Exploring the Best of Telluride, Colorado

MDL Experience Ski. | Photo: Courtesy of Auberge Resorts Collection

Old hippies with unkempt hair sit in pocket parks, and dogs of all shapes and sizes prance along beside their owners. Haute couture walks the streets against a backdrop of a historic mining town and picturesque mountains. Telluride, Colorado, is an enigma of a sort. It’s a story filled with hopes and dreams, celebrity and money. Telluride Ski Resort officially opened in 1972, so most recently, it’s a story of skiing.  

Located in the far southwest corner of Colorado, Alburquerque, New Mexico is closer than Denver. Perhaps that is why the slopes and chairlifts are filled with skiers hailing from mostly outside of Colorado. The town does feel a bit outside of reality, period. When driving into Telluride it is as though one is heading deep into the mountains, far from civilization. Montrose, home to the closest public airport, is an hour and a half away. The Telluride airport welcomes private planes only, so almost every visitor drives into town.

MDL Scenics. | Photo: Courtesy of Auberge Resorts Collection

Many guests, especially in the winter, stay in Mountain Village, the location of Telluride Ski Resort. A free gondola runs between Mountain Village and the Town of Telluride. Driving takes about 15 minutes. From Mountain Village, the gondola climbs high to the mountaintop and then drops down into Telluride. It’s a glorious ride in the winter as the snow glistens on the trees. If riding after dark, the snowcats can be seen on the mountain side, their headlights pointed in perilous directions, as they groom the slopes.

Photo: Courtesy of Ah Ha School For The Arts Bldg

This is one of the prettiest gondola rides in Colorado, no matter the time of year, and it’s dog-friendly. In fact, Telluride’s gondola isn’t just dog friendly, this town loves dogs. They are everywhere from the lobby of the five-star Madeline Resort & Residences in Mountain Village to the sidewalks of downtown. While Telluride is well-known as a ski town, art is also a big pull to the area. Ah Haa School for the Arts and Madeline Resorts & Residences, came together this past summer to hosts Artists Retreat Dinners. These intimate gatherings introduced guests to visiting artists teaching at the school for the summer. Everyone then sits down to a meal together, enjoying art inspired culinary delights by Chef Zachery Ludwig.

MDL Dine Timber Room Exterior. | Photo: Courtesy of Auberge Resorts Collection

The last Artists Retreat Dinner Series of 2024, featured David Kassan and Shana Levenson, a husband wife duo from New Mexico. Kassan paints in oils and Levenson is a photo-realist painter. They have vastly different styles and yet come together occasionally teaching workshops as a twosome to lucky students. The dinner courses, each with a new wine pairing, consisted of items such as white sturgeon caviar, black truffles, house made ricotta, and apricots with whipped vanilla mascarpone, just to name a few delectable flavors that came to the table.

MDL Dine Timber Room Bar. | Photo: Courtesy of Auberge Resorts Collection

Conversation was a delightful mixture of art and the offerings of Ah Haa which includes an array of year-round workshops as well as popup meals created by fantastic chefs. Need a break from skiing? A workshop at Ah Haa is just the thing. They even have classes for children and teens. Chef Zachery Ludwig also creates the dishes at Black Iron Kitchen, at the Madeline. The house made pastas with locally foraged mushrooms are a fan favorite. There is steak on the menu too, as well as fried quail. Enjoy a scrumptious meal next to outside fires that make Black Iron a desirable après ski destination. 

Photo: Courtesy of Ah Ha School For The Arts

After a fine meal, indulge in a nightcap at Timbers. Worthy of a magazine cover, Madeline’s bar features elegant, honey-colored wood and touches of Colorado glamour. After a drink or two, inside the hotel try out some shuffleboard. The only five-star property in Telluride, the Madeline Resort & Residences is luxury without the snobbery. Dogs are well-loved and welcomed here, from little ones to great big ones. Dog-friendly rooms and suites are equipped with everything a dog wants right down to a delicious treat in the shape of a bone.

Telluride Gondola Colorado. | Photo: The Heidi Guide

In addition, dog-owners will know and appreciate the fact that there is ample area in which to walk a dog around the Madeline. Whether it be on gently sloping hills around the resort or on one of the numerous paths in and around the village. There are even dog stations with bags. Telluride, after all, loves dogs. Dogs and art, the combination doesn’t get much better for most Coloradans, and others, who come to this post-card perfect destination. Words and pictures cannot suffice. Telluride must be seen and must be felt in person to be truly experienced.

MDL Pool. | Photo: Courtesy of Auberge Resorts Collection