you use the pool?
The Franz Klammer had hot tubs on every floor as well as a pool. They also had a nice spa and steam room. The Madeline had a pool and hot tub as well.
Were there any boutiques that you would recommend?
There were a lot of really cool boutiques on Colorado Avenue: Crossbow, Two Skirts, Society, Down to Earth.
What was the nightlife like?
It was more of a family place, so there wasn’t much nightlife. It was not a party place, it was an apres ski, dinner, home-in-bed kind of town – both in Telluride and Mountain Village.