The town of Telluride sits at an elevation of 8,750’ above sea level, with the ski area reaching all the way up to Palmyra Peak at 13,320’. From town, there are three lifts that take skiers and snowboarders up onto the mountain. On this part of the mountain, facing town, there are primarily advanced and expert runs that are often filled with steep moguled terrain. Beginners and intermediates need not fear, however, as the free gondola climbs up and over this terrain to the Mountain Village and the remainder of Telluride’s ski and snowboard terrain.
From the Mountain Village, Chair 4, the Village Express accesses some of the best intermediate terrain on the mountain. This is also where Telluride’s terrain park is located. This park is one of the best in the area, and is where Olympic skiing slopestyle silver medalist Gus Kenworthy honed his skills. Chair 14 serves one of the best intermediate runs in Colorado, See Forever. Groomed daily, See Forever lives up to its name, snaking down the high ridge with breathtaking views of multiple 14’ers, the name for Colorado’s 14,000’ peaks.
Advanced and expert skiers will want to head to lifts 12, 14, and 15 to sample Telluride’s awesome bowls and chutes. Chair 12 accesses Black Iron Bowl, and the highest point in the ski area, Palmyra peak. These lines require hikes (
Telluride Hike-to Terrain) ranging from 5-45 minutes, with an additional 60-90 to get to the peak. Revelation Bowl, served by Chair 15, is filled with awesome wide open skiing and snowboarding for advanced riders. It also access the famed “Stairway to Heaven,” a metal staircase along the ridge knife-edge ridge that leads to the extreme Gold Hill Chutes 6-10. This terrain is some of the steepest and gnarliest inbounds terrain in Colorado and the US as a whole. When visibility is poor, or the upper mountain chutes and bowls are closed, there are some more advanced and expert options off of Chair 14 and Chair 6 that are more protected from the elements.