Colorado Telluride town or MV? and other questions

[Jerez]

Exactly. It mimics altitude sickness. Many people who think they've developed altitude sickness are just dehydrated.
Very few cases of real altitude sickness at 8,000 feet.

 

[Goose]

I cant seem to find an answer on the website. But is there any main base lodge per say, or a couple different base lodges? You know like at the bottom of main lifts area , or a general lodge where all the info is, bathrooms, lift ticks, eating, lockers, general needs, place to sit and rest, etc. Basically a general point/s of meeting up and/or also being able to find anything you need while skiing? A starting point and finishing point per say?

or is this more just a type of thing where as mountain village lifts and/or bottom of town lifts leave you sort of confused in finding a general needs area.

 

[mikel]

Is this what you are looking for?

https://townofmountainvillage.com/media/Mountain-Village-Center-Directory-and-Map-Winter.pdf

 

[Goose]

Is this what you are looking for?

https://townofmountainvillage.com/media/Mountain-Village-Center-Directory-and-Map-Winter.pdf

thank you very much....but..lol.... where is there any actual "ski lodge" ? the place you would loosen up your gear and clothes and sit/rest may be eat, hit the bathroom, etc, etc, but without having to enter some third party restaurant. Perhaps a Telluride ski resort main base lodge such as you might find most skiers having luch and/or taking a break. The place you might normally see at most any ski mountain. Still not seeing this.

Not to be confused with the condominiums called telluride lodge.

 

[New2]

The Gondola Plaza in Mountain Village has most of the "ski lodge" amenities. As does the Cimarron Lodge at the bottom of Lift 7. The Oak Street Base and Big Billies both also offer many such amenities, but are less complete. It'll depend a lot more on where you're staying/where you're accessing the mountain from. But there really is no single "base lodge."

 

[Goose]

The Gondola Plaza in Mountain Village has most of the "ski lodge" amenities. As does the Cimarron Lodge at the bottom of Lift 7. The Oak Street Base and Big Billies both also offer many such amenities, but are less complete. It'll depend a lot more on where you're staying/where you're accessing the mountain from. But there really is no single "base lodge."

Thank you for th info.
Kind of strange I suppose. I mean to perhaps have a seat and rest somewhere without having to be inside a third party place of business. Like for example suppose my wife wants to take a break while I/we hit a couple more runs? Or perhaps myself and my wi9fe want top take a break while our kids take another run. Normally would say ok, we'll take a couple runs and meet you at the lodge. Inside/outside wherever one finds a table and/or chairs while waiting for the others, perhaps use bathroom,etc. How does this work now? How does anyone do this without being in a third party place of business while not necessarily spending money and perhaps feeling out of place.

 

[Lofcaudio]

Thank you for th info.
Kind of strange I suppose. I mean to perhaps have a seat and rest somewhere without having to be inside a third party place of business. Like for example suppose my wife wants to take a break while I/we hit a couple more runs? Or perhaps myself and my wi9fe want top take a break while our kids take another run. Normally would say ok, we'll take a couple runs and meet you at the lodge. Inside/outside wherever one finds a table and/or chairs while waiting for the others, perhaps use bathroom,etc. How does this work now? How does anyone do this without being in a third party place of business while not necessarily spending money and perhaps feeling out of place.

Sounds like Gorrono Ranch would best fit the bill. It's located mid-mountain along the Misty Maiden run in the Lift 4 pod. That's where my family would always rendezvous.

 

[dbostedo]

I don't know Telluride, but I can think of a few mountains I've been to where the type of lodge you're looking for, Goose, is more readily found up on the mountain, than at the base. (Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Whistler-Blackcomb, Vail). Usually any of the places that have a cafeteria are also good rest stops/meet-up spots.

 

[Snowfan]

Goose...if you get a headache, or all of you do...DON"T PANIC and wash out your trip. Take aspirin and only drop lower if additional symptoms manifest. Grab an oxy can for 12 bucks, drink 32oz water, put a snowball on your head or a pancake on a bunny's head, just don't panic and give up.

 

[Goose]

Sounds like Gorrono Ranch would best fit the bill. It's located mid-mountain along the Misty Maiden run in the Lift 4 pod. That's where my family would always rendezvous.

I did manage to call general info number and (sort of strange) they had no real understanding of what I was asking and transferred me to someone at the peaks resort. person was willing to answer the question in more detail for me.

She also mentoned the lift4 midway Gorrono ranch might be the closest thing to a general lodge. Also said at the gondola (I think) is sort of a central hub but no real "lodge" per say but different options. Its just kind of funny or strange , no? to possibly having to walk into an establishment that is not necessarily of the ski resort itself and possibly just sit, use bathroom, etc,,, without actually possibly being a customer of that establishment.

While not definite yet Im currently leaning towards town as the stay place. Mainly due to price as well as attitude (every bit would help).though its not definite where we stay. My wife will not run down the town side slopes (too much for her most probably and so if we stay in town we would be most often taking the gondola up and begin and end from there.

And so.... stopping, taking breaks , eating, bathroom , even meeting up should we split up , etc is all to most likely all be done up at the village level. And so I felt it important to have an idea just where and how to do this. Im not even certain my wife will ski the blues to Gorrono (though she could do it I am 100% certain) but she gets a bit scared..lol. and may not want to.

So as said we need to have a place (on mountain) that is practical. I mean you cant just walk into a business of a third party and sit there. Oh sure we will also eat and spend money. But then there are times we will require a place where we wouldn't be spending but just to relax, bathroom etc.

The person also said there are plenty outside seating with overhead heat etc..I suppose it depends just how cold it might be as to whether or not they are worthy.

I suppose a ski in/out MV stay sort of solves all this. But again money and altitude do have their place in the decision. Im sorry for being all over the place here. But I like to know what to be prepared for and what/where and how it all works as all this stuff can be confusing by just going and being aimless. Yes if I were younger and single whatever id just shoot from the hip but with the wife and fam Im certainly in the "need to know before hand" camp..lol
Im sure we'll figure things out just like going anywhere else unfamiliar but as long as I got some people here to ask and maybe even annoy who are willing to offer info and advice lol then why not get as much as I can, right?

 

[Lofcaudio]

And so.... stopping, taking breaks , eating, bathroom , even meeting up should we split up , etc is all to most likely all be done up at the village level. And so I felt it important to have an idea just where and how to do this. Im not even certain my wife will ski the blues to Gorrono (though she could do it I am 100% certain) but she gets a bit scared..lol. and may not want to.

Your wife could take the green run Village Bypass to Gorrono. It's a very nice run, with the only issue being that it crosses over two blues (Misty Maiden and Pick'n Gad) so there might be a little cross traffic that she would have to deal with.

The other possible option would be Big Billie's at the Meadows base (what I consider to be the very bottom of the ski resort). If your wife prefers green runs, I can't recommend Telluride enough as it is a wonderful place to learn and improve as a skier (after all, it's where I learned!). The whole Lift 10 area is fantastic with long greens with just the right amount of pitch to build confidence and get those turns linked. From town, you would just take the gondola all the way to the end of the line (Station Village Parking), and from there ski down the Green Cabin run to the Meadows base area.

 

[Jerez]

The thing is, Telluride is BIG. Doubt you'd want to schlepp all the way to the gondola area every time you want to meet up.

Telluride has a number of "areas" and many have their own amenities. One I recall is a water station with bathrooms and snack bar. One is a lovely outdoor tent with food and such. Several were full-on restaurants. (We liked meet at Bon Vivant for "après" snack on the mountain, and then ski down together after the lifts stopped and the trails were quiet.) You can scope out a meet/rest/wait spot for each area you are skiing.

If you are concerned about it, go for the complimentary mountain tour and ask you guide to point out potential meeting/rest/waiting spots. You will be FINE! All part of the adventure.

 

[Crank]

The bar at the top of the gondola from town is an excellent place for a post ski snack and drink with a great view before downloading or skiing into town. Telluride also has some of the best on-mountain dining I have experienced in the states. Goronno Ranch is a good spot to meet and a good spot to eat bbq. Better than the place in town IMO.

Man I want to get back to Telluride!

 

[Goose]

Your wife could take the green run Village Bypass to Gorrono. It's a very nice run, with the only issue being that it crosses over two blues (Misty Maiden and Pick'n Gad) so there might be a little cross traffic that she would have to deal with.

The other possible option would be Big Billie's at the Meadows base (what I consider to be the very bottom of the ski resort). If your wife prefers green runs, I can't recommend Telluride enough as it is a wonderful place to learn and improve as a skier (after all, it's where I learned!). The whole Lift 10 area is fantastic with long greens with just the right amount of pitch to build confidence and get those turns linked. From town, you would just take the gondola all the way to the end of the line (Station Village Parking), and from there ski down the Green Cabin run to the Meadows base area.

thanks amill for sharing more info.

My wife actually skied blues plenty times years back before we had kids. She was not askier when i met her and so she went and I taught her the basics and honestly she did very well and even progressed to somewhat (at the time in those days) parallel skiing. But then rasing the fam and all the life changing obs that come along with it caused us not to be able to ski much at all for a number of years. And then when the kids were old enough and we could start skiing again but only afford but a couple ski days per year. Nowadays we do more skiing (relatively speaking) and even then its more myself with the kids (which BTW are doing great). But she had lost some of her ability during those years and now being older of course shes also a bit scared to do much terrain and steepness wise.

So she'll just cruise easy and slow back/forth down the easy groomers and look at it as exorsize. Honestly she could handle much more than what she actually prefers to do but at this point in our mid aged lives Im not going to force her. So if need be we often split up a bit and meet a few runs later and then sort of do that over and over. Or Ill sometimes stay with her while the kids go off on their own etc..

reason for all that info to share is because one of the reasons I chose tell is that Ive investigated (many times over) and found from many informative articles (and also as you say) that its one the best big mountain places where as even a green she can also enjoy heading up to see the views and ski down even without having to go blue if she choses not to. That's not always possible in many other places. Or at least not to the same degree as it is in tell. And yet of course we can all enjoy just about any terrain we want at the same time as well.

That combined with what many believe to be some of the best scenery as well as not being overly crowded that time of year and also offering (normally) good conditions mid march. it just seems to fit perfectly for all the things I wanted to have when choosing a west resort.

except perhaps of course a run of the mill general base lodge...lol

 

[Goose]

all of you have been so great and informative and helpful thus far. Thanks and keep it coming. Ive got 6 months of info to gather up before my flight..lol. and I will take it all in and appreciate the conversations.

 

[Jerez]

Goose, T-ride has fabulous, long and scenic green runs. You made a good choice. That said, I recall many of those runs are kind of segregated. That is not all that close to the blues and blacks you and your kids might want to ski. Have you considered having her take 1/2 day lessons? Truly, she will have much less pressure and therefore enjoy her ski time more, and you can meet up at lunch so she can show you where she's skied that morning.

 

[Goose]

Goose, T-ride has fabulous, long and scenic green runs. You made a good choice. That said, I recall many of those runs are kind of segregated. That is not all that close to the blues and blacks you and your kids might want to ski. Have you considered having her take 1/2 day lessons? Truly, she will have much less pressure and therefore enjoy her ski time more, and you can meet up at lunch so she can show you where she's skied that morning.

thank you but fwiw its a bit (personally speaking) more than that simple with her. She basically only does these things (skiing) nowadays because we (myself and the kids) do it. Were it up to only her she wouldn't go skiing. But she does have some fun with it even though not her favorite choice of recreation. Im just glad she agreed to go. Shes not going to take a lesson and it would shock the heck out of me if she did. We will ski here this winter on our usual trip or two and perhaps I can get her to take a lesson. My wife is a gym goer and so not only did she ski fairly decent years back but also is in condition for it but she just has a fear nowadays and also just simply doesn't have much the desire for it. Just is what it is, what can ya do? A bit of a bummer for me I know, but what can ya do? At least she goes with us. And that's a good thing. But she also feels that as long as she is ok (skiing wise) she doesn't mind and even suggests we go off on our own runs and just meet up with her in between. So shes very cool about it. But I tend to stay with her a bit more than I have to out of mutual respect.

I often tell people who don't even ski that it is really nice to go and see places like this in the winter even if you don't ski. But we will survive (ski wise) it all some how as we always do (back here in the east). I think in the end she will appreciate just having been there and seeing/experiencing it all.

 

[New2]

Sounds like Telluride is much larger than where you're accustomed to skiing--even if there were a single base, it would be so huge that you'd want to make more specific meetup plans. Big Billie's and the Cimmaron Lodge used to be the "day lodges," and still can serve all the purposes you list--they're just not very convenient to most of the intermediate skiing (and it sounds like Cimarron Lodge won't work well for your wife). Goronno Ranch is indeed a good choice, with plenty of seating indoors and out, sometimes with live music, and a great people-watching spot. The gondola plaza also works well if the weather's nice. Think of those as a couple extra options if you want to set a meet-up spot other than one of the day lodges.

 

[Goose]

Sounds like Telluride is much larger than where you're accustomed to skiing--even if there were a single base, it would be so huge that you'd want to make more specific meetup plans. Big Billie's and the Cimmaron Lodge used to be the "day lodges," and still can serve all the purposes you list--they're just not very convenient to most of the intermediate skiing (and it sounds like Cimarron Lodge won't work well for your wife). Goronno Ranch is indeed a good choice, with plenty of seating indoors and out, sometimes with live music, and a great people-watching spot. The gondola plaza also works well if the weather's nice. Think of those as a couple extra options if you want to set a meet-up spot other than one of the day lodges.

yes and no. Most all my skiing is pocnos but Vermont si always in the mix. So yes in general its usally one or two main lodge areas as a norm for us. But I also been to the alps (austria) for some big skiing on a coiuple occasions. But even there (from what I recall decades ago in the 80's lol) were still main lodge areas.
Thanks to you and all it seems like I have an idea of the areas which would serve the purpose I was looking for.
As for Cimmaron Lodge? yea due to the runs down that way is not going to be the spot for the wife. But speaking of Cimmaron ,...isn't that an actual lodge in terms of being a place to stay (rooms/condos) vs a ski common area/cafeteria lodge?

 

[Lofcaudio]

except perhaps of course a run of the mill general base lodge...lol

This is a bit of a thread hijack, but I think it's mildly interesting since I've never thought much about it before.

I usually like hitting up the big places out West and when I think of all of the places I have been to recently...some have a base lodge, and others have something a bit different.

Sun Valley...YES
Snowbasin...YES
Jackson Hole...NO
Telluride...NO
Whistler/Blackcomb...NO
Alta...NO
Snowbird...NO
Taos...YES
Beaver Creek...NO
Vail...NO
Snowmass...NO
Aspen Mountain...NO
Aspen Highlands...YES
Solitude...YES
Brighton...NO
Deer Valley...YES (even though the base really isn't the "base", there are lodges everywhere)

However, almost all of these places have something that would resemble a "lodge," they just aren't necessarily at the base of the mountain.