National Geographic has been “inspiring people to care about
the planet since 1888”. Needless to say, their magazine has been producing some
of the best stories, photos, people & more for decades. This week, they
released the ‘World’s 25 Best Ski Towns’… and we are honored to have Telluride
in this elite list!
“Just what makes a classic ski town? It starts,
naturally, with skiing and snowboarding so good they attract people like
youth-bestowing fountains. Then add an inviting mountain burg steeped in ski
heritage, amenities, and culture. These are the 25 best. For insider tips, we
asked local luminaries where to stay, play, and party, whether you're on a
budget or indulging.
—Aaron
Teasdale”
The following is
National Geographic’s “local scoop” on what to do, where to stay, where to
eat/drink/party and more. Our very own, Mountainside Inn, received a shout-out!
Thanks National Geographic for this amazing article. We’ll keep reading your
amazing magazine… and make sure you keep visiting our beautiful box canyon!
“Best For: Big-lunged skiers and boarders with a
taste for fine wine and the mountain high life
Remote and
unrelentingly beautiful, Telluride may be the most picturesque ski town in
North America, a Victorian-era silver-mining hamlet set deep in a box canyon in
the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. The steep runs of Telluride Ski
Resort spill right into the edge of the town’s National Historic District,
where a gondola whisks skiers back up into the area’s almost 4,000 vertical
feet of absurdly scenic skiing. Only 12 blocks long and with no stoplights,
neon signs, or billboards, this charming town of 2,325 people combines fine
wine lists and funky bars with a spirited culture of diehard mountain lovers.
The town sits at a gasping 8,793 feet above sea level, and lifts reach to over
12,500 feet, so come prepared to acclimatize.
For a mountain with
a well-earned reputation for steeps and bumps, Telluride in fact offers
excellent cruisers and beginner terrain—in the kind of high-alpine setting that
makes even first-timers feel like heroes—on the slopes around its modern,
luxurious Mountain Village. Experts will find bumps, bowls, and chutes in every
corner of the resort, and those willing to hike can access some of the most
extreme in-bounds terrain in the country in Black Iron Bowl and 13,251-foot
Palmyra Peak. Heli-skiing can be hired in the Mountain Village, and the San
Juan Hut System offers shelters and multiday routes for backcountry
adventurers.
Ask a Local
Travel and adventure
writer Rob Story has skied in 13 countries on six
continents and at 75 North American resorts. When he left his longtime post as
senior editor at Powder magazine
in 1998, he knew exactly where he wanted to move—Telluride. He is the author of Telluride
Storys. Here are his recommendations.
Best Digs
Budget: There’s not
much to Mountainside Inn, but it’s ski-in, ski-out.
Swank: The Peaks
Resort has a great après deck and spa.
Best Eats
Cheap: Oak, the
barbeque place in town at the base of the gondola
Gourmet: La Marmotte
is a great French restaurant in the town's old icehouse.
Best After-Ski Party Spot
The Historic Bar at
the Sheridan is the oldest in town.
Best Rest-Day Activity
Walk north up Aspen
Street. When it turns to a dirt trailhead, keep going straight up to beautiful
Cornet Falls, a 80-foot waterfall in a small red rock canyon.
Telluride’s Classic Ski Run
“Plunge, because on
the steep parts you can look through your tips at our tidy, cute, historic
town,” notes Story.”
To read the article online, visit: http://on.natgeo.com/xtGRqQ
