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By Sam Collentine, Meteorologist Posted 7 years ago February 24, 2017

TRIP REPORT: Telluride, Colorado - January 2017

Where do you even start when talking about Telluride, Colorado? The world-class ski resort? The tucked away mountain town surrounded by waterfalls and snow-capped peaks? It's just one of those places that always puts a smile on your face and during this past January, I was able to explore this world-renowned destination on foot, on a snowboard, and on a fat bike!


We woke up to 5 inches overnight on our first morning and kicked off the day on Chair 7 (Coonskin). From here, we quickly made our way toward the back and began exploring the numerous runs of Chair 5 (Polar Queen) and Chair 6 (Apex). 

The photo above is of the trees, skiers right, off of Apex. We found these especially delicious as off-and-on periods of heavy snow continued to fall throughout the morning. 

It was then time to make our way over to Prospect and Black Iron Bowl off of Chair 12 (Prospect). This area features some of the best hike-to terrain in Colorado and when you throw Palmyra Peak into the mix, it's up there with the best in the lower 48. 

Prospect Ridge offers access to a number of double-black diamond and extreme rated terrain, including Westlake (above), Dihedral Chute (below), and my personal favorite, Mountain Quail. 

It's easy to say that the conditions were phenomenal but when you follow Ski Patrol up and have them tell you that we are experiencing the best conditions all season, you know you're there at the right time. The first photo below is coming down Mountain Quail, with the following photos looking back up from the exit of Black Iron Bowl. 

We lapped this area a few more times and called it a day. We had a similar schedule the next two days and as the storm began to clear, we were offered a grand perspective of the breathtaking landscape. 

The photo from the beginning of the article and above was taken from the start of Milk Run, which is skiers left off of Chair 7. Smooth, fast, groomer turns with a picturesque view of the town below? It doesn't get much better than that!

Our third and final day on the resort also featured a beautiful view of the Wilson Group from the summit of Chair 9 (Plunge). 

The low-hanging clouds that morning provided yet another beautiful perspective of the surrounding geography while cruising down "See Forever" for our final run of the trip. 

But before we could begin our journey back to the Front Range, we had to try one last activity...fat biking! We rented from Box Canyon Bicycles in the center of town at a cost of $40 for 4 hours. They recommended cruising up to Bear Creek Falls, which is one of my favorite summer hiking trails, so we said why not and slowly but surely made our way up to the frozen waterfall. 

From there, it was all downhill back to town. We did come up on one splitboarder, who was kind enough to snap our photo. 

After getting back into town, we decided to make the mostly flat trek out to Telluride Brewing for one last toast to an amazing trip. 

Whether you're a powder hound searching for rowdy terrain or a family looking for a relaxing mountain vacation; Telluride, Colorado has it all. 

SAM COLLENTINE

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About The Author

Sam Collentine

Meteorologist

Sam Collentine is the Chief Operating Officer of OpenSnow and lives in Basalt, Colorado. Before joining OpenSnow, he studied Atmospheric Science at the University of Colorado, spent time at Channel 7 News in Denver, and at the National Weather Service in Boulder.

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