Telluride ski trips

Groups with at least one strong skier, planned so the others have a good day too. The resort rates its trails 41% advanced and expert, 36% intermediate and 23% beginner (Telluride Ski Resort), and above the lifts it opens hike to terrain that it reserves for experts.

From Lift 12, a walk of 10 to 30 minutes along Prospect Ridge leads into Black Iron Bowl, about 1,000 vertical feet of chutes, faces and glades; Palmyra Peak, an hour or more beyond, has over 200 acres and almost 2,000 vertical feet on its north face. Lower down, the Galloping Goose trail runs for 4.6 miles (7.4 km).

For a family with mixed levels we book private instruction by level, so a first timer works on the right slopes while a strong skier goes up with someone who knows the ridge and the gates. Our guide to what changes with a private instructor explains why it matters here.

Through the heart of winter, once the snow has built up and the hike to terrain above the lifts is open. The resort averages 280 inches of snow a year (Telluride Ski Resort); its 2026/27 opening and closing dates have not been announced yet (Telluride Ski Resort).

The town sits at 8,750 feet and Mountain Village at 9,540 feet, so we keep the first day gentle while everyone adjusts to the altitude. Christmas, New Year and the February holiday weeks fill first; our guide on when to book a ski trip covers the timing.

Telluride Regional Airport is about 6 miles and 15 minutes from Mountain Village, with year round flights by Denver Air Connection, and it is open to private aircraft (Telluride Ski Resort). Montrose Regional, about 65 miles away, is 75 to 90 minutes by road on the resort's own figures.

Grand Junction (about 130 miles) and Durango (about 125 miles) are each around two and a half hours away. We arrange the transfer from whichever airport your flights land at, and private charter straight into Telluride Regional when the schedule and the weather allow.

Mountain Village sits on the slopes, with the children's ski school in the gondola building (Telluride Ski Resort); the town below is the old mining town, with its streets, shops and evenings. A free gondola joins them in about 12 minutes and runs from 6:30 a.m. to midnight (Visit Telluride).

Families with young skiers tend to stay in Mountain Village; couples and groups who want the town at night stay in Telluride and ride the gondola up each morning. We do not sell from a fixed list of hotels: we look at who is coming, how each of them skis and how they like to spend the evening, then tell you where to stay, and why.

Everything between the flight and the last run: where you stay, a private instructor for each level, lift passes, transfers or a private flight, equipment and a concierge on the ground, with one point of contact from the first message to the flight home.

Patagonia Living is a ski travel agency based in Patagonia and operated worldwide, and skiing is all it plans. The full list is in what a private ski trip includes. Plan your next trip with us: talk to us.